Top 10 Reasons for Weight Lifting

How to Control Weight

2012-01-16T07:12:00.000-08:00

Figuring out how to control weight is a hard and confusing course of action for quite a few persons. A large number of men and women reside their entire life without having mastering how to preserve weight. On the other hand, other individuals lose weight and get to a point where they would like to stay at the present weight they are at by not losing or gaining any extra weight. Whatever your current circumstances are, this article on weight management will present you with a far better understanding of how to manage weight obtain and how to retain weight.

Calories to Retain Weight
In my opinion, nutrition is the single most fundamental determining factor in weight manage achievement. You must learn how to control eating! Those who do not realize how to control eating are almost certainly going to have a tricky time maintaining weight. Regardless, it is feasible to control weight gain.

Prior to learning how to manage eating, there is an very important step you ought to take. 1st, you ought to establish your metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the process in which your body utilizes food and converts it to power. Basically, in order to control weight, you have to know how several calories your body burns on a day-to-day basis thereby offering the quantity of calories you must consume on a day-to-day basis to sustain regular weight. To do this you must use a BMR calculator.

A BMR calculator enables you to input information, such as weight, height, and age, to determine how several calories your body burns every day. It also takes into account what sort of way of life you live, regardless of whether it be sedentary, lightly active, or very active. Immediately after you figure out what your metabolic rate is, try to consume that a number of calories day-to-day to retain weight. The calories you eat need to equal the calories you burn (metabolic rate).

In addition, you ought to not eat too quite a few calories from saturated and trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to 7% or much less of total every day caloric intake and trans fat to 1% or much less of total day-to-day caloric intake.

Aside from calories, there is an additional considerable element in weight control: physical exercise. Ultimately, workout and weight control go hand in hand.

Physical exercise and Weight Control
Like I stated ahead of, weight management control is a troublesome activity to accomplish for millions of consumers in America, which is one particular reason why our obesity rate is so ridiculously high. What is also disturbing is that Americans are becoming much less and less active and even more and even more lazier! For example, how many times have you noticed someone driving about a parking lot for five minutes just to get a closer spot the entrance? How quite a few many people use escalators in an airport as opposed to just making use of the stairs? How a large number of individuals run to the 1st seat available on the train or Metro rather of just standing for a couple of minutes? Chances are, a number of of these men and women are obese and do not know how to manage weight due to their inactive, sedentary way of life.

To control weight and retain very good weight, most of us have to workout like maniacs! Confident, there are those uncommon consumers who can eat whatever they want and under no circumstances acquire a pound! For the rest of us, that is not an alternative. We should engage in day-to-day workout in order to manage weight.

There are a plethora of efficient that can aid manage weight. Even so, a number of studies show full body, multi joint workout routines that tax the whole body are the greatest for burning calories thereby generating weight manage a lot easier.

Productive weight control exercises consist of:

Squats

Pushups

Pullups

Squat jumps

Burpees

Lunges

Step ups

Overhead squats

Dips

Front squats

Bent over row

Final Note
There you have it! Studying how to control weight is a pretty confusing concept for lots of persons. That is a single cause so a lot of many people carry excess weight in their abdomen, thighs, arms, etc. Other many people are just too lazy or uneducated when it comes to weight manage. Regardless, understanding how to manage eating and engaging in daily physical activity can assist you with weight management control!

First off, to retain superior weight calories in should equal calories out. A further words, the calories you burn every day, which is your metabolic rate, have to equal the calories you consume daily. For example, just after using a metabolic rate calculator you decide that your metabolic rate is 1800 calories per day. To sustain and control weight, you would merely eat approximately 1800 calories per day! To obtain weight, you would eat significantly more than that and to lose weight you would eat much less!

Secondly, you must exercise! Very simple as that! Exercising does not have to be solely performed in a gym either. There are many methods to workout and burn calories. If you choose workouts that you delight in you are considerably far more likely to stick to an workout regimen!

A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss

2012-01-10T09:17:00.001-08:00

In today's society we are focused on outer beauty and appearances. The media tells you that thin is delightful. You can see this message come by means of on the television, movies, commercials, magazines and books. You start to think that no good results will come to you unless you are thin. The thought of becoming thin turns into an obsession with weight loss. This is however a quite normal thought process that troubles a number of women.

If you are like most other girls, you might have been struggling with your weight for a number of years. You have a robust desire to shed weight, and you really feel unhappy about your current appearance. Plagued with these thoughts you look for one thing that will assist you shed weight. You might have even discovered a diet in the past that worked for a while. Still, like other diets that you have tried, you ended up gaining the weight back. You have now entered the vicious cycle of dieting. This leaves you feeling even worse about your look. You may possibly start thinking that you cannot be successful.

So you have society telling you that thin is attractive which has led to your obsession with weight loss. You have a strong want to shed weight and actively make choices to obtain that goal. However, you still cannot shed weight and maintain it off. This becomes pretty frustrating in the lives of women who struggle with their weight. One reason it could be troublesome for you to retain your weight loss could be due to how considerably you concentrate on your physical appearance. When you are so focused on a number, you might not be able to see that a holistic method to weight loss shows permanent results.

One thing that diets provide you is a way to shed weight. After all, that is their min purpose. When you are focused on losing weight, it is usually complicated to face the underlying factors for your eating habits.

Try producing the number on the scale secondary to the emotional and mental adjustments you want to see. That is when you will start seeing weight loss outcomes that last. With a non-diet plan strategy to weight loss, the quantity of weight lost for the duration of the transformation is not the focus. The concentrate is on enhancing your self from the inside out.

You might possibly wonder how you can shed weight without having focusing on weight. Very easy, you begin to acknowledge every little thing that has held you back from effective weight loss in the past. By recognizing these myths and beliefs, you can start to dispute them.

For example, you could believe that you will usually be unsuccessful at losing weight. This belief has been created from years of yo-yo dieting. A non-diet program strategy helps you see the truth about your past beliefs. You will talk with other individuals and obtain out why diets do not perform. You will commence a new believed method which leads to positive thinking. The barriers you when faced, will now disappear.

In order to obtain effective weight loss, you should operate from the inside out. By performing this, you not only shed weight, but also begin to enjoy yourself and live life to the fullest.

How to Lose Weight in Ten Days From Now & Surprise Everyone

2011-10-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

Are you in a hurry to lose weight in ten days or so? If so read on.

First of all, I want to bring to notice that there are lots and lots of scams prevalent on the Internet. Many weight loss products or plans to make huge claims, but most of the time you are guaranteed to end up disappointed.

People have tried their best hunger, taking diet pills, weight loss supplements, the Atkins diet, raw vegetable diets, low carbohydrate diet, low fat diet, etc. etc.

If you encounter such people they are sure to tell you how each of the above is totally useless when it comes to losing weight.

So, in a hurry to lose weight, not fall for such scams, which will spoil your health, and are not effective for weight loss.

What does not work?

You know you're probably absolutely lose weight by starving yourself? By skipping meals and keeping yourself hungry, you're setting yourself to over-eat later.

In addition, in starvation mode your metabolism rate drops to prevent the weight reduction. Weight loss supplements and diet pills are also completely ineffective.

And diet pills can be very dangerous. They can even be fatal sometimes. There are cases where they were allegedly causing strokes or heart attacks, etc.

Lets see what works

Now that you know what methods to avoid to lose weight quickly, let us examine what works.

There is a program of diet on the market that is completely unlike fad diets. This diet program does not require you to starve or restrict your diet for a few bland foods. This is a good diet to lose weight in ten days or so. Program I'm talking about is called as "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" program. Now you can find this program has gained immense popularity on the Internet. Many people have given positive feedback about it.

Program I'm talking about is called as "Fat Loss 4 Idiots" program. Now you can find this program has gained immense popularity on the Internet. Many people have given positive feedback about it.

So, do not go to the expectations. But reasonable people have lost weight in just 11-15 days using the program.

Even if you lose 4-5 kg in ten days, is not that enough? In addition, this diet plan is much easier to keep because it is not as strict as many others, and lets you enjoy a wide selection of dishes.

How To Lose Weight You Will Fail Unless You Know These

2011-08-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

We all shed some weight only to discover that it quickly finds its way back on again. The fact is, most diets out there are ineffective because they do not target the exact nature of long-term sustainable weight loss, what we all desire. To help you with your diet, I've put together these top five "must know" strategies. Once these ships, you will have the exact model fitness gurus teach.

1. Exercise will always speed up weight loss a fact

If you want to succeed long term and keep the weight off, you should do some form of exercise. Your exercise for 30 minutes twice a week will provide you increase your heart rate and speed up your metabolism. You can even do it in 15 minute slots, four times a week, there are no fixed rules here. If you can not run, walking is a great way to get moving. Give it a try, because after two weeks you will lose unwanted fat from areas you most want.

2. Food diary keep a log of everything you eat

This in itself will be the deciding factor on whether you lose weight or not, because you have to watch what you eat and how much. You May not have noticed as a snack, or what you eat is actually bad for you. Making subtle changes will always make a big difference when embarking on any program true portion size. You May be thinking, who cares if you eat 200 more calories a day more than it should. This equates to an additional 1400 calories a week and it's almost a whole day's worth of food supplement that you do not need. This leads to a steady weight gain, so you always log everything you eat, including foods and the amount. You can then think about this and see where you can reduce or replace certain meals healthier alternatives.

3. Think

Do not load more with trying to shed a stone in a week. First, you should have the right body of fuel, which means a controlled diet. Does your car run on water? No, your body does not work very well when you consume excess fat oil there. If you stay determined, you're already halfway there.

4. Overeating we all

There are many reasons why we decided to eat more than our body needs. This is called comfort and eating habits. As mentioned earlier, those extra calories quickly escalate, while binge eating is the day of the week, without even knowing. If you're stressed, angry, alone or with other triggers such as depression, and all can lead to overeating from time to time. Remember a healthy mindset in point 3 and get yourself back on track.

5. Part of the management

As this is an extremely important aspect when trying to lose weight, we cover it in more detail here. Try and reduce your portion sizes, even a few times a week to start way to reduce the intake part is that you do not eat after 6 or 19 o'clock in the evening. This is when the least active so your body burns fewer calories. If you are hungry and want to eat, snack on something healthy before going to sleep, but only if you must.

There you have it, the top 5 things that can prevent weight loss. There are other factors, so keep reading because you learn, the more weight you lose.

Fat Loss Diets Contribute to Menopause Weight Gain The Great Instant Weight Loss Hoax

2011-08-25T14:52:00.001-07:00

Some fat loss diet (so-called fad diets) only contribute to weight gain menopause.

Pre menopause is a transitional time for women when the most important lifestyle changes should be with an eye toward achieving hormonal balance. Some of these instant weight loss and fat loss diet rapids only serve to create chaos instead of hormones.

There is a weight loss website dedicated to the promotion of unhealthy fat loss diets and extreme 3, 5, 10 (or whatever) on the day of instant weight loss diets that will only serve to destroy your metabolism and make you fatter especially as you move out before menopause to menopause.

Together with the banners inexpensive, nice tool and instant calculators to keep you entertained, or they will dazzle you with his Vegas like attraction or repulsive with your (fill in appropriate word), and ultimately leave you more confused than ever. Not to mention a little lighter in the wallet.

Their information can be vague, incomplete and in some cases might even be harmful!

Unfortunately, the emphasis is more on selling the next "instant fix weight loss" to their unsuspecting readers, rather than educate them and give them the tools and knowledge that can be used indefinitely.

Talk about getting lost in the shuffle likes!

Unfortunately, in today's world of information overload, many fat loss diets and websites used to promote them, have become nothing more than a flashy, high end, e-commerce giant machines filled with paid advertisements and promotions, and quite indifferent to the needs of their readers.

When you're big, it's easy to become comfortable and complacent.

You've probably realized by now that you May have to lose some weight no kidding. It would not be reading about losing belly fat or fat loss, if weight is not a concern for you

You need a weight loss diet plan that will work for you, and that is (hopefully) put together by someone who has "walked their talk" - not a magazine article about the writers and copy writers who research your item and then offer up nothing more than rehashed sales copy.

Is also necessary to diet and exercise plan that is versatile enough to fit into your lifestyle, not vice. Many of the current weight loss diet you are trying to sell the idea of "no pain, no pain'.

Just 'get' you'll probably ever see this kind of approach will be an extra belly fat that will accumulate around your waist when you go outside of their immediate weight loss plan likely.

Your body will react immediately goes into fat storage, so that should you decide to deprive him of his energy again in the future, it will be able to survive hunger and to maintain balance.

As the famous TV detective says, "Just the facts, ma'am "

Healthy weight loss diet is not always the biggest, busiest and noisiest in terms of promotion. In fact, quite the opposite.

The most effective fat loss diets are often put together people who are experts in their field and have the knowledge and passion to present their ideas in a way that is easily transferred to your audience. They never promoted as "instant weight loss", but instead aims to educate its readers and encourage changes in dietary and lifestyle habits that are sustainable long term.

Lose Weight With Pilates

2011-08-25T14:49:00.001-07:00

Pilates has become a worldwide phenomenon, is growing significantly in recent decades. The reason for the many health benefits when you got to do pilates regularly. Benefits include increased strength, balance, endurance and muscle. But this is a quick way to lose weight?

In order to lose weight you need to keep your heart rate up in fat burning zone for a long time. The study recommends 30 minutes of at least 4 days a week. Examples of traditional weight loss exercises include running and cycling. They were of moderate intensity exercise to maintain for long periods. Pilates has traditionally focused on control and to strengthen and work more on a steady slow controlled movements than fast movements. However, this does not mean that they will not drop any weight.

To lose weight quickly you must burn off more calories than you eat. When doing Pilates, you are burning energy and therefore will drop weight. It May not be the ideal type of exercise is recommended, but you will burn fat and lose weight. You can increase the amount of calories during your Pilates class taking fewer breaks between exercises. Try to flow continuously from one exercise to another. This will help keep your heart rate and the steady level that is ideal for fat burning.

Another way you can burn more fat with Pilates is using a small trampoline that can be attached to the bottom of the Pilates Reformer machine. Using the jumper can do more high intensity exercises such as jumping and skipping that will quickly increase your heart rate quickly burning zone.

The diet should be mentioned when talking about weight loss. No matter how many classes you take will not lose weight if your diet is wrong. A child can easily be found by a quick search on-line. Mainly decrease in calorie consumption as much as possible, cut out junk food and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat and that will be well on your way to a healthy diet plan.

In summary, Pilates can definitely be used as a form of exercise for weight loss. Try changing your routine so you do not stop between exercises, keep your heart rate at a high level for the whole class. Running or jogging can give you more weight loss, but will not give you additional toning and strengthening that Pilates.

Permanent Weight Loss The Secret the Diet Companies Don't Want You to Know

2011-08-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Weight loss / diet industry is a multibillion dollar industry. Judging by the countless advertisements and advertisements that are constantly flooded, it seems that all you want to do is help you lose weight. In reality, they have no interest in helping you lose weight - they are in it to make money on you. A lot of money.

See, they know that the odds of someone with their weight loss products and keeping it off are astronomical. But they will never tell you. Think about it when was the last time you saw a commercial weight loss, which showed their spokesman 10 years after starting a diet? Or even 5 years ago.

This is no different than "to become a millionaire in real estate" commercials you see late at noć.Fine print is always the same as the weight loss product: "Results not typical ".

Do not get me wrong you can actually lose weight with diet products / plans, but that's not what the main is to keep it off? Because that's the secret to keeping it off that most people are not aware of. This is the secret to weight loss giants will suppress at all costs, because it became known, all of them will go out of business.

I want to pay really close attention to what you are about to read , it will change the way you diet forever.

First, let's kill the myth and not gain weight because they do not exercise. It is simply not true. you'll get fat because you eat the right foods at the right intervals each day . And it's much easier to do than it sounds. In fact, if you ignore this little fact, you'll end up saving most of the calories you eat as fat - no matter how much you exercise and starve themselves between.

Another shocking fact: the use of low-calorie diet is ridiculous. Have you been to? I'll say it again - is meaningless . Period.

Why? Because their metabolic response to any reduction in calories is to convert itself to burn fewer calories each day.

Example: Suppose that a drop in intake of 4000-2500 calories per day. Your metabolism will quickly adjust so that your body now begins to burn only 2500 calories a day.

This is why your diet does not always succeed in the long run. It's the same reason why your friends can eat 3000 calories a day and not get any weight and you gain weight by eating 800 calories a day. But it is not necessarily so.

System behind this knowledge is a nickname called "fat loss for idiots", because this 10-step system for permanent weight loss is so basic and simple that literally anyone can do it. This is the end of dieting and start something we do not think that is possible: Permanent weight loss.

Tips for Losing Weight Without Diet Pills

2011-08-25T14:05:00.001-07:00

These days, everyone wants to lose weight. The paper, practicing yoga and trying new diets are some of the most public way of losing weight. However, there are some people who believe in the consumption of diet pills. Diet pills are also called anti-obesity pill or weight loss drugs. These drugs alter the mechanism of human body weight regulation. This is achieved by altering appetite, metabolism or level of absorption of calories. However, the diet pills are extremely unhealthy. Some of the known side effects of diet pills are irritability or nervousness, anxiety, insomnia and a feeling of restlessness or hyperactivity, high blood pressure, stroke, or congestive heart failure. Other side effects include gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. Some of the easier ways to lose weight without suffering such adverse effects are listed below.

Exercise
Burn more calories than you eat by adding a simple, brisk exercise regimen to your daily routine! Start slow and work up to 30 minutes of low impact exercises 3-5 times a week. Cardiovascular exercises are essential for weight loss. At first, 30 minutes of cardio is the appropriate amount of exercise. In the end, you May want to increase the limits in order to lose weight faster. Resistance training is the most effective way to achieve a slimmer body. It builds increases metabolism, builds muscle and burns fat.

to drink plenty of water
Doctors and dietitians recommend drinking plenty of water. Drinking water helps to flush out harmful toxins from the body that tend to prevent weight loss. For your body to function properly, you need to replenish their water supply for consumption of beverages and foods that contain water. Generally, doctors recommend drinking 8 or 9 cups of water each day. Not only will it help you lose weight, it also helps to relive headaches and backaches due to dehydration. Water helps you feel more energy while exercising. It also keeps your body is rejuvenated during the day.

to eat a balanced diet
Figure out a diet plan that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. These are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. Eat five vegetables a day, and then try to diversify their food menu to include some more vegetables whenever possible. The exchange of normal fatty snacks with carrots, cut up celery sticks and cucumber. Add high fiber diet menu. Whole wheat and whole grain foods, fruit and vegetables, and fill out more, without charging you more calories. Avoid refined sugar and flour in order to lose weight fast! Avoid drinking carbonated drinks or carbonated beverages to reduce swelling quickly and take inches off the waist!

Count calories
The recommended daily calorie intake varies from person to person, depending on the type of life you lead, and other factors, such as height, weight and gender. If your daily caloric intake is above normal due to their height, eight, gender and activity level, you May want to consider reducing your calorie intake to achieve a healthy weight level. One pound or 0.5 kg is equivalent to 3500 calories. By making small changes in diet or exercise regime, you can create a deficit of 500 calories, causing you to lose one pound more than a week. (500 calories x 7 days a week = 3500 calories.) This is how you can lose up to half a pound a week! However, drastically reduce the calories can cause hunger and reduce your metabolism. But this does not necessarily reduce your weight. It is therefore necessary to be cautious, but after this routine weight loss. A simple way of counting calories is watching how much you eat. Do not put butter on toast. Drizzle balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of dressing. Or just eat half their normal serving of rice. You see, it's not so hard after all!

be patient
Expect slow performance if you want to be permanent. While anti-obesity pill may claim to make you lose weight drastically, you must keep in mind that it can be very dangerous. It is very unsafe to lose more than 10 pounds, or 4.5 kg per month. If an individual loses too much weight too quickly can risk the constant nausea, diarrhea, fatigue and constipation. So it slowly and keep those inches off permanently!

Remember, determined to keep his regime and healthy diet are the only ways to lose weight naturally and safely, without using dangerous diet pills.

