Monday Muscle - Muscle Building Tips: Do's and Don’ts

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

Muscle Building Tips: Do's and Don’ts

1) Popping a pill to reach your health and fitness goal is not the answer!

Popping pills is not the answer

Results are temporary and effects the body adversely in the long run.

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

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

4) Don’t go in for any supplement you come across. Before taking a supplement, consult your trained or a physician. Always buy supplements from a reputed DRUGSTORE. Do your research before taking in a supplement.

5) Supplements shouldn’t be misunderstood as steroids. Steroids should be a BIG NO. Gather more knowledge on supplements at http://www.weightloss-health.com/Supplements.htm

6) Muscle Building Diet: It occupies a prominent area in MUSCLE BUILDING pie-chart. You should be highly careful related to your muscle building diet.

The right diet can be key

Always ask your trainer to write down a diet schedule for you.

7) Give rest to your body between two sets, say for two minutes.

8) Not work on more than two muscle groups at a time. Train those muscles in a group which work with each other. This technique has proven to be effective. For e.g: Chest and Triceps or biceps and backs.

9) The most effective time to do muscle building exercises is in the morning. You have consumed a lot of carbs by evening. So, carbs become the source of energy for you when you do your exercises in evening. But in morning, body depends on its alternative source i.e FAT for energy. Hence fats get burned up more in morning.

10) Last but not the least, Don’t be biased to any body part. Proper balance is a necessity. Having big upper body and skinny legs is no good. Work out on entire body.


Source: Jasdeep Singh Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Fat Loss Friday - Breaking the Weight Loss Plateau

One of the most frustrating aspects of weight loss is reaching a weight loss plateau. Thankfully, breaking the weight loss plateau is a relatively simple task once you know what causes it. When we first undertake a weight loss goal we tend to lose a lot of weight initially then the amount slowly declines over a period of weeks or months until we reach the point where we stop losing weight altogether, and it's not that we don't need to lose more weight either. This is referred to as a weight loss plateau. 

Why is the weight not coming off?

You know you're doing all the right things but you're just not losing the weight. In the first week of your program you tend to lose the largest amount of weight. Much of the weight loss this first week is actually excess fluid and can constitute as much as 9 lb (4 kg) or more depending on your starting weight. Fluid loss can represent as much as 50% of total weight lost in the first week. There are several factors that contribute to a weight loss plateau including (but not limited to);

· Insufficient Calories Consumed

· Muscle Loss

· Weight Loss

· Lack Of Discipline

· Physical Adaptation

· Exercise Ability

· Over Exercise

· Enhanced Fitness Levels

Lets deal with these one at a time.

Insufficient Calories Consumed 

The human body requires a MINIMUM of 1200 calories per day to function. If you consume less than that (on a crash diet for example), your body will interpret that as being in a famine and will reduce your metabolism (the bodies ability to burn calories) in order to protect itself and be able to survive for longer. This will stop it from burning fat stores. Solution: Maintain a reasonable calorie consumption. Use a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator to determine how many calories your body requires per day to maintain itself. Once you have determined approximately how many calories your body requires to operate, reduce you calorie consumption to 500-700 calories less than that without going under 1200 calories. More than a 700 calorie deficit may lead to muscle loss which is the next cause of a weight loss plateau.

Muscle Loss 

All bodily tissue requires energy to maintain itself, including fat. Muscle requires FIVE TIMES the amount of energy to maintain itself than fat does.

You need to build muscle to lose weight

The higher the muscle percentage in your body the greater your caloric needs. Unfortunately, diets sometimes lead to muscle loss. The bodies primary source of energy is carbohydrates, followed by protein then fat. Your muscles are made of protein so if your body runs out of carbs it may turn to muscle as an energy source if those muscles are no being maintained by exercise. Unfortunately, muscle loss leads to a lower metabolism. Solution: Eat a diet rich in protein and exercise in conjunction with your reduced calorie diet to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle loss. If necessary, vitamin supplements may be utilized to ensure correct nutrition.

