What are the Best Exercises to Gain Weight?

Exercises to Gain Weight

If you want to gain weight fast and healthily in the form of muscles, then exercising is a must. However, there are literally hundreds of different exercises you can do, but not all of them will help you gain weight.

One of the most common mistakes, many Ectomorphs (aka Hard Gainer) make when they first enter the gym arena (myself included), is they spend way too much time doing the wrong exercises, such as riding the bike, or bicep curls.

Sure, riding a bike for 30-60 minutes might be good for your cardiovascular health, but it will hinder you from gaining weight for two main reasons:

        It causes you to burn more calories
        It will increase your metabolism

As a Hard Gainer you will probably already struggle to eat all of the calories you need to gain weight, and you don’t need to make this more difficult on yourself by doing too much cardio!

Read More

Exercise To Gain Weight : Lat Pull Downs

 Lat Pull Downs

There has been much debate about whether Pull Ups or Lat Pull Downs are superior for maximizing back muscles, but my personal preference is Lat Pull Downs.

Sure, Pull Ups might utilize more stabilizer muscles, but what if you can’t do pull ups yet and what do you do once you can easily lift your own weight?

In order to gain weight, you need to stimulate muscle growth, and this requires you to do a certain amount of reps and lift a certain amount of weights, which will change over time.

Lat Pulls Downs offers you this flexibility. You can easily adjust the weights as you get stronger and stronger, and can even lift more than your own weight if you wanted to.

What’s great about this exercise is that you stretch and squeeze your lats more than you could with Pull Ups, and can easily control the weights to MAXIMIZE your muscle growth.

        TIP: Squeeze and hold onto your lats for a second at the bottom of the motion

Read More

Exercise To Gain Weight : Overhead Press

Overhead Press

‘Overhead Press’

                       is another great exercise to help you gain weight and build bigger and stronger shoulder muscles.

What I really like about this exercise it that it complements the Bench Press exercise.

For instance, if you warm up with Bench Press then there’s no need to warm up before doing your Overhead Press (although you still can if you want).

Also, by strengthening your shoulder muscles and rotator cuffs by doing Overhead Pres you will be able to lift more weights with Bench Press.

        TIP: Keep your core and abs tight during this exercise

Read More

Exercise To Gain Weight : Bench Press

Bench Press

Next on my list of best exercises to gain weight is Bench Press, which I believe is the best Upper Body Exercise to gain weight for two reasons:

You are able to lift more weights than other upper body exercises

You are able to target muscle large muscle groups such as your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

Basically just like Leg Press you are able to lift a lot of weights, and the more you can lift, the more muscles and weight you can gain!


        TIP #1: Start with dumbbells if you struggle to lift the bar like I did when I first started

        TIP #2: Make sure you have spotter especially if you are lifting very heavy weights

Exercise To Gain Weight : Leg Press

Read More

Exercise To Gain Weight : Leg Press

Leg Press

Many experts will tell you that ‘Squats’ is the best exercise to gain weight, but from personal experience I have found that ‘Leg Press’ is actually a lot better.

You might be wondering, why that is?

Doesn’t ‘Squats’ utilize more muscle groups and joints than ‘Leg Press’ does?

Well if you look at that criteria alone then ‘Yes’ I would agree with you, but if you take other considerations such as amount of weights you can lift, and risk of injury, then I think Leg Press is the better contender.

For instance, with the Leg Press machine I am able to lift over 300kg (over 660 pounds), but with Squats I can’t even do a quarter of that amount without injuring myself!

        TIP: Start off with light weights and gradually build up from there E.g. 20-40kg increments

Read More

Six Pack Abs – Get Sexy Looking Abs

Six Pack Abs – Get Sexy Looking Abs

If there is one thing that most people are really looking for when they start to work out, six pack abs are it. This is the ultimate image associated with people who are in shape, and as such, you should not be surprised that most people spend a lot of time working very hard to achieve the perfect abdominal area. While this is not the easiest thing to achieve, it is not impossible. With some work, you should be able to get awesome abs and the six pack you’ve always wanted.

Strength-Training, Cardio And A Low Fat Food Intake Create Enviable Abs

The first thing that you should keep in mind is that no six pack ab workout plan will work for you unless you are definitely going to keep on working your abs out regularly and consistently. Make sure that you do a variety of both upper and lower abdominal exercises so that you develop the full six pack. With some hard work, you should be able to achieve the look you want.

The second thing that you should realize is that these ab workouts will only help you if you incorporate a basic fat burning cardio program for 30-45 minutes, three to four days per week at 75% of your maximum heart rate. And remember that beginners will have to start slowly. After all, it is not physically possible to work off the fat in just one part of your body – you have to workout in order to make yourself leaner overall. Cardio fat burning exercises will help you lose fat instead of just muscle and water weight – which is not something that will happen if you just go on a regular diet.

The third and final point here is that abdominal definition is seriously dependent upon diet. The abs are always the last place on your body to lose fat, thus you will have to be quite strict with your diet and meal plan if you want to have awesome abs – Just remember our little tip: EVERYONE has abs, it’s just that most people have a layer of fat over them. If you want to see them, you need to LOSE the fat!!