Dukan Diet Fast Weight Loss

2011-08-25T14:03:00.001-07:00

When you lose a pound, why choose Dukan Diet? Also called Regime Dukan, protein diet or method of Dukan. Dukan diet is super popular new French diet containing protein with a tough regime of long-term sensible way to maintain weight loss

The number one reason for choosing Dukan diet 'mincir "as they say in French, to slim down or lose weight. If you want to shed pounds and get in your thinnest and sexiest weight Dukan diet is all-inclusive diet that allows you to eat real food flavorful and still lose weight fast and keep it off.

Method was created by French physician Pierre Dukan. He advised a patient who was also a friend to eat only lean protein and drink water when a friend asked his advice about losing weight quickly. Although he had no background in nutrition, the results were incredibly successful. Pierre Dukan became interested in nutrition and weight loss at that point and continued to help people slim down or decades. For thirty years of practice, he has helped people in France to lose weight and get thin, and now his method is gaining great popularity in the UK now, it's time for American to get this French diet secret is a secret for too long.

Dukan method works in four distinct phases. The attack stage, cruises, consolidation and stabilization phase

During the attack phase, you keep a strict protein diet. Unlike the Atkin diet, heavy grease, butter and cream are to be avoided. During the attack phase, you eat only lean meat, fish, shrimp, chicken, lobster, lean pork and lean beef. You can have plants generously season the food as well as non-fructose sweeteners.

High-fat protein and dairy products are not allowed during the attack phase. Eggs are fine, but if cholesterol is a concern for you, limit egg yolks during the attack phase.

Egg whites are a great source of protein and should be enjoyed in the attack phase of the regime and the Dukan diet. You can lose the most weight during the attack phase.

During the cruise phase of Dukan diet, you can add to the long list of approved Dukan vegetables on alternate days. You can go back and forth between all the protein a day, then protein and vegetables a day and so on. Staying at this stage while you shed pounds to your desired goal weight.

Consolidation phase is so important phase. How long will you stay in the consolidation phase is based on how much weight you lost during the attacks and the cruise phase. This is a healthy way to lose weight and keep it as Pierre Dukan noticed that most of his patients who were struggling to shed pounds with the period after the loss and trying to keep it stage allows you to add the foods you love to eat directed Dukan diet menu. The goal is to maintain its slim body for life.

In the phase of stabilization, Dr. Dukan suggests that you eat as you like, hopefully in moderation, of course, six days a week. On the seventh day, you have to go back to your diet to the attack phase. For one day each week, eat only lean protein as well as in the first phase of the diet. Remember, you'll learn tons of great Dukan diet recipes that delicious and tasty recipes of protein, so hopefully it will not be so bad.

Do not settle for fake cardboard food when you are dieting. Enjoy a real tasty food with a menu Dukan diet.

How Much Of Medifast Weight Loss Is Water Weight?

2011-08-25T13:31:00.001-07:00

I often hear from people who are worried that whatever weight that is lost on is just water weight. This is especially true in the beginning of the diet. I had someone tell me that she lost 5 pounds in its first week, acknowledged this fact, the friend because he was so proud of myself, and was met with a chilly response when her friend scoffed that her weight loss was only the "weight water "and would be back before you knew it. (Weight stayed off, but the friendship was never quite the same ).

I think that this perception occurs because people believe that weight loss in the early stages of the diet is to reduce water retention or edema. People also believe that when you first start working, you'll lose "water weight", because you sweat more. But I find that this logic is often flawed. What happens when you drink more water to replace what you lost? No one seems to answer or even think about the issue. I suppose some people would prefer to question something, but it completely thought through.

My position on this has always been to be thankful that I was losing weight and not over analyze why I lose it. I've never had someone tell me that their weight of water or returned to their weight loss was not sustainable once the problem of water retention was removed.

Might help you understand how really work. Because the diet is really designed to burn and lose fat, not changes to be low in carbohydrates and in turn are high in protein and fiber. This ratio improves your body's metabolic state called. If your diet is high in carbohydrates, your body will burn as fuel. But when you add more protein to your diet and deprive those same, then your body has no choice but to burn the fat, since it is really his only choice.

Many people get into rather quickly. It is not unheard of to happen in his first week on the diet. So, while it is easy to chalk your success and weight loss and to just be water weight, I would argue that it must be at least a bit considering the fact that your body has probably been forced to burn some fat also. And frankly, I think this whole argument is stupid. For me, losing weight is a wonderful thing, no matter the reason. I think it is harmful to discount your success, or tell yourself that this is only because of the water when you have worked very hard, see real results, and are on a diet that is designed to help you lose fat.

Of course, many people do not see relief from water retention, when they started their diet. But what is wrong with that? This is just another way for your body to begin to shed the reserves, even if this is so, this condition does not last forever, and is likely to happen, which means that fat loss or is happening or just on the horizon. So to answer the question posed, in my opinion it is very difficult to know what is what is lost is just "water weight." The answer could be a little, a lot or somewhere in between. But I think that is very important to balance this issue with the knowledge that is truly designed to burn fat and eventually, after the water issue has long been forgotten, it's usually what happens.

Why Not Lose Weight and Get Rid of Love Handles Fast With a Body Cleansing Detox?

2011-08-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

It can be a great idea to consider body cleansing detox diet that includes fruits and vegetables - now that research has shown improved heart health with moderate weight loss. According to research, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, pumping blood enhanced when the thickness of its muscle decreased due to moderate weight loss.

60 obese people, researchers have studied over two years, 46 of them can finish the entire course. The study required participants to perform three and half hours of exercise per week, while sticking to low calorie months gave the maximum amount of 32 pounds lost. By the time two-year study was completed, patients were 14 pounds lighter on average.

Researchers believe that doctors can use the study to encourage patients to lose weight and body cleansing detox taking advantage of showing the whole body health. Why do not you losing weight? This is only for your own good. Other studies 1989 - 2009 also showed that people are getting fatter in the last 20 years. Did you know that the average female waist today is almost the same size waist as a man two decades?

By Lisa Fuentes explained that after a while, in the heart of people who suffer from obesity can be reduced by pumping or relaxation skills that lead to failure have shown however, that people can stop time and restore a youthful heart just a waste of flab around their bodies. How to get rid of love handles fast, not only primary care to live healthy and make sure your heart is beating in the right way is much more important.

Also, drinking lots of water does not cost more to do, but it gives you tons of positive benefits in order to get rid of love handles and lose excess weight naturally. It is part of the body cleansing detox program to flush out the dirty waste in your liver and entire body.

Try not to believe that losing weight quickly is healthy. I want to give you some tips on how to lose 10 pounds fast and keep it working until you reach your goals. While I have seen many people lose over 11 pounds in a week, it is absolutely natural that they will get it back as quickly.

Lose Weight by Identifying Your Metabolic Type

2011-08-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

Most of us like to lose weight, so we are able to not only look good but stay away from health problems that could be associated with excess weight and live a healthy life. You can from time to time the question of exactly how many people find it very easy to reduce fat, and some use the same diet plan may have little or no benefit. This may be related to the recent breakthrough in a person's metabolic type can certainly influence the effects of reducing fat for an individual who, after eating a certain routine. Thinking about the reasons exactly how a particular diet for a person succeeds, but not for another, and how two people to eat the same amount and type of meals would have a similar weight gain, nutritionists and health workers happen to be trying hard to produce explanations .

After much study, the body's metabolic type is recognized as a key factor in the diet will work for any purpose and all the different results of the diet program may have different typing diet is actually a diet plan that fits the unique metabolic body type. This is a custom diet program that is best for metabolic type can be determined by answering a pretty simple question self test. This no doubt is actually great news for those who simply can not find a way to lose weight using a regular diet plans. No more guess work. Anyone can lose weight now!

Our own bodies include genetic determines which foods your body can easily take in and break easily. This is because a special reason that certain healthy foods, and May does not have the desired effect on one's body. While eating some sort of cheesy pizza and ice cream may have more negative effects on your body than you would on a different metabolic type routine that is certainly not correct for the metabolic type can have a negative impact on the body, as the system can not obtain the necessary nutritional requirements for you to function normally. This is the main reason why some weight loss plans have brought about health issues in some people.

People can be divided into 3 main types of metabolism.

Types of proteins - These people melt away or oxidize carbohydrates quickly and have got to feed a lot more protein and fat can also slow down the process. Protein species have increased demand for purines, which is a kind of amino acids in red meat, such as red meat, chicken drumsticks, and sardine. They tend to be regularly hungry, crave fatty, salty foods, not a low-calorie diets, and tend towards fatigue, stress and nervousness. They may be lethargic or feel "wired", "on edge", after the superficial energy, although tired underneath.

Carb types - Carb species will be slow oxidizers. They usually have a pretty poor appetite, high tolerance with regard to the sweets, difficulty with weight management, "type" of personality, and usually depends on the caffeine-containing beverages.

Mixed Species - Mixed types are generally either fast or slow oxidizers. These people generally have inconsistent appetite, appetite due to the sweets and starchy foods, something very little to do with weight management issues, and usually tend towards fatigue, anxiety, and nervousness. Only 10% of people in this category.

Is very well known and useful weight management plan is available online, diet solution program, mainly based on this this program, the reader will recognize the style of eating properly without buying into the hype. It will provide not only advice on how to shed excess pounds, but to inform you about the meal plans, information about good and bad fats, grocery lists and even recipes to achieve those desired weight.

Combat Depression While Losing Weight With 5HTP

2011-08-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

Antidepressants and weight loss can be a difficult combination. However, studies have shown that 5HTP, a natural supplement known for its antidepressant qualities, can actually help you lose weight while lifting your spirits.

5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5HTP, a natural amino acid used by the brain to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Mood, sleep, and the perception of pain and happiness are all regulated in large part by serotonin. 5HTP alone a chemical precursor of serotonin, which means that without it, serotonin production does not occur. Taking 5HTP supplement is giving the brain more than the material needed to make serotonin and increased serotonin levels is considered essential in the treatment of depression.

Prescription antidepressants and weight loss seldom go hand in hand. In fact, obesity is a very common side effect of antidepressant drugs, especially antidepressants and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI). Reports indicate that nearly half of those kinds of drugs to get a moderate amount of weight. For those who are trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight and treat depression, it is an unfortunate situation, a prescription anti-depressants and weight loss, it is contra-indicated.

5HTP, on the other hand, is not only an effective antidepressant, but it can actually help in weight loss, according to a study conducted at the University of Rome. In this study, the researchers delivered a group of overweight women with three doses of 5HTP per day to around half an hour before most study participants lost significant amounts of weight. Many reported less focused on food than they were before 5HTP, making it easier to avoid binge-eating and resist the temptation to indulge in high calorie, high fat foods. Some said carbohydrate craving less and be easily able to control portion size, when taking the supplement. This research suggests that antidepressants and weight loss are not necessarily impossible combinations. While the antidepressant 5HTP

5HTP is not only one of the only antidepressants that promote weight loss, but it is also associated with far fewer side effects than their prescription counterparts. In addition often causes weight gain and making more difficult to lose weight gained, SSRIs and tricyclics are also associated with nausea and vomiting, inability to orgasm, dry mouth, diarrhea, insomnia, heart palpitations, trembling, anxiety i. 5HTP, however, without significant side effects. Less digestive disorders have been reported are the beginning of treatment benefit, but this usually subsides after a few days.

Most people are between 100 and 300 mg 5HTP when treating depression. Some do better taking a lower dose, so it is advisable to start with 100 mg and add more over time if necessary. For maximum absorption, 5HTP should be taken with or immediately before meals with a full glass of water. You should avoid taking more than 200 mg 5HTP at a time. 5HTP can not be medically indicated for everyone, and should not be taken by those who use anti-Parkinson's, or prescription of antidepressant medications. As with any dietary supplement, consulting health care professional before 5HTP regimen is advised.

20 Ways to Lose Weight

2011-08-25T13:24:00.001-07:00

1. Take one step at a time

start paying attention to what you eat. Cut back on fat and sweets and add more fruits and vegetables. Once you have it under control, add exercise. If you hate to exercise try it for 15 minutes a day initially, then a 1/2-hour. Keep in mind that while you are exercising you are burning calories and not eating. Also, it would be easier if you choose an activity you enjoy.

2. Find a friend

It's always good to have support when trying to lose weight. Find a friend who wants to lose weight and compare notes, weigh-in together, and maybe even contests.

3. Use weights

Making weight will build muscle and increase your metabolism so you burn more calories. Also, muscle takes up less space than fat so it will be smaller (but probably weigh more ).

4. Eat fewer carbohydrates

I do not eat as much bread and pasta, so you'll see the difference.

5. Set a goal

Set the time to lose weight and write it down. For example, "By December 14/04 will weigh 150 pounds or less." Put it somewhere you'll see it every day.

6. Give up soda

If you drink soda or 2 days to add empty calories. If you find it hard to stop completely reduced at first and drink water instead.

7. Grill or cook

Avoid fried meat, grill and use lots of spices. You'll get used to it and probably enjoy it more.

8. Do not buy junk food

When you go shopping, do not go on an empty stomach, so you'll be less likely to buy junk food. Keep your home 'no junk food ", so it will not be tempted to indulge.

9. Eat breakfast

Consume most of your calories early in the day and always eat breakfast. Do not eat after 20:00 and not only will you avoid those added calories but you'll sleep better.

10. Give yourself a treat

When you say that you can not have something you want more. Give yourself a treat once a day (half a cookie) and you feel you're missing out.

11. Use smaller plates

Trick yourself into believing that eating more with less pay.

12. Drink plenty of water

To drink water when you're hungry and feeling that you get the 'full' feeling.

13. Do not eat everything on your plate

A lot of times we eat just because it's there. Pay attention to when you've had enough.

14. Eat five or six meals a day

Eating more frequently will keep you from getting too hungry.

15. Plan your training sessions

Write the exercise in a journal or planner.

16. Stay away from fad diets

Fad diets do not work. If you lose weight fast chances are you'll get it back (and more) as quickly. It takes time to put the time and take him down.

17. Do some training day

While watching TV do crunches and leg lifts.

18. Measure foods

If you decide to junk food for snack. Be sure to measure and control what you eat

19. Keep pre-cut vegetables

and ward off those cravings.

20. Create good habits

This is a known fact that when we do something nine p.m. times it becomes a habit. Creating good eating habits.

Weight Training Programs

2009-02-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

That Build Muscle

Solid weight training programs are critical to accomplishing the build muscle and gain weight fast goal. It isn't enough to just walk into a gym and throw around some weights, not if you want to be successful in short order. You must instead have a weight lifting program that is tailored to accomplishing your specific goal to build muscle mass.

On this page, we will work through the many components that go into the design and implementation of weight training programs that demand muscle growth. It will be your attention and dedication to making each of these components strong that will allow them to come together and produce the muscle building results you are after.

As important as weight training programs are to success, it is also important to remember they are not the only important factor. There are three factors that contribute to building muscle mass diet, training AND rest. All are equally critical to success. Fail to account for one factor and you will fail to maximize your muscle building capability.

When a solid weight gain diet is combined with a well-planned weight training program and sufficient rest, it can be a powerful force.

Without your diet supplying the raw materials your body needs to build muscle, all the hard work you do in the gym will be wasted. If you don't provide the body enough rest time with which to repair and rebuild muscle, all your weight training will be wasted.

The most common mistake beginner and intermediate trainers make in their mass gain approach is an over-emphasis on their weight training and an under-emphasis on their eating and rest.

Weight Training Philosophy

A lot is made over weight training philosophies and you will not need to venture far in the bodybuilding world before encountering someone willing to argue to the death that the philosophy his or her weight training program is based on is the end-all, supreme, hands down best way to workout all the time with absolutely no exceptions.

When you meet this person, save yourself a lot of grief, smile politely, and walk away.

There are two dominant basic weight training philosophies :

HIT - HIT is an acronym for High Intensity Training. HIT calls for the trainer to workout 1-3 times a week with full body single-set routines. These are to be short but very intense workouts. The basic prescription is 8-12 reps per set always done to failure. Each and every workout is expected to produce an increase in strength so that when performing your next workout you should either look to perform more reps with the same weight or the same number of reps with a greater weight.
Periodization - Weight training programs based on this philosophy approach progressive overload in a different way. In a periodization program you may do light training for three weeks, followed by medium training for a few weeks and then do heavy training for the final cycle. Emphasis is not placed on achieving gains in every workout but rather on the cumulative gains after all phases. The basic idea is to change intensity and volume levels to prevent overtraining.

The above descriptions are brief and, in being brief, necessarily unfair to each philosophy. Each philosophy has much more to offer. In practice, they are much less strict then their presentation here. HIT, for example, in practice does indeed incorporate some variety in reps and sets which is essentially a form of periodization. The basic difference is that HIT recommends always doing high intensity workouts while periodization advocates cycling your intensity.

Bodybuilder Weight Training. The most commonly employed mass gain weight training strategy used today is what is sometimes referred to as hardgainer training. In a sense, this is a hybrid of all the main philosophies. This site focuses on weight training programs using a version of hardgainer training that utilizes low volume, training splits and maximum intensity in an effort to build muscle fast.

The most common training regimen and the one most hardgainers (most people) seem to find the most productive for mass gain is a 3-day split training routine with each muscle group being worked just once per week. This is an excellent place to start.

Sources : Gain-Weight-Muscle-Fast.com

Diabetes Medication and Lifestyle Changes Can help Treat Weight Gain Induced

2009-02-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

Lifestyle intervention and the drug metformin are both effective against antipsychotic-induced weight gain, and treatment is most effective when the two therapies are combined, according to a new article.

Atypical antipsychotic (AAP) medications have been used increasingly for the management of patients with a variety of psychotic disorders and severe behavioral disturbances. But in the past decade, there has been a growing concern among clinicians and researchers that use of AAP medications may be related to potentially serious adverse metabolic effects, including weight gain, hyperlipidemia (high fat levels in the blood), and glucose intolerance.

Metformin is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. It inhibits glucose production, is well tolerated, and prevents continual weight gain while it decreases measures of insulin resistance. Some studies find that metformin can reduce body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes and in obese people who do not have diabetes, according to background information in the article.

Ren-Rong Wu, M.D., of the Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial from October 2004 to December 2006 to test the efficacy of lifestyle intervention and metformin alone and in combination for antipsychotic-induced weight gain and abnormalities in insulin sensitivity. The study included a total of 128 adult patients with schizophrenia. Participants who gained more than ten percent of their pre-drug weight were assigned to one of four treatment groups.

The patients continued their antipsychotic medication and were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of placebo, 750 milligrams per day of metformin alone, 750 milligrams per day of metformin with lifestyle intervention, or lifestyle intervention alone. Lifestyle interventions included psycho-educational, dietary, and exercise programs.

"In this 12-week study, we found statistically significant decreases in mean weight, BMI [body mass index], waist circumference, insulin, and IRI [insulin resistance index] among patients in the lifestyle-plus-metformin, metformin-alone, and lifestyle-plus-placebo groups, but not among those in the placebo-alone group whose measurements continued to increase," the authors write.

Those taking metformin in combination with lifestyle intervention had average decreases of 1.8 in BMI, 3.6 in IRI, and two centimeters in waist circumference. Those taking metformin alone showed average decreases of 1.2 in BMI, 3.5 in IRI, and 1.3 centimeters in waist circumference. In the lifestyle-plus-placebo group, participants had average decreases of 0.5 in BMI, and 1.0 in IRI. Participants in the placebo group continued to show increases in all measures: 1.2 in BMI, 0.4 in IRI, and 2.2 centimeters in waist circumference.

"Lifestyle intervention and metformin alone and in combination demonstrated efficacy for antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Lifestyle intervention plus metformin showed the best effect on weight loss," the authors conclude. "Metformin alone was more effective in weight loss and improving insulin sensitivity than lifestyle intervention alone."

Calf raise

2009-02-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

The calf raise is a body resistance exercise that strengthens the calf muscles in the back of your legs.

Stand with your feet slightly spread apart, your abdominal muscles tight and your back straight. Slowly rise up onto your toes, as shown here. Pause, then return to the starting position. Repeat.