Weight Loss 

Huh? Isn't losing weight the whole point? Yes it is! But as you lose weight the number of calories your body requires to maintain itself also reduces. As mentioned earlier, even fat needs calories to maintain itself. Solution: As you lose weight, check your BMR regularly to see how many calories your body requires per day and maintain a calorie consumption around 500 calories less than that. But remember, don't consume less than 1200 calories.

Lack Of Discipline 

After several weeks of a new weight loss program many people tend to lose focus. They start indulging their cravings for unhealthy foods more than they should and they cut corners on exercise, skipping one day under the pretense of exercising twice as much the next day etc. This decreases the BMR and increases calorie intake which effectively stops weight loss.

Stay motivated and disciplined 

Solution: Staying motivated during a weight loss program can be a challenge. One of the best ways to overcome this issue is to find a weight loss buddy. Having someone to exercise with and be answerable to can be an effective motivator. Another great motivational tool is a printable weight loss goal setting worksheet. Print it out, fill it out and place it on the fridge, where you will see it regularly and it will remind you of what you are trying to achieve

Physical Adaptation 

Our bodies adapt themselves to our calorie consumption and physical activity levels. When we begin an exercise regime, our body is required to make several changes to adjust to changing workloads. Our muscles have to rebuild themselves and this requires many calories. But, over time the body finishes adapting and burns less calories for the same activities. Solution: Don't allow you body to adapt. Vary your exercise program by changing the intensity, duration, frequency and type of exercise. If you always do weights then go do some cardio, grab a jump rope and skip for 15 minutes. You can also utilize interval training where you swap and change between different types of exercise for set amounts of time.

Exercise Ability 

Whenever you do an exercise regularly you become better at it and your body requires less calories to perform it. A trained athlete burns less calories playing their sport than someone who isn't trained in that sport. Solution: Once again, don't allow your body to adapt to a single exercise. Mix it up, if you're always doing weights then go for a run, switch from the treadmill to a rowing machine etc.

Over Exercise 

If you exercise too much your body adapts and reaches a point where the extra energy consumed in exercise is offset by a DECREASE in the amount of energy used when not exercising.

Sometimes you need a break

In other words, when you increase exercise intensity, your body decreases the number of calories consumed during the rest of your day. Solution: Allow yourself recovery time. Take a break for a few days with some low impact exercise like swimming or tai chi. When you return to your normal exercise routine, pull back a little and only increase intensity when needed to maintain weight loss.

Enhanced Fitness Levels 

As your fitness level increases, your body efficiency increases and requires less calories to operate. Enhanced fitness causes a reduced resting metabolic rate and fewer calories required for normal daily activities. This is partially because your cardio-pulmonary efficiency is increased and your resting heart rate is lower. Solution: Congratulations! You're officially fit and healthy. You can justifiably feel proud of yourself. Concentrate on mixing up your routine to maintain progress and life will just get better and better! Another thing to keep in mind is that weight loss is not the only aspect to increasing your fitness. It is possible to lose inches without losing weight. This is because if you build muscle through resistance training that muscle weighs MORE than fat but requires LESS space. A person who weighs 200 lbs with 25% lean muscle will be smaller than another person of the same height and weight who only has 20% lean muscle. So in summary there are four main things to remember:

1. Keep track of your BMR (how many calories per day your body needs to maintain itself).

2. Maintain a calorie consumption of 500-700 less than your BMR without going below the 1200 minimum.

3. Engage in exercise to prevent muscle loss.

4. Mix up your exercise program to prevent your body from adapting.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Julia_Bell/416005

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

Wednesday Video - Are sore muscles growing?

You've heard the phrase "No Pain, No Gain" but what does it mean? Does it imply that in order to gain new muscle we have to subject ourselves to pain? Or does it mean that unless we put ourselves through pain that is the only guarantee that our muscles are growing?