The most important tip for a healthy, low fat food intake is to eat smaller, more frequent, nutritionally balanced meals. Divide all your food amongst six small meals per day (eat a complete meal every 3-4 hours) in order to have the food convert to muscle rather than fat. We recommend that you limit flour products like bread and pasta and replace them with complex carbs like brown rice and oatmeal. Cut back on fatty foods and eat lots of high quality (preferably organic) protein like skinless chicken, lean beef and baked or broiled fish. If you follow these basic guidelines you will be well on your way to unleashing your abs within and proudly displaying them on the beach some time soon!

Read More

Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain

Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain

It’s an unfortunate reality that throughout the years there has been a growth of strength training techniques that have no scientific proof to back them up. Have a look at the facts presented in this outline of muscle gain principles and make up your own mind.

Below you will find Scientific Guidelines for strength training that have always been around but are not followed by many training systems these days.

1. Limited Energy Level

A strength-training program should be short and simple as you only have a limited amount of energy per training session.Scientific studies reveal that blood sugar levels (energy) start to deplete after 30 mins, so exercise selection and the time taken to perform them is crucial.What you should be aiming for is stimulating as many muscle fibres in the shortest period of time available.Your blood sugar levels deplete after high intensity training (usually between 20 – 30 minutes) and remember that you need energy to recuperate after the workout.The trick is to give yourself a high intensity workout before your blood sugar level depletes, and then you will have given your body the exercise that it requires to gain the maximum amount of muscle possible.

2. Progressive Overload

Basically this means that when the body is stressed by high intensity training beyond its normal demands, the body will adapt to these new demands of improved strength.When I say “normal demands,” I mean what level of stress/strength your body is used to now.An example: The set that you performed last week using the same technique and weight, your body will now have adapted to. If you stay at this level your muscles will not become stronger or bigger, so this is where the Progressive Overload plays a major part.Once your muscles have adapted to a particular weight then it’ll be time to overload them further (add more weight, speed, repetitions). You’ll need to keep on repeating this process of overload if you want to become stronger.Remember to always use GOOD TECHNIQUE. Technique must never be sacrificed for extra load.Progressive Overload is the main exercise principle you need to be aware of in order to get the results that you’re after with strength training.

The two most important points are:

• Complete your exercise with perfect technique

• Push to total failure when doing a set and overload the weight on the bar progressively. (Overload your targeted muscles to beyond what there used to) 

3. Training Frequency

The sad reality is that the popular high volume type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) is irrelevant to the majority of the population and has a shocking failure rate.What is good for Joe Star is probably not good for you. Everybody has different genetics; most of us have poor genetics and are not taking steroids like the stars. The only way the majority of us can make any gains at all is to perform short intense workouts followed by long periods of rest so that we don’t overtrain.

4. Over-Compensation

Many studies conducted around the world have shown clearly that recuperation from strength training requires far more rest time than previously thought. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is necessary for you to increase your functional muscle.Here’s what you need to do – allow your body enough recuperation time for over compensation to take place, so that the muscles can adjust to their new strength and growth.

5. Exercise selection for intensity

I can’t stress enough of how exercise selection is absolutely crucial. There are only a few exercises that you really need to perform. These exercises consist of multi-joint movements. These particular exercises are far superior to that of isolation exercises (working 1 muscle group at a time) because you are required to use more muscles from every muscle group.By using these exercises your whole body will be worked hard.

6. Visualization

Over my 20 years in the industry, I’ve noticed that this area is by far the most neglected by mainstream health and fitness professionals…Most books or courses concentrate on the physical side of muscle gain or fat loss and completely neglect the mental side of things.By training your mental state as well as your physical body you can even further progress in muscle growth.

Read More

Use Superset To Build Big Muscles

Use Superset To Build Big Muscles

If you have been lifting weights for sometime or have been reading bodybuilding magazines and journals, you would have probably heard of super

setting. However, how often have you seen people super setting when weight lifting? If you did, did you notice those guys who were super setting

were almost invariably the bigger boys. If you want to be big, then why didn’t you superset like them since you have seen that super setting can

• help you build big muscles?

What is weight lifting superset? A superset is when you perform two exercises back to back with no rest in between the exercises. There are a few

variations of superset such as, antagonistic muscle superset, pre-exhaustion superset and post exhaustion superset…..etc. We will discuss just

these 3 of the more popular supersets in this article.

• Antagonistic Muscles Superset

An antagonistic super set is when you exercise opposite muscle group. Although they are opposite muscles, they actually support each muscle

during your movements. For example, when you do dumb bell curls for your biceps, when you lower the dumb bells, your triceps are called into

action as well. Similarly for the negative movement of a bench press, your back is working too like when you are doing the bent over row.

So for example of an antagonistic superset on your, say chest and back day, do a bench press routine then follow up with a bent over row or vice

versa. That will be one superset. Rest for 2-3 minutes and then proceed with the second set and so on. This will work the muscles involved more

deeply than mere straight sets.

• Pre-exhaustion Superset

In a pre-exhaustion superset, you work on the same muscle group with an isolation exercise and then follow up with a compound exercise without

rest in between sets. For example, still on your chest and back day, you work out with dumb bell flyes (chest isolation exercise) then

immediately thereafter with a bench press (chest compound exercise).