For greater challenge, hold dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing your body while you rise up onto your toes.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Building a Strong Bench Press for Athletics

2009-01-15T09:48:00.000-08:00

As many lifters do, I started my bench-pressing career as a teen doing lots of pec, front delt work. This gave me a pretty good physique and some impressive shoulders, but other than that, the progress was minimal after my bench hit around 470. Stuck at this point for some time, I was to say the least frustrated. At the time, I thought my technique was good. After watching many elite benchers lifting, doing lots of reading, and asking lots of questions, I reanalyzed everything and this is what I found. Your First lesson is that the true pressing movement for a high caliber bench press is anything but normal and easy.

Pressing movements when done correctly take much of the shoulder out of the movement. This means keeping the elbows in tight and prying the bar apart with the hands (as if ripping the bar in half in the middle). This puts the emphasis on the real pressing muscle THE TRICEPS AND LATS. Pressing in this fashion keeps the shoulders healthy and gives you more strength and progress. Now outside of Westside Barbell, these ideas are rarely used. Many of us think we just let the bar down and push it back up, but there are many underlying things happening in an elite bench press.

Lesson Two If you want a strong bench, you better have a strong and massive back and rear delts. Think about this for a minute, how many people that you have seen in person or seen in magazines that can press a shit ton of weight, and don’t have massive backs, that’s none for me (this goes for gear, gearless, or athletes in general). One of the main reasons that I think this is true has to do with the CNS. In your muscles, you have golgi tendons and other sensory organs that tell the body, the length, tension, and speed of the muscular movement. The body will shut down muscle fibers if it feels that it’s in a position to be damaged, hurt, or the imbalance of the muscles is too great. So a large back will allow the shoulder to have support, and stability while you press. This will allow the muscles to work as hard as you want them to, and also have added insurance both on the field and in the gym. Do most of your backs work in a supine (reverse of a bench press) position. This has always seemed to make my back get stronger much quicker, and have more relevance to all around back strength.

Traps are also an important muscle group in the back. They take a lot of pressure in the bench press and also help to hold the scapula secure. When benching correctly the traps should be flexed isometrically and therefore assisting in retracting and retaining the scapular position of retraction. This will decrease range of motion in the press by as much as 4 inches (less distance equals bigger weights), and also put your body in optimal pressing mechanics. The traps should stay flexed throughout the entire press, especially at the top, to keep the scapular motion minimal and distance short.

Lesson Three You must have max effort and dynamic days, along with chains and bands in order to press massive weights. When you train reps (the repetition method which is used way too much in all forms of lifting), primarily in the core lifts, your training the muscles and the nervous system to conserve energy, not expend energy. A great lifter will be able to put tons of force into the bar in the first rep, then less and less and each rep is completed. Training reps on a consistent basis will have adverse effects on controlling volume and minimize potential. You will have the muscle to press the weight, but the CNS will lack efficiency and coordination with max effort weights.

For powerlifters to complete a 1-REP all out max in the bench it takes about 3-4 seconds. This is how long it should take to do dynamic sets (the energy systems are similar in both) that are why Westside advocates 3 rep sets on bench in the dynamic day. Training the energy system too long (failure sets, lots of reps) will give you hypertrophy, and training for too short of a time (singles and not optimal loads) will hamper your 1-RM pressing endurance and make it less specific.

Max effort days are a must for developing absolute strength. Absolute strength will bring up speed strength, and explosive power, and also help with coordination and ligament, and tendon density (injury prevention). Most coaches max in the beginning and the end of a semester or a training cycle, but when used correctly, can be used week in and week out. Lift heavy weights, get big and strong: simple equation.

Chains and bands will manipulate the strength curve, and make the lifts harder and point where the body wants to slow down, or change leverage. They will create explosive starts (accelerating strength) and aggressive lockouts. Look at Westside recommendations for chain and band amounts for different levels of strength. This also has a lot to do with athletics, quicker starts, and acceleration through external forces, and also gives the coach more stimuli both physically and psychologically. This equals less burnout and constant progression.

Lesson Four Triceps need to be freaky strong. This holds true for athletics as well as powerlifters. Triceps are the prime mover, and most times the limitation for all pressing movements, and if the triceps are strong, then the weights used in the presses will be bigger and all the other muscles will get bigger and stronger as well. Don’t think that the pecs are involved to the degree that most think. Something I’ve always pondered is the amount of motion that the shoulder joint does in comparison to the elbow. The elbow joint seems to have more motion than the shoulder joint when performing the bench, so if the elbow does move more, then that means the triceps do the most work. (I may do some pilot data on this for reassurance). This has worked for me raw and in gear. I would say 40% of my assistance work upper body is dedicated to the triceps and their development.

The main exercises we use here are JMs, band and cable tricep pushdowns, narrow board presses, and various DB exercises. We also JM press the safety bar, which creates a fulcrum for rotation, and not to mention a very strict position. Chains and bands are a must for increased development of the triceps.

Lesson Five Learn to push through your feet without raising your butt. This helps you to push in a straight line and stay tight on the bench. When you learn to do this, your stability will increase and as we know from training the back, when stability is increased so is the weight. Stability is a big key especially with beginners, we have all seen it, but have we all corrected it?

Strong Bench for Athletics Lesson Six Keep the shoulder joint as flexible as possible, and work on external rotators on off days. The external rotators if weak (which most peoples are), they will inhibit pressing power, due to (in) stability within the AC joint. Not only will getting this muscle group strong and flexible help with your pressing power, it is cheap insurance to shoulder injury. Great coaches have showed the importance of this muscle group, by doing just external rotators with an athlete in whom the athlete was sub par, and with no pressing movements in 4 weeks or so, and the athletes bench went from mid 300s to over 400, not bad huh for just working external rotators. This will be a big key for advanced lifters. Whether you want to or not, when your upper body becomes very strong, you get tighter. I always know when I’ve been neglecting my flexibility, because I start to get pain and discomfort from my shoulders. So keep the shoulders as flexible as possible and stay on it all the time. The longer your joints stay healthy, the more weight you will move in the long run.

Lesson Seven Do mini workouts for lagging muscle groups. Lagging muscles hold back your progress, create imbalances, and eventually promote injury. In my workout, I do anywhere from 6 to 10 mini workouts per week, focusing on lagging muscle groups as well as GPP. To get better you must do more work. The key to this is constant progression and selection of exercises. Remember that to lift more, you must be more frequent, and volume must increase, but the hard part is that squatting more or benching more may not raise those particular lifts, you must keep changing the stimulus.

Coaches of all types : Benching is an exercise done by all of athletics, whether the lifters are in the weight room under our supervision or away for break, the bench press is one exercise that is going to be used (it’s a favorite). It’s our job as strength coaches to ensure that the bench is strict.

I hope some of these tips have helped you the lifter or coach re-evaluate your benching and assistance work. Another paper out there with similar ideas is Dave Tates article on benching 600, as well as various Westside articles.

By Matt Wenning, BSU Strength Coach

Count Down to the Olympics Beijing 2008

2009-01-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

The capital as well as one of the largest cities in the People's Republic of China, Beijing serves as the cultural, political, educational, economic, and scientific center of the nation. Located in the country's north-east corner, Beijing boasts of a diverse range of attractions, from magnificent palaces, temples, and historic monuments to interesting museums, incredible parks and gardens.

Just few to name are Forbidden City, The Great Wall, Summer Palace, Ming Tomb, Chinese History Museum, Chinese Science and Technology Museum, Chinese Military Museum, Yanhuang Art Museum, Temple of Azure Clouds, Wofo Temple, Yonghegong Lamasery, Big Bell Temple, and Ox Street Mosque. Further, people touring the place can also engage in a variety of recreational as well as fun-filled activities such as kite flying, martial arts, ice skating, and cycling. Above all, Beijing has also been chosen as the venue to host 2008 Summer Olympics, as a result of International Olympic Committee's (IOC) exhaustive ballot.

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially referred to as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad or the 29th Olympic Games, will fall on August 8, 2008 and would last till August 24, 2008. The Summer Olympic Games, otherwise known as the Games of the Olympiad, is an international sport event that is held once in four years. It is conducted by the International Olympic Committee.

Majority of the games would be held at the city's Beijing National Stadium. Further, both the opening and closing ceremonies would be held at there. In deed, the Beijing National Stadium would be the major field as well as track stadium. Other venues that have been chosen to conduct Olympic events include National Indoor Stadium, Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium, Ying Tung Natatorium, and Olympic Green Convention Centre.

It is estimated that about 11000 competitors would take part in the 2008 Summer Olympics events. Almost competitors from almost every country take part in the events such as, Afghanistan, Antigua, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Comoros, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Denmark, Arab Republic of Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Korea Democratic People Republic, Laos, Madagascar, Namibia, Netherlands, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Rhodesia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, and Zambia.

Earlier, the summer Olympic Games consisted of only 40 to 45 events. But, now it has been expected that there would be more than 300 events for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Most prominent among the events that form part of the 2008 Summer Olympics are swimming, football, handball, cycling, volley ball, mountain biking, wrestling, judo, weightlifting, tennis, baseball, rowing, canoeing, slalom racing, fencing and shooting, kayaking, field hockey, equestrian, softball, triathlon, water polo, and synchronized swimming.

The 2008 Summer Olympics' official mascot is Fuwa, which in turn stands as a symbol of peace and friendship. Fuwa has been primarily designed to convey playful qualities of five small children, who in turn form a close circle of friends. Fuwa is also an embodiment of five natural characteristics of four most popular animals of the country, such as, the Tibetan Antelope, the Fish, the Swallow, and the Panda.

The Olympic flame is also represented in Fuwa. In other words, Fuwa represents the five important elements of the nature, such as, the earth, the sky, sea, forest, and fire. Included in the Fuwa are Beibei, representing the fish; Yingying, which stands for the Tibetan Antelope; Nini - the Swallow; Jingjing, which represents the Panda; and above all, Huanhuan, representing the Olympic Flame. Above all, the Fuwa is the representation of aspiration as well as dream of people from all parts of the country.

The capital city has taken all steps to prepare and host the 29th Summer Olympic events as well as the millions of spectators and sports enthusiasts. As a part of this, majority of travel industries have also taken steps to make the 2008 Summer Olympics events eventful. Some of the hotels even offer special packages for those touring the place, especially to spectacle this event. These packages mostly include accommodation, dining, transportation to and fro events, gift package, city sightseeing tours, and excellent travel as well as concierge services. Apart from these, there are also provide special celebrations in connection with the 2008 Summer Olympics.

By : Wolfgang Jaegel

Can at Home Fitness Workouts be as Effective as Gym Workouts ?

2009-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just can't make it to the gym every time you want to-meetings run late, traffic gets backed up, the car breaks down or something else happens that stops you from getting in your workout. The next time that happens you might want to consider working out at home rather than skipping your training session entirely. Have you not trained at home because you don't believe you can get a decent workout? Well, think again because you're dead wrong-you can. At-home workouts, if done with reasonable intensity, can be extremely effective. A good in-the-house workout session can be made even better if you add in a pair of dumbbells.

While depending on your fitness goals, training in the home might not be right for every person all the time, and nothing will ever replace weight lifting for building mass, for even the most dedicated gym rat, working out at home can be a nice break from the routine at the gym once in a while. Plus, it's always a good idea to keep your muscles guessing by challenging them. There are a few other advantages to working out at home too: you can listen to your favorite music, there's no waiting for machines, there's no one to hassle you, no worries about cleaning up after others and you don't have to drive. It can also be a great way to dodge the inner escape artist every once in a while when you just don't feel like going to the gym or need a change of pace. If you've got kids, at-home workouts can help get them on the right track early on.

Can At Home Fitness Workouts Be As Effective As Gym Workouts ?

The question is though, "Is working out at home effective and can I see results?" The answer is yes! The key though to an effective home exercise program is to include exercises that work three key areas : cardio, strength and flexibility. Even if you don't have a fully-equipped home gym, there are plenty of exercises you can do using just your bodyweight. Keeping a set of dumbbells around the house can give your in-home workout some teeth and get your muscles pumped. Plus, they don't take up a lot of space and help in stabilizing and developing muscles that are important to strength, balance, and posture. Some strength training exercises you can do at home using just your bodyweight and dumbbells include :

Chest: Push-ups are great for working the pecs. Vary the spread of your hands to work different parts of the chest. For even more punch, place your feet on a chair or your bed and try some decline push-ups. Do some chest presses with dumbbells lying on the floor and dumbbell flies (flat or incline if you happen to have an adjustable bench at home) to round things out.

Shoulders: Shoulders are little tougher to work out using just your body weight so you're better off using dumbbells. These are all great exercises that are easy to do in the house: seated press, side raises, front raises, bent-over reverse flies and shoulder shrugs; upright row.

Arms: There are plenty of effective exercises you can do at home to pump up your arms using just a chair and a set of dumbbells. Biceps: Just like at the gym you can do standing or seated bicep curls, concentrated curls, standing or seated alternating curls and hammer curls. Triceps: Doing push-ups with your hands close together is an excellent way to beef up your triceps. Or, sitting on a chair, do some one-arm behind-the-neck extensions with a dumbbell. Using a chair you can also do bent-over kickbacks and lying flat on the floor you can do a couple of variations of triceps extensions using a dumbbell.

Back : For your back, try dumbbell rows, dumbbell dead-lifts and if you've got a spot where you can do pull-ups, holding a dumbbell between your ankles will really give you an extra punch.

Legs : There are plenty of exercises you can do in the home to work your legs but add dumbbells and they'll be even more effective. Here are a few examples: squats with dumbbells, lunges with dumbbells and standing calf raise (holding a dumbbell in one hand).

Adding dumbbells to your out-of-gym or at-home cardio routine can help you make the most of your time. Carry a set of dumbbells with you when you walk, alternating between curls and just carrying them at your side. If you do this though, be careful not to swing your arms around too much, you can injure yourself easily. If you've got access to a set of stairs, walk up and down carrying a couple of dumbbells at your side-you'll get your heart moving in no time.

If you don't want to skip the gym in favor of an at-home workout but do want to kick your metabolism up a notch while you're hanging around the house, set aside some times throughout the day to spend a few minutes moving around using dumbbells. A University of Missouri (Columbia) study found that when we spend too much time sitting on our rumps, the body's fat burning mechanisms slow to a near halt. No surprises there but the study also found that moving around whenever possible can jumpstart the fat burning process again. So instead of just lying around on the sofa for hours at a stretch, get up, pick up the dumbbells and get your ass moving-even if it's only ten minutes at a time. You'll burn some extra calories and you'll do your body good.

By Mike Westerdal of CriticalBench.com

Body Building Muscle Diet Tip

2009-01-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

“Schedule A “Get Big” Day For Massive Growth”

For those of you who are looking to gain weight and build some serious muscle, you might want to try this body building muscle diet tip out.

Back when I was in high school, my buddies and I were always looking for ways to get big and strong. It was really funny because we were all very close and hung out together but there was always that competitive under current that was always there. Anyways, at that time, we were all pretty serious about weight training and we pretty much lived at the gym. Our diets and training were always on track because we didn’t want to fall too far behind everyone else’s progress - Especially with the other trainers.

Because we were all after the same results, we really watched our diets. We all ate to get big and strong.

We cut out all junk food and booze, which was especially hard because we were about 18 years old and most of our friends liked to eat pizza and party.

The weekends were probably the hardest to follow a nutritious, muscle building diet but we had our best workouts on the weekend.

Anyways, we all scheduled our heavy leg days on Sunday morning. It was on Sunday mornings that the gym was all but empty and we could have the place all to ourselves. There was about 4 or 5 of us and we would all do about 8 to 10 sets of squats. Those were some mind blowing squatting sessions and some of the best workouts I’ve ever had in my life.

Anyways, to prepare for these monster leg workouts, we would have a “get big” day on Saturdays where we would eat like maniacs. It was on this day that we would binge on food all day long. Mind you, the meals were all clean foods (well, mostly anyways...) And pretty healthy.

We would usually gather at my place at around 5:00 or so and have a big dinner - It wasn’t unusual to have whole chickens cooked up or mountains of burgers. We would have a big dinner, and relax and watch a movie. We would than have about a gallon or so of milk ready and we would each drink one down. While most of our non training buddies were out partying it up and drinking kegs of beer, we were sitting around drinking gallons of milk. That little ritual sounds strange now but at the time, we really got big and strong.

While you may not want to go to those extremes, you may want to schedule a “Get Big” day that allows you to eat more than your usual daily, calorie intake. By increasing your protein, carbohydrate, and overall calorie intake, you can actually trigger new muscle growth. My personal experience with this tip is positive. From the research I’ve done, it has to do with driving up your body’s levels of growth hormones. When you occasionally overeat, the body responds by increasing the release of naturally occurring growth agents, such as growth hormone, IGF-1, and possibly testosterone. Periodic spikes in calorie consumption can be a great way to boost calories needed to lift heavy weights and also help to speed up muscular growth and strength.

Any increase in any of those hormones will boost your muscle building gains so it only makes sense to try and harness them. Also, eating a boring meal plan, day in and day out can really get you down so by throwing in a “get big” day once every 7 or so days can really boost your morale. The trick is not to have too many “get big” days or you’ll start seeing your mid section expand more than you want to. I suggest trying this muscle building tip once a week, when you have some time to prepare some big meals. I usually did this on Saturdays, but any day of the week will be fine, just try and make some time for it.

I’m a little surprised that you don’t see this tip around that often. It is really, really effective and will help boost your gains. However, I did see a resource from Jeff Anderson that expands on this idea and takes it a step further. Mr. Anderson builds upon the idea that by cycling your food intake at certain times, you can actually boost your bodies natural production of growth hormone and testosterone. I’ve personally reviewed this book and you can see it here. If your looking for new ways to build muscle and strength, you have to check this book out. Click here for more information.

Fitness Weightlifting

2008-12-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

In a world were physical fitness predetermines your status in society, a fitness weightlifting guide can be vital for those who are seeking to become more fit. No matter if you’re a beginner or more advanced weightlifter, every lifter need a fitness weightlifting guide to keep learning the newest lifting routines and lifting techniques. But who really can benefit from a fitness weightlifting guide? Everyone. That’s because more and more understand that in order to shape your body, weight training is necessary. It doesn’t matter if you’re skinny and wish to add or tone muscle. It doesn’t matter if you just want to lose weight and keep it off. Weightlifting can be a great tool for any fitness goal you wish to achieve. And the best way to learn how to reach those goals is to learn lifting routines and lifting techniques for a fitness weightlifting program.

More and more people understand that muscular strength is good for everyone. No matter sex or size or age, it’s critical for people to have strong muscles to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In fact, the American Heart Association now recommends that all adults’ strength train their major muscle groups at least twice a week. Using a fitness weightlifting guide will give you those important lifting routines and lifting techniques needed to obtain that healthy lifestyle.

What can a fitness weightlifting guide do for you ?

Now that we’ve discussed why weightlifting and physical fitness is important, it’s time to discuss why a fitness weightlifting program is needed. Just like when you start something new (i.e. magic tricks), you don’t want to go into it blindly. You need some guidance and some rules, like lifting routines and lifting techniques, to keep you within a certain focus so that your goals are accomplished. That’s what a fitness weightlifting program can bring you.

You’ll be able to get started on the right foot. You will now know how to lift properly with good lifting techniques, and at the same time learn how to structure your weightlifting workouts with great lifting routines. Like I said in the first paragraph, no matter your experience, everybody who wishes to be a weight lifter needs a fitness weightlifting program that provides those great lifting techniques and lifting routines.

So get started. With the right fitness weightlifting guide, weightlifting can be an easy activity. In fact, you’ll probably start to enjoy it as a hobby even after your goals are accomplished. There’s no need to be unhealthy one more day, build your muscular strength and feel confident about your body. Learn how to live a healthy lifestyle with a great fitness weightlifting program.

Cycling / Spinning Workout Tips

2008-12-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Spinning is a great way to get aerobic exercise, but before you start exercising on a stationary bike, you should know the basics about cycling gear and body positioning.

An exercise bike is a great machine to use for aerobic and strength training workouts. Whether you are using a bike at a gym or one that you own, there are several ways to enhance the spinning experience. For one, having the right gear with you will make your cycling workout much easier. As with any form of exercise, especially aerobic exercise, it is very beneficial if you use a heart rate monitor. You also need to make sure that your body positioning is correct so that you are getting the most out of your bike exercise -- your back should be straight, and your arms shouldn't be straight, for example. Following this advice will help you achieve the optimal benefits of a cycling workout.