This short video has the answers

Monday Muscle - 3 Muscle Growth Tips For Older Lifters

Muscle growth for when you're over 40

When guys that are 40 or older come to me for workout advice they are often skeptical whether the advice is solid. After all, I primarily train athletes, and what does some 25 year old pro athlete have to do with a 45 year old business man?

Continue growing muscle even when you get older

Well, to tell you the truth, there really isn't that much of a difference between the training for these two people, especially if the focus is on gaining muscle and strength. There are typically only 3 things that need to be factored in when you pass 40:

1. Hormones

Somewhere between the ages of 35 and 40 testosterone levels begin to fall. This drop in levels has been termed "andropause." This has huge consequences for building muscle, as anabolic hormones are the signal for our body to repair and rebuild. With less of these hormones you cannot repair your muscles as quickly as a 20 year old. This fact should be kept in mind when designing the training program. Options for increasing hormone levels should also be considered.

2. Injuries

Over time everyone begins to accumulate injuries. Even if it's nothing big those little aches and pains can prevent you from training as hard or as often as you would like. Because of this a good physical therapist and/or chiropractor are a definite must. If you are serious about gaining muscle then you need to be serious about training hard. And you need to be serious about taking the steps necessary to able to train hard on a consistent basis.

3. Mindset

Experience leads to wisdom

Call it wisdom gained through experience, or cautiousness due to age, either way it is often difficult to get people who are set in their ways to try something new. I have talked to more than one guy in his 40s who was still doing the workout he got from his high school football coach! Look, if you are serious about changing your body then you need to be ready to change the way you train and eat. Embrace new training programs and diets. What you've been doing isn't working, so try something new. Remember, the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing and expecting different results!

Keep in mind that I am pointing out the differences here. The basics of a good scientific training and nutrition program still hold true no matter your age. Anyone at any age can make fantastic improvements in their physique. Remember this the next time someone tells you (or you think to yourself) that you're too old to be training hard!


Article Source:Anthony Schwartz http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

Monday Muscle - Personal Fitness Trainers

Aspects To Consider When Choosing A Personal Fitness Trainer

Choosing the right Personal Fitness Trainer you are going to work with is a very important decision. There are scores of trainers in the market each armed with a bagful of qualifications yet not all of them offer the same quality of training. You have to learn to filter out the best and most suitable fitness trainers by using these simple guidelines.

Relevant experiences and qualifications

Personal fitness trainers have relevant experience and good qualifications to their credit. However there are some operators who may want to dupe you with their forged certificates and false assurances. Here is how you should judge the authenticity of personal trainers.

Relevant experience

Ask directly to see the physical evidence of the certifications. Don’t believe anything only on the basis of words. Look for certificates and papers pertaining to their professional qualifications.

When it comes to experience ask for references and phone numbers of previous clients the personal fitness trainers have worked with. Don’t trust anybody who feigns an excuse for not providing references. If you have a trusted friend or colleague who is well acquainted with the fitness industry, you can take along that person while selecting a personal trainer.

Traits of the perfect personal trainer

Personal Fitness Trainers are usually quite adaptable to the varied needs of their clients. However, here are a few things to check for when you are judging the compatibility of a specific trainer.

Personal Trainers

Are the payment modes and the fees structure compatible to your budget? Will your trainer offer discounts if you take him on for a long period of time or refer him to other interested parties? Is the personal fitness trainer okay with offering you a free trial session before you commit?

Does the trainer fit in with your schedule? Is he/she recommending a medical check-up before you embark on the fitness regime? (The answer should always be yes). Can the fitness trainer offer diet and nutrition advice as well as psychological mentoring?

The answers to these questions will give you a fair idea about how well the personal trainer will fit in with your needs.

How compatible are you with your trainer?

Suppose you find a trainer who has tones of experience, a great resume, perfect physique and yet comes within your budget? There is just one small problem. You just don’t like the guy. Should you hire him anyways? The answer is a definite “no”.

