The Top 5 Fat-Blasting Exercises

The problem with this plan (or lack thereof) is that you are wasting huge amounts of your precious time and energy on activities that aren't giving you the best results, or in a lot of cases, any results. Exercise is a science and there are certain basic guidelines that need to be followed in order to get the most out of it. A couple of things to remember: not all exercises are created equal, and long, steady-state cardio (i.e. you walking or jogging on the treadmill for an hour) is not the most effective calorie burning activity.

Let's look at the first point: not all exercises are created equal. Question for ya.

Which exercise is best? Uhmm

Which exercise should you spend more time focusing on: squats or crunches? Some might say, 'Well, it depends on your fitness goal'. And, yes, that is somewhat true. But for the average exerciser whose goal is to tone up, lose fat, and stay fit, the correct answer is squats. Surprised? A lot of women are shocked by that answer. The reason is that there is no such thing as true spot reduction. So doing 1000 crunches does not make you lose significant amounts of fat in your stomach area. Doing crunches will strengthen your abs, but that isn't the same as burning fat. If you want to melt away the fat, you need to burn lots of calories. And doing squats will burn a heck of a lot more calories than doing crunches. The reason being that you use a lot of large muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, back) when you perform a squat. Working all those large muscles burns calories. (I'm oversimplifying the process to save time here, but the bottom line is the same.)

Now for the second point, steady-state cardio is not the most effective activity for burning calories. Steady-state cardio is any cardio activity (jogging, elliptical, treadmill, bike, etc) that is performed with the same intensity for long periods of time. So what is more effective at burning calories than going for a morning jog? Going for a morning sprint with walking breaks. Instead of jogging for 45 minutes. Sprint for 30 seconds, then walk for 45 seconds. Repeat for about 20 minutes. This style of cardio will burn 10 times the amount of calories in half the time as steady-state cardio.

Now that you know the above two facts, we will get to my list of the top 5 fat-burning exercises, and it will make sense as to why these are my top 5...they are either large-muscle exercises that burn a lot of calories, or they are interval cardio activities that burn a lot of calories, or both. (editor's note - before doing any exercise it is best to seek the advise of a professional and learn to do them correctly)

Here's the list of the Top 5 Fat-Blasting Exercises... (not in any particular order)

Clean and press - a lot of bang for your buck

1. Clean & Press. The clean & press works the legs, back, shoulders, and core. You can use heavy weights with this power exercise which really ramps up the intensity and gives you a lot of bang for a short amount of time invested.

2. Deadlifts. Like the clean & press, you work a bunch of muscles when you deadlift, including your legs, back, traps, and glutes. Again, you can use pretty heavy weights for this exercise as long as you keep your form strict.

3. Hill Sprints. A lot of people swear by the effectiveness of hill sprints and that includes me. I always do these when I want to lean down a little more. Find a good sized, fairly steep hill and sprint up it as fast as you can. Then walk down and repeat.

Hills don't need to be steep or long to be effective

4. Squats. Squats are probably the king of all weight exercises. There are 100 different variations so you won't get bored. Try them all. Include at least 1 squat version in every full-body or leg workout.

5. Lunges. These are basically 1-leg squats. You have to do with one leg what you do with both legs in a squat. Therefore, you can't use as much weight, but you still work a lot of muscles doing this exercise. There is also more balance and agility involved. Like squats, there is almost an unlimited number of variations of lunges.

If you do a full-body workout 3 times per week, integrate 1-2 of these exercises in each workout. You will quickly find yourself getting stronger, leaner, and more toned than ever!

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Bobbi_Johnson/288619

Fat Loss Friday - How to Speed up Your Metabolism - Learn How You Can Speed Up Your Metabolism

Did you know?

Your metabolism is the machine inside you that keeps on working away to keep the weight off and burn fat.

Increase your metabolism at any age

The sad part is most people in their 30's and up struggle with their metabolic rate. This being a leading factor to why you have weight problems. But let's be honest, everyone out there who have the problem of everything you eat turning into excess fat or water weight is upsetting. A fast metabolism means more calories burned. You can speed up your metabolism so it works harder for you. It's very easy to regulate it and keep it at a medium to high rate to drop those unwanted pounds of fat.

Things you should consider

There are many sayings about fast and slow metabolism. Truth is you don't have as much control over your metabolism as you think but you can control how many calories you burn through your level of physical activity. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. There are three very effective ways to lose weight and burning calories to speed up your metabolism. Aerobic activity is the best way to burn calories. The goal should be 150 minutes a week of walking cycling and swimming. You can reach this goal by doing 30 minutes five days a week and breaking down your activity sessions in 10 minute sessions. To speed that metabolism up drastically you likely need to do more than that a week and make changes to your diet.

Any age is a good age to start weight training

Strength training is another excellent workout to help you speed up your metabolism. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissues so increasing your muscle mass will help you lose weight. Aim to do two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups like lifting weights and high intensity rounds of exercise like cross fit workouts.

Try This...

We all know working out is great for your our health and it is the most beneficial for your metabolic rate but it isn't the entire picture. What you eat and how you eat it eat plays a big role in all of this. First thing you want to do is drink two glasses of ice water as soon as you wake up. The water will wake your body out of sleep mode and into awake mode. The cold water will start to shunt the water from the internal organs to the peripheral muscles. This gets your blood pumping and flowing, which boosts your metabolism one to two percent.