You should have a bottle of water, a hand towel, and a gel bike seat cover with you for a cycling workout. Many exercise bikes come equipped with water bottle holders, but if your bike does not have one, put your water bottle on a table or shelf that you can reach from a seated position on your bike. It is important that you stay hydrated throughout your workout, so never workout without water on hand. It is also a good idea to drink a glass of water prior to working out for additional hydration. You are going to be breaking a sweat during your workout, so having a hand towel to wipe the sweat from your brow is a good idea, especially if you are taking a spinning class at a gym. As far as your comfort is concerned, a gel seat cover is the most important piece of cycling gear. Any beginner can attest that you rear end is going to be very sore during the first few weeks of cycling. A gel seat can reduce the pain, although you will still feel some discomfort until your body adjusts to regularly sitting on a stationary bike seat. Just keep in mind that discomfort is to be expected, and it will pass – no pain, no gain.

Wear comfortable clothing, making sure that your pants are not too loose or else they could get caught up in the gears of the bike. While you may have heard that you can burn more calories by wearing sweats while you exercise, this is a very dangerous bad idea because you run the risk of overheating and possibly passing out and falling off of your bike. If you have long hair, pull it back into a high ponytail so that it doesn’t fly into your face while you are working out. Never cycle without socks and sneakers on. Wear athletic shoes that are geared towards bicycling.

Your body positioning is important because if it is not correct, you could get injured unnecessarily and your endurance will suffer. When you stand beside the bike, the seat should line up with your hip joint. When you sit up straight on the bike, the handlebars should be far enough away that your arms are extended but your elbows are not locked. Never slouch over the front handlebars or rest your forearms on the bars to support yourself during a workout. You should be sitting up straight at all times, with your shoulders back and your abdominal muscles tightened. The middle of your foot should be planted on the pedals, and you should strap your feet in securely, but not so tight that your circulation is cut off. As you pedal, keep your feet parallel with the floor; do not have your toes tilted forward or your heels dug back.

When you are just starting out, don’t push yourself too hard. Try for a solid, steady-paced thirty minutes on the bike three times a week for the first couple of weeks. As you begin to get more comfortable, you can increase your speed and the resistance level, and you can gradually work up to hour-long sessions. Turn on some dance music while you cycle so that you have a beat to keep up with. For increased calorie and fat burning, cycle with the “burst” method: pedal at a normal pace for a few minutes, then go at a high-intensity pace for a few minutes, then back to normal for a few minutes, back to intense, and so on. Make sure you always stretch for a minimum of five minutes before and after your workouts.

By Marie Hughes

Building Bigger Triceps

2008-12-04T11:30:00.001-08:00

Here’s an email I received from a reader wanting to know if training chest and triceps on the same day is an effective workout for the triceps :

Question :

“Would you recommend doing flat bench, close-grip bench, and triceps all on the same day, or would you say that splitting those exercises up might be more effective? Any advice you could pass along would be greatly appreciated by my students and I. Thank you for the articles and your time.”

Answer :

Personally, I've trained chest and arms on the same day for years. Here's one of my sample routines:

Chest :

bench press
Incline dumbbell press
Incline fly

Superset biceps and triceps :

Close grip bench press superset with standing barbell curls
Standing cable press downs superset with standing alternate curls
Overhead french press superset with preacher curls

I've had plenty of success with this type of routine. For me, chest and arms go along perfectly. However, you may find training chest and triceps on the same day to taxing on your triceps. Personally, most of these exercises are pushing movements so they fit well with each other.

You see, triceps can easily get overtrained. I'd rather train triceps no more than 2 times per week for direct and indirect movements. Anymore than 2 times and your increasing your chances of overtraining your triceps. I've tried a bunch of combinations for split training and the best one (for me) is chest and arms. I like to train my triceps hard on day one and hit them once more, two to three days afterwards for indirect movements such as with shoulder press’

You see, by the time day 4 comes along, which is my shoulder day, my triceps are stronger, and well rested. This is what I want because my shoulder strength is very dependant on my triceps strength. Weak and sore triceps means weak pressing movements which means no muscle improvements.

Of course everyone is different. My shoulders are much stronger than my triceps are and can take much more punishment but my triceps are easily overtrained. Once my triceps go, everything goes.

Here’s what it all boils down to - Recuperation times.

You don’t build muscle in the gym, you actually tear down your muscle tissue in the gym. The muscle repairs itself while it’s resting, and that process starts as soon as you hit the showers after your training session. Want to know what the true muscle builder is? It’s your recuperation time.

If you can find the right rest combination, you'll have a true muscle building routine. I’ve tried training my triceps on different days and for some reason, they are always sore and tired. I have found that if I train my triceps hard on day one with chest, they are well rested and stronger by the time shoulders come around which is usually on day 4. I indirectly train my triceps on day 4 and by the time day one comes around, which is usually the following Monday, my triceps are ready for heavy training again.

Basically, I will hit my triceps directly, once per week, and indirectly, once per week.

My suggestion is to play around with the routine and find the best rest periods for optimal growth. The thing you have to remember is that everyone is different. What may work for me, might not work for you so you have to do a little bit of experimenting to find your optimal rest times.

Blake

Building Bigger and Stronger Arms

2008-12-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

Big arms have been much sought after by many people who work out in the gym, and for good reason. For one, the arms are one of the most visible parts of the body. In fact, inferior arms are hard to hide, even with long sleeves shirts or polos. On the other hand, poorly built thighs can be hidden with loose pants, while an average chest can still be compensated by a "chest out" posture. A back lacking in development can also be hidden by looses shirts.

Fortunately, like the shoulder, the arms also get a good amount of workout when doing the traditional "compound" exercises of a weightlifting program. Let's make a rundown:

Bench-press and overhead presses work the triceps Bent over rows give the biceps a workout.

Nonetheless, since the arms have larger, longer and more muscles than the shoulder, it can take direct workouts with the following exercises :

Curls - work the biceps.
Triceps extensions - work the triceps.

Other weight and bodyweight training exercises that work the arms are :

Close grip bench-press - works the triceps (as well as the middle of the chest).
Pull-ups -work the biceps (as well as the upper back)
Push-ups - work the triceps (as well as the chest).

When building or strengthening the arms, some trainees make the mistake of putting more emphasis on the development of the biceps. This may be due to the fact that bodybuilders who make the traditional bodybuilding pose (standing up with arms flexed hard) emphasize the size of the biceps.

What must be made known to trainees is the biceps are actually the smaller muscle of the arms, having two muscle components (that's why it is called biceps). The triceps actually are the larger part of the arms, because it has three muscle heads (that's why it is called triceps).

Likewise, it is large triceps that makes the arms look large when your arms are just "dangling" from your body. On the other hand, you have to curl your arms to emphasize the size of your biceps.

The triceps also has "martial" value, since it is one of the muscles that help generate punching power (aside from the shoulders, back and legs).

So the message is clear here: emphasize the development of the triceps as much as the biceps. Or you might even have to increase the volume of triceps training if your biceps looks "overdeveloped" compared to the triceps.

Although a well-rounded weight training program can help build big and strong arms, there may be a need to go into a "specialization" phase for the arms in case that body part is lagging behind in development (due to some reasons like genetics). Let's face it there are some people who can build their arms faster than us. But that is no reason to cry or despair.

In a specialization phase, the trainee increases the number and volume of exercises needed for a body part that is lagging behind, like the arms. The secret here is to lessen (or even drop) the other exercises that also work out that body part. In the case of the arms, reduce the volume you do for exercises like the bench-press, bent over rows, pull-ups and push-ups.

Then increase the volume you do for curls, triceps extension and add other exercises like partial curls (with a really heavy weight), triceps kick down (using a cable machine) and close grip bench presses. Since the biceps usually thrive on curls, vary your curls workout by using a dumbbell and barbell. Dumbbell presses also give the triceps a good workout, not to mention the shoulders.

You can also do supersets alternating between a triceps and biceps exercise. In a superset, two exercises are done immediately one after the other. Examples of supersets are: dumbbell curls-kick downs ; close grip bench-press-barbell curls.

One thing good about training the arms under the specialization phase is you can really feel a "good burn" or "pump" after a grueling workout.

And once your arms reach the size and power you desire, there's no stopping you from wearing that sleeveless shirt or tank top.

By : Joshua Watson

Build Muscle and Strength

2008-12-04T11:28:00.000-08:00

If your goal is to build muscle and strength, than you have to keep your glycogen levels high. That is, you must always strive to replenish your glycogen levels during and immediately after your workouts. This way, you have a steady stream of energy going to your muscles during your workout.

Essentially what your doing is allowing your body to have a constant flow of amino acids and glucose which in turn, go directly to your muscles. This will help prevent muscle breakdown and glycogen depletion. You are also suppressing cortisol concentrations which is a good thing because cortisol is an catabolic hormone that helps breakdown muscle tissue. Not only that, you are also improving your bodies blood flow.

In essence, by sipping on a protein/carbohydrate drink during your workouts, your giving your muscles a boost and will allow you to get over that “training hump” that sometimes occurs during workouts. It will allow you to train harder and heavier from start to finish.

Also, you may want to bring a bottle of water during your workouts in addition to the protein/carbohydrate drink. Remember, you want to slowly sip your drink because if you chug the drink in one sitting, you may end up with a slightly upset stomach. Here’s what I suggest, start sipping on your drink once you’ve done your warm ups and initial sets. If your thirsty, bring your water bottle with you as well.

Biceps Curl with Dumbbell

2008-12-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

The biceps curl is an exercise you can do with a dumbbell to strengthen the biceps muscle in the front of your upper arm.

Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Hold the dumbbell with your palm facing upward. Slowly curl the weight up by bending your elbow, keeping your elbow close to your body. Then slowly lower the weight to the starting position. You'll feel tension in the muscles in the front of your upper arm. Repeat. For best results, don't swing your arm or elbow. Keep your wrist straight and rigid.

For a core and stability challenge, work both biceps at the same time by alternating arms during the exercise.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Best Bet for Boosting Brawn in Women is Traditional Strength Training

2008-12-04T10:48:00.000-08:00

Women who want to build muscle strength and endurance should choose traditional strength training methods instead of low velocity routines, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The study, conducted by Sharon Rana, associate professor of exercise physiology, and colleagues at Ohio University, examined whether low velocity resistance training is a more effective workout than conventional routines, as some experts maintain. The team studied 34 healthy, college-aged females who performed three different training methods over a six-week period.

The methods included a traditional strength training routine, a traditional muscle endurance training routine and a low velocity regimen. The traditional strength group lifted a heavier weight load with fewer repetitions, while the traditional endurance group lifted a lighter weight load with more repetitions. The low velocity group also lifted a lighter weight load, but did their workouts much slower than the other groups and did fewer repetitions.

“What made the research a little different is that we put the various methods of resistance training all in one study and added a control group, which hadn’t been done before. The endurance group also hadn’t really been studied in conjunction with low velocity type training,” Rana said.

Participants’ workouts consisted of leg presses, back squats and knee extensions. On average, the traditional strength group lifted 499 pounds when doing leg presses, 121 pounds when doing squats and 117 pounds when doing leg extensions. The traditional endurance group lifted 341 pounds when doing leg presses, 64 pounds on squats and 48 pounds on knee extensions. The low velocity group averaged 356 pounds for leg presses, 79 pounds for squats and 55 pounds for knee extensions. Participants did three sets of each exercise during each session and were given four to five minutes of rest between each set and exercise.

During the study, participants were measured for absolute strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance and body composition. Rana and her colleagues found that the traditional strength group gained the most strength in two of the three workouts. The endurance group and the low velocity group both improved strength, but to a much lesser degree.

For example, the traditional strength group increased 61.8 percent in strength in the leg press exercise, while the low velocity group saw an increase of 26.9 percent and the traditional endurance group improved 23.4 percent. The traditional strength group also saw the most improvement in the knee extension exercise, increasing strength by 51.3 percent. The traditional strength group was not significantly different from the other training groups in the squat exercise.

Though the traditional endurance training group was still the most successful at boosting muscular endurance, the study found that cardiovascular endurance didn’t increase significantly in any of the groups.

“We tested cardiovascular endurance because a lot of the lay literature, the articles you might read in magazines, said it would improve. But no one has proven that,” Rana explained.

All of the groups combined showed a small decrease in percent body fat, but it was not statistically significant. The most significant improvements involved strength gain and endurance gain.

“The low velocity training obviously helps you,” Rana said. “You can gain some strength and muscle endurance, but the traditional methods are going to do a slightly better job for those two things.”

Co-authors on the paper were Gary Chleboun, Roger Gilders, Frederick Hagerman, Jennifer Herman, Robert Hikida, Michael Kushnick, Robert Staron and Kumika Toma, all of Ohio University.

Tips and Information on why Women should Train With Weights

2008-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

An article with information and tips on why women should train with weights to improve their health and appearance.

Weight training has many benefits for women. In the past women were told to keep to a low calorie diet and aerobic exercise to keep in shape and lose weight. Then women were told to use very light weights and high repetitions. They were also told they would develop huge muscles if they trained with weights. Actually very few women have the body frame or hormones to create large muscles. Another misconception is that fat can turn to muscle. Muscle and fat cells are entirely different and one cannot change into the other. Fat burns as fuel for the body; muscle grows by increasing in fiber size and getting thicker.

No matter your body type, lifting weights is the only way to reshape your body and give you a healthy base for life. A muscle needs to be fatigued in order to grow and that means a heavy enough weight to induce that state of failure. Muscle fibers increase in thickness as they recover from being worked, which results in the shape changing and getting thicker in the middle. The muscle may be hard to see if there is a layer of fat but it is there. Adding muscle to the body increases the resting metabolism, as muscle requires more energy and this will help in losing body fat. Muscle burns three times more calories than fat.

As women get older, the metabolism starts to slow down leading to weight increase and a general sluggish feel to the energy level. About five pounds of muscle is lost every decade and 15 pounds of fat added. Weight training helps to slow down and stop the weight gain and strength loss. Lifting weights also slows down the loss of bone density leading to brittle bones or osteoporosis. Heavy weights stress the bone and cause it to get stronger. Stronger bones and muscles not only increase your strength and stability but also reduce the risk of injury.

Even if the scales show a bit of an increase, muscle weighs more than fat. However toned muscle gives a thinner look to the body because it is more compact. This gives women an extra boost of confidence because they look better and feel better. The extra energy helps keep you moving all day and able to finish whatever tasks need doing.

You may want to consult a physician before starting a routine if it has been a long time or you have other medical conditions. Start slow and be prepared to make a commitment. It takes time to build the body safely. Starting a weight training program does not have to cost a lot either. If you do not wish to attend a gym, buy a few sets of dumbbells. A good goal to start with is 2-3 times a week. Work all your muscles or split upper/lower body being sure to rest the muscle at least one day before using it again. One set of 8-12 repetitions where the last three or four reps are difficult to finish. As that gets easier, start increasing the weight and the number of sets performed. Buying a good book or two will help you perform the exercises properly and give alternatives for various muscle groupings.

By Traci Pederson

Compound Movements, The Right Diet, Sufficient Rest Give Max Gains

2008-12-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

When people first start out weightlifting in the gym they typically don't get immediate results is this is often the reason that many people tend to give up pretty easily. Many of them are expecting immediate results after they start their workout program.

Trying to do twenty bicep curls four time each week is likely not to work well on many people and this is likely due to the fact that muscles don't grow when they are being worked, but only grow when they are at rest. What this means is that while bodybuilding and weightlifting go hand in hand, it also necessitates that the bodybuilder to work their muscles in the gym and couple that with sufficient amounts of time for recovery.

Be Mindful not to Overtrain

The person trying to complete a lot of exercises when doing a combination of bodybuilding and weightlifting sometimes will not show satisfactory results since in this sport, excess will not result in more muscle; instead and quite often, less is more.

In instances such as these overtraining can occur and some of the signs and symptoms of it are when a person become sick or gets a cold more often than is normal, becomes fatigued frequently, their eyelids and muscles begin to twitch, and most significant of all, there is little to no strength or gains in size for extended periods of time. Overtraining symptoms such as these are a sign that the person should halt any workout activities and take at least a week off in the form of rest.

Bodybuilding and weightlifting is comprised of various workout routines and numerous exercises as well as quantity of sets, how many reps per set, and other factors that the bodybuilder performs. Taking the workout and splitting it in two are is what is known as a 'workout split' and needs to be scheduled for specific days of the week that are designated for specific muscles to be worked on. As noted in this type of exercise routine as well overtraining should be avoided.

One of three different things should typically be followed when creating a workout routine and splits. The individual should concentrate on working shoulders, triceps and chest on one day and then should do back and biceps exercises on another day to focus on those specific muscle groups. This has the effect of not overtraining because you are separating the muscle groups worked on different days. Some bodybuilders adhere to the bodybuilding and weightlifting routines of chest and triceps on Mondays, shoulders on Thursdays and finally biceps and back on Fridays.

Bodybuilding and weightlifting involves an assortment of various exercises for each muscle group and there are numerous ways to split them so that you can make up a routine that suits you best. Muscle building along the lines of bodybuilding is not as easy as some would believe when first entering the sport.

It involves time and effort and requires a person to devote the necessary amount of time to accomplish the desired routines. The most significant bodybuilding and weightlifting exercise includes focused workout routines and these types of routines must be completed correctly.

There are primarily four exercises, within the numerous exercises that comprise a compound movement, which essentially are exercises that call for the body to utilize more than one muscle in any type of exercise. the four primary as well as most effective muscle building exercises are bench presses, dead lifts, squats and shoulder presses (also called 'military presses').

The four of these compound movements, if executed correctly, will assist the individual in their bodybuilding and weightlifting efforts, and coupled with an appropriate diet and sufficient amounts of rest will provide excellent results for the bodybuilder.

By : Corbin Newlyn

5 key exercises for a complete shoulder workout

2008-11-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

5 basic moves that can be done at home for a complete shoulder workout.

Body Sculpting for Women: 5 key exercises for a complete shoulder workout. Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Many women who strength train tend to concentrate on the lower body. But there is equal reward in working major muscle groups in the upper body.

Strong, shapely shoulders can be great accessory for any woman. Developing the shoulder muscles not only provides great strength and health benefits, but also contributes to a strong, svelte look and gives proportion between the upper and lower body. To achieve these results, there are several basic moves that can be done at home or in the gym with dumbbells.

#1: ‘lateral raise’ : Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hands at sides. Hold a dumbbell in each hand (try 2-5 lbs. to start). Hold the weights so that the ends face front to back. Raise your hands until they are level with your shoulders. Your body position at this point should resemble a ‘T’. Slowly lower the weights to the starting position and repeat. Work towards a goal of 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week.

#2: ‘shoulder press’ : Stand with feet shoulder width apart. With your arms bent at the elbows, hold your dumbbells (again, start with light weights and work up) at shoulder height and press (or lift) up until arms are straight up in the air, above your head – but don’t lock your elbows. Slowly lower the weights to the starting position and repeat. Work towards a goal of 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week.

#3: ‘upright row’ : Stand with feet shoulder width apart, arms hanging slightly in front of you, holding dumbbells with your palms facing your body. Bend your arms, raising your hands until the weights are at chest level. Slowly lower them back to the starting position and repeat. Work towards a goal of 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week.

#4: ‘front raise’ : This move is basically the same as the above described lateral raise, the difference being that the movement will be done with the arms straight out to the front of the body rather than the sides, as the names describe. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, arms hanging in front, holding dumbbells, with palms facing the body. Raise your hands, lifting the weights until your arms are straight out from the shoulders. At this point, your arms should be parallel to the floor in front of you. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position and repeat. Work towards a goal of 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week.

#5: ‘push-ups’ : The good old push-up. Yes, this basic move is great for the shoulders

as well as the chest, back and arms. For this move you will not need any weights, as your own body will provide resistance. Get down on the floor, face down, with palms flat on the floor and just slightly further than shoulder width apart. Legs should be straight and feet together. Straighten your arms, pushing yourself up off the floor, keeping your back straight. Push upwards until your arms are straight, but don’t lock your elbows. Keeping your body straight, slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position, but don’t rest on the floor as you progress to the next repetition. Instead, pause and then push up again. To modify this exercise, bend the legs at the knee with your feet in the air, so that your knees are resting on the floor rather than your feet. Work towards a goal of 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week.