It’s very important to be compatible with the person who is going to guide you along the path of fitness. After all you will have to listen to the instructions of your Personal Fitness Trainer and also let him/her share your personal space (especially if you are training in your home gym).

Find a trainer who listens to your concerns patiently, answers your questions correctly and respects the sanctity and privacy of your home. Remember, your fitness training session will only work if you are in a comfortable footing with your Personal Fitness Trainer .

http://www.articlewheel.com/article/1054/aspects-to-consider-when-choosing-a-personal-fitness-trainer-broadbeach.html

Wednesday Video - Do You Really Need A Post Workout Shake?

Muscle Myth #2

Do You Really Need A Post Workout Shake? 

You see it all the time - those people in the gym who have just finished their workout routine and head straight to the juice bar (if your gym is fancy enough to have one!) or, like my gym, start to get their shake ready to chug down.

Why is this? This video has the explanation

Wednesday Video - Should Women Lift Weights

Muscle Myth #1

Many women are afraid of lifting weights in gyms. Mainly this stems from a fear of putting on too much muscle and therefore looking unfeminine or the fact that lifting weights is just plain intimidating

So, should women lift weights in their exercise routine, or should they only stick with cardio? We discuss the myth of women having to avoid lifting heavy weights!

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 - 5 Things You Can Do Before Training

Are you getting the most out of your workout session, even if you're not training with a personal trainer? Your time is precious, and you have to know that what you do at the gym is effective and is optimizing that time and effort you invest. Work smarter, not harder, to achieve the stronger, leaner and more flexible body you want. And you can only do this by completing these 5 things before you work out. Each tip is designed to get you burning more calories, increase your capacity to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.

1. Be hydrated. Drink sufficient water at 2-3 hours before you exercise.

Of course you should always keep your body well-hydrated no matter if you exercise or not, but consume a little more a couple of hours before hitting the gym. This will help your body improve the circulation of nutrients, which can have a positive affect on your ability to maximize your physical state and decrease your recovery.

2. Eat well the day before, specifically if you have low blood pressure. The last thing you need to happen is to experience that crash during your work out. You know, when you just hit that brick wall and simply cannot move any longer. Eating well prevents this from happening, so you can remain at peak performance.

3. Don't eat right before your workout. Food that's just been delivered to your stomach needs energy to digest, meaning you'll be diverting precious energy to your stomach instead of your game. It's bad for gastro-intestinal health and makes it harder to workout, plus the valsalva maneuver is compromised. If you eat anything, keep it to a light snack (e.g. banana) and eat it an hour minimum beforehand.

4. De-stress and mentally get yourself ready. Take time to relax, particularly if you're emerging from a busy or stressful environment. A positive frame of mind is crucial, especially because a negative one can tap energy from your nerves-- it should be used on your workout!

5. A little coffee won't hurt, and it may even help you to perform better. Charles Poliquin, an Olympic Strength Trainer,

recommends taking a caffeine supplement about 45 minutes before you start exercising. Research has found that it may also help you burn fat better.

While every one has their things they do to get driven to work out, these tips have all been provided as a way to optimize the results you achieve from your workout.

Now what are you waiting for? Get your sweats on and hit the gym!

Article by Mike Landon.
Article source: http://www.articlewheel.com/article/139/5-things-you-can-do-before-training.html

The 4 Set Workout

You have a life to live, you're pressed for time and the gym is way down on your "to do" list. However you need to get in your exercise otherwise that will be another day gone. So what do you do?

It doesn't have to be this way. What if I told you that in just 15 minutes you can get a whole body workout done and be in and out and be getting on with the rest of your day?

Don't believe me? Try this workout for when you are truly pressed for time (you can use machines to save time loading up weights)

First just do a general warm up on the stationary cycle, treadmill, elliptical climber - anything that gets your heart rate up and limbers your body. then we move onto the workout itself.