Eating certain foods at certain times of the day, waking up early and eating your breakfast is key but also eating your dinner before six and nothing after that except water throughout the evening. A food group in particular that helps speed up your metabolic rate is spicy foods. Hot peppers have been linked to reducing obesity and related disorders because they increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation by increasing the metabolism. Another excellent natural

For information on how to speed up your metabolism to lose weight go to http://taylorsmith.myautomaticbuilder.com/cp/12046



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Monday Muscle - Muscle Memory, Going Back to Muscle Building

Some people can't do something without motivation. Most first time gym goers quit because of fatigue, laziness, time constraints, injury, or some other silly excuse. Stop dreaming of a super soldier serum.

Use motivational images

Captain America is a just a comic book super hero. It's not impossible but we're far from that kind of technology.

Don't worry. I quit several times since I was teenager. The important thing is the willingness to keep coming back.

Some, people can't take the challenge of lifting weights for self-improvement. They grow big for a few months and then stop. Most never go back to the gym but there are a brave few who decide to go back.

And that, is the purpose of this topic. One should never fear going back to the gym to get bigger and do the same thing in the same amount of time over and over again. This, my friend, is something you don't need to experience because of muscle memory.

So what exactly is muscle memory? Muscle memory is man's retention in the memory of movement stored trough repetitive motor tasks. Muscles become accustomed to certain type of movement. It's when you try something like riding a bike for the first time and then learn from a series of trial and error. And then, after a few years of not riding a bike, you try using one, and then you don't fall. It's because your mind still knows exactly how to balance your body in a bike.

So when exactly muscle memory helpful for us bodybuilders?

Remember the rule that progress is needed to gain bigger muscles? Muscle memory is very helpful for people who quit bodybuilding but decided to bulk-up again. Muscle memory allows bodybuilders to immediately return to their old physique faster than when they first tried.

Muscle memory let's you lift weights easier too. When the body does the same thing over and over, like doing squats, dead-lifts and other exercises, the body automatically adjusts to the act. Doing it feels like you don't need to think about proper form anymore. The act becomes second nature to your body. This means you can lift more weight. More weight means bigger muscles!

I've had my share of quitting too.

The important thing is not quitting

I already gave all kinds of excuses. I've already quit several times since my teenage years. But I kept coming back. And every time I came back I became better and better. This should be the same to most people who have already quit. It's never too late to start building muscles again. You never know what would happen next. You might be the next Mr. Olympia. You might become a fitness coach. You might even be the next boyfriend of your dream girl. Or you can just be a better person and feel good about yourself.

Just take one step further. All it takes is that courage to try something again. This time, things are easier than your first.

It's because of muscle memory.

Remember that!




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Elnel_Andrew_Nagoy_Roque/1119156

Monday Muscle - 7 Top Muscle Building Nutrition Food Sources To Gain Muscle Mass

You can't actually neglect muscle building nutrition in your muscle building program. But the thing is, many people avoid the topic of nutrition when it comes to building muscles. They think it's complicated. It's simply a matter of obtaining the right information because it is in fact easy to find the right muscle building nutrition foods to complement your workouts. What's more, your nutrition can even make your muscle building program more successful. With muscle building nutrition sustaining your sufficiently, your workouts would be less tedious. That's right. Eat more foods for building muscles and you can work out less. What are the top muscle building foods to help you gain strength and muscle mass?

1. Lean beef. 

This ought to be a staple in your meals if you want to build muscles fast. Loaded with zinc, iron, B- vitamins and other nutrients that promote the growth of your muscles, you can't skip lean beef in your nutrition. Other than that, it also provides high-quality nutrition for growing your muscular physique. Take note that not all proteins are equal, but proteins in lean beef contain high amounts of amino acids that work in tandem with insulin to boost muscle growth. If you're trying to lose weight, lean beef is a valuable option for your nutrition, too. Eat 3 oz of lean beef and you'll get the same amount of proteins found in 1.5 cups of beans. However, you'll get half of the amount of calories.

2. Skinless chicken. 

Get your nutrition in order

Chicken, like beef is a good source of high quality protein which is essential for the maintenance and repair of muscles. It also aids in bone health and weight loss. You can prepare delish meals as well because chicken is easy to cook and prepare. At the supermarket, you'll find meat packaged in single serving sizes. You can season and cook it quickly.

3. Cottage cheese. 

It's a perfect nutrition to maintain the health of your muscles because it is an excellent source of pure casein protein. Casein, as a slow digesting protein can sustain your muscle health even if you go on long periods without eating.

4. Eggs. 

Other than being a good source of high quality protein, eggs also contain the right kind of fat, nine essential amino acids and Vitamin D. It's food that truly provides excellent value for your money. Contrary to what some studies have reported, eggs are not unsafe for your health.

5. Whey protein. 

Supplements containing whey protein are the most popular in the fitness industry. They are a fast, convenient and affordable source of protein.

Whey protein comes in many flavors

Bodybuilders take whey protein supplements in the morning after waking up, as a post-workout supplement and as a supplement to mix with their meals. A scoop of whey protein in your muscle building shake is effective for gaining muscle mass. Then again, see to it that whole foods are your main source of high quality protein, augmented by whey protein supplements.

6. Tuna and other fish. 

These foods are also rich in protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Being low in fat and high in omega 3 fatty acids, fish also aid in fat loss and revs up your metabolism.

7. Oatmeal. 

It's low glycemic index (GI) value makes oatmeal an excellent source of carbohydrates. It's also minimally processed as a muscle building nutrition food

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Walter_H_Menuet/1833556

Monday Muscle - Do You Really Need to Spend Hours at the Gym to Build Muscle?

To build muscle you do not need to spend too much time at the gym. You actually have to spend less time lifting weights and more time recovering, that is, sleeping and doing nothing physically demanding.