By performing with an isolation exercise first (flyes), you pre-exhuast the targeted muscles you are working on, which in this instance are your

pectorals (pecs) and then hit your pecs hard again with a compound movement (bench press) that allows other muscles that are still fresh such as

your deltoids and triceps to assist your pecs in the exercise.

• Post – Exhaustion Superset

Another version of super setting is the post-exhaustion method. It is the exact reverse of the pre-exhaustion. In other words, lift compound

exercise first and then follow up with an isolation exercise for the same muscle group. It will allow you to lift heavier weight for the compound

exercise because your targeted muscle group is not pre-exhausted yet.

Vary each of these various forms of superset every 2 – 3 months and watch your muscles explode with big massive muscle growth.

Read More

8 Proven Strategies For Maximum Muscle Gains

8 Proven Strategies For Maximum Muscle Gains

There is so much conflicting information out there when it comes to the topic of body building and building muscle, and sometimes it can be very difficult to know where to start. If you’re an average beginner looking for some basic guidelines to follow in the gym, the following 8 points will start you off on the right track.

1. Train With Weights and Focus On Compound, Free Weight Movements.

If you want to make solid, noteworthy gains in muscle size and strength, you absolutely must train with free weights and focus on basic, compound exercises. A compound exercise is any lift that stimulates more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of these lifts are the squat, dead lift, bench press, chin up, barbell row, overhead press, dip and lunge. Compound movements allow you to handle the most weight and will stimulate the greatest amount of total muscle fibers.

1. Be Prepared To Train Hard.

One of the biggest factors that separates those who make modest gains from those who make serious gains is their level of training intensity. In order to stimulate your muscle fibers to their utmost potential, you must be willing to take every set you perform in the gym to the point of muscular failure.

Muscular Failure: The point at which no further repetitions can be completed using proper form.

Sub-maximal training intensity will leave you with sub-maximal results, plain and simple.

1. Track Your Progress In The Gym From Week To Week.

Our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat. Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must always focus on progressing in the gym from week to week. This could mean performing 1 or 2 more reps for each exercise or adding more weight to the bar. Keep a detailed training log to track your progress as your strength increases over time.

1. Avoid Overtraining.

Overtraining is your number one enemy when it comes to building muscle size and strength. When most people begin a workout program, they are stuck with the misguided notion that more is better. They naturally assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better results they will achieve. When it comes to building muscle, nothing could be farther from the truth! If you spend too much time in the gym, you will actually take yourself farther away from your goals rather than closer to them. Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym; they grow out of the gym, while you are resting and eating. Recovery is absolutely vital to the muscle growth process. If you don’t provide your body with the proper recovery time in between workouts, your muscles will never have a chance to grow.

1. Eat More Frequently.

The main area where most people fail miserably on their muscle-building mission is on the all-too important task of proper nutrition. Training with weights is only half of the equation! You break down your muscle fibers in the gym, but if you don’t provide your body with the proper nutrients at the proper times, the muscle growth process will be next to impossible. You should be eating anywhere from 5-7 meals per day, spaced every 2-3 hours in order to keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times. Each meal should consist of high quality protein and complex carbohydrates.

1. Increase Your Protein Intake.

Of the 3 major nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) protein is without a doubt the most important for those who are looking to gain muscle size and strength. Protein is found in literally every single one of the 30 trillion cells that your body is made up of and its main role is to build and repair body tissues. Without sufficient protein intake, it will be physically impossible for your body to synthesize a significant amount of lean muscle mass. If your body were a house, think of protein as the bricks. A general guideline is to consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day from high quality sources such as fish, poultry, eggs, beef, milk, peanut butter and cottage cheese.

1. Increase Your Water Intake

If you want a simple, easy and highly effective way to maximize your muscle gains, drinking more water is it. Water plays so many vital roles in the body and its importance cannot be overstated. In fact, your muscles alone are made up of 70% water! Not only will drinking more water cause your muscles to appear fuller and more vascular, but it will also increase your strength as well. Research has shown that merely a 3-4% drop in your body’s water levels can impact muscle contractions by 10-20%! Aim to consume 0.6 ounces for every pound of bodyweight each day for optimal gains.

1. Be Consistent!

Consistency is everything. Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to implement the proper techniques on a highly consistent basis. Simply knowing is not enough, you must apply!

Building muscle and body bilding in general is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps. Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those small meals you consume will decide your overall success. If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.

Read More

Ben Pakulski Massive Arms Workout

Arm Workout For Massive Biceps | Biceps Training

http://growyourarms.com/freepresentat... -Arm Workout For Massive Biceps | Biceps Training. Check out this awesome biceps superset for a massive pump. A1 Biceps Dumbbell Preacher Curls A2. Barbell Biceps Curls with manual eccentric loading on the negative. Enjoy!

Discover 40+ insider tips from BPAK's lifestyle, training, nutrition and supplementation! http://www.benpakulski.com/leadpages - FREE for a limited time.

Does what you read affect your muscle building? Find out here...http://www.benpakulski.com/leadpages

What's the BEST way to do cardio for fat loss without sacrificing muscle?