Exercise 1

Squats - 1 set of 12 to 15 reps. These work the legs (quadriceps, hamstrings & calves), the buttocks, the lower back muscles and to a lesser extent the abdominals

Exercise 2

Deadlift - 1 set of 6 to 9 reps. These work all the major muscles of the body from top to toe

Exercise 3

Incline bench press - 1 set of 8 to 12 reps. These work the chest (pectorals), shoulders (deltoids) and triceps (back of the arm)

Exercise 4

Chin ups or pulldowns - 1 set of 8 to 12 reps. These work the back muscles (lattisimus), biceps and to a lesser extent the shoulders

So there you have it - a complete full body workout that can easily be squeezed into a busy day. You can even drop the deadlifts if needed as the muscles are worked with the other exercises.

The beginners Break in routine

Hopefully by now everyone should know that for successful weight loss, and to keep it off, you need to train with weights

Many people are loath to start weight training for a variety of reasons. This is specially true of women who fear that as soon as they pick up dumbbells or any other type of weight they will somehow become massive muscled freaks with facial hair and deep voices! This is a shame as nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that while cardiovascular training is good for weight loss it contributes next to zero for body composition, lean tissue, improved posture, muscular strength, preventing loss of bone density (osteoporosis also known as brittle bone disease). Weight training is the answer to many of these. 

Perhaps the best way to put it is that if you are pear shaped and you embark on a programme of exercise based solely around aerobic exercise you will just become a smaller pear! If you combine this with weight training you can sculpt and shape your body and you will go a long way to getting the body you want and the body that you deserve - a fit, healthy body that performs the way you want it to. A body that allows you to enjoy life and live it to the full.

That still leaves the question, however, of exactly where to start. There are so many programmes out there with a huge variety of options that it's easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information. however, as with most things in life, it is best to follow the KISS maxim (which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid). 

The best place is with a whole body programme. Why? Because our bodies are designed to work in unison, it involves all the major muscles, it gets them used to working with weights and it ramps up your overall metabolism. 

Before starting, however, seek the advice of your doctor or health care professional. I cannot stress this enough. Your health is the most important thing so get a check up or clearance first. The second thing is to have a professional exercise coach show you exactly how to perform the moves listed. You can watch as many videos on Youtube or follow other people in the gym (who may also be performing these exercises incorrectly!) but you need a certified professional to watch out for you and correct your form to eliminate injury and make sure you exercise in the correct manner!

During the break-in period you will work in sub-maximal fashion (i.e with less than full, all out intensity) every day for 5 consecutive days. This should take 20 to 30 minutes performing one set of a variety of exercises that work the major muscles. In this way you grow accustomed to the exercises and it will prevent you from suffering major soreness once you begin more intense training.

Start with a five to ten minute general warm up such a stationary cycle or treadmill. Just something gentle enough to get your heart rate up and your muscle limbered up. It should not be so intense that you are panting for breath! Leave the real work for the weights.

For all the exercises listed you should perform them once for 10 - 12 repetitions. Make sure your coach fine tunes your movements and corrects any slips in form. Perform each repetition in a nice smooth controlled manner with no heaving or jerking of the weight. On days 1 - 3 you will stop 3 repetitions short of failure (i.e where you are not able to complete another repetition). This will also allow you to fine tune your weights so that you know how much you are capable of handling. On day 4 you should stop 2 repetition short of failure and finally on day 5 stop at true muscular failure. This ensures that you have worked your muscle to it's full capacity so that it adapts and grows. There is no need to do any more.

The exercises are as follows (do them in the order listed)

• Squats - with a barbell or machine (works the majority of the leg and back)
• Leg curl (works the hamstrings - back of the leg)
• Calf raises (works the calf muscles)
• Rows - supported or bent over (works the major back muscles and biceps)
• Shrugs (works the trapezius and back muscles)
• Bench press - with dumbells, barbell or machine (works the chest muscles, front of shoulder and triceps which is the back of the arm muscles)
• Curls - with dumbells or barbell (works the biceps)
• Tricep pressdown (works the tricep muscles along the back of the arm)
• Crunches (works the abdominal muscles.