Most people think they have to train for hours because bodybuilding magazines and professional bodybuilders promote some ridiculous training routines that will not give optimal results to a normal person.

Pills are not the answer

The truth is that professional bodybuilders do work out that much, but they can only do it because of two things, which are privileged genetics and using steroids.

Natural bodybuilders can't recover as fast as these professional bodybuilders, simply because steroids help these people have unbelievable progress.

On the other side, since we are not considering using steroids to enhance our performance, it is important to know that you can have important gains in muscle by doing one or two whole body workouts every week.

These workouts shouldn't even last too long, because your body can only function optimally in these sessions for about 45 minutes.

What you can do is follow a routine that uses compound movements. You should train to failure in order to promote muscle growth, since your body will have absolutely no reason to increase muscle mass if there is not enough stress.

Now, the frequency of your workout depends on your rate of recovery.

Recovery equals muscle

You're going to be pretty tired after working out the way it was mentioned above. You should have your next workout until fully recovered.

To measure this, do the next workout after three days. If you can beat your previous session, that is to carry more total weight during the same time period, then you were fully recovered. If not then try to decrease your training frequency until you find what's optimal for you.

If on the other side you actually were fully recovered, then try increasing your training frequency. Some people need as much as seven days to be fully recovered, but you might be an exception, so test it out.

By doing these kinds of workouts you will gain considerable muscle mass, while only doing one or two workouts per week. You don't need to spend hours at the gym in order to gain muscle. You just have to train smart, eat well, and sleep enough.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dan_F._Johnson/754138

Wednesday Video - Muscle Fibers Explained - Muscles of the Body

How do muscles work? What exactly is your skeletal muscle system? What are the types of muscles in the human body? Learn about muscle anatomy in this short video!

We look at the different types of Skeletal Striated Muscle Fibers found in the body

Wednesday Video - How Much Rest Between Sets? (NEW STUDY)

So you've in the middle of your set in the gym. You've got to rest between them and while you're resting before the next set you start thinking. "How much should I rest between my sets?". "Is it 1 minute or 3 minutes or somewhere in between?" Hmm. What time is best for your muscles?

A new study (as of 2016) says something that goes against the norm. This short video explains it all

Monday Muscle - How I Blasted My Arms Past The 18 INCH Mark Without Drugs!

Picture this! You embark on a new training regime focused specifically on building your arms. You follow the best nutritional practices, train like a maniac, and in just over two months you add just over an inch to each arm. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

While up until a few months ago I would have been a bit skeptical myself until I experienced the above scenario firsthand. That’s right! After 18 years of training, thousands of hours in the gym and hundreds of training routines I finally discovered the secrets to building truly impressive guns.

Build biceps to be proud of

Let’s qualify a few things first. I have logged over 20,000 hours in the gym training people as well as I have written one of the most popular natural bodybuilding books of all time Freaky Big Naturally. I have won 5 divisional titles in 4 different weight classes including 4 overall trophies and a National Championship.

I have had the good fortune to train with some of the worlds’ best coaches and on occasion rubbed shoulders with many of the legends of bodybuilding such as Franco Columbu, Frank Zane, Larry Scott, Lou Ferrigno, and many of the champs of today.

Now you would think after all this I would really know how to build arms to be proud of but the fact is… I DIDN’T!!!

You see although I have learned how to build a great physique even though being “genetically challenged”, my arms always lagged behind the rest of my physique. I tried all the strategies, philosophies, and training styles possible. I bombed, blasted, and fried my arms every possible way I could. Although my arms did look good and were above average they still had never reached the sleeve busting, jaw dropping, stove pipes that every trainee desires.

Now I am not one to quit and even though I had been at it for 18 years I was not about to give up. I knew there had to be a way to increase the size of my arms, without resorting to the use of steroids or other drugs. Fortunately, I finally cracked the code on building massive guns to be proud of. Here’s how I did it.

First since I’ve tried everything I decided to do the exact opposite of whatever one else is doing. That meant instead of training 4-5 times a week to build size. I decided to train 6 times a week.

Since so many people are following low volume high intensity routines (and getting nowhere fast) I decided I am going to do mega-volume with moderate intensity. That’s right I stopped training to failure completely and I dramatically increased the amount of sets I was doing for my arms directly and indirectly.

How many sets? How about 30-40 sets per workout?

Target your biceps directly & indirectly

How many reps? I kept my reps in the 6-10 range per set.

NO drop sets, forced reps, negatives, partials, or anything else.

How many times per week? I did two full arm workouts per week plus I hit the arms indirectly on the other days when I trained shoulders and legs on two days and chest and back on the other two days. So my arms got trained every single day!!!

Because I was hitting the gym with so much frequency and volume it would be impossible to train to failure. So I would just train each set until the last rep seemed tough but it was certainly not an all out effort.

Needless to say the routine worked like gangbusters. Every workout I kept adding weight to the bar or reps to each exercise. I did the same exercises each workout for a whole month and then I switched the exercise to a new set on the next month.

What happened?

I packed on over 12 pounds of muscle and 1 inch on each arm. My left bicep (the bigger of my arms) measured 18 inches cold. The right one is a little smaller and I am working hard on blasting that one over the 18 inch mark as well. Even so these measurements are not too bad for a guy who barely makes 5’8” and weighs 205lbs.

Finally, people are expressing positive comments about my arms. The comments used to be “if you could only bring up your arms you would look great”. Boy after 18 years it’s great to hear. Wow look at how thick your arms are!

I also want to add that I followed a very specific diet protocol during this training. Each day I consumed about 1800 calories.

Quality nutrition is also important

And once per week on my non-training day I consumed about 6000 calories. This way I could stay lean without adding fat while I got bigger and stronger.