Try to choose a few of these exercises each week, alternating them often. Strong, chiseled shoulders will look great with those cute summer styles and striking with sophisticated holiday evening styles.

5 key exercises for a complete leg workout

2008-11-24T11:25:00.000-08:00

5 basic moves to give your legs great shape and strength

The legs and buttocks are a common area of concern for women in terms of their shape and appearance. However, there is hope. With a balanced diet and adequate exercise, women can maintain a shape they’ll be proud of. In addition to good nutrition and aerobic exercise, research has shown that strength training is essential for getting in shape. The following exercises can help to increase muscle tone and strength, and can be done at home with no equipment.

1 : the ‘squat’. This exercise is a great move for both the front (quads) and back (hamstrings) of the thigh as well as the buttocks. To begin, stand with feet shoulder width apart. As the name of the move implies, squat down as if about to sit down in a chair, keeping feet flat on the floor. Next, straighten legs and stand back up. Take care not to squat to deeply so as not to put too much strain on the knees. Goal: 2-3 sets of 10 repetitions once or twice a week. For a more advanced move, hold hand weights at your sides or a barbell across your shoulders on your back.

2 : the ‘lunge’. This is another move that is great for both the front and back of the thigh and the buttock. Begin by standing with feet shoulder width apart. Move your right foot forward as if to take a step and lower the body, being careful not to step too far forward (do not allow your knee to go past your toes). Push back up to the original standing position and repeat. Do all repetitions on one leg and then switch legs. Goal: 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions once or twice a week. Again, to make the move tougher, hold hand weights at your sides.

3 : the ‘curl’. This move works well for the hamstrings and uses a bench with a leg curl station. Begin by lying face down on the bench and place your feet under the bar with the foam pads. Move feet towards the back of your thigh, pulling the weight upwards. Slowly lower it back in place, causing a curling motion with your legs. Adjust the amount of weight as needed. Goal: 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions once or twice a week. This move could also be duplicated at home by lying on your stomach on the floor and wearing ankle weights.

4 : the ‘extension’. This move is great for the front of the thigh, known as the quadriceps. Sit on a bench with an extension station. Hook your feet under the bar with the foam pads. Lift your feet upwards, until your legs are fully extended and straight. Bend the knees and slowly lower your feet back down to the starting position. Adjust the weight as needed. Goal: 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions once or twice a week. To duplicate this move at home, use ankle weights. Begin by sitting on the floor, knees up and bent, feet flat on the floor. Place your arms slightly behind you and straighten them with your hands flat on the floor, allowing your arms to support most of your weight. Hold one leg up, several inches off the floor and extend it by straightening the knee and lifting the foot. Bend the knee and lower your foot back to the original position but don’t rest your foot on the floor, instead, repeat the move until you have completed all repetitions for that leg and then switch to the other leg.

5 : the ‘toe raise’. This move will give great shape to the lower part of back of your leg, commonly referred to as the calf muscle. Stand with feet shoulder width apart either on a flat surface or the edge of a step (make sure to hold onto a stair rail or something stable to maintain your balance). Using your calf muscles, raise your heels so that you are standing on your toes. Then slowly lower your heels back to the starting position and repeat. Goal: 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions once or twice a week. Again, to make the move tougher, hold hand weights at your sides only if you are doing the move on the floor or flat surface.

Choose a couple of these moves each week (be sure to alternate them) and you’re sure to see great results: shapely and strong legs that anyone is sure to envy.

By Rachel Pham

5 key exercises for a complete chest workout

2008-11-24T11:24:00.001-08:00

How to work your chest muscles, for women, with exercise instructions.

Many women avoid working out their chest area for fear they will develop that flat-chested overly muscular look made infamous by female body builders. What most women don’t understand is that these female body builders have to work very long and hard to develop those specific chest muscles to look the way they do. However, some women think that if they work out their chest muscles in any way shape or form, the next day they will wake up without any breasts. This could not be further from the truth. This often overlooked muscle set is vital for maintaining good posture as well as for any activity that requires pushing. In addition, working out the chest area will actually help lift breasts that have begun to sag. Imagine perkier breasts without a visit to the plastic surgeon!

Do not forget that before working out any muscle group, stretching is key. It is easy to remember to stretch out the legs and arms before a workout, but many women figure there is no way to stretch out the chest area. In fact there is. Stand straight and let your arms hang to your sides with your palms facing behind you. Push them back slowly until you can feel a stretch along your chest muscles. You should look like a ballerina or a bird at this point. For the following exercises, start off with one to two sets and slowly work your way up to three sets. You will want to start off with 8 repetitions and make your way up to 12 to 15 repetitions, adding weight as needed.

The Push-Up

There is a reason why the military still makes their troops do push ups. It is THE perfect exercise for developing the chest and arm muscles. When you are still beginning, you will want to do an incline push-up. On a workout bench or table, put your hands slightly more than shoulder width apart and keep your toes on the floor, leaving your legs slightly spread. Slowly lower yourself down to the bench so that your chest is about six inches from the bench itself. Slowly raise yourself up to the start position. Make sure that you back and legs form one straight line. Do not lift your butt or let your neck hang. Keep your abdominal muscles taut and do not allow your arms to get completely straight and locked. After a few weeks, start doing floor push-ups.

Bench Press

Lie down flat on a bench press and with a dumbbell in each hand, hold them at 90 degree angles to your sides with your palms facing forward. Slowly move the dumbbells up and in and make sure not to lock your elbows. Slowly bring them down to the start position. This exercise works your lower pecs.

Incline Bench Press

To work your upper pecs, perform the bench press exercise but on an incline (45 degree angle).

Incline Dumbbell Fly

With the bench in the same position as the incline bench press, get in the same position as you would the bench press, but face your palms towards each other. Slowly lift your arms together towards each other as if you were making the shape of a half circle, but do not let your hands touch. Slowly lower them down to the start position.

Cable Fly

If you have access to a machine with weighted cables on it, stand in the center between the two cables. With one cable in each hand and palms pointed downward, keep your arms at a forty five degree angle. Bring both arms down in the shape of a half circle crossing your wrists. Hold this position for a few seconds and then slowly lower them up to the start position. This exercise works the lower and inner pectoral muscles.

By Tammy Vela

5 key exercises for a complete butt workout

2008-11-24T11:24:00.000-08:00

Want to tone and firm your butt? Try these five key exercises for a complete butt workout.

Nowadays with celebrity derrieres like Jennifer Lopez’s being seen on every magazine, much emphasis is placed on the butt region. If we want to tone up what we already have or accentuate what little is already there, then the following key exercises are just for you. Pairing these core exercises with cardiovascular workouts and a balanced and nutritious diet will give you the results you want. When beginning these butt exercises, you will want to start with one or two sets, working your way up to three sets, and do five to ten repetitions, working your way up to fifteen repetitions. When you first start, do whatever feels comfortable and work your way up at your own pace. You will want to do this butt workout twice a week, making sure to give yourself at least a day of rest between the two workouts.

Squats

This is the ultimate in a glut workout. Standing upright with your legs shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent (while doing the exercise you will want to avoid locking your knees), slowly lower your butt down, keeping your heels planted. Imagine yourself sitting down on a chair and go down this far. Look down at the floor and make sure your knees do not bend pass your toes. Slowly rise up again, always controlling the movement and keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Avoid squatting down too far so you don’t aggravate your knees. The best way to make sure you are in good form is to look at yourself sideways in a mirror.

Lunges

Another great butt exercise is the lunge. Standing upright with your legs together, hands on hips or holding dumbbells (dumbbells come later when you have more strength), push one leg forward approximately two and a half to three feet in front and lower down on it, so that your knee forms a ninety degree angle without going over your toes. Keep the forward foot with the heel flat. The back leg should be practically straight and should almost touch the floor, with your weight resting on the ball of the foot. Push back to the starting position and alternate legs.

Ham Raises

If you have an exercise step, this will work best. Lying on the floor with your butt pushed as close as it can get to the step, bend one leg and put the heel of the foot on the step. Your other leg should be straight up. Squeezing your butt and using the hamstrings of the foot on the step, lift your butt off the floor a few inches, pushing the leg that is straight up towards the ceiling. Lower your butt to the floor, but do not let it quite touch before you lift it again. Keep your abdominal muscles tight. Make sure to alternate legs.

Step Up Squat

Using the same exercise step, stand in front of the step and place one foot on top of it. Keep the leg that is still on the floor slightly bent and squat down slightly (do not do a full squat). Slowly rise up and using the muscles of the leg that is already on the step, lift yourself up over the step, stretching and lifting that leg that was on the floor behind you and squeezing your butt muscles. Alternate legs.

Thigh Lift

Standing straight and holding onto a chair for support, bend one knee to a ninety degree angle. Lift this bent leg up slowly to your side, controlling the movement, until it is at a ninety degree angle to the floor. Slowly lower it down to the starting position. Alternate legs and make sure to keep your abdominal muscles tight.

By Tammy Vela

5 key exercises for a complete abs workout

2008-11-24T11:23:00.002-08:00

Five key abdominal exercises to help you firm your abs.

Let’s face it. The only time our abs are flat are when we’re lying on our backs and we are sucking in so hard our lungs feel like they are going to explode. In movies, we see women sitting on the beach in their bikinis with stomachs as tight as our grip on the spoon we use to shovel ice cream in our mouths. We have flab. They have fab. If you want to be able to look down and finally see your toes, then it is imperative that you put down that bag of chips and listen up. There is a little secret that nobody knows for getting abs so tight you can bounce not only a quarter, but a whole roll of quarters off of them. It is called discipline, and while it is not the easiest thing in the world to achieve, it is vital in the creation of a body and stomach you will feel proud of showing off.

As with any new workout, make sure to consult your doctor before beginning, especially if you have special medical problems (i.e. back or stomach problems). Remember, abdominal workouts, or any type of workout for that matter, will not guarantee you results unless you do them consistently and religiously and combine them with a well-balanced diet and aerobic workouts. Having tight and muscular abs not only looks great but will help in other aspects of your health, as well. The abdominal muscles are the central core of your body, so improving them will improve your posture, your back muscles and your balance.

With each of the following exercises, make sure and focus on controlling your movements and feeling your abs expand and contract. It is much too easy to repeat the movements by using other muscles in your body, like your legs for momentum, so stay extremely conscious of your abdominal muscles during the exercises.

Basic Crunches

This is the most basic exercise, but also one of the most effective. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Put the tips of your fingers to the sides of your ears. Lift your upper body just enough to get your shoulder blades off the floor a couple of inches and hold the contraction for one or two seconds and then slowly control the movement back to the floor as you exhale. Do not let your body get to a full rest between each crunch. Also picture a tennis ball between your chin and neck that you must hold with each crunch. This will prevent you from crushing your chin down into your neck which strains your neck muscles. Make sure your lower back does not arch. Keep it flat so you do not strain your lower back muscles. Do two or three sets of 15. This exercise will work out your upper abdominal muscles.

Reverse Crunches

This exercise is exactly like the basic crunch exercise described above, but this time you will bring your knees up off the ground and into a 90 degree angle. As with the above exercise, keep your back flat on the floor. Everything about this crunch is the same except that it will change the focus of the workout to the lower abdominal muscles. Do two or three sets of 15.

Oblique Crunches

In order to work on your oblique muscles (the side abdominal muscles), get in the position of the basic crunch above but this time let your legs lie to one side. Do two or three sets of 15 on one side and then do two or three sets of 15 with your legs lying to the other side.

Leg Raises

Lying flat on your back with your legs straight, raise them approximately eight inches off the floor. Slowly raise them up to a 45 degree angle and then slowly lower them back to the eight inch mark. Do not let them touch the floor. Do two or three sets of 15, if you can. These is one tough abdominal exercise, so do what feels comfortable at first. These will work on your rectus abdominis muscles.

Scissors

Once again as you are lying flat on the floor with your feet straight, lift them about one foot off the ground, keeping them together. Put the tips of your fingers to the side of your head and twisting your torso, lift up letting your right elbow touch the left leg that you are now bending up. Lower back again and, without taking a full rest, repeat on the other side, letting your left elbow meet with your right knee. Do two or three sets of 15.

When you first begin this abdominal routine, you may only be able to do one set of each of these. That is okay. Rome was not built in a day and your abs will not become six-packs overnight. Work up to three sets of each of these exercises every other day. Just as with any other muscles, your abdominal muscles will need one day to relax in between workouts.

By Tammy Vela

5 key exercises for a complete arm workout

2008-11-24T11:23:00.001-08:00

Use these five key moves specifically designed to sculpt, tone, and strengthen women's arms and shoulders in just minutes a day.

The super skinny, no-tone body is fast becoming a thing of the past, and now women are opting for a lean, toned, and healthy physique. One of the first areas that most people notice when they ditch the bad habits and begin a healthy strength training regiment is their arms. They respond to exercise quickly, and when properly stimulated, they transform into a noticeably different shape. Lean, sexy, sculpted arms have become one of the hottest accessories in the new millennium, and women everywhere are breaking a sweat to get them.

Achieving buff arms is not very difficult. All it takes is a little dedication to these five key moves, and you'll start to see results in just a few weeks. Aim to complete two sets (twelve to fifteen repetitions each) of all five exercises three to four times a week.

Push Ups

This exercise strengths your chest, your triceps, and the front of your shoulders. Get down on all fours with your knees in line with your hips and your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, just in front of your shoulders. Contract your abdominal muscles, pull your shoulders back, and press your hips forward until you're resting on the tops of your knees. Keep your neck and back in a straight line while bending your elbows and lowering your chest toward the floor. Stop when your elbows and shoulders form a ninety-degree angle. Steadily push back up.

Bent-Over Fly

This exercise strengthens the back of your shoulders and your upper back. Hold a three to five pound dumbbell in each hand and sit on the edge of a chair with your knees over your ankles. While keeping your abdominal muscles in and your shoulders down, bend at the waist and bring your chest close to your thighs. Let your arms relax straight down with your palms facing each other and your elbows slightly bent. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arms out to the sides and up. Your elbows should end up slightly behind you. Lower your arms slowly to the starting position.

One Arm Row

This exercise strengthens your biceps, the back of your shoulders and your middle back. Place a chair next to you on your left side and hold a five to ten pound dumbbell in your right hand. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Contract your abdominal muscles while bending forward from the hips. Keep your back straight and stop bending when it is almost parallel to the ground. Put your left hand on the chair and let your right arm hang down. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and bend your elbow back and to your waist without rotating your hips or shoulders. Slowly reverse the move and straighten your arm. Switch sides after each set.

Biceps Curl

This exercise strengthens your biceps. Hold a five pound dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides and your palms facing forward. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Bend your elbows and pull the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Pause, then slowly return to your starting position.

Triceps Extension

This exercise strengthens your triceps. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and holding a five pound dumbbell in each hand at chest height with your elbows bent behind you and your palms facing each other. Keep your elbows in place and slowly straighten your arms behind you. Pause, then slowly return to your starting position.

By Amanda Anania

5 key exercises for a complete shoulder workout

2008-11-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Develop all three heads of the shoulder with these five key exercises.

Few things show a man’s pronounced physical fitness as well as a set of well- chiseled shoulders. A great set of shoulders can be developed with just a few exercises that include free weights, nautilus machines and using one’s body weight.

Before learning about the exercises, we should take a brief moment to review the three heads or parts of the Deltoid: the anterior, the lateral, and the posterior heads. The names indicate the location of the muscles, and it is easy to deduce the uses for each muscle. The anterior is related to use of the pectoral muscle, the lateral head is used for lifting the arm directly to the side, and the anterior head is used when using muscles in the back.

One of the best exercises for stressing and developing all three heads is known as the Arnold Press, named for Arnold Schwarzenegger. To begin, take a seated position in a chair that supports the back, with a moderately heavy weight in each hand (err on the side of using a lighter weight if you’re unsure). The exercise begins with your hands at shoulder level, palms toward your body gripping the weights.

Using a controlled motion, push the weights up while rotating your palms throughout the exercise. When you reach full arm extension your palms should be facing away from your body. Using controlled motion, slowly lower the weights back to shoulder level, again rotating your hands till your palms face your body. To get a little extra burn from the exercise, try refraining from locking your elbows when you reach the top of the repetition. This places continuous stress on your shoulder muscles, not allowing them the short rest period at the top of the exercise.

Two great exercises for developing the anterior head of the shoulder muscles are: the bench press and the pushup. Both of them involve heavy work for the pectoral muscles, and consequently they are great for stressing the front head of the shoulder muscle. Variations on the bench press can help develop the lateral head as well. Such variations include the inclined bench press, and the feet-elevated pushup. Chairs and benches are great for elevating one’s feet for pushups. If you need more difficulty, set your sights higher-such as a wall. For detailed instructions about the bunch press and pushup, consult any resource about developing the chest muscles.

Arguably, the most difficult of the shoulder muscles to directly stress, and thus develop, is the anterior head. This is mostly affected when you do some sort of back exercise, such as the prone row. This is executed by laying face down on a bench with a barbell underneath the bench. Taking a grip approximately shoulder width apart, you lift the barbell until it touches the bottom of the bench, and then lower it back down. This is such a popular exercise that many gyms have special benches dedicated just to this exercise.

Another exercise to help develop the anterior shoulder muscle is the reverse butterfly. This requires a special piece of nautilus equipment, but it is worth seeking out. It works just like the pectoral butterfly, except in reverse. You take a seated position on the chair and place your arms at a ninety degree angle on the pads in front of you. Then you contract your back and shoulder muscles to pull the pads apart, lifting the weight, and back until they are parallel with your shoulders. Then you slowly return them back to center.

While working the shoulder muscles it is important to remember all three heads and ensure that they are all equally developed. If one of the heads is developing faster than the others, seek out more exercises to specifically target those areas, or try using more repetitions and sets for those areas. Sticking to an appropriate, safe lifting regime, you can have the shoulders of your dreams in no time.

5 key exercises for a complete chest workout

2008-11-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

Five key exercises to build and sculpt the chest.

A well developed and cut chest is one of the most readily identifiable traits of a physically fit person. Building a cut, massive, or well sculpted chest is easy, and only requires a few key exercises. The following five exercises and their variations can be used in an infinite amount of combinations to ensure that you get the chest you’re looking for. Additionally, as we discuss these key exercises, we’ll be sure to note their variations, as well as general strength training techniques that work well for these exercises. As always, ensure that you properly warm up, stretch, have appropriate safety measures (spotter and catches), and ensure that you properly cool down.

One of the first chest building exercises that comes to mind is the bench press. This is an easy exercise, but has several variations to work virtually every portion of your chest. To begin, load the bar with a moderate to heavy amount of weight-when in doubt, error on the lighter side, as you can always add more weight. Then lie flat one the bench with both of your feet flat on the ground, and grip the bar with both hands approximately shoulder width apart. Have someone assist you in lifting the bar off of the rack. Using steady controlled motions, lower the bar until it is within an inch of your chest. Then return the bar to the starting position. To ensure your safety, never allow the bar to bounce on your chest, never arch your back while pushing up, and always ensure that you continue to breath throughout the exercise. You can vary the portion of your chest that is worked by either moving your hands closer together or further apart. Additionally, you can either incline or decline the bench to work the upper or lower parts of your chest, respectively.

Another key exercise to building the chest is the nautilus butterfly. This is an excellent exercise as it allows you to work the chest exclusively. This exercise is as simple as sitting in the chair, placing your arms comfortably on the pads and the raising the weight by pushing your elbows together. Many weight trainers find it especially beneficial to pause for a moment while your elbows are together. As with the bench press, you can vary the incline of the chair and the placement of your hands to work different portions of the chest. As always, ensure that you use controlled motions and breath properly throughout the exercise.

Sometimes you will not have the nautilus butterfly machine available for your use. In these cases, you can use crossed cables in their place. For this, you should find a machine with two cables facing each other, place the hand grips on both sides, and clear the middle of it. You should also move the cable pulleys to the top, so the weight is lifted when the cable handle is pulled down. Taking a standing stance in the middle with your feet approximately shoulder width apart, gripping both hand grips, you draw the handles down in front of you and cross them over and approximately waist level. Ensure that you return them to the starting position using controlled motion, not allowing them to snap back or slam down.