After this break-in period rest 4 to 5 days to let your body fully recover. After this resume training with such a routine no more than 3 days a week and pretty soon you will be on your way to the body you deserve!

Five Tips that Help You Find Time for Exercise

Only about 30 percent of adult Americans report that they have regular physical activity during their leisure time; and about 40 percent of Americans say that they don’t have leisure-time at all, to do the physical activities. Only about 30 percent of adult Americans report that they have regular physical activity during their leisure time; and about 40 percent of Americans say that they don’t have leisure-time at all, to do the physical activities.

All in common agree on the fact that regular exercises help the person in terms of health and long life. But, most of the people do not focus on exercise. The most common reason people give for this is that they, “do not have the time”.

Lack of awareness also puts regular exercise at a lower priority. This article may help you change your priorities and find time for exercise.

Tips to find time for exercise

1. Wake up early

If you wake up early, you will be adding more time to your day. This provides you the opportunity to find time to do exercise. It's not really hard to wake up a little early that you are used to. It is little bit hard until you get habituated. Afterwards once you feel the difference and the gain you will have more of a reason to continue waking early and doing exercise. There are many benefits in waking up early and doing exercise - you will feel more energetic and fresh for sure.

2. Limit your time spending on TV & Online

Track the time you spend on TV, online & mobile games for a few days. Then you will come to know how much time you are spending on those things. Then, try to limit the time you are spending on TV & online, for example: if you are spending 3 hours, reduce by 1 hour and assign that to exercise. You don't really need to sacrifice your joy anyway.

3. Cut down low priority things from daily and allot that time for exercise

For most people who cannot find time, it is not really about time, it's about the priority they are giving to exercise. If you feel that exercise is more important and shouldn’t be avoided, then you can adjust the time for it. Make the list of things you do daily. Divide the items into following 2 categories:
Important things that are highly essential to you (Job, Family)
Enjoyment/Less Important Activities (Movies, Parties)
Try to include exercise in the list of important things. Then, you will automatically find time for exercise.

4. Stay motivated by the benefits

Motivation is the best way to find time to do something. You might know that exercise has many benefits. Always keep in mind that the exercise will protect you from many health issues, keeps your body in shape and boost your brain power. Once you start doing exercise regularly, you will get motivated by the changes in the body. All you have to do is, go to gym regularly and maintain the motivation and fitness cycle.

5. Socialize at Gym

This is one of the best passive motivation to find time for exercise. We don't need any motivation to spend time with friends. Find some friends at gym. As you do workouts with friends, you can enjoy the workouts without feeling it as hard. This also motivates you to go to gym regularly, to meet friends.

Hope the above tips will help you manage time to do exercise. If you still do not get motivation to find time to exercise, read the following quote by Edward Stanley, a British statesman - “Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness”. Take this quote and paste it somewhere in your room, for sometimes fear motivates better than anything else.


By: Adam Sturm

Article Directory: http://www.articledirectoryusa.com

Source: http://www.articledirectoryusa.com/article/category/health-and-fitness/exercise/five-tips-that-help-you-find-time-for-exercise/

25 Ways To Cut 250 Calories - parts 11 to 25

11. Bowl With It

Take the girls out bowling tonight! Just 90 minutes will incinerate almost 300 calories, plus it'll do wonders for your arms.

12. Discontinue Your Membership To the Clean Plate Club

Go halfsies with your friend when eating out, and you'll save at least 250 calories, Schapiro says.

13. Skip The Treadmill And Elliptical

Mix up your cardio while working muscles from head to toe by hopping on a rowing machine: Thirty seconds at high intensity alternated with 30 seconds at moderate speed for 30 minutes total will torch 250 calories, Paris says.