Ever wonder what it would be like to watch over the shoulder of an IFBB pro during his workout? Check out the FREE high-definition B-Pak DVD to see for yourself...http://www.benpakulski.com/leadpages

http://www.benpakulski.com/leadpages -Arm Workout For Massive Biceps | Biceps Training - Discover 40+ insider tips from BPAK's lifestyle, training, nutrition and supplementation! http://www.benpakulski.com/leadpages - FREE for a limited time.

Read More

Ben Pakulski Insulin Resistance - How to IMPROVE Insulin Sensitivity

Ben Pakulski Insulin Resistance - How to IMPROVE Insulin Sensitivity

Ben Pakulski Insulin Resistance - How to IMPROVE Insulin Sensitivity. Check out this video if you are looking for insulin resistance and sensitivity information. How can you maximize your insulin response in bodybuilding...


If you are looking for the best training protocol to build muscle, see how IFBB PRO Ben Pakulski builds big muscle through the best 40 day program design routine in his MI40 program http://www.benpakulski.com/mi40

Don't miss any Ben Pakulski or Ben Pakulski training tips by subscribing to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BenPakIFBB

Read More

Kali Muscle Trap Workout

Kali Muscle Trap Workout

Kali Muscle Trap Workout. Kali Muscle takes us through the three most useful exercises for adding mass to the overall trap muscle. Looking like a ‘buffalo’ as he rightly describes his own.

Not too much information throughout this training video for the technical trainer (luckily there is lots of posing and pep talks..) but sometimes simple movements with good weight is king.

Read More

Arnold Classic 2015 Predictions

Arnold Classic 2015 Predictions

The Arnold Classic 2015 is once again upon us. In just a matter of months, the world’s best in pro bodybuilding will be taking centre stage to do battle once again. The huge news here? No Wolf and no Rhoden. Here are our top 6 predictions, probably one of the hardest and most exciting lineup to judge in some time.
Competitor Lineup

•     Evan Centopani
•     Cedric McMillan
•     Branch Warren
•     Lionel Beyeke
•     Ben Pakulski
•     Justin Compton
•     Brandon Curry
•     Roelly Winklaar
•     Vitaley Fateev
•     Toney Freeman
•     Dexter Jackson
•     Michael Kefalianos
•     Mohamad Ali Bannout
•     Marius Dohne

Arnold Classic 2015 Top 6 Predictions

6th Place: Evan Centopani

Evan is one of the more consistent bodybuilders on the pro circuit at the moment, having placed in the top 5 at the Arnold for the past 3 years. Even carries a huge amount of dense grainy muscle and has some of the best delts and arms in the business. His downfall however is his lower body which is noticeably in need of more size when compared to his torso. From the side Evan’s legs appear very thick, hard and complete, however from the front and back the need for more sweep becomes apparent.

If Evan comes in his usual crazy conditioning and has made noticeable improvements from the waist down, he can definitely achieve another top 3 placing. For now we have him in a comfortable top 6 finish.
Evan Centopani Arnold Classic 2015

5th Place: Ben Pakulski

When you hear the name ‘Ben Pakulski’, one of two things will generally jump out of you straight away. The first is his amazing haircut, the second are those incredible world leading pair of wheels.

Ben’s legs along with the Egyptian phenomenon, newcomer Big Ramy are the best in the world, bar none. Ben manages not only to bring some of the biggest legs to the stage but when conditioned they are diced, sliced and shredded with incredible detail front to back. While it is true that Ben’s upper body needs some tweaking to bring up his arms, back thickness and chest, we see continuous improvements on a yearly basis.

Ben can win this show, but he needs more time to better balance his physique.
Ben Pakulski Arnold Classic 2015

4th Place: Dexter Jackson

Not much more can be said about ‘The Blade’ Dexter Jackson in that he is the single most consistent bodybuilder of all time being a multiple time Arnold Classic winner and Mr Olympia champion. Now in his mid 40’s, Dexter still manages to bring his trademark conditioning and maintain his aesthetic flow and full, round muscle bellies.

This year we see Dexter continuing his reign of consistency however up against the younger and rapidly growing talent in this year’s competition we pick Dexter to take 4th, assuming he is in shape in 2015. The question on everyone’s mind is if age will finally catch up with Dexter. We say yes, but don’t count on it.
Ben Pakulski Arnold Classic 2015

3rd Place: Branch Warren

Branch has stated that he targeting this contest with a vengeance. Having won the title twice already, it has not been Branch’s year in 2014. It is apparent that he’s body is beginning to show the early signs of being burnt out, with an underwhelming appearance at the 2014 Olympia.

As a veteran of the sport and a highly accomplished champion, Branch needs to regain the fullness, conditioning and size of his 2009-2012 Olympia appearance to really stand a chance at winning this year. His competitors are younger, still growing and have much room for further improvements. We cannot count Branch out this year, he has proved critics wrong again and again and for this reason we see him in the top 3 if he once again beats the odds.
Branch Warren Arnold Classic 2015

2nd Place: Roelly Winklaar

For anyone who witnessed the ‘off’ Roelly at the 2014 Mr Olympia, there is no doubt that he has the potential to go far, very far. Mammoth would be just one adjective to describe his physique.