The chest can also be trained without using any weights at all. Two exercises that come to mind in this case are the pushup and dips. Though these exercises are great for the chest, they have the unfortunate drawback that they include many other muscles, to include the triceps and shoulders. One of their greatest benefits is that they require minimal equipment. With the pushup, you simply lie flat on the ground. Placing your hands approximately shoulder width apart, while on your toes, you just push yourself from the down position to the up position. You should try as hard as possible to keep your body in a generally straight line, and go down as far as possible during the exercise. For the dip, you simply need two horizontal bars approximately shoulder width apart and a few feet off the ground. Placing your hands approximately shoulder width apart on the bars, you can bend your knees and completely suspend yourself in the air. Then you should lower yourself until you armpits are approximately level with your hands. Then you push to return yourself to the up position. Again, you can change the position of your hands or your incline to work various parts of the chest.

Using these five simple chest exercises, you can build virtually any chest you want. Just find the exercises you like, design your simple schedule, and stick to it. Good luck!

5 key exercises for a complete back workout

2008-11-24T10:53:00.001-08:00

By doing these five key exercises, you should be able to build your back into the very best it can be

When body sculpting, we often forget the muscles we don't see. It has been said that when Arnold Schwarzenegger needed to build his calves to round out his overall musculature, he cut all of his sweatpants off at the knees so that every time he walked into the gym, he'd always see his calves whenever he looked into the mirrors. Of course, it isn't as easy when you have a weak back musculature, but remembering that the three major muscles of the back need to be built, just as the chest does, will help.

The Trapezius (traps) is the largest muscle covering the upper back. You are contracting the traps when you pull your shoulders up and back.

The Latissimus Dorsi (lats) muscles connect the chest and back under your arms. You are contracting the lats when you pull your upper arms down and back. In order to properly contract your lats, you must arch your back during lat exercises.

The Erector Spinae (spinal erector) muscles are the two thick strips of muscle on either side of the spine in the lower back. The spinal erectors are used in straightening the spine from a bent-over position.

Following are five key exercises for building your best back ever:

Stiff – Legged Deadlifts

Deadlifts are extremely effective and work the entire back from top to bottom and even work the hips and thighs. Standing behind a barbell, bend down and take hold of the bar. (To increase your grip power, grab the bar with one hand forward and one hand reversed.) Keeping the bar close to your body, a narrow stance and your legs stiff, lift the weight from the floor in a controlled manner while keeping your arms and back as straight as possible. Continue to pull the bar upward until you are in an upright position with you back and shoulders straight and the bar across your thighs. Once you've reached this position, lower the weight back down without touching it to the floor. Continue for the required number of repetitions, only lowering the weight to the floor between sets.

Barbell Upright Rows

This exercise emphasizes the trapezius with a secondary benefit to the deltoids, biceps, and forearms. Stand straight and take a narrow grip on the barbell with your palms facing inward. The starting position for this exercise is with your back and arms straight and the barbell resting across your upper thighs. Keeping the barbell moving in a line close to your body, pull it upward, always keeping your elbows above the level of your hands. Bring the bar to neck level, pause for a moment and then slowly lower it until you have come back to the starting position with the bar at thigh level.

Shrugs

This exercise works the trapezius, neck and upper back muscles. The starting position is the same as in Barbell upright rows, standing straight with either a barbell or dumbbells resting against your thighs. The difference here is that the grip should be wider than used with rows. The best grip is one just slightly less than shoulder width with your palms facing inward. To begin the exercise, simply shrug your shoulders upward, toward your ears. At the peak of your shrug, slowly rotate your shoulders back as though you are trying to make your shoulder blades touch, then gently return to the starting position. Remember to do this exercise without bending your elbows, and always keep your movements smooth and controlled.

One - Arm Dumbbell Rows

This exercise focuses on the lats and provides a secondary benefit to the biceps. Standing behind a bench placed lengthwise, bend forward and place the palm of your left hand and your left knee on the bench for stability. Reaching down with your right hand, pick up a dumbbell and pull it to your shoulder. Remember to use your back muscles for this movement. Then lower the weight slowly to a point where your back muscles stretch but not unnaturally so. Repeat the exercise for the prescribed number of repetition for that side and then change your stance to work the other side equally.

Bent - Over Lateral Raises w/ Dumbbells

This movement is for the upper-back muscles and also benefits the shoulders. With one dumbbell in each hand, bend at the waist until your body is bent at a 90-degree angle. Remember to bend your knees just enough so as not to strain your back. With your arms as straight as possible (bending at the elbows is cheating and will not earn you the full benefits of the exercise), raise the dumbbells out laterally to their respective sides. After reaching shoulder height with both dumbbells at the same time, slowly lower the dumbbells and repeat.

By doing these five exercises, each in a controlled manner and with good form, you should be able to build your back into the very best it can be. Although you may not see the fruits of your labors without a mirror, rest assured that others will notice the difference in your musculature, posture and form!

By Lisa Thibault

5 key exercises for a complete arm workout

2008-11-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

This article gives a synopsis of the muscles involved in the movement of the arm, and five strengthening exercises for men for the arm.

The arm is made up of a variety of muscles that span many joints. For instance, muscles that control the arm are also in the chest and back, as well as down to the wrist. It is important to exercise all these key muscles to achieve a balance of strength in the arm. The following muscles are important in arm movement :

1) The Pectorals – Spanning from the chest to the shoulder, these strong muscles are responsible for shaping the chest, as well as bringing the arm across the chest.

2) The Deltoid and Rotator Cuff – A balance of these muscle groups that work together to elevate and rotate the arm is important in activities like lifting and throwing.

3) The Biceps and Triceps – Acting on opposite sides of the arm, they are responsible for flexing and extending the arm, respectively. They are important in activities like lifting and pushing.

4) The Wrist Flexors and Extensors – As their name suggests, they are responsible for flexing and extending the wrist, and are important in activities like throwing, golfing, tennis, bowling, and lifting.

The following strengthening exercises address these core muscles of the arm. Each exercise should be begun with very little weight until the technique is perfected, and then weight may be added in ten pound increments until you are lifting 80-85% of your maximum. These exercises should be done in three to five sets of six to eight repetitions, three to five times a week. If soreness occurs after the first few days, which is likely, lift every other day until your muscles get stronger and you can lift every day without problems. These important arm exercises are :

1) Bench Press - Working the Pectoral Muscles

Lay flat on a bench so that the back of your head, your shoulders, and your back touch the mat, and your right and left feet are flat on the ground. The bar should be racked above you. Place your hands on the bar, shoulder-width apart, and extend your elbows to lift the bar above you, over your chest. Slowly bend your elbows until the bar is just above your nipple level, and then slowly extend your elbows again. Repeat. Remember not to hold your breath during this exercise and don't let your back come off the bench. These are signs that you are lifting too much weight!

2) Shoulder Press - Working the Deltoid/Cuff

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. The long bar should be held with a closed, overhand grip, shoulder-width apart, and your elbows should be flexed so that the bar is resting comfortably on your chest. Slowly extend your elbows until the bar is above your head, and then slowly flex so the bar returns to your chest. Repeat. If this exercise requires you to jump off the ground to lift the bar, you are doing too much weight.

3) Biceps Curl - Working the Biceps

Stand shoulder-width apart, with the bar hanging close to your body, elbows extended. Hold the bar with a closed, underhand grip. Keeping your elbows is a firm position against your body; flex them until the bar is as close to your body as it can come. Then slowly, extend your elbows back to the resting position. Repeat. You may also do this exercise with two dumbbells. If you need momentum to help lift the bar, then you are doing too much weight.

4) Kickbacks - Working on the Triceps

Lean over a chair or stool so that your back is flat and one hand is supporting you. The opposite elbow should be flexed and sitting tightly against your body. Using a dumbbell, straighten your elbow fully then slowly flex to the resting position. (This exercise looks like you are punching from behind). Repeat. The exercise should be slow and controlled or you are doing too much weight.

5) Wrist Curls - Working on the wrist muscles

Sit comfortably at the edge of a chair or stool with your knees bent and your feet flat on the group. Hold the long bar with a closed, overhand grip (for wrist extension), shoulder-width apart. You may rest your wrist on your knees so that your elbows do not do all the work. Curl the bar backwards towards your body slowly, then back to the resting position. For wrist flexion, hold the bar with a closed, underhand grip instead. These exercises do not take a lot of weight to see results.

As with any new exercise program consult your physician prior to starting. As well, you should always lift with a buddy to prevent injury.

5 key exercises for a complete abs workout

2008-11-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

Two keys to a complete ab workout: how to execute an exercise and which exercises are effective.

The process for designing an effective abs workout for men consists of two priority factors. Utilizing the best five exercises to ensure success and the application of each exercise. Proper exercise form, tempo and execution are crucial factors that are essential for developing a strong and trim waist.

To perform countless crunches, side bends, broomstick twists and leg raises is not very effective for developing the abs on a man. Using movements that target the lower abs primarily is the main factor that should be considered when choosing an effective exercise. Also focusing on the form of an exercise will enhance its effectiveness. These five exercises are the best choices for an abs workout.

1. Reverse Trunk Curls: This movement should be performed on an incline sit-up bench. Position your body so that the upper body is stable and you can hold/grip part of the bench for stability. Curl your knees up over your chest and lower them slowly. Right before your feet touch the bench, repeat the movement. To increase the difficulty of the movement raise the incline to a higher degree.

2. VKR (vertical knee raise): This stand is a staple in any gym. Position your body so that your back is firm against the back pad. Make sure your arms are at a right angle as your grab hold of the handles. Keeping your feet and knees together raise your knees straight up so they come up to waist level. Lower your legs slowly to the starting position. Increase the difficulty of the movement by raising your legs straight out in front of you.

3. Decline Sit-Up: Locate any decline bench in a gym with a foothold. Lock your feet in place and keep your body at the top of the bench. Tuck your chin into your chest and cross your arms in front of your body. This will put your torso into position to effectively perform the exercise. Lower your torso slowly until your lower back begins to touch the bench. As you curl your torso back into the top position use your elbows as a lifting mechanism to ensure maximum abdominal activation. To increase the difficulty of the movement use a small weight for added resistance.

4. Swiss/Balance Ball Crunch: This is the most dynamic exercise piece one can use to ensure a proper abs workout. Sit upright on the ball and lower your body into the following position. The ball should rest just above your lower back and below your shoulder blade region. Keep your feet firm on the floor and place your hands behind your neck for support. Lift your chin 4-6 inches straight up towards the ceiling and lower back down slowly. To increase the difficulty of the movement place your feet close together to maximize muscle recruitment.

5. Roman Chair Sit-Up: This “old school” movement still provides a great workout. Place your body on the bench so that your lower part is just on the edge of the seat. Lower your body towards a parallel position with the floor. Curl up to the starting position so that your upper body is in a right angle with your legs. This exercise provides a tremendous stretch and strengthening of the abs. To increase the difficulty of the movement raise your arms straight over your head during the lowering phase.

Most abdominal exercises should use little or no resistance. Your abs are like any muscle they will thicken and grow with the use of weight. Using slow and controlled form will help to tighten and flatten your waistline. Using a goal of 15-30 repetitions per set is effective. Also keep your exercise tempo at a rapid pace.

By marc scanlan

Gain 1 Inch of Muscle on Your Arms in Thirty Days

2008-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Just recently, a man who was very well acquainted with Vince Gironda contacted me. He told me some stories about the old "Iron Guru" I had not heard before. It got me thinking about Vince.

Back when I first started bodybuilding I bought all of Vince's courses. I read every article he wrote for MuscleMag International, too. That cantankerous old guy was way ahead of his time! He really knew all the secrets to building a great physique fast.

Here's one of Vince's secrets that very few people have ever heard about...

I'm almost reluctant to share this secret with you. It is so simple and easy I'm afraid you might blow it off as a bunch of BS. But trust me... it really works!

Vince was a believer that in order to grow, you need to keep your body in a "positive nitrogen balance." This means protein (the only nutrient that contains nitrogen) should be constantly available in your bloodstream.

When you eat a meal with protein, your body breaks the protein down into amino acids. These amino acids are only available in the bloodstream for a few hours. If you don't get some more protein in there within two to three hours, you'll be in "negative nitrogen balance." This means your body is using and excreting more nitrogen than it is taking in.

In order to prevent that from happening, you need to keep a constant source of high quality protein coming into your body.

Gain 1 Inch Of Muscle On Your Arms In Thirty Days

Vince was a proponent of using "concentrated food sources." These are foods which contain the protein and nutrients you need but don't contain a lot of excess carbohydrates and calories that take up a lot of space in your stomach, allowing for frequent feedings.

He was not a believer in stuffing a bunch of food down your throat to bulk up and gain a lot of weight. He used to say, "How much do you think an extra inch on your arms is going to add to the scale?"

So Vince had his students take protein powder mixed with cream, raw fertile eggs, amino acids and (drum roll. please)

Desiccated Liver Tablets!

Vince had many students gain an inch on their arms within 30 days simply by taking 3 to 5 liver tablets every hour. This insures a positive nitrogen balance without excess carbohydrates and calories.

Stories from some of the old timers telling of phenomenal gains being made on 100 plus liver tablets a day are very common.

Why does it work so well?

According to Vince, desiccated liver contains nucleic acids for proper amino-acid utilization, a growth factor and an anti-estrogen factor, which keeps testosterone levels high, and it is also a great anti-toxin.

A Classic Research Study on Desiccated Liver

Gain 1 Inch of Muscle On Your Arms In Thirty Days In a classic experiment, Dr. B. H. Ershoff demonstrated that liver extract was able to boost strength, endurance, performance, and resistance to stress and disease. In a nutshell here's how this occurred:

Dr. Ershoff took three groups of rats and fed them controlled diets for a twelve week period. Group one ate a basic diet fortified with vitamins and minerals. Group two ate as much as they wanted of the same diet plus B vitamins and brewer's yeast. Group three ate the basic diet but had 10% desiccated liver added to their rations.

Then the doctor placed the rats one by one into a drum of water of which they could not climb out. It was either sink or swim... literally!

The group one rats swam an average of 13.2 minutes before they all drowned. Group two, an average of 13.4 minutes. Group three, however, was still swimming at the end of two hours, at which time the experiment was concluded.

The rats that had the desiccated liver added to their diets swam almost 10 times as long as the other two groups! As far as I know, no other supplement has even come close to liver in improving endurance.

Desiccated liver flat out works!

So take old Vince Gironda's advice and try adding desiccated liver to your supplement program. The addition of only 8 to 10 desiccated liver tablets per meal for five meals per day can make a tremendous difference in your condition. This simple-but-effective supplement program will add approximately 65 grams of the highest quality protein to your daily intake.

By Doberman Dan

Building Muscle Mass Tips and Secrets

2008-10-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Building muscles mass is an easy task to achieve as long as you are armed with the correct information and knowledge

Building mass faster, which you thought is impossible, is never far from reality. There are too many trainers and bodybuilders that make the fatal mistake of working out too much. They think, the longer they workout the bigger muscle mass they get.

Even if you want to build up that muscle mass quickly, strength training and weight training for long hours is not that necessary. However, for those hard gainers who are in strength training programs, to gain muscle mass quickly cannot be that detrimental.

In fact, you should never train longer than an hour or half a day according to many bodybuilding experts. There are even instances that you may even lose too much weight doing long workouts and too much time performing weightlifting.

The correct way of gaining muscle mass should be a proper strength training program with three days a week sessions with at least an hour of weightlifting and bodybuilding exercises.

It is important to work on your muscles intensely and focus yourself on getting stronger. You should not be caught up on various bodybuilding programs that allow you to do long hours of working out and lifting. The risk of acquiring injuries is also at high risk.

There are many ways on how to gain muscle mass the proper way. We are not talking here with intensity strength training but a proper way of training to failure that is very efficient to building muscle mass.

Here are some suggested tips :

1. Using a bench press, continue your exercise against the immovable heavy weight for 20 to 30 seconds.

For most hard trainers, they do the wrong way of starting again with the rep and being stuck at the bottom. The weight is dropped against the safety pins.

2. Using the barbell curls, perform a grinding halt about two or three inches into the rep.

When the arms a slightly bent, you have realized that you cannot perform the rep but perform a pull on the bar as long as your strength can.

3. In a bodybuilding exercise, squatting is very effective. It is considered as the perfect exercise in building muscle mass.

While others do intense trainings and bodybuilding diet program for muscle building, an effective squat program can be an effective exercise for muscle building.

4. After your warm ups and performing your squat routines, you may lift weight that you normally perform.

Do 10 reps and rest for a while, you add another 20 reps to have a more efficient and intense weightlifting exercise.

5. Since squatting is the most challenging muscle building routine exercise, you need to maximize all the weight that you can handle.

The squat is also the toughest mental exercise after the physical training exercises that you perform. These muscle building tips are very effective ways to gain muscle mass quickly. They can be important factors to for your weight training program and eventually seeing your muscle mass develop and improve quickly.

Weight lifting is also even more effective for individuals who go through a weight loss program than those who are dieting and doing aerobic exercises.

By : Dave Poon

Build powerful arms with upper arm exercises and routines

2008-10-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

To build powerful upper arms, you need the right upper arm exercises and the right routines to get those arms growing.

I'm sure you've seen those people with fantastic arms, the kind of arms that are full, round, and defined, hanging out of a well fitting t-shirt. You know, the kind of arms that look square, usually with a garden hose sized vein running through them.

It be nice to have a set of arms like that, wouldn't it? Well, if your reading this page, chances are, you'd like to have a cool set of pipes too.

How do you build a nice set of "pipes" with upper arm exercises ?

Building a set of large, powerful arms requires special attention and like anything else in building muscle, it requires specialization. Specialization is a term used in building muscle to refer to improving a certain body part or exercise by concentrating solely on that particular muscle or body part through exercise and diet.

What you want to do is pay special attention to the body part or exercise you want to improve, in this case upper arms. Your main focus is on arms. Your sole aim is to build your upper arms with effective upper arm exercises that stimulates growth and builds muscle.

Your whole weight lifting routine will be a specialized weight lifting program designed to build your upper arms using targeted and effective upper arm exercises. The weight lifting routine will be more advanced but you will build bigger, fuller arms.

Okay, let's put together your upper arm exercise routine and get you on the road to building large, powerful arms.

Weight lifting diet

Your weight lifting diet should promote growth. That means, you should be eating the optimal amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat that supports hard and heavy training. It doesn't matter what you're doing in the gym, without a proper diet your gains will be non-existent. If you want to build big upper arms, you're gonna have to eat smart and clean. I suggest you structure your weight lifting diet in the following manner :

25% protein
55% carbohydrates
20% fat

Remember that you might have to play around with the above figures to find out what percentage of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat you will need to support hard and heavy training.

I suggest you gradually add 500 calories to your daily diet. Start off by adding 300 calories the first week and add another 200 the following week. By adding more quality calories to your diet, you will ensure that you are supporting hard and heavy workouts.

You will want to eat roughly six times a day spaced roughly 2 to 3 hours apart. Each meal should contain the same amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

To structure your optimal weight lifting diet, please visit Building muscle101's weight lifting diet page.

For an even more detailed look at putting together a targeted nutritional plan, try using Will Brink's Body Building Revealed.. This book will cover every detail of putting together your nutritional plan, step by step. Will is a world renowned author on sports nutrition and his book will definitely help you put together a true muscle building nutritional plan.

Weight lifting routine

weight lifting Specialization will mean re-structuring your current weight lifting routine that supports building the targeted muscle or exercise. In this case, you will want to build a routine around building large arms using effective upper arm exercises. To do this, you will need to concentrate on core, compound movements.

Why compound movements ?

Compound movements build muscle. There is no question about it. Compound movements such as Barbell bent over rows not only builds a large back but it builds big biceps. The same could be said about heavy bench presses and shoulder presses. Ever see a big bench presser with small triceps?

Your upper arm exercise routine will definitely include heavy compound movements.

Your weight lifting routines will be structured in a way that provides optimal rest and recovery not only to build big arms but to support hard and heavy training using compound movements. What you want to do with your upper arm exercises is to pump the arms up with effective upper arm exercises. I find that using core upper arm exercises super setting biceps and triceps works like magic.