14. BYO Popcorn

A small movie theater popcorn can contain 500 calories -- or more. Bring your own bag of light microwave popcorn (pop it at home and put it in your purse, we won't tell!) to eliminate 250 calories, says nutritionist Rania Batayneh, M.P.H., author of the forthcoming The One One One Diet. Better yet, go the air-popped route for 31 calories per cup.

15. Have An Active Dessert

Give your body a post-dinner calorie-burning boost by taking a walk around your neighborhood or in a local park, Wessel recommends. Walking at a moderate pace for an hour burns 277 calories, plus being out in nature helps relieve stress that's built up during the day much better than a sundae can.

16. Pick The Right Party Foods

Turn down three mozzarella sticks with dipping sauce and pick up two 1-inch cubes of cheddar instead. Then forget about mixing a vodka-cranberry (most of us tend to pour generously at parties) and ask for a small (4-ounce) flute of champagne.

17. Cram In Some Cardio 

When you're crunched for time at the gym, give yourself 25 minutes and perform this circuit as many times as you can -- bonus if you don't take breaks, Wessel says. Do each exercise for 1 minute, performing as many reps as possible and running as fast as possible:

· Pushups

· Squat jumps

· Burpees

· Split squats

· 1/4-mile treadmill run

18. Use Your Noodle

You can do better than whole-wheat pasta. Really. Swap 1 1/2 cups cooked whole-wheat spaghetti for the same amount of cooked spaghetti squash. Top with marinara as usual, but pick shrimp as your protein instead of chicken breast to cut 42 calories. And you can still have cheese, just downside your sprinkle of parm from 1 tablespoon to 1/2 tablespoon. Mangia!

19. Lace Up

Tell your boyfriend or husband to meet you at the skating rink for a date. Thirty-five minutes of light ice-skating burns 213 calories. To warm up after, nix the premixed cocoa (and the artificial sugars in diet mixes) and make a light hot chocolate by combining 2 teaspoons of cocoa and 4 teaspoons of sugar in a mug. Warm up 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and whisk into the cocoa-sugar combo. You can even add 5 mini marshmallows, if you desire.

20. Skinny Your Stir-Fry

Saute vegetables in low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth instead of one tablespoon of oil, and you'll cut 117 calories, Batayneh says. Hit the 250-calorie mark by replacing beef with tofu and serving on top of soba noodles rather than rice.

21. Free-Wheel It

Two wheels are better than four, at least when it comes to running errands or commuting to work. A half-hour bike ride burns 277 calories, Wessel says.

22. Make Over Mexican Night

No reason to skip the tacos and margarita, just tweak your menu: Wrap up your filling in two corn tortillas rather than flour ones, then top off each with a tablespoon of non-fat plain Greek yogurt and salsa, not sour cream and cheddar cheese, for a total savings of 150 calories. Downsize your margarita from five or six ounces to a reasonable three to slash another 100 cals.

23. Tidy Up To Tone Up

If you've been putting off cleaning your house or apartment, perhaps this will motivate you: Eighty minutes of nonstop work -- moving furniture to vacuum, cleaning corners (including ceiling crevices), scrubbing hard, you get the picture -- will negate about 250 calories, Paris says.

24. Break Your Bread Basket Habit

The fresh baguette offered by many Italian restaurants may make your mouth water, but one portion dipped in a tablespoon of olive oil equals 300 calories. Ask your waiter to bring a small bowl of olives instead and nibble on five while you wait for your entree to save 280 calories, says celeb nutritionist Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food.

25. Hold The Butter

There's nothing wrong with a steakhouse dinner, but restaurants often top your meat, veggies, and potato with butter -- and that's before adding sauce. Schapiro always asks for her food to be prepared sans butter and sauce, and with cooking spray instead -- most places will be happy to accommodate you.

By Jessica Girdwain for Shape.com

Ab exercises in bed!!

Sometimes it's just too much of a hassle to get out of a warm, snuggly, comfy bed to go and exercise.

However with this simple routine you don't have to because you can exercise from the comfort of your own bed.

Check out the video below to see how