Here’s the really shocking fact that has most seasoned veterans of the gym stunned and mystified. I only consumed between 50-80 grams of protein per day. However almost all of this protein came from live protein sources such as Hemp protein.

So there you have it. It is possible to build 18 arms without drugs. I have done it and you can too. Remember don’t let anyone steal your dreams.

Wade McNutt

Natural National Bodybuilding Champion

IFBB Mr. Universe Competitor

Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more athttp://www.freakybignatural.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Wade_McNutt/40585

Monday Muscle - Skinny Guys - Here's the #1 Ingredient for Muscle Growth (part 1)

If you consider yourself a skinny guy who has a fast metabolism, this article is for you.

What do you think is the most important ingredient for "gaining weight"?

Protein alone is not enough

Should you pile down truckloads of calories and perform squats, dead-lifts, and bench presses three times a week? Should you slow down; you know, make sure to walk everywhere and never run? How about protein? Should you be taking in a gram, a gram and a half, two grams per pound of body weight? Will "eating cottage cheese" make you bigger?

The tactics listed within the questions above are all things you're being advised to do in one article after another. You've been told that you're different, burn energy faster than normal, and therefore need to simply eat a bunch of food and work out hard on "big" exercises. They're telling you that it's harder for you to put on muscle because you burn energy so fast.

I'll get straight to the point: If you are a thin person, you have no disadvantage in putting on muscle compared to everyone else. You'd be at a disadvantage in a fat-gaining contest, but I'll assume you don't want to enter one of those anyway. Every "expert" seems eager to point out that muscle can't turn into fat and fat can't turn into muscle. So what makes anyone think that a proclivity to not put on fat equates to difficulty in gaining muscle? It's not the same tissue - it's not the same biological process.

You don't need to "gain weight" - you need to gain muscle. If your muscle building routine is less than optimal and you start stuffing down more calories than you're burning, you'll have the joy of becoming a bona fide fat-ass like I did. When I see a testimonial from a guy who says he gained twenty-five pounds in eight or twelve weeks, I know he's either lying or he's gone from slender to fat. Muscle doesn't grow THAT fast. I've seen guys at my gym who've taken steroids and not gained that much muscle. Think about it; those are powerful drugs. What makes you think there are natural bodybuilders gaining solid flesh that quickly?

If you're really slender, there are probably three reasons for it working in conjunction. You probably burn calories fast which prevents you from gaining fat (good thing). You might also have small bones (genetic thing). You might also be starting out with naturally small muscles (also genetic, but reversible).

But you only want to gain muscle and that's the same formula for everyone. That's a matter of being diligent in your breaking down of muscle tissue and having it recuperate adequately. In fact, this is the number one ingredient for muscle growth.

Rest and recuperation are vital ingredients

You simply need a long series of workouts in which you adequately tear down muscle tissue, coupled with a long series of recuperation periods between those workouts in which you adequately recuperate that tissue. It can work wonderfully even if you're skinny and it can work terribly even if you're fat.

So how much does the above have to do with metabolism? If you work your biceps today, they'll need a certain number of days for protein synthesis to occur which will provide repair and growth. They won't repair and grow any faster if you stuff down mega calories. That's like thinking a Ford Pinto will go as fast as a Maserati just because you topped off the gas tank on the Pinto. In fact, mega calories can be extremely energy-taxing on the body. We're talking about energy required for recuperation that ends up being wasted on simply processing excess food. That's how your quest to get big can turn you into a fat-ass without much muscle, as it did to me.

So there's the biggest ingredient for steady muscle growth. If you don't get that right, it won't matter if you use big exercises like squats and bench presses. It won't matter how much food you stuff down. It won't matter if you eat thirty grams of protein or fifty grams at each meal. The latest supplement breakthrough won't help. Psyching up for a workout will mean nothing. Eating cottage cheese won't make a difference.

If you don't have your muscle breakdown and recuperation schedule ideally worked out, everything else is meaningless conversation.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Scott_Abbett/91209

Monday Muscle - Best Muscle Building Workout

Best Muscle Building Workout? Follow These 3 Rules

Building muscle mass is a major goal of a lot of exercisers. Some want bigger muscles to look better with their shirt off. Some want to be bigger and stronger to perform better at their chosen sport. And thus, the search for the best muscle building workout begins.

Now that you have established your goal of building bigger muscles, you need to figure out how to accomplish your goal. And this is the time to be very careful on the muscle building workout you choose. Here are 3 things you need to consider that can mean the difference between building the muscles you want... and being highly disappointed.

Avoid Training Like A Bodybuilder

Use the correct training for your goals

There is a big difference between wanting to put on muscle and wanting to be a bodybuilder. If it is your goal to be a bodybuilder, then certainly you should train like one. But in my experience, most guys wanting to put on muscle want to look like a muscular athlete... not an inflated body builder.

If you want to put on athletic muscle that not only looks great but makes you stronger and more athletic... then you want to train like an athlete and use exercises and workouts that make bigger, stronger, more useful muscles. There is a BIG difference between athletic muscle and the muscle bodybuilders build.

Avoid The Maximum Muscle Building Hype

I have nothing against wanting to put on muscle... but why would you want to "maximize" your muscle growth? At some point, muscle size actually becomes a liability. Can you imagine building so much muscle that you can move properly, or that your athletic ability diminishes. This might be fine for bodybuilder who only need enough athletic ability to stand on a stage in a thong... but it just won't do for exercisers who want to build muscle they can actually use both inside and outside the gym.