Whenever I need to add some size to my arms, I add in core compound movements and super set my biceps and triceps. By super setting biceps and triceps you greatly add to the intensity of the upper arm exercise routine.

Here's what your new routine will look like.

Bodybuilders

2008-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Get Your Iron Game Terminology Straight This is probably the most confusing term and is often used as the catch all phrase to describe people that weight train. This is incorrect though, not all people that train with weights are bodybuilders. A true bodybuilder is someone who competes in the sport of bodybuilding. They are concerned with using weight training, cardio and nutrition to change the way their body looks so that they compete on stage against others. Competitive bodybuilders try to gain muscle size, reduce body fat and develop muscular symmetry and balance. For example a bodybuilder wouldn't want huge biceps with skinny calves because this will hurt their appearance.

There are also non-competitive bodybuilders. These people have the same goals as competitive bodybuilders they just don't compete on stage. They too train for appearance by trying to build muscle size and symmetry. Bodybuilding is not easy because the diet aspect is just as hard if not harder than the dedication it takes to work hard at the gym. Some people stereotype bodybuilders and think they don't lift heavy weighs and aren't strong. Although muscle strength is not their goal, many bodybuilders train with heavy weights to build size and can be just as strong as strength athletes.

Other people that are working out to lose a little weight, feel better about themselves or tone up a bit are in fact building their bodies but shouldn't be called bodybuilders.

Body Building Workout Techniques

2008-10-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Try and name a sport that you can participate in even if you are an old person. Chances are, you will have a hard time naming even one. But if you named bodybuilding, you are dead on right.

Bodybuilding is the art and science of developing the musculature of your body via certain kinds of physical exertion and diet whose end goal is to showcase the body for competitive exhibition. The most popular kind of bodybuilding exercise is weightlifting or weight training.

What makes bodybuilding so appealing is that it is a sport that everyone of any age can participate in. The only requirements are that one be in relatively good physical condition, has access to gym equipment, and can financially afford the lifestyle it demands.

What are the different types of bodybuilding workouts? Well, it depends first on whether your body type is that of an ectomorph, endomorph, or mesomorph.

An ectomorph is considered the slow gainer among bodybuilding types. He needs to slow down his hyper metabolism in order to gain muscle size and strength. This means his exercise routine should be severe enough to trigger muscle growth yet short enough to

avoid nervous drain.

An endomorph, on the other hand, has a sluggish metabolism. He needs some kind of stimulating exercise every session in order to rev up his metabolism. Also, an endomorph should restrict his calorie intake due to an over-efficient digestive system that makes him gain weight easily.

The luckiest among the body types (as far as bodybuilding is concerned) is the mesomorph. A true mesomorph is able to gain muscle even with little effort on his part. Mesomorphs can be said to be gifted with muscle-building abilities, the Chosen People of bodybuilding.

No one belongs solely to one body type. Most people can be said to be a mixture of the three. However, one body type usually dominates a person's build so that it is relatively easy to categorize bodybuilders.

Despite one's body type, there are common techniques to follow when bodybuilding. These are :

Keep a training diary so that you can monitor your
progress and determine what you should aim for in the future.
Pay attention when lifting any kind of weight to avoid injury. Carelessness is probably the foremost cause of injuries in bodybuilding.
Choose the types of exercises that can contract as many muscle fibers as possible during one set. This will maximize the effectiveness of the core repetitions which make up most of one's training.
Warm up properly prior to doing any exercise to prevent injury.
Don't change the technique of doing any exercise unless you know what you are doing. Experimenting is another cause of injury.
Don't do those exercises which are known to cause tendon or joint damage.
Good exercise style prevents injury. So keep proper form while exercising.
Learn to distinguish between the pain caused by lactic acid build-up within the muscle, and the pain caused by a serious injury. Mistaking one for the other could cause you to keep exercising despite being injured, thereby worsening the injury. Rest if you are injured.
Practice stretching before working out. This also helps you ward off injuries.

Hopefully, these tips will help you enjoy participating in the sport of bodybuilding.

By : Dave Poon

Beginner Weight Lifting Routines

2008-10-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

"A Beginner Weight Training Routine To Get You On The Right Track"

Here is a sample weight lifting routine for beginners. The plan uses a one on, one off weight lifting schedule. The following program is a low intensity workout designed to focus your attention on developing proper form and balance.

The main goal is to adjust your body in order to get ready for higher levels of intensity. It’s important that you understand that form is everything in weight lifting. Poor form ultimately leads to injuries.

Before you start building muscle, you will need to correct your form and balance. Don’t get discouraged because this is something all weight lifters must do. I wish there was someone there who could have given me this advice when I first started out. It would have saved me alot of time and injuries.

Believe me, you need to establish correct form and balance before you start adding weight. If you start with bad form, you carry that form forward. When you start using heavy poundages, bad form will ultimately lead to inuries and bad joints.

Do not jerk or bounce the weight around. Don’t be afraid to ask for help while you are in the gym. If you having trouble with certain exercises, ask the gym employees for help. They are usually very helpful and will answer any questions you may have.

Remember to drink at least two 8 ounce glasses of water before starting your weight lifting routine and drink two to four glasses while working out.

I suggest you follow the beginners weight lifting routine for 1 to 2 months before moving on. Remember, you want to establish correct form as opposed to moving heavy weight. Be patient, you will eventually start to pile on the plates but for now, think form.

I strongly suggest you use a weight lifting log to record all aspects of your weight lifting. This will be very important in determining the success of your weight lifting routine.

A weight Training Plan

2008-10-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

This article reviews the basic types of resitance training and how to begin a simple workout program.

Check with your doctor before you start an exercise program.

Beginning an exercise program can be a daunting endeavour and weight training is no exception. Often the image that comes to mind when we think of lifting weights is a room full of muscle-bound men grunting and groaning their way through muscling up a three-hundred pound weight.

It doesn't have to be this way. Weight training is not only an important addition to any exercise program, it can also be fun. Resistance training, if done correctly and at regular intervals can significantly increase muscle mass. Since muscle requires more energy than fat, it can speed up the metabolic rate and burn fat while resting.

Before beginning a weight training program, it's important to determine what your goals are. Do you want to have large, bulky muscles that are able to exert a great deal of power? Or, do you want toned, efficient muscles that are able to exert their power for longer periods of time?

"Bulking up" requires the use of quite heavy weights where the muscles are working at their maximum capacity for short, strong bursts. "Toning Up" is done by stressing the muscle with lighter weights, but for longer amounts of time. This will help to attain muscle endurance. This particular article will be dealing predominantly with the toning type of weight training since the most common goal seems to be to have toned, healthy muscles.

There are many ways to approach getting stronger and more toned, and different types of equipment that will help to achieve this goal. In the beginning a small investment into some hand-weights can easily get you started. Of course it is also possible to join the local gym and to use the equipment that is more specialized and state of the art.

First, let's compare the difference between free weights and those that are part of a machine.

Free weights : These actually facilitate a more complete workout since they require not only the muscles that are doing the work, but also the opposite muscles to help to stabilise the weight. Good form is important when using free weights and is sometimes a little tricky to achieve.

Weight Machines : These machines are large, bulky and usually require a gym membership in order to have access to enough of them to get a complete workout. They have stabilising pullies and chains within them and therefore don't work the opposing muscles as thoroughly as free weights. They do, however, make it almost impossible to use them with poor form.

Both have their benefits and it will be up to you to decide which is more appropriate for you. It is a personal choice, since all muscles that are targeted by machine can also be targeted with free weights.

When working on muscle endurance or toning, there is a saying: "low weights, high reps". What this means, is that each exercise needs to be done at least ten times in succession with a weight that makes it possible to do so. The last two repetitions (or "reps") should be a little bit more difficult but you should be able to complete the reps. If the weight you've chosen makes it impossible to do ten reps, then the weight is too heavy and the next lighter one should be chosen.

Getting Started: Once you've chosen your goal, and have decided to use either free weights or weight machines, the fun can begin! Any exercise program should always begin with a short warm-up to prepare the body for exertion. You need to warm up the muscles slightly with something aerobic, some peddling on a bike, walking up and down stairs or perhaps skipping rope. This should be a gradual warm-up of the muscles and should last until you are beginning to sweat. This usually takes about five minutes. Then, it is advisable to stretch out the arms, legs, torso and neck individually. This will save some muscle soreness and could prevent injury.

Once you have warmed up, you can move onto the actual workout. Again you have a few decisions to make. There are different ways to attack the workout and again, they are all effective, it's simply a matter of personal preference and how much time you have available for your workout.

You need to decide which exercises you'd like to do. For a beginner, two arm exercises, one or two shoulder exercises and two leg exercises will be adequate. Once you get stronger and more efficient at your workout, you may want to add more.

Usually, an exercise is grouped into repetitions and sets. A repetition is one execution of the exercise. A set is a group of reps. The most common beginning weight training program is comprised of ten reps per set and three sets per exercise. These sets can be done in a couple of ways. They can be done in a circuit, or all at once with a rest period between sets. Let's look more closely at these two options.

Circuit Training : This type of weight training program begins with one exercise, one set of ten reps. Then, when that set is done, one set of another exercise is done, and so on, until all of the exercises have been done once. This circuit is then repeated two more times. The circuit doesn't allow rest times between exercises, because different muscles are being targeted each time the exercise is changed, It speeds up the workout and becomes almost aerobic in nature.

Finishing One Exercise, Then Going Onto the Next : This method of weight training has the exerciser finishing three sets of one exercise before going onto the next exercise. If you are training in this manner it is essential to give your body a rest period between sets. It is best if these rest periods are uniform. They can be timed to be a minute or a minute and a half between sets. Or, if you are training with a partner, your rest period can be the time it takes for your partner to finish his/her set.

General Weight Training Tips :

Regardless of what method you choose, it is important to exercise the larger muscle groups first, then, go onto to the smaller ones. For example, if you are training your arms, you should train your biceps before you train your triceps, since the biceps are bigger.

You need to decide how often you want to train. The reason for this is because most muscles need a rest day between workouts. Usually, early on in your weight training career, it is possible to work all the muscles that you want to, in one day, take the next day off and then do the whole workout again on the third day. As you progress, you may want to train more often. The way to do this is by separating your body into legs and back one day and arms and shoulders the next day. This way, the whole body is being targeted, you're working out as much as you want to and your muscles get the required number of hours rest.

There are a few muscles that can be worked every day. The abdominal muscles, the triceps (the muscle in the back of the arm) and the calf muscles. You will see better results with the training of these muscles if they are taxed on an almost daily basis. Strengthening the abdominal muscles will also help with any lower back pain that you may be experiencing.

A muscle will get used to a weight or a number of reps and it will cease to be overloaded. Since the basic premise of weight training is to overload the muscle, it needs to be done to see results. In order to consistently overload the muscle, use this formula: Do three sets of ten reps for three workouts, then, move the reps up to eleven and do them for three workouts. Continue in this manner until the reps are at fifteen. Then, increase the weight by five pounds, and begin the cycle back at ten reps again. This will ensure a consistently overloaded muscle during workouts.

So, there you have it. The very basics of weight training. This is enough to get you well on your way to a healthy, more efficient body. Just remember to make in an enjoyable experience. Happy lifting!

By Karen Clark

A Serious Upper Body Mass Workout

2008-10-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

This next weight lifting routines post will target those weight lifters who have real interest in size and strength. If you think you've already tried all these other routines and wish to find something that's really different, these weightlifting charts might be what you're seeking for.

It's a two day on, one day off routine that doesn't take much longer than 35 minutes to complete. The idea of this routines is to perform the weight lifting exercises with real quality. And using the proper weight lifting techniques is crucial to your success.

So let me go ahead and reveal the first day of the two a day weight lifting routines. And later I'll talk about the rules needed to be followed for success.

FREE WEIGHTLIFTING ROUTINES : 2 Days On, 1 Day Off

Day 1:

Bench Press or Incline Bench Press: 4 sets x failure
Weight Bicep Curls: 4 sets x failure
Decline Crunches with Obliques Twists: 2 sets x failure
Delt Rows: 4 sets x failure

That's it. Only four weight lifting exercises and you're done. However, the key here is using the right weight lifting techniques to completely work the muscle. So let me divulge the rules :

Always Use A Spotter – A spotter will make sure you obtain complete muscle failure by pushing you hard and by forcing the right weight lifting techniques.

Always Warm Up Prior To Each Exercise – These free workout routines are very hard working as you'll find that out the first time. To prevent injuries, using proper weight lifting techniques is important but so is warming up.

Always Push Yourself – These weight lifting routines will only work if you obtain complete muscular failure for each muscle. So trust your spotter. Don't stop lifting the weight until your spotter is lifting all the weight up.

Always Use Heavier Weight – These free workout routines were not intended for you to get toned, they were intended for you to gain size and get stronger. So use weights you can do around 6 reps and then let the spotter take over.

Always Use Proper Technique – I can't stress this enough. Always, always use proper lifting techniques. For the bench press, only use the chest and maybe the back to help you lift the weight. For the bicep curls, keep your elbows straight and don't use your legs or back. For the rows, only shoulders. No legs, no back. For any trouble that you have, let the spotter pick the weight up for you.

Always Keep The Weight Moving – This rule is for the spotter. You need to keep the weight moving. You want the lifter to perform as many reps as possible. So when he/she struggles, pick the weight up and keep it moving as smoothly as possible until the set is over. This is probably what makes these weightlifting charts different from others.

Abs – Finally, for the ab weight lifting exercises, do the same thing as you would with the others. However, you start with the decline crunch. What you do is you hold a 25 lb. weight and start at the top and go down as slow as possible and then back up. Once you start struggling, use the spotter. At the end you do the oblique crunches until failure.

Using good weight lifting techniques is also important to achieving good results. So if you have any confusion about any of these weight lifting exercises or just don't know what they are, visit the website at the end of this paragraph. Navigate to the appropriate muscle and search for the exercise.

To find additional weight lifting routines for the arms, please visit Muscle Gaining Secrets. There you can find actual weightlifting charts developed by professionals to help you get to your goals quickly.

If you have trouble with the idea of paying for a product when you can get free weightlifting routines here, there is an 8 week money back guarantee. Why would he do this if the product didn’t provide you with good results? Read the site, look at the testimonials and give Muscle Gaining Secrets a try. Remember that the only way to achieve the best results is to keep changing your weight lifting routines.

10 Key Factors for Bench Pressing More Weight

2008-10-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Desire. If you don't want it bad enough it will never happen.

Consistency. You can't keep skipping workouts or only going when you feel like it.

Confidence. You have to believe you can do it or you never will. You have to accept in your own mind that you are capable of great things. If you don't believe it yourself your mind and body won't allow it to happen.

Mike Wolfe Is A Huge Bencher 4. Stay Positive. Don't look at things in a negative light, always think positive.

God. Thank God for giving you the ability to play and keeping you safe.

Partners. Training partners, not life partners. Of course a supportive spouse is also very important, because you're going to need to put in some serious hours. Surround yourself with people who are stronger than you are and learn from them and support each other.

Do heavy triples once a week for 5 sets.

Do three heavy weeks than take a deload week where you do light work or speed work. Tips 7 & 8 were taught to me at Tampa Barbell.

Don't just bench....do your assistance exercises, train all body parts. Top neglected body parts include rear deltoids and lats.

Never give up. Failing is part of improving. It's a learning process. Keep your head up, don't get down on yourself for making a mistake. Mistakes are needed to make progress.

By Mike Westerdal of CriticalBench.com

2 Simple Steps to Ripped Summertime Muscles

2008-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Summer is on the horizon, and the time has come to kick back and relax under the sun. It's time for beach days, barbecues and pool parties, and for any serious weightlifter these activities also mean one thing: it's time for the shirts to come off and to showcase that rock-solid physique they've been working on all year. No one wants to be walking around with a soft, smooth and flabby body, and for the next month or two, all of those serious lifters will be shifting into "get ripped" mode.

How do they usually go about this?

They lighten up the weights and perform higher reps.

This has always been a widely accepted method of "cutting down" and if you ask most trainers in the gym they'll tell you that "heavy weights bulk up the muscle and lighter weights define the muscle".

Do you want to know the reality behind the "light weight and high reps" method of obtaining a ripped and defined physique?

It is completely, totally and utterly DEAD WRONG.

It couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, there is no logical basis for this way of training whatsoever, and whoever dreamt up this downright ridiculous way of thinking has caused the vast majority of lifters to waste their time and impede their progress in the gym.

Let me clear this up once and for all : you CANNOT spot reduce. In other words, it is physically impossible to target fat loss from a specific area on your body. Performing bench presses with light resistance and high repetitions will not magically burn fat off of your chest or cause it to appear harder and more defined.

Every single time you wrap your hands around a barbell, dumbbell or cable, your goal is to stimulate as much muscle growth as you possibly can. There are no special, secret weightlifting exercises that will "define" your muscles or cause them to become more "ripped".

Training with weights builds muscle mass, end of story.

So how exactly do you "define" a muscle?

The only way to "define" a muscle is by lowering your body fat level in order to make your muscles more visible. Body fat reduction can be achieved in two ways:

1) Modify your diet.

You should lower your overall caloric intake to around 15x your bodyweight and focus on consuming smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism naturally raised at all times and will keep your body in a constant fat burning state. Limit your intake of saturated fats and simple sugars, and focus instead on consuming lean sources of protein and low glycemic carbohydrates. It is also very important to keep your water intake high at a level of around 0.6 ounces per pound of bodyweight.

2) Perform proper cardio workouts.

Let go of the traditional method of moderate intensity cardio in 30-45 minute durations. If you want to maximize your body's fat burning capacity and also minimize the muscle loss that inevitably accompanies a fat burning cycle, focus on shorter cardio workouts performed at a high level of intensity. These types of workouts will shoot your resting metabolism through the roof and will allow you to burn maximum amounts of fat even when you are at rest. I recommend 3-5 high intensity cardio sessions per week, spaced at least 8 hours away from your weight workouts.

That's all there is to it, folks. Take the notion of "light weight and higher reps" and throw it right out the window, down the street and around the corner. Following this misguided method will only cause you to lose muscle mass and strength, and will not assist you in burning fat or defining your physique.

All you need to do to mold those rock-solid muscles for the summer time is this :

Train with heavy weights and low repetitions to build maximum muscle mass.
Modify your diet and implement cardio workouts to eliminate body fat and create visibly harder and more defined muscles.

End of story.

I'll see you at the beach!

By : Sean Nalewanyj

Beginner Lifting Routines (2)

2008-10-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

Last post, I revealed the first two weeks of my beginner fitness weightlifting program. As you saw, it was a very simple lifting routine mostly to help you get the right lifting techniques down, but also, to get your muscles ready for more advance fitness weightlifting programs.

Now, it’s time to take it up a notch and start working your muscles a little harder with a new fitness weightlifting program. Like I said before, if you want to get bigger, get stronger, or get healthier you need to work hard. You need to keep changing your lifting routines so that your muscles keep on reacting to the different exercises. You need to work on using proper lifting techniques so that your muscles are worked as best as they can. These are all extremely important to be great at fitness weightlifting.

This next fitness weightlifting routine is very similar to the first beginner lifting routine. Another day is added to fit in the extra exercises and each muscle group has another simple exercise added to improve your lifting techniques. After going through weeks three and four in this fitness weightlifting routine, you’ll start to feel a lot stronger and feel much healthier. Just make sure that you don’t cheat yourself. Use proper lifting techniques and follow this fitness weightlifting routine strictly. With all lifting routines, if you don’t work hard, you won’t see results.

BEGINNER LIFTING ROUTINES WEEKS 3+4: MONDAY, THURSDAY

Chest : Chest Press Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Chest : Machine Flys (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 min

Shoulders : Shoulder Press Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Shoulders : Machine Lateral Raise (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Triceps : Assisted Triceps Dip Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Triceps : Triceps Extension Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Abs : Any Ab Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 1 min

BEGINNER LIFTING ROUTINES: TUESDAY, FRIDAY

Back : Seated Row Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Back : Pulldown Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Biceps : Curl Machine (4 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Quads/Hams : (1)Horizontal Squat Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Hams : Lying Leg Curl Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Calves : Standing Calf Raise (4 sets x 20 reps) Rest 1 min

(1) If your gym doesn’t have this machine, do the regular leg press machine.

