We all need to follow a weight training program, in order to maintain our health. Below, you'll find seven good reasons why you should find a weight training program suitable for you. If this information helps but you want more, click here today.
1. A weight training program leads to fat loss:
Physical exercise is the best and healthiest way to loose weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you'll lose unwanted fat.
Maintaining a weight training program along with a healthy diet will keep your body in peak health. This type of regiment may be difficult to use in the beginning, but once you get used to it, you are going to feel much better about yourself, and you will want to continue it much more. The trick is to learn the proper techniques in the beginning so you don't need to correct any mistakes with your weight training routine in the future.
2. Weight training will help prevent disease:
Through the use of a weight training routine, it has been found out that people are less likely to get certain diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and stroke. Weight training causes your heart to work more. This in turn strengthens your heart to the point where your own immune system is being strengthened. This is the safest and most effective method of preventing disease. All the more reason to start a weight training program if you have a history of one of these diseases in your family.
Around 4 out of 5 deaths caused by heart disease and cancer, are linked to stress and lack of exercise, among other factors. We all know that diabetes increases the chance for heart attacks and strokes. What this shows, is that many of the risk factors and diseases caused by not exercising are working in conjunction to damage your health. The best prevention for these types of problems is to start a weight training program.
3. Weight training programs will fight diseases you already have:
Many severe, as well as not as severe diseases can be reduced or even cured through regular exercise. These even include the diseases listed above. By following a regular weight lifting plan, you can also decrease HDL cholesterol levels, decrease triglyceride levels, and decrease your high blood pressure as well.
Exercising on a regular basis will also reduce the risk of prostate cancer for men, breast and uterine cancer for women, and much more. All of this is scientifically proven, and it's no secret that working out will only benefit you. This is exactly why you should start a weight training routine today.
4. A weight training program will improve your state of mind:
Everyone knows from the many scientific studies that regular exercising will lead to an increased release of endorphins in the body. These chemicals will fight depression and make you feel happy. The body releases these endorphins only 12 minutes into the workout.
There is another chemical known as serotonin that is increased during and after your workout. The increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system is associated with feelings of well being and decreased mental depression. The chemical can also help you sleep better at night.
5. Weight training will enhance your physical wellness:
When you are in great shape and fit, you'll have more energy and you'll notice that your overall mood is improved. You will have experienced that you can stretch beyond your own limits and you know that you can do more than you thought possible.
6. Weight training will increase your persistence:
Working out regularly will give you more energy, which can help you be more productive at home and at work. Weight training can help give your new goals a sense of purpose and give you something to focus on and aim for. This will allow you to increase your
persistence and prevent you from getting off track from your goal of muscle building and fat loss.
7. Weight training will improve your social life:
After working out on a regular basis you can boost your self esteem. This will help you look better, and feel better about yourself. Weight training will also help you to become more physically active. While feeling better about yourself and being more physically active, you are going to be able to meet new people. Exercise will also improve your marriage or your relationship.
Now that you know all of my reasons to
begin a weight training program, you shouldn't hesitate to get out there and exercise. You can work out at home or go join a gym. There are many different ways that you can exercise, all you have to do is learn some that you like. For a great place to start learning weight training techniques and more click here today. Take a little bit of time out of your day and start exercising -
you'll feel better than ever before and your body will thank you.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Weight Training For Beginners
Weight lifting is an excellent sport for testing your physical strength and resistance as well as your mental endurance. While getting all of these benefits, weight training exercises will also improve the resistance and size of the muscles. A weight lifting program is going to include the use of various exercise equipment to improve the targeted muscle groups.
For more in depth information about weight training for beginners click here today.
The most common types of exercise equipment used are dumbbells, weighted bars, weight stacks and kettlebells. Weight training is totally different from body building, making it form a vital component of any well rounded fitness routine.
This is not a simple sport. Weight lifting programs for beginners require lots of patience and dedication, along with proper rest and diet to keep your body in good health.
The weight lifting programs for beginners should begin with fat burning, strength gaining and finally building strong muscle through weight lifting. Though you are going to start with light weight, you slowly want to progress to heavier weights. This will build your strength while being safe, and avoiding injury.
For every weight training program, there must be a concrete plan to achieve success. The program should be split so that the body gets proper rest. It will be an excellent idea to divide the week in several parts so you can make a program that fits your requirements.
It is better to first take advice from expert weight trainers before making your schedule because if the program is not properly managed then it can cause injury. To find a helpful site to start with, click here today.