Don't confuse not wanting to maximize muscle growth with not getting the best muscle building workout that produces real results in the fastest time possible. Your goal should be to put on muscle that improves strength and athletic ability as well as looks great in the shortest time possible. There are definitely workouts that build strong, lean, athletic muscle as fast as possible.

Follow A Proven Muscle Building Workout

Use proven methods

The Internet is great for sharing information. But one of the major problems is information overload. There is just too much muscle building information on the web. Sadly, most of the muscle building workouts are going to be of the bodybuilding variety. And if you are looking for the body of a strong, lean athlete... then you should not be following a muscle building workout designed for inflated, bodybuilder muscles.

Another problem with too much information is you tend to jump from one muscle building workout to another. There ends up being no consistency to your workouts... and thus you don't build the muscle you wanted. So, if you want to build strong, lean, athletic muscle you need to follow a proven plan that results in this type of muscle.

If you are looking for the best muscle building workout, I encourage you to consider these three things before starting a muscle building workout. If you are not going to be a bodybuilder, you should not even think like training like one. Think about the kind of muscle you want to build and what you want that muscle to do to improve your sport, work and life activities. And finally, make sure you follow a proven muscle building workout that fits your goals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Eddie_Lomax/23541

Monday Muscle - Simple Ways To Overcome Muscle Building Plateaus

When there is a thing which is going to be the single most disheartening issue which you will deal with in your fitness career, muscle building plateaus are it. Things are all going great - you are working hard, making huge strength gains, and appearing more muscular each day. You feel just as if you are on top of the planet. And then, almost everything stops. You no longer are generating the gains you used to as well as you have even began to lose weight rather than gain weight.

Building muscle is more than just lifting weights

When this describes your position, then congratulations, you have just came into the muscle building plateau. This is something which happens from time to time in any fitness program unless you are especially performing things to avoid it and luckily, can be beat with a bit of careful planning. Unfortunately though, many people get stuck at this time and eventually just wind up tossing in the towel. If you desire to avoid permitting this happen to you, then read on since the following sneaky hints will help you outsmart that plateau as well as get back on track to noticing the outcomes you deserve.

Take a training break. 

Have a break? How could that be? That's very likely what most of you are pondering. If you're not discovering improvement, why on earth should you cease working out entirely? The scientific explanation for this is mainly because oftentimes, the main reason you are not seeing improvement is mainly because you are near to becoming overtrained.

Yes, maybe you have been maintaining fine post-workout nutrition as well as making certain you get a minimum of one day off weekly to rest, but typically this is just not sufficient. As the months pass by the fatigue accumulates and eventually the body just needs a full solid week off.

Have that week off and observe. You would be surprised at what might just happen. Many people discover that following a scheduled rest week they come back stronger compared to when they left off and then their old personal bests stay in the dust as they progress onwards.

Re-evaluate your workout split. 

Take the time to plan 

Another good way to conquer the muscle building plateaus is to re-evaluate your workout split. You must ideally be changing your exercise routine around once every 4-6 weeks so when it has been a while since you have done so, now's definitely the right time. If you are carrying out a complete training session, take into consideration an upper/lower split instead. Or, when you are performing a body part split, try out that complete workout at this time. Supplying your muscles this new scenario to deal with usually gets them sitting upright and reacting once more



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Monday Muscle - The 6 Governing Principles of Muscle Development

Your personal ability to develop muscle mass, strength, power, endurance, definition and so forth are governed by a number of scientific principles.Only when you've grasped and followed these principles will you start to achieve your goals and realise your full anabolic potential.

Both Arnold and Sylvester used these principles 

The 6 governing principles of muscle development include the following:

1. The HEALTHY-PLUS Principle (by Lloyd Chivandire): 

Anyone who knows what they are talking about in the world of health, fitness and sports performance will tell you that DIET/NUTRITION are the most crucial components. However, it’s proven that that not everyone who eats healthily is actually healthy nor do they necessarily have great body composition (i.e. muscle development, body fat mass) even if they exercise as well. Lloyd Chivandire's HealthyPlus principle states that "as far as body composition and performance go ones diet must be more than just healthy; it must be healthy-plus-supportive of ones goal" . For example if ones goal is to build muscle, the diet must be both healthy plus supportive of the biological mechanisms/ factors of muscle development.

2. The SAID Principle: 

This is one of the most important that governs muscle development. SAID is the acronym for "Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands." This principle simply states that the different demands placed upon the body will initiate specific adaptations from the body. For example the adaptation to lifting very challenging weights will cause the body to adapt by becoming stronger. It also states that each organ and organelle responds to a different form of stressors through specific adaptations.

3. The Principle of Progressive Overload: 

This principle states that you must continually push the barrier in order to keep progressing. Think of it this way; you must keep taking steps forward in order to keep moving forward. The moment you start marching in the same spot, you're not going to be going anywhere at all. In fact you can march in the same spot for month or years but you will still end up in the same spot and with the same end result.

4. The GAS Principle: 

GAS is the acronym for the phrase "General Adaptation Syndrome". This principle states that there must be a period of low intensity training or complete rest following periods of high intensity training in order to allow time for the body to recuperate and adapt to the workload. This is why it's imperative to make sure you have adequate sleep and general recovery days.

5.The Use/Disuse Principle: 

"Use it or lose it" means that your muscles will develop with use and diminish with disuse.

6.The Specificity Principle: 

To easily explain this principle to you, think of it this way "You'll get stronger at squats by doing squats as opposed to leg presses" or "you'll achieve greater levels of endurance for completing a marathon by running long distances than you will by cycling long distances".

http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/the-6-governing-principles-of-muscle-development-5390379.html

Monday Muscle - Muscle Building, Success Or Failure Is A Matter Of Seconds

To achieve success when you're working out in the gym is a matter of seconds. That's true! In the same way a fraction of a second during a 100 metre dash will make or break a sprinter's race, that fraction determines muscle building success or failure and determines also your body's muscle growth.