The issue with Roelly will always be conditioning and to a lesser extent, his ability to properly showcase his physique. His arms, delts, back and legs are extremely thick to create a package that is a sight to be seen when he is in shape. This year we see Roelly begin working out the formula to coming in shredded come contest time and bring similar conditioning to what we saw in the 2013 Mr Olympia.

If Roelly, puts it all together, comes in peeled and poses well he will win the show, hands down.
Roelly Winklaar Arnold Classic 2015

1st Place: Cedric McMillan

Classic aesthetic physique, full round muscle bellies, fantastic proportions, great posing and the mass to match. Yes, we are of course describing an ‘in shape’ Cedric McMillan. Cedric finally done his physique justice when he showed up in great shape at the 2013 Arnold Classic and snatched a deserved 3rd place finish.

Cedric is a complete bodybuilder, his legs are enormously thick and the upper body is just as impressive. One major advantage to Cedric’s physique is his genetically gifted frame which allows him to carry hard dense muscle without losing his aesthetic flow and maintaining a tight narrow waist. He is similar to a Dennis Wolf in his proportions although in our opinion has the potential to be even better.

If Cedric comes in shredded, he will more than likely be much more than anyone can deal with and for this reason we predict Cedric to win his first major show and thus begin his Olympia title challenge.
Cedric Mcmillan Arnold Classic 2015

Our ‘Black Horse’ Pick: Justin Compton

Justin has potential for days. In fact, he has even been labelled a future Mr Olympia by many top commentators and bodybuilding coaches. While we are not drawing conclusions of such magnitude, we do agree that Justin has one of the more impressive and muscular looking physiques in recent memory and let’s not forget he is only in his mid 20’s.

Look out for Justin in the 2015 Arnold Classic. If he comes in shredded and has added even more mass without compromising his aesthetics we can see Justin easily placing in the top 3, if not higher. As this is Justin’s debut in a major pro show, he needs to bring it and from there the sky’s the limit.

Read More

Solid Information About Good Muscle Building Ideas And Tips

Solid Information About Good Muscle Building Ideas And Tips

Are you having trouble with a tired feeling every day? Do you have trouble completing tasks that others have no problem with? Do you crave a tighter, stronger body? The key to solving these issues is to start a weight training routine, and some information about doing just that is included in the piece that follows.

TIP! By learning the best exercise techniques, you can make sure that you’re not wasting time with exercises that will not help you build muscle. There are many different exercises that work on varied parts of muscle building, including toning and conditioning.

Keep your focus on exercises such as squatting, dead-lifting and bench pressing. These exercises are the foundation of a solid muscle-building regimen. They have long been known to effectively add strength, muscle bulk, and overall fitness. Include these three in some way at each workout.

Keep your focus on exercises such as squatting,

TIP! Eating meat will help you build your muscles. Consume enough meat to amount to one gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Adapt your diet in function of how much you exercise. Muscle weighs more than fat, and you need to be able to feed your muscles. Eat what you need to in order to gain that pound per week. Look for more ways to take in more calories. After two weeks, increase your intake again if you notice no weight changes.

TIP! When working to build muscle, make sure you are consuming plenty of protein. Muscles are built from protein and the body needs plenty to rebuild them.

You have to add protein to your diet so that your body does not cannibalize itself. Muscles are comprised of protein, so its availability is key to increasing your strength. Lack of protein makes increasing muscle mass difficult. Look for proteins that are lean and healthy, and include them in a minimum of two of your meals per day, as well as in daily snacks.

TIP! Rewards for setting and achieving short-term goals are a great way to maintain your focus and motivation. Achieving long term goals requires that you provide yourself with motivation along the way.

Yourself Rewards

Making goals for the short-term, and giving yourself rewards when you reach those goals, is a great way to motivate yourself. Building muscles is a long-term commitment, so it’s important for you to keep yourself motivated. You may even give yourself rewards that are directly related to weight training. One good idea of a healthy reward is getting a massage.

TIP! Your diet is especially important on your lifting days. An hour or so before your workout, eat more calories than you would on a typical day.

Consider all the potential problems of the long-term use of creatine in your bodybuilding regimen. This is very bad for people with kidney issues. There are other potential side effects, such as heart arrhythmia, muscle compartment syndrome and cramping. Creatine should be especially avoided by the young. Use these supplements in appropriate quantities and under the supervision of a medical professional.

TIP! Always stretch thoroughly after working out to give your muscles the best chance to repair and grow properly. Anyone that is under forty years old needs to make sure that each stretch is held for a minimum of thirty seconds.

You need to get enough protein if you want to build muscle. A terrific method for ensuring proper protein intake is to use protein supplements and drinks. These protein-rich products are best consumed after working out or before going to bed. In order to drop pounds while also building muscle, try to drink one of these on a daily basis. In order to bulk up your muscles as well strengthening them, you could consume as many as 3 per day.

TIP! Work the right muscles to create an illusion of bigger bulk. You can do this by focusing on the higher chest, your upper back and your shoulders.

Don’t neglect carbs when trying to build muscle. Your body runs on carbs, so they are essential to complete your workouts and do all the other tasks that you must do each day. If are taking an aggressive approach to building muscle mass, you should consume between 2,000 and 3,000 milligrams of carbohydrates per pound of your body weight.