Nothing is difficult for a person who is interested in one's self. The most important thing is to be patient and concentrate on the ultimate goal of having a weight lifting routine.
For more in depth information about weight training for beginners click here today.
The most common types of exercise equipment used are dumbbells, weighted bars, weight stacks and kettlebells. Weight training is totally different from body building, making it form a vital component of any well rounded fitness routine.
This is not a simple sport. Weight lifting programs for beginners require lots of patience and dedication, along with proper rest and diet to keep your body in good health.
The weight lifting programs for beginners should begin with fat burning, strength gaining and finally building strong muscle through weight lifting. Though you are going to start with light weight, you slowly want to progress to heavier weights. This will build your strength while being safe, and avoiding injury.
For every weight training program, there must be a concrete plan to achieve success. The program should be split so that the body gets proper rest. It will be an excellent idea to divide the week in several parts so you can make a program that fits your requirements.
It is better to first take advice from expert weight trainers before making your schedule because if the program is not properly managed then it can cause injury. To find a helpful site to start with, click here today.
Nothing is difficult for a person who is interested in one's self. The most important thing is to be patient and concentrate on the ultimate goal of having a weight lifting routine.
Weight Lifting Routines
If you want to be a successful weight lifter then it is necessary to follow a weight lifting routine. If you use the right weight lifting routine, then you will build muscle, as well as be a lot healthier. If you are interested in developing power and strength then visit this helpful site today.
You can also use the internet in case you want more information about weight lifting routines. There are some good websites that will help you find the best weight lifting routines for yourself. If you are interested in starting a weight lifting routine, but have no idea where to begin then you can always refer this site.
Many use weight training exercises that includes dumbbells, barbells and machines that require pulleys and cables to move the weight. Bar dips is a common body weight bearing exercise that is very popular. Dumbbells are often called free weight exercises, and can be an excellent way to target multiple muscle groups with the same workout.
There are a number of weight lifting routines for beginners as well as used for advanced weight training. Generally experienced weight lifters adopt a specialized weight lifting routine.
Here are some popular weight lifting exercises for beginners:
The Dumbbell Arm Weightlifting routine- This routine does not require lot of space. You can conveniently do this routine in your home, which makes it nice because there is no need to join a gym.
This weight lifting routine does not require any kind of fancy equipment. This makes it more popular, and a lot more common. This routine is also not costly and has immense benefits. Biceps exercises such as incline dumbbell curl or standing dumbbell curl are extremely useful for building the biceps.
Mass shoulder workout is another weight lifting routine that is used to gain strong shoulders. If you want wide strong shoulders that shows off your true power, then this routine is designed for you.
If you have just decided to start a weight lifting routine then initially you perform dumbbells as well as some other weight bearing exercises. As you get further in your weight training program, you can include some more weight exercises that promote compound movement. By adding free weight exercises in your routine, more muscle groups become stronger quickly.
Weight lifting routines are a nice way to strengthen your body. There are many examples where skinny guys and girls before starting a weight lifting routine became strong and muscular after three months of weight lifting.
To learn more click here today.
You can also use the help of a personal trainer to choose a good weight lifting routine to suit your needs.
You can also use the internet in case you want more information about weight lifting routines. There are some good websites that will help you find the best weight lifting routines for yourself. If you are interested in starting a weight lifting routine, but have no idea where to begin then you can always refer this site.
Many use weight training exercises that includes dumbbells, barbells and machines that require pulleys and cables to move the weight. Bar dips is a common body weight bearing exercise that is very popular. Dumbbells are often called free weight exercises, and can be an excellent way to target multiple muscle groups with the same workout.
There are a number of weight lifting routines for beginners as well as used for advanced weight training. Generally experienced weight lifters adopt a specialized weight lifting routine.
Here are some popular weight lifting exercises for beginners:
The Dumbbell Arm Weightlifting routine- This routine does not require lot of space. You can conveniently do this routine in your home, which makes it nice because there is no need to join a gym.
This weight lifting routine does not require any kind of fancy equipment. This makes it more popular, and a lot more common. This routine is also not costly and has immense benefits. Biceps exercises such as incline dumbbell curl or standing dumbbell curl are extremely useful for building the biceps.
Mass shoulder workout is another weight lifting routine that is used to gain strong shoulders. If you want wide strong shoulders that shows off your true power, then this routine is designed for you.