Success or failure is a matter of seconds

In fact, your entire margin of success in the gym can ultimately be reduced to just a short time span of 60 seconds. That's correct, how you choose to handle a short 60 second time period during your workouts will translate to either poor, mediocre or significant muscle building results. Although each entire workout will last for about an hour, only 60 seconds of that actual time will determine what kind of gains you achieve.

Let me try to explain. Every set of execises that you perform in the gym will give you benefits on the last 1-2 reps. Why? Because muscles respond to stress, so, the first reps you perform are nothing but a mechanism to trigger the stress your muscles need to grow.

Reps 1-4 are only performed in order to get to reps 5 and 6. But there's more than meets the eye in that. The last reps you perform in a set actually are the ones that will determine if the results of your workout are or not the results you desire.

What's important then, is to overload the muscles on reps 5 and 6. And the most important thing to achieve better results is try to keep that stress level as long as you can at the end of each set.

There is simply no better way to trigger your body's adaptive responses than to train until your muscles cannot move the weight another inch. The closer and closer that you can come to muscular failure, the more dramatically your body will respond.

The closer and closer that you can come to muscular failure, the more dramatically your body will respond. This time frame is literally measured in single seconds. If you drop the weights 5-6 seconds earlier than the next guy (the margin is probably even smaller than this), you'll be significantly sacrificing your muscle growth.

So, your success will be measured by this really short period of time, and the amount of effort you are willing to exert during this time.

The closer and closer that you can come to muscular failure, the more dramatically your body will respond. Two seconds, five seconds, maybe another one rep, or two, would actually mean a great difference.

Choose the right weight to meet your reps

If you can force yourself to train to all out muscular failure, you'll achieve the best results possible. If you drop the weight 3 seconds before muscular failure, your growth will be compromised. If you drop the weight 8 seconds before muscular failure, your growth will be compromised even further.

You must train hard and with full effort at all times. When the weight feels heavy and your muscles ache and burn with discomfort, you must push through and continue until true muscular failure is reached.

Every time you give up and take a rest, even if it's just for a couple of seconds, you compromise your gains. Keeping this in mind at all times in the gym and will give you the better results than ever before.

Article Source:Ricardo Daryans http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

Monday Muscle - Boost your T levels

Interesting FACTS : 4 Tips For Naturally Increasing Testosterone Levels Today

There're a lot of different ways that you can increase levels of testosterone today. Some people look for shortcuts that are dangerous, and that's not a good thing. When you seek out natural solutions, you will find the root of the issue and build a great momentum moving forward. If your goal is to increase health and wellness, then you will no doubt want to try these following tips. These are natural options that will help you move forward. Some things may seem harder than others, but if you seek out long-term solutions, you will find the benefits will manifest for longer than by going the synthetic route.

Increase Your Exercise Levels

Dumbbells or barbells - the choice is yours

The first thing that you can do is simple, exercise a great deal. Increase your exercise levels in an extreme manner. This means that you should look for higher intensity options. Intense workouts increase the body's circulation, heart rate, and builds muscle properly. Not only that, you will find that glandular secretions rise, including testosterone. Push yourself, as an athlete would push themselves for professional leagues, and you'll see major gains.

Weight Lifting and Training

Here is something that you should be looking into as a whole. Don't just go with cardiovascular exercise. Focus on weight lifting as well. Strength training is going to help you not only build muscle, burn fat, and get healthy, it's going to push levels that you need to increase natural production of testosterone. This takes time, of course, but just keep pushing weights, and you'll find that you'll feel the increase sooner than later.

Away Sugar In The Diet

Sugar doesn't help the body and diminishes your results. Throw away sugar content in your diet. That means that you'll want to focus on eliminating certain foods that only break down into sugars. If you can't eliminate this completely, start to scale back drastically until you can replace them. Sugar is going to stifle your progress.

Boost Your Protein Supplements

Protein supplements can help you along

One of the most important things that you should do in regards to trying to increase your levels is to increase your protein. You should focus on amino acid increases. This includes quality protein supplementation, as part of your routine. There's a lot of discussion as to what's going to be best here, but you can start with whey protein to get you moving forward.

As you can see, there are a few things that you can do to increase testosterone. If you can boost this element in the body, you will find that building muscles will become a bit easier. Through strength training, interval exercise, and weight lifting, your body will utilize the elements that you're putting into it, and will rise through the right areas you're looking for. It's important that you not only work on these tips, but you should also eat a balanced diet with enough calories to burn through your workouts, and a boost of supplements to assist your body's natural resources. Done right, you'll see results manifest in due time.

There're a lot of different ways that you can increase levels of testosterone today. Some people look for shortcuts that are dangerous, and that's not a good thing. When you seek out natural solutions, you will find the root of the issue and build a great momentum moving forward. If your goal is to increase health and wellness, then you will no doubt want to try these following tips. These are natural options that will help you move forward. Some things may seem harder than others, but if you seek out long-term solutions, you will find the benefits will manifest for longer than by going the synthetic route.

Article source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mens-health-articles/interesting-facts-4-tips-for-naturally-increasing-testosterone-levels-today-7382712.html

Monday Muscle - 6 Benefits of Weight Training for Women

Fitness is an important part of my life. I make it in the gym at least 4 days a week in the afternoons when it is the busiest. I do not mind the crowd of people who have the same goals I have to get and stay in shape. Whether you are working out at home or at the gym like I do, it is a must. Sometimes it is a workout in itself just trying to find an open machine or bench before some meat head hops on it. One afternoon of pumping iron it seemed like every piece of equipment I wanted to use was occupied...by a woman. Don't get me wrong I didn't mind one bit but it gave me the idea of writing this article.