TIP! If your goal is to build muscle, you must increase your protein consumption. Protein is the basic building block for muscle cells.

When you build muscles, you change facets in your life. Your energy levels increase and you can keep your weight in check. Your whole life can change when you decide to weight train, so make the change in your life that is going to help you excel in every other aspect of your life.

TIP! Coming up with a beneficial muscle building workout routine will keep you strong and help to avoid injuries. Anyone new to building muscle should probably work out only twice weekly, while veteran exercisers can move up to three, and even four, times a week.

Read More

Muscle Building Tips For Health And Fitness!

Muscle Building Tips For Health And Fitness!

How can I get the most visible result the fastest? What should I do in order to build as much muscle as possible? Many people have asked these questions without being able to answer them. The article below contains expert-advice that will help you bulk up safely and soon.

TIP! Eat a healthy diet that contains a variety of vegetables. Many muscle building diets tend to ignore vegetables and concern themselves almost exclusively with complex carbs and proteins.

Change your routine around. Like anything else, if your routine becomes boring, you will be less likely to make time for it. Arrange your workout to concentrate on different exercises to work different specific muscle groups each time you visit the gym. A new workout will help you stay motivated and enjoy

Change your routine around.

TIP! Animal based products, such as beef and chicken, can help you increase your muscle mass. Attempt to consume meat with roughly a gram of protein for each pound you weigh.

If you intend to supplement your weight training with creatine, be careful, particularly when using them for a long time. If you have any sort of problem with your kidneys, you should not take creatine. They can also cause cramping, heart problems, and even something called muscle compartment syndrome. Adolescents face a higher risk of these complications. Adhere to the recommended quantities for your safety when using these supplements.

TIP! Don’t skimp on protein when building muscle. Protein provides the building blocks that create muscles.

Don’t try to build muscle while doing intensive cardio workouts. Getting a good cardio workout is essential, but it can diminish your efforts to gain muscle. Put most of your efforts into strength-training if you wish to grow muscle.

TIP! Make sure that your diet is nutritionally sound on days that you are going to lift. Fuel up for your exercise session by taking in some calories an hour before heading to the gym.

Eat well on the days you workout your muscles. It is always a good idea to increase calorie consumption approximately an hour before working out. Don’t overeat on workout days, but eat more than days that you aren’t planning on weight training.

TIP! When training, high reps and a good number of sets will show the best results. You should include a minimum of 15 lifts with breaks that are no longer than one minute.

Compound exercises are an important part of any weight training plan. This type of exercise requires you to use different muscles at the same time. One popular example of a compound exercise is bench pressing. This exercise works three muscle groups at once: the triceps, shoulders, and chest.

TIP! Eat lots of protein when you are trying to gain muscle. Protein is a major building block of muscle, so not eating enough of it may actually lead to your losing muscle, which defeats the whole purpose behind bulking up.

Try to limit your workouts to around sixty minutes. Your body will produce more stress hormone, called cortisol, if you exceed an hour long workout. This cortisol will block testosterone – wasting all the work you are putting into your muscle building. This can be avoided by working out for no longer than 1 hour continually.

TIP! You can judge the effectiveness of a muscle building routine by its ability to make you stronger. Your ability to gradually increase the weights you are lifting is a good indication of the success of your routine.

Muscle Groups

Sometimes you may find that some muscle groups are growing less rapidly than others. Use a fill set when trying to target the problem muscle groups. Completing 25-30 reps of an exercise which targets that muscle group a few days after you’ve extremely worked it out will increase the visible mass.

TIP! It is critical to count calories when attempting to build muscle. Some foods facilitate the building of muscles, others provide no benefits or hinder your progress.

Try bettering your bicep curls. Most people don’t move the barbell past the point where it is parallel to your body, thereby not getting the full results of the exercise. However, the bicep curl is the strongest at the top half. This problem can be solved by simply performing barbell curls while sitting.

TIP! It is very important that you stretch before working out. Stretching exercises warm up your muscles which aids in preventing injuries; stretching after a workout aids your muscles in relaxing during the recovery phase.

Hopefully, by reading the tips and advice here,you have found some answers to your questions. If not, then continue researching until you get the answers that you need. With technology these days, new techniques are being found to help you get the body you desire.

TIP! Creatine might be the supplement you need. It allows you to train for longer periods of time at a greater intensity when combined with high protein and carbohydrate intake.

Read More

Dumbbell Bench Press

Sit on the edge of a flat bench with the dumbbells resting on your knees. In
one smooth motion, roll onto your back and bring the dumbbells up to a
position slightly outside and above your shoulders. Your palms should be
facing forwards.

Bend your elbows at a ninety-degree angle with your upper arms parallel to
the ground. Press the weights up over your chest in a triangular motion until
they meet above the centerline of your body.
As you lift, concentrate on keeping the weights balanced and under
control.
Follow the same path downward.

Read More

Is Female Body Building Exercise Any Harder ?

Is Female Body Building Exercise Any Harder ?

Many women are going into body building exercise programs because they like the challenge of the sport. They all find it equally taxing or equally easy as the men do. Nobody ever said body building exercise is any tougher for women.