If you have just decided to start a weight lifting routine then initially you perform dumbbells as well as some other weight bearing exercises. As you get further in your weight training program, you can include some more weight exercises that promote compound movement. By adding free weight exercises in your routine, more muscle groups become stronger quickly.
Weight lifting routines are a nice way to strengthen your body. There are many examples where skinny guys and girls before starting a weight lifting routine became strong and muscular after three months of weight lifting.
To learn more click here today.
You can also use the help of a personal trainer to choose a good weight lifting routine to suit your needs.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Ten Important Nutrition Principles For Weight Training
Many bodybuilders put a lot of focus into the details of their nutritional strategy. A small food scale, calculator, note pad and pencil are common items found in their kitchen. Some even go as far as to weigh and measure everything whenever they eat and scribble numbers into their notepad after every meal.
Obviously, not every weight trainer has the same ultimate goal that a bodybuilder has. Weight trainers will be more successful today if they have a quick and convenient plan to follow that involves basic measuring and minimal number crunching.
An awesome resource to help you with all of this is right here.
One of the biggest benefits you’ll get from sprinting is the EPOC effects it creates. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This just means the body will expend a great deal of calories returning the body back to its former state after the workout.
Because sprint training is so intense, this will contribute to a large calorie burn after you have finished the workout. To even further increase the EPOC that is seen, consider doing hill sprint training. Since this is even more intense in nature, it will give added challenges to your body.
Metabolic Adaptations
The reality is that many people's nutritional level does not exceed the See Food Diet, that is, 'see food' and eat it. Not a bad option if you can avoid getting a potbelly in the process. If this is you, then consider yourself blessed with a Lamborghini-style metabolism. Go right ahead and eat whatever and whenever you want until you’re ready to audition for Rambo IV.
For the most part, the See Food Diet is typically not the most healthy meal plan since it puts zero restrictions on any food categories and is more a concept to shift a weight trainer's mind-set than anything else. These days, the majority of readers should know the fallacy of a See Food Diet. Sure, you can eat a super high calorie diet, like this, and add some muscle, but you'll add even more fat than you want to. I'm sure many of you can personally testify, putting the fat on is much easier than taking it off!
Muscle-Building Nutrition Principles
Mastering the principles of nutrition should be like mastering the principles of training – simple. Master the basics and execute them consistently. Think about the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results will come from 20% of your knowledge. Taking what you already know and putting it into action consistently is the magic formula. Let's go over the most important nutrition principles you'll need to practice to get your body growing.
Principle #1: Eat Often – Every 2.5 to 3 Hours
Don't expect to pack on quality mass – muscle without body fat – on three square meals a day. This would lead to massive quantities of both protein and carbs at each meal. Your body can only store so many calories per meal, so guess what this results in? Bloating, poor digestion and unwanted body fat.
Your first meal should be consumed within 15-30 minutes of waking up and consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours. Set your stopwatch to beep until you get something in your body. Don't view these meals as burdensome but as opportunities to fuel and grow your muscles. Look at them as growth surges. Think of the next meal as a fuller chest, broader shoulders, bigger arms and rock-hard abs!
If you miss a meal, visualize a sea of piranhas eating up your muscle tissue like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. Those deadly piranhas are eating up your CURRENT muscle that you are not even satisfied with. They are actually making your muscles smaller.
No, you will not lose an inch on your arms if you miss one meal, but once you start averaging 3-4 instead of 6-8 meals a day, don’t be upset when people look surprised when you tell them you work out with weights regularly!
How many meals should you be eating? That’s easy - just divide the time you’re awake by 2 or 3. I would suggest mastering eating every 3 hours before you consider every 2 hours. So if you’re awake 18 hours a day, eat 6 meals.
What if one of those meals falls right before bedtime? Then eat up! Take the opportunity to eat. If we went to the extreme we would eat every 3 hours throughout the night as well. No matter what you have heard on this (never eat after 7 P.M. garbage) ignore it. Trust me!
Also, don’t view these feeding opportunities as ‘snacks.’ This is a wimpy word mentality that should not be in your vocabulary if you are trying to build muscle. Every 3 hours you should be eating decent size meals that will make your body better.
Principle #2: Eat A Variety Of Foods
It is easy to get into a robotic state of nutrition where we eat the exact same foods every day, ingesting the same breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time we eat differently is when we go out for dinner or someone else cooks for us. It is easier to choose convenience over variety.
Just like our training that we rotate around to prevent boredom, you should rotate your food selection. Normally, you will eat whatever is in your house, so the best strategy to eating a healthy variety is to shop for different foods each week. This will help balance out your diet and help you measure the response a variety of foods. Don’t go for the boring and easy route.