For the longest time many women would not step foot in a weight room because many thought adding weights to their work out plans would give them an "unfeminine" look. Luckily, those days are long gone as many women of all ages have start to realize the many benefits of adding weight training to their work out routines. there are some women out there who still have negative feelings toward weight and strength training, read my top 6 reasons you should change your mind.

Top 6 Reasons Women Should Lift Weights

1.Burns More Fat/Calories

Weight training helps to shift those extra pounds

All women want to burn fat and get rid of those extra calories and weight training is perfect for both. According to IdeaFit.com,"the average woman who strength trains two to three times a week for eight weeks gains 1.75 pounds of lean weight or muscle and loses 3.5 pounds of fat." Sure cardio is great but at some point if that's all you do it becomes less effective as your body tends to become accustomed. And don't worry, since you have a lot less hormones that cause bulking up like us men, you do not have to lay off the weight training. If you want to burn more fat and calories add the weights.

2.Tones Muscles

A lean and sexy female physique is what women want and most achieve that physique by moving some serious iron in the weight room. While both weight training and cardio will help you burn fat, weight training will help defy and shape the muscles. Look at all the fitness models out there. I would bet the house that all work out with weights. You can tell when one only does cardio and one who does both. Guess who looks better? So for the look you want, grab those weights and tighten up.

3.Helps Fight Obesity

When you add muscle from weight training, you increase your metabolism even at rest. So even when you are not working out, your body is like a fat burning factory steady burning fat but at a higher rate than if you didn't lift weights. Let's say you gained three pounds of muscle and burn 40 extra calories per pound from your training program. That is 120 calories per day and 3600 per month. All those extra calories burn equals pounds melted away. Those pounds can average around 10 pounds in one year.

4.Prevent and Fights Osteoporosis

Weight training is great at any age

While muscle toning is an external benefit connected with weight training, improved bone density is an internal benefit. Studies have shown that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 13 percent in six months. So strength training is a powerful tool against osteoporosis that all women should understand. After all, we only have one set of bones so with weight training women can most certainly strengthen them.

5.Makes You Physically Stronger

With all the day-to-day activities women take part in, they can make it a lot easier on themselves with gaining strength through lifting weights. Even something as simple as carrying box from the car to the house is a hassle but not with the extra strength you get from weight training. You never know when you may need that extra strength you gained by lifting weights. So lifting the children and those groceries won't be as difficult with all that new muscle you have. As much as I spend at the grocery store, it does wonders for me!

6.Weight Make You Mentally Stronger

With the increased muscle tone and the decrease in body fat from all the strength training, you women will love the way you look. It's a fact in both men and women that if you look good you feel good. Also, depression like symptoms exist higher in women than men and with weight training those characteristics will lessen greatly and in most cases disappear.

Bottom Line

Even though people say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus (or something like that), we can all train the same. In other words, weight training plan is just as important for women as men. It is time to stop listening to the media, misinformed people, and others who don't even know what a dumbbell is. Education is the key so get informed and get to lifting those weights.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Cedric_R./1071056

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6902784

Monday Muscle - the One Exercise

A while ago I talked about how to get started on a weight training routine. Basically you need to do a full body workout 2 to 3 times a week to get your body used to working with weights and to prepare your muscles to adapt and thus grow.

The good thing about working with weights, though, is that it allows you to add muscle where you want to add it. a little more here, a little less there and so on until you start to get towards your body ideal. Remember also that muscle is active tissue which requires extra calories just to maintain so every pound gained helps in your fat loss efforts.

That being said there is one exercise which has added more muscle to more people than any other. It is so good that I recommend it remain a part of most routines. That exercise is the squat.

The squat should be a cornerstone of most weight routines

For ladies it can add strong shapely legs to their physique as well as the "booty" that many crave. For men, due to the heavier weights involved and basic body chemistry, it builds strong massive legs that really set off a good physique which is in proportion to a strong upper body. In fact, with this routine, you will add muscle to the whole body.

A breathing squat is done like this: place a barbell on a squat rack and load it with a poundage with which you can get 12 repetitions with good form. However, tell yourself that you will not accept anything less than 20. Take a couple of breaths and then inhale as you start your descent which should take 2 to 3 seconds. When your thighs pass parallel ram the weight up to the start as you exhale. Take a couple of breaths and then start again

Here's how the routine looks:

Squats                   1 set of 20 reps

immediately followed by

Dumbbell pullovers 1 set of 15-20 reps

Rest 5 minutes (you'll need it)

Donkey calf raises 2 sets of 15-20 reps

Stiff legged deadlifts 1 set of 15 reps

Bench presses 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Bench presses can be done with dumbbells or a barbell

Incline flyes 1 set of 8-10 reps

Cable rows 1-2 sets of 8-10 rows

Chins or pulldowns 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps

Overhead presses 2 sets of 8-10 reps

Close grip bench presses 1 set of 8-10 reps

Barbell curls 1 set of 810 reps

Crunches 1 set of 15-20 reps


This routine should be followed twice a week (e.g. Monday and Thursday) and also remember to do 2 warm up sets with 50% and then 70% of your work weight to prepare the muscles. If you're not sure about any of the exercises get a qualified instructor to take you through them until you can do each with perfect form.

If the above doesn't sound that difficult then you haven't done breathing squats. They are brutally hard but well worth it in the end.