• Body Building Exercise Means Building of Muscle

Today, women have gone into all the fields than men have conquered and previously thought only their domain. You have women on ships, you have women pilots, women are in the marines and women in the army. You have women football players, you have women cricketers and you have women sharpshooters. Fortunately, wherever women go, they have done well and won accolades.

There is actually nothing special in body building exercise. It is just a program or a gym regime for building up muscles. All human beings have got the same build and the same number of muscles. There is nothing different in a woman or a man other than more developed pectoral muscles in women. Hence, there is nothing really too great about women taking up body building exercise and succeeding at it.

Some people will argue that men build up muscles easier because they are aided by testosterone, which is a muscle-building hormone, while women on the other hand have estrogen. Estrogen is known as a fat-building hormone. This is important only when women stop exercising. At that time women tend to pack weight on much faster than men.

Today, there are many contests where women take part after a competitive body building exercise program. Many are of the opinion that a muscular woman is kind of a put-off. However, this is not true, because the muscles are there anyway. The exercise only builds them up in such a way that the body acquires a V-shape. Now, when the muscles are at rest, man or woman would look the same as ordinary people ? maybe a bit more corpulent, but nothing more than that.

There are quite a few advantages for women. The first is that the women gain enough confidence about their capability to be able to defend themselves in any type of emergency. Secondly, the body building exercise program keeps a good control on weight gain, for which most of the times bodybuilding women actually look sexier.

There are a few disadvantages as well. The main disadvantage is that if the exercise is neglected, there is a fast and massive weight gain that can be very demoralizing. This is why, when you decide to take up such exercises, you will need to follow an ironclad discipline both in exercising and in diet.

Read More

Eight Great Tips to Help You Stick to Your Exercise Plan

Eight Great Tips to Help You Stick to Your Exercise Plan

If you started off the new year with a resolution to get more exercise, then good for you! Regular exercise is one of the best things you can do to for your long-term health. And most people find exercising is easy and fun when they first start out. But then comes the hard part: sticking to the plan once the newness has worn off.

Starting an exercise routine is important, but making a plan to stay with it is the key to success. Here are some expert tips that will help you stick with it and keep that excitement going.

1.Set reachable goals
An article in the Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School tells us to start by setting a long-term goal - such as walking 30 minutes a day five days a week - and then breaking it into smaller monthly targets. For example, during the first month, focus on walking three days a week for at least 10 minutes each time. During the second month, add another day to your plan. Add another day the third month. Then, every two weeks add another five minutes of walking each day until you reach your goal. The same plan can work for biking, working with weights, getting ready for a half-marathon, or doing anything you enjoy.

And that leads us to the second tip:

2.Make it fun
Keep looking until you find exercises, sports, or activities you enjoy. The Mayo Clinic staff says if you're not enjoying your workouts, try something different. You're more likely to stick with a fitness plan if you're having fun. So join a volleyball or softball league. Play soccer with your kids. Or check out a health club or martial arts center. If you don't like cold weather, try walking laps at the mall and doing some window shopping along the way.

Paige Waehner, a personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise, puts it another way in an article on About.com. "If the thought of going back to boring gym workouts makes you want to curl up and die, do something totally different. Sign up for a local bellydancing class or check out that new yoga studio you drive by every day." A change of scenery and a brand new activity can be very refreshing.

3.Make the time
Finding time to exercise doesn't just happen by itself. You need to schedule workouts just as you would any other important activity. For example, you might plan to exercise on your way home from work. If so, make it easier by keeping your gym bag packed and in the car.

You can also slip exercise into your day in more creative ways. As the Mayo Clinic staff says, you might plan to take a walk during your child's music lesson. Or you can walk a treadmill while you watch TV. If you look, you'll always find ways to work exercise into your daily routine.

4.Find an exercise partner
When you exercise with a friend, it can make your workout more fun. Your partner can also talk you into working out on those days when you're tempted to skip it. And there's another benefit. In an article written for AARP, athlete Martina Navratilova says, "Working out with someone who's a little stronger, faster, or at least on the same fitness level will challenge you to be your best."

5.Keep track
Make a chart or keep a log of how far you've come. When you keep track of how much you've improved, and can see it on a daily basis, you'll be more like to want to stay with your exercise plan for the long haul.

6.Put your reasons on paper
When you're tempted to slack off, remind yourself of why you started exercising in the first place. If you're trying to lose weight, boost your energy or sleep better, the Mayo Clinic staff says to write it down. And don't forget to note the most important benefit of all: improving your long-term health. A Harvard Alumni Health Study showed that men who started and kept up an exercise plan had a 23 percent lower risk of premature death. That alone is a pretty good reason to keep it up.

7.Don't let slip-ups get you down
Nobody is perfect. And a major lifestyle change like making exercise part of your daily routine isn't easy. So when you slip up, or when travel, holidays, or illnesses throw you off, don't give up. The important thing is to get back on track as soon as possible. As Paige Waehner put it, "Stop the blame game. If you mess up, give yourself a time limit for how long you'll feel bad about it. When the time's up, let it go and focus on today's workout."

8.Reward yourself when you succeed
When you reach a goal, even a short-term one, that's something to celebrate. So enjoy the moment. Buy yourself some new workout gear, download new music to listen to when you exercise, get a manicure, or take an extra-long bubble bath. You've earned your reward!