Principle #3: Eat Enough Calories
Building muscle is an eating game because your muscles grow on calories. Not eating enough calories is like an attempt to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. It's not going to happen. If you are not gaining at least 1-2 pounds per week, then add some extra carbohydrates and proteins to your breakfast, pre-workout meal or post-workout meal.
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS STEP. Even if you have the perfect training routine, you will never grow unless you provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients. It’s like saying you want to build a house but you do not have enough bricks, cement and wood. It will be impossible to build that house. It’s like saying you want to race a car as fast as possible but you don’t have any gasoline or oil. It’s downright impossible.
If you wish to ensure that your muscles have enough fuel to support your workouts, lift heavy weights for high reps, recover from workout to workout and, let’s not forget, GROW NEW MUSCLE, then you have to keep track of what you are eating every day. There is no way around it. This is the number one reason why skinny guys never gain weight or why anybody for that matter will not make quality gains that they so desperately strive for.
Keeping track of what you eat is a lot easier than it sounds – it’s probably why most people avoid it, because they perceive it to be difficult.
Sure, you’re going to have to take some extra time to read containers and labels, but if this method will promise another 20 pounds in a few months from now, is it not worth it? And the good news is that your brain will create a new file to store all your new nutrient calculations, and since you are eating from the majority of the same foods, your ‘memory food bank’ will expand quickly.
Principle #4: Eat 40-60 Grams Of Protein Per Meal
Building muscle is not on your body’s 'to do' list – simple survival is. Not getting enough protein for your internal organs results in your body robbing it from your muscle tissue. Your body cannibalizes itself for the amino acids it needs! This is the polar opposite of what skinny guys want.
Proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake. This translates to 40-60 grams of protein per meal for males less then 200 lbs and will be enough to maintain your appetite, increase your muscle mass, accelerate recovery and keep body fat levels low. Hit this level and you’re doing well.
It is better to get your protein from whole, complete, and lean protein. Remember that protein is a costly food and burns twice as much energy as carbs and three times as much energy as fat. You need protein to maximally turbo-charge your metabolism, improve your muscle mass and accelerate recovery.
Aim for lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Aim for fish such as salmon, tuna, orange roughy, etc. Aim for Omega 3 eggs and pasteurized egg whites. Aim for dairy from cottage cheese, yogurt and partly skimmed cheeses. And if you have to resort to supplement shakes, go for whey, casein or milk protein blends.
Principle #5: Eat 60-80 Grams Of Carbohydrate per Meal
Not getting enough carbohydrates will make you feel like you’re carrying a bear on your back throughout your workouts. Your body’s gas tank is comprised of carbohydrates. No carbs and don't expect to get that car too far.
A lack of carbs in your diet can slow the muscle-building process because your muscle tissue can be used as energy if your body’s preferred source of energy, carbs, are not available.
It is best to get your carbohydrates from a variety of high-fiber, complex and low-glycemic carbohydrates as opposed to simple carbs (sugars) found in fast food, fried food, processed food and junk food. Complex carbs release a slower and longer lasting energy that is critical for your intense training workouts. Complex carbs will rarely get converted to fat unless you are clearly eating too many of them. If you are gaining more fat around your midsection as opposed to muscle, then you know you should cut back on your complex carbs or add a few cardio workouts.
Aim for high-complex, muscle-building carbs such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains.
Principle #6: Eat 20-30 Grams Of Fat Per Meal
About 30% of your diet should consist of fat - this number should remain pretty consistent for everyone. And as a skinny guy or anybody who wants to maximize muscle growth, then eating 30% of your intake from fat is critical for boosting testosterone levels. However, the key is to balance out your intake between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. If you achieve 1/3 in each of these, then you will optimize your health and muscle gains. This is not as complicated as it looks.
Since North Americans are harshly deficient in mono (olive oil) and poly fats (from fish oils) and get enough of saturated fats as it is, your job is to simply include more olive oil and fish oil into your diet. This is something that can be recommended for every man and women and has no potential side effects. Again, don’t worry; the meal plans included have got you covered.
The only fats you MUST avoid at all costs - for so many reasons - are trans fats.
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, including fried foods like French fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.
To determine the amount of trans fat in a food you must know what to look for on the food labels. Whenever you see shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil higher up on the list of the ingredients, the more trans fat.
Principle #7: Eat Vegetables With Every Meal
How are