Stay with this routine for a month or two and be prepared for the muscle you will put on.  

Monday Muscle - 3 Techniques to Explode Your Muscles With Weight Training

There is no questioning the fact that weight training is the most effective way to build muscle and develop a ripped body. However there are a number of lifting techniques used by professional bodybuilders and trainers to dramatically accelerate the speed at which muscles grow.

Technique #1: Muscle Failure

Training to muscle failure is one of the most popular ways to enhance your weight training to build muscle. When using traditional weight training techniques, you can start to achieve a significant increase in muscle mass within 2 months. Contrary to this, using the concept of muscle failure can help you achieve muscle gain as early as 3 to 4 weeks.

Bicep curls

The concept of muscle failure is based on the premise that when you train your muscles to maximal exertion and fatigue, you will cause an increase in muscle fibre activation resulting in an increase in muscle size at a much faster rate. To take advantage of this technique you will ensure that your final set of each exercise is completed until your muscles are completely fatigued, i.e. reach muscle failure.

First you must understand what your one-repetition maximum is. Simply put, one-repetition maximum is the maximal weight that you can lift in one repetition. After lifting your one-repetition maximum, you cannot lift the same amount of resistance or weight at that particular moment. For example if your one-repetition maximum for dumbbell curls is 60lbs it means that you cannot physically complete more than 1 repetition without switching to a lighter dumbbell.

Knowing this maximum weight is essential in planning your weight training routine to muscle failure because this will help you determine the initial weight that you need to place on your muscles during your initial set to reach muscle failure by the completion of your final set.

For instance, taking the previous example of bicep curls, if the one-repetition maximum of your biceps brachii muscles is 60 pounds, to perform weight training to build muscle using muscle failure you should start your 1st set of bicep curls with 45 pound dumbbells completing approximately 10 to 12 reps. Your 2nd set of curls would then be completed using 50 pound dumbbells, completing approximately 6 to 8 reps. Your 3rd and final set you would complete using 55 pound dumbbells. During this set however you will complete it at muscle failure, to the point where you cannot complete another rep. Since your one-repetition maximum is 60 pounds you should only be able to complete between 3 to 5 reps at 55 pounds before reaching muscle failure.

Training Technique #2: Split Training

Another approach to help you obtain leaner muscles is through the use of split training. Your muscles ability to adapt to different types of weight training overtime is the true driving mechanism behind this muscle building technique. If you plan on doing the same types of muscle strengthening techniques every time you hit the gym, there is a great chance that your muscles will quickly adapt to this routine. As soon as your muscles begin to adapt to your exercise routine, you will soon notice that you get little to no muscle gain improvement and will have reached what is known as your muscle building plateau.

A great way to avoid this while weight training to build muscle is to distribute or split the exercises that you perform during your gym sessions.

Lower body work

In one workout session, you may focus on strengthening your lower body muscles using two or three exercise routines. The next session, you may focus on your major upper body muscle groups.

The reason this technique is so powerful is that it gives your muscles the valuable recovery time required to grow. It also shortens your workout routines and allows you to intensify your gym sessions by performing only 30 to 45 minutes of muscle-focused exercises per gym visit, as opposed to 1 hour of whole body exercise.

Training Technique #3: Super Sets

The concept of using super sets for muscle building revolves around the concept of muscle co-contraction. For example, if you use your biceps muscles to lift free weights, your triceps also perform work in order to achieve this by acting as stabilizers. This is because your triceps muscles are the antagonist or opposing muscle group to your biceps. The super set technique works by targeting the agonist and antagonist muscle groups in succession when weight training to build muscle.

Even though these 3 techniques will improve your muscle gain when weight training to build muscle, other techniques such as muscle contraction holding and gravity resistance can also be used



Read more: 3 Techniques to Explode Your Muscles With Weight Training http://www.sooperarticles.com/sports-articles/bodybuilding-articles/3-techniques-explode-your-muscles-weight-training-828745.html#ixzz3redLqXnL

Monday Muscle - The Body Beautiful

I have previously discussed using a whole body workout for 5 days in a row ro get used to working with weights and how to perform the various moves correctly. However, you cannot keep using this system forever. The body is a finely tuned mechanism that adapts to the demands placed upon it, whether it is growing stronger or losing weight. To overcome this and to stop it from stagnating you have to keep it from growing used to the same things.

When working with weights, you want to keep your body adapting to the demands placed upon it by becoming fitter and stronger. One of the ways to do this is to change the exercises. By the end of the five day routine you will have a good idea of the weight you can use in the various exercises for the correct number of repetitions. Use these numbers as the starting point for the next phase where the exercises are changed to bring more variety and an adaptive response.

From this point on you will train twice a week on any non-consecutive days - for example a Monday and a Thursday (or any other schedule that suits you). This is so that you can recover between bouts of training as the demands are now greater.

Follow the exercises in the order listed. you are to do 1 set of each exercise for the number of repetitions listed. again, if you are not sure about any of the exercises get a trained and qualified professional to show you how to perform these in the correct manner. As always, as with any exercise routine, you should also get clearance from your medical professional or doctor to proceed with this programme.

• Bench Press (slight incline) - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Flyes - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Lateral raises - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Overhead dumbell press - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Squat (or leg press) - 1 set of 12 repetitions 
• Rows (cable or barbell/dumbell) - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Bicep curls (barbell or dumbell) - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Triceps extensions - 1 set of 8 repetitions 
• Crunches - 1 set of 15 repetitions 

There you have it - a full body routine that you can use as the base to sculpt your ideal shape. Follow this for at least 1 month and see how you will have started your road to transformation.

Best of luck