   Source :  humana 

Read More

Kettlebell Workout

Kettlebell Workout

Most workout schedules, whether at home or in the rec center, before long get to be exhausting and dreary. It is imperative to split far from that repetitiveness and acquaint new varieties with your workout, to keep yourself inspired. A decent portable weight workout can take a shot at the muscles in an altogether different manner than your body is utilized to. An exceptional Kettle ringer workout has various cardiovascular and strong advantages including fat misfortune. Kettlebell Workout have been observed to be extremely powerful in building up center dependability, quality, enhancing velocity and adaptability.

Numerous big names and Hollywood identities have included portable weight workouts to their administration. The iron weight, initially from Russia, is quick picking up prevalence in the west today. At first, it was viewed as a preparation program for weightlifters, yet with its inside and out advantages becoming visible, numerous competitors and military craftsmanship understudies now workout with portable weights.

Rather than going for an aggregate portable weight workout in the early stages, iron weights can be utilized as finishers or can be tossed in the middle of with your other weight preparing activities. At first, it is essential to take in the manoeuvering of iron weights, much the same as dumbbells, to anticipate damage so its imperative to go and get some legitimate quality portable weight preparing from an iron weight teacher. Go to Russian Kettlebells Uk for Kettlebell Workout taught by qualified iron weight teachers. Once the essential level is come to, you can step by step move to more progressed or entangled familiar developments which require more noteworthy co appointment, wellness, rate and deftness.

Not at all like whatever other exercise center preparing, working out with portable weights is ease and the necessity is negligible. One does not have to contribute much for a portable weight workout, just several iron weights! You can browse iron weights as indicated by their weights which go from two to one hundred pounds each. Lighter weight iron weights ought to be utilized by learners and once they get settled with the developments then heavier portable weights can be utilized for more serious workouts. There are numerous varieties and mixes that one can attempt with portable weights. So on the off chance that you need to chip away at your abdominal area, you can utilize portable weights for doing normal pushups. Despite what might be expected, swinging activity, while holding the portable weights, will reinforce the lower body muscles. All iron weight activities endeavor to reinforce the center or middle whilst enhancing your adaptability in the meantime.

A Kettlebell Workout gives you the adaptability to prepare anyplace, since they are effortlessly moveable. An Kettlebell Workout includes numerous muscles in the meantime and is extremely gainful for competitors why should required deal with their entire body, especially, hamstrings, shoulders, and arms advantage a considerable measure from portable weight preparing. In addition, escalated workouts with portable weights can assist you with losing numerous calories in a brief timeframe.

An iron weight workout includes quick activities like swings, cleans, twitches and grabs, which when done in high reiterations, gives mind blowing solid continuance and real quality. A fundamental swing of the iron weight is the first practice which the vast majority begin with before moving to the rascal and portable weight grab, which is the most muddled iron weight activity requiring familiar developments. The windmill iron weight activity chips away at the upper piece of the body and enhances your center quality, builds adaptability of shoulders and enhances your felxibity in your hamstrungs. A legitimately arranged iron weight workout won’t concentrate much on one range however give the entire body a decent workout.

Read More

The Importance of Weight Training Techniques

The Importance of Weight Training Techniques

The quality over quantity argument is something that can be applied to many various aspects of life. No more so than in the setting of a gym.

Weight training can be very dangerous. You are subjecting your body to strong strain and stress for a substantial interval of time. So it is always better to make sure that what you are doing is the correct exercise, otherwise you could really be damaging yourself. And once you are on the road to injury it will be very hard to get back to where you were prior.

The main element of this is focused on the rep herself. How you execute the rep will affect your body massively. If you have the wrong technique then it’s not just one mistake, you will be repeating it over and over again, causing more and more stress on the joints.

It will never be wasted time if you stop to learn the correct technique before entering the gym. There are multitude of instructional videos from professionals, these will address any issues and help to guide you in the right direction.

It scares me when I see people in the gym, grunting away dragging up massive weights. Followed by shaky half reps then dropping the weight to the floor because it can’t be held up anymore. It doesn’t impress anyone and the damage on the joints and ligaments can be severe.

The same thing can be applied to cardio equipment. When working out on commercial gym equipment it is still important to have the correct technique. Otherwise 5 miles of running with poor posture can be damaging to the knees and hips. This is more difficult to achieve as fatigue can affect how well you are holding yourself, but it important to concentrate when on machinery.

These points are nothing new. But in this society where appearance has been put very high on the priority list, it is too mutual to see people just join the gym and start pumping weights. There is a correct skill and technique for doing weights and using CV machines, but it is too often over looked. It is not constantly the fault of the person; gyms should take most of the responsibility for this. Too often do I see trainers walking around the gym, stopping to note the poor technique, but then just walking off as they don’t want to intervene. This is very poor considering it is their job to keep members safe, whether than is from immediate danger or from the lasting effects of poor technique.

The best advice in my opinion is to take care of yourself. Study the right technique before lifting the weight and your body will thank you for it. Even better, working with a partner to achieve the best practice, then if one of you slips the other will help to get back on track. This self governing will provide a good workout platform, and will no doubt see a good return on your workouts, let alone will be keeping our body protected.

Read More