This fitness weightlifting routine should seem simple enough. Don’t complicate things by switching exercises around, just follow the lifting routine and use the right lifting techniques. The next fitness weightlifting post will reveal the last two weeks of my beginner lifting routine.

If you have any questions or comments about any fitness weightlifting topic, please email me and I’ll try to answer as soon as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, I’m confident that I can answer any of your questions dealing with all lifting routines and all lifting techniques. It doesn’t matter what fitness weightlifting topic you are having trouble with, I’ll do my best to get you the right answers.

Beginner Lifting Routines (3)

2008-10-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Last post, I revealed the second and third weeks of my beginner fitness weightlifting program. The lifting routines got more difficult with more exercises for each muscle group; however it was still simple enough so that those beginner lifters could get the proper lifting techniques down. The final portion of these lifting routines will get a little harder. It will push you a little harder but make sure that you still maintain those proper lifting techniques.

We are going to continue with this fitness weightlifting program by adding yet another exercise per muscle group. The extra exercises will still be simple enough for all beginner lifters because once again, getting the right lifting techniques down is the most important part of any fitness weightlifting program. The hardest thing with part three is dealing with the longer lifting routines. Because there aren’t anymore days added like in the previous lifting routines, there are more exercises for each day per fitness weightlifting program.

This was done on purpose. After a month of strengthening your muscles, it is important to keep pushing those muscles so that they don’t get comfortable. Every fitness weightlifting guide will tell you this. When the muscles get comfortable, they stop growing and stop strengthening, so this portion of the fitness weightlifting program is extremely important. You have to follow the lifting routines strictly each and every day. And once again, you need to stay strict with using proper lifting techniques to keep growing and to avoid serious injuries. This part of the fitness weightlifting guide must be done carefully and intelligently.

After all this, let me go ahead and reveal the lifting routines of my beginner fitness weightlifting program. If you didn’t follow the other two parts completely strict, you must for this final part. And you must keep your lifting techniques in perfect form to keep yourself ready for the fitness weightlifting step.

BEGINNER LIFTING ROUTINES WEEKS 5+6: MONDAY. THURSDAY

Chest : Chest Press Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Chest : Cable Crossover (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Chest : Machine Flys (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Shoulders : Shoulder Press Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Shoulders : Cable Front Raise (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Shoulders : Machine Later Raise (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Triceps : Assisted Dip Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Triceps : Tricep Pressdown Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Abs : Any Ab Machine (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 1 min

Abs : Cable Crunch (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 1 min

BEGINNER LIFTING ROUTINES: TUESDAY, FRIDAY

Back : Seated Cable Row (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Back : Lat Pulldowns (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Back : Seated Row Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Biceps : Cable Curls (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Biceps : Curls Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Quads/Hams : Leg Press (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Quads/Hams : (1)Squat Machine (3 sets x 12 reps) Rest 2 mins

Quads : Leg Extensions (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Hams : Lying Leg Curl (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Calves : (2)Calf Raises using Leg Press Machine (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 1 min

Calves : Standing Calf Raise (2 sets x 15 reps) Rest 1 min

(1) If your gym doesn’t have a squat machine, use the assisted Smithe Machine.

(2) Use the leg press machine and put your feet on the bottom part of the foot plate to do calf raises.

Alright, that’s it. You’re finally done with my beginner fitness weightlifting program. Not so difficult, right? Like I keep on saying, these lifting routines are simple for a reason. Simple lifting routines with beginner exercises will work your muscles without potential strains or injuries. And more importantly, simple exercises will help you get those correct lifting techniques down that can help you in later lifting routines.

Although this beginner fitness weightlifting routine is done, there is still much more ahead. My next few posts will reveal more beginner lifting routines that use more advanced exercises so that you can keep improving your muscular strength and your lifting techniques. So stay tuned to my fitness weightlifting guide, it’s worth it.

Beginner Lifting Routines

2008-10-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

This fitness weightlifting post will go ahead and reveal my beginner lifting routine. Last post, I explained why a fitness weightlifting guide is so important for all weightlifters. I explained how fitness weightlifting guides provide great lifting routines and lifting techniques needed for all successful weightlifters. Now that I’ve gotten the why out of the way, it’s time to talk about the what with my first fitness weightlifting program.

This beginner lifting routine must be done for six weeks before moving on to the next lifting routine. It’s broken into three parts of at most, four days a week. The reason why this lifting routine is a great stepping stone is that it provides all weightlifters great guidance on proper lifting techniques. And we should all know by now that lifting techniques is more important than anything in order to achieve good results.

I’ll start off by revealing the first two weeks of this beginner lifting routine. Make sure you get all the proper lifting techniques down and make sure you don’t cheat yourself and not workout on the required days. Here is my first lifting routine from my fitness weightlifting guide.

BEGINNER LIFTING ROUTINE WEEKS 1+2: MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY

Chest : Fly Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Shoulders : Machine Lateral Raise (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Back : Seated Row Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Biceps : Curl Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Triceps : Tricep Extension Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Quads : Leg Extension Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Hamstrings : Lying Leg Curl Machine (3 sets x 15 reps) Rest 2 mins

Calves : Standing Calf Raise Machine (3 sets x 20 reps) Rest 1 min

Abs : Any Ab Machine (3 sets x 20 reps) Rest 1 min

Just remember, don’t push yourself too hard, especially if you’re a beginner in weightlifting. Any fitness weightlifting guide will tell you this because you don’t want to injure yourself. Also, it’s important to make sure your body gets use to the movements and use to the proper lifting techniques. What I like to tell my clients so they don't go to hard with all lifting routines is to use a weight where they can do three extra reps over the indicated amount. So if you're supposed to do 15 reps, use a weight where you can do 18 reps with correct lifting techniques. If this requires you to use the lowest weight on the machine, then do it.

It can be difficult and painful during the first few days, especially for those beginner weightlifters. Some people think of it as a good pain, others do not. All I can say is to stick with this fitness weightlifting program. It’s so crucial that you don’t give up on all lifting routines. People usually fail because they give up after that first day. They don’t realize that once your fight through the first line of soreness and discomfort, you’ll be able to coast to your final goal. So stick with fitness weightlifting.

Bench Press Blastoff 1

2008-09-24T10:48:00.001-07:00

Without a doubt, the most coveted and respected lift in the iron game is the barbell bench press. Ironically, no other lift is the source of so much frustration either. Sticking points and plateaus seem to trouble nearly everyone at one time or another. It's not uncommon for someone to spend months or even years benching the same amount of weight with no improvement at all - but it doesn't have to be that way. With a few small changes in your technique, a good dose of hard work and some patience, a 300, 400, or even 500-pound bench press is within your reach. If you’d like say goodbye to sticking points and finally break through the plateau’s that have plagued you for so long, then put these 15 powerful bench-boosting principles to work and you'll smash through previous limitations and send your bench press soaring into new territory faster than you ever believed possible.

Position your body properly on the bench.

The first step in boosting your bench press is also the simplest; positioning yourself on the bench. Proper body positioning and alignment can increase leverage, improve mechanical advantage, decrease the distance the bar has to travel and provide a powerful foundation to press from. There are four steps to proper body positioning :

Lie on the bench with your eyes in line with the bar. If you slide too far up on the bench, the bar may hit the uprights as you are pressing. If you're too far towards the foot of the bench, you have to struggle just to get the bar off the rack. Even with a lift from a spotter, you’re still wasting strength, and an awkward liftoff could throw you off balance.

Place you feet firmly on the floor and close to the bench. Putting your feet up on the bench, straightening your legs, or just letting your feet lightly brush the floor are cardinal benching sins - they can all reduce your power and throw you off balance. If you’ve got your feet planted firmly on the floor, you can draw power by pushing from that base when you hit the sticking point. With your feet close to the bench, it's also easier to maintain the arch in your back.

Keep your shoulder blades tight, retracted and firmly planted in the bench. To bench press big weights it’s important to create stability. If you lift your chest up and retract your shoulder blades, your back stays firmly in contact with the bench, providing the solid foundation you need.

Maintain a tight torso and a slight arch in your back. Keep your torso tight and your chest raised and expanded. Your lower back should be slightly arched, not pressed into the bench. Excessive arching, or thrusting your hips in the air can injure your lumbar spine. A raised chest with a slight arch in the lower back is safe and will reduce the distance the bar has to travel. The shorter the distance the bar has to travel, the more weight you'll be able to lift. Australian strength coach Ian King says, "Arching is probably the most powerful of all benching techniques and can give you as much as 20% extra on your one rep max."

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 2

2008-09-24T10:47:00.002-07:00

Get a firm grip

You can increase your bench press simply by improving your grip strength. Grip the bar tightly; imagine squeezing it so hard that you leave your handprint in the steel. The tighter you grip the bar, the more control you’ll have. Always wrap your thumbs around the bar. There’s no advantage to a thumbless grip; if the bar slips out of your hand, you could suffer a serious injury.

The most common grip mistake is holding the bar too high in the palm near the base of your fingers, which causes your wrist to bend backward. Instead, grip the bar low in the palm towards the heel of your hand and keep your wrists straight. Straight wrists allow you to transfer the power of your chest, deltoids and arms directly through to the bar. A locked wrist also helps prevent injury.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 3

2008-09-24T10:47:00.001-07:00

Maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses with the proper grip width and arm position

The dreaded "sticking point" is usually caused by a weakness in one muscle group compared to the other muscles used in the lift. When the lift approaches the point where the weak muscle is involved the most, the bar will stall. For example, the most common sticking point in the bench press is the mid point where the front deltoids are involved less and the pecs and triceps take over. If your pecs and triceps are weaker relative to your front delts, you’re more likely to get stuck. One remedy is to take a grip width that minimizes your weak muscles and maximizes your strong ones.

Because people have different body sizes, limb lengths and strong points, the ideal grip width and arm position can vary greatly from one individual to the next. In his book, The Complete Guide to Powerlifting, Fred Hatfield identifies several critical anatomical factors that you must adjust your benching style for :

Long arms - elbows out, wider grip,
Short arms - elbows in, closer grip.

Weak pecs - elbows in, narrower grip
Strong pecs - wider grip, elbows out

Weak front delts - elbows out, wide grip
Strong front delts - narrower grip, elbows close to torso

Weak triceps - elbows out, wider grip
Strong triceps - elbows in, closer grip

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 4

2008-09-24T10:46:00.002-07:00

Use assistance exercises.

Adjusting your form to accommodate a weak muscle group is important, but in the long run it’s little more than a band-aid. The ultimate solution is to bring up your weak areas with assistance exercises. If you want a stronger bench, you must get strong triceps, deltoids and lats, not just strong pecs.

Of all the assistance work you could do, developing stronger triceps will probably have the greatest impact on your bench press. Work hard on the basics, including various types of heavy extensions and close-grip bench presses (flat and incline).

Strengthening your front delts will also bring major improvements to your bench press. Assistance work for front deltoids should include military presses and all kinds of front raises (dumbbell, barbell, with a 45 lb. plate, etc.).

Your lats are involved in the bench press to a greater degree than you might think. Your lats help you maintain your arch and stabilize your torso. They also help you lower the weight by providing a "cushion" to lower against and push from at the bottom. The best assistance exercises for lats are rows, rows, and more rows! Barbell and dumbbell rows are the best assistance exercises for the bench press because they train the back through the same horizontal plane as the bench press.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 5

2008-09-24T10:46:00.001-07:00

Lower and press the bar through the optimal path.

Always have a spotter lift the bar off for you - it conserves energy. Once the bar is over your chest, go right into the lift; don't just lie there holding the bar at arms length over your chest or you’ll waste energy. Do your psyching up (more on that later) before you lift off the bar.

Lower the bar to a point even with the nipples or slightly below them. Touching the bar low on the chest recruits the triceps and powerful front deltoids to the maximum degree to assist the pectorals. If you lower the bar too high on the chest, your arms tend to rotate externally. This puts more strain on your shoulder joints and reduces your leverage. You’ll have the best leverage if your hands are directly above your elbows.

When the bar reaches your chest, pause for about one second. Never bounce the bar off your chest; not only can this cause an injury, but it’s also cheating (and it wouldn't pass in a powerlifting meet). This is not to say you should never bench quickly with no pause, but training with the brief pause eliminates the momentum, overloading the target muscles more effectively.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so it seems logical to push the bar straight up. Many great powerlifters such as Louie Simmons, point out that pressing straight up allows you to lift more by decreasing the distance the bar has to travel, and it reduces the chance of injuring your pecs or shoulders. Most people, however, press the bar in a path that curves slightly back towards the face. This arc is known as the "J-curve." This curve occurs because you unconsciously change the path of the bar to accommodate your weak joint angles (the delts are usually stronger than the triceps). So what's the ideal method? Ultimately, you should work on developing the necessary tricep strength to press straight up, but don't force yourself to follow any particular path if it feels unnatural.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 6

2008-09-24T10:45:00.002-07:00

Breathe out on every rep, but hold your breath briefly at the critical moment

Novice lifters are often afraid to hold their breath at all because they’ve been warned that this practice is dangerous. Prolonged breath holding is dangerous (you could black out and wake up later with a barbell wrapped around your head). However, you'll never bench anywhere near what you're capable of without proper breath control. Breath holding at the right moment is critical because the increase in intra-abdominal pressure helps get you through the sticking point. It also gives you a feeling of confidence and stability during the lift off. Without this tight feeling, you'd feel as if you were being crushed under a heavy weight (and that could blow the lift for you mentally before you even started the descent). As you begin to lower the bar, breathe deeply and inhale all the way into your belly - not just a shallow breath in your upper chest. Hold your breath as you change direction and continue holding until you've pushed upward through the sticking point. Then breathe out and inhale again as you start the next rep.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 7

2008-09-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

Choose the optimal eccentric and concentric tempos

It’s a general rule in bodybuilding to do your reps with a two-second concentric (lifting) movement and at least a three or four second eccentric (lowering) movement. Slowing down the eccentric part of the movement can increase the time under tension, decrease the use of momentum and isolate the target muscle better - all of which help to increase muscle size.

When you're training purely for strength, doing negatives too slowly can be counterproductive. Resisting the weight with a slow negative requires more force, so it actually reduces the number of reps you can do. For example, if you can do three reps with 275 lbs. using a five second negative, you can probably get five or six reps with 275 lbs. using a one or two second negative.

In his column at Testosterone.net, bodybuilding writer Doug Santillo explains it like this: "A lot of emphasis in bodybuilding literature has been placed on lowering the weight slowly. For the purposes of hypertrophy, the majority of the time should be spent using slower eccentric speeds. But there're times when lowering the weight fast can be advantageous. In training for maximal strength, the primary goal is to force your nervous system to more efficiently recruit fast twitch fibers. With a faster eccentric speed, you give the nervous system more of a break between each explosion, since the tension is reduced. By doing this, your muscles must contract from a more relaxed position, thereby forcing your nervous system to adapt. For a bodybuilder, since his priority is gaining muscle mass, not maximal strength, a good choice would be to alternate between fast and slow eccentrics during his strength phases."

If you're after size gains, your best bet would be a slow negative, but if you want more strength, use a faster eccentric speed - not an uncontrolled, cheating fast, but a "controlled" fast.

Finally, EXPLODE the weight upward. Apply the maximum force possible. Fred Hatfield has named this technique "Compensatory Acceleration." With lighter weights, this means the bar will travel upward very quickly, so you'll have to "put on the brakes" at the top of the movement. With heavier weights, the bar will be moving slowly, but no matter how slow it seems to creep upward, you should still push as hard as you can through the entire range of motion.

One reason sticking points are common in the middle or top part of the bench press is because you don’t have enough velocity coming out of the bottom. Push up HARD from the bottom and don’t push less or give up if the bar starts to slow down or stall. Make a conscious effort to accelerate and keep pushing hard through the entire lift. Practiced consistently, this technique can completely obliterate sticking points.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 8

2008-09-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Do the ideal number of sets and reps - not too many, not too few

Overtraining is a major cause of bench press plateaus. When it comes to benching strength, more is not better. Cutting back on volume doesn’t mean doing one set to failure, it simply means you should reduce your volume to a level that allows you to gain strength consistently.

In the tradition of Arnold Schwarzenegger, most people follow high volume bodybuilding routines that look something like this :

Bench press 4-5 sets 8-12 reps
Incline press 4-5 sets 8-12 reps
Dumbbell flyes 4-5 sets 8-12 reps
Cable crossover 4-5 sets 8-12 reps

With the exception of genetically gifted people (like Arnold), this is too much even for an advanced bodybuilder, but it’s way too much for building strength. Most powerlifters and strength athletes who bench 400 -500 lbs. or more use extremely simple routines - sometimes only one or two exercises per body part. Doing too many sets and exercises is a sure-fire way to hit a plateau. It may seem hard to give up your high volume workout routines, but you’ll be amazed at how much stronger you'll get when you cut back.

Six to twelve reps is probably the single best rep range for muscle size gains (bodybuilding). However, if you want to get strong, you’re going to have to do a fair share of your training in the one to five rep range. In his book, "the Poliquin Principles," strength Coach Charles Poliquin recommends the following parameters for strength gains :

1 - 3 exercises per body part
1 - 5 repetitions per set
5 - 12 sets per body part
3 - 5 minutes rest between each set

(Charles should know: he’s trained over 400 Olympic and professional athletes and his clients are brutishly strong).

"Rest about one minute between each set." That's the standard guideline that’s been tossed around in gyms for years. It’s a good recommendation for bodybuilding or general fitness, but longer rest intervals are an absolute must for benching super heavy weights.

To use the maximum weight possible on every set, you must allow your muscular and nervous systems to fully recover between each set. The shorter your rest intervals, the less you will recover. The ideal rest interval for strength development is four to five minutes. Beyond five minutes is not effective because you'll start to cool off.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 9

2008-09-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Warm up properly but don't waste your energy.

An important part of benching heavy weights is energy conservation. Out of all the ways you could waste energy, excessive warm up is the biggest culprit. It's important to warm up thoroughly to avoid injury, but if you do too many warm-up sets, you'll squander your energy and become fatigued before you get to your heavier "work sets." This will limit the amount of weight you can use on the final sets that really count. Your goal is to warm up without burning out.

Lets suppose you have a 315 lb. max. For maximal strength gains, you need to work with at least 85% of your max (267 lbs). Using a typical bodybuilder’s workout, you're so fatigued before you reach this weight that you only get one set of three measly reps at 85% of your max - not a very effective workout for strength gains. What follows is a typical, ineffective routine and the new, improved routine:

Typical bench routine: (too many high rep warm up sets tire you out)

1 X 15 reps X 135 lbs
1 X 12 reps X 185 lbs
1 X 10 reps X 225 lbs
1 X 8 reps X 245 lbs
1 X 6 reps X 255 lbs
1 X 3 reps X 265 lbs

(You tired yourself out before getting to your effective work sets, so 265 X 3 is as heavy as you can go)

More effective routine :

1 X 8 X 135 (warm up)
1 X 6 X 185 (warm up)
1 X 5 X 225 (warm up)
1 X 5 X 265
1 X 3 X 275
1 X 3 X 285
1 X 2 X 295

(Conserves energy for the heavy work sets, but still warms you up sufficiently)

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto

Bench Press Blastoff 10

2008-09-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Do singles - but don't overdo them

One of the biggest benching blunders you can make is to max out at every chest workout. Seeing how much you can bench at every chest workout is building your ego, not your strength. On the other hand, avoiding singles completely is also a mistake. Maximum singles definitely have their place, but they must be used wisely.

The reason max singles help you bench more is because they develop neuromuscular efficiency and prepare your body psychologically for the "feel" of heavy weights. Here’s what coach Poliquin says about them:

"The nervous system is the forgotten component of bodybuilding, and training with maximal weights targets this area by improving the link between the central nervous system and the muscular system. By using this method, the trainee will learn to access a greater percentage of motor units in a given cross-section of muscle tissue."

Our suggestion is to do maximum singles on the bench press once a month. On assistance exercises you can use maximal weights more often, as long as you rotate the exercises regularly. Never max out on the same exercise week after week or you're asking for an injury.

By Richie Smyth & Tom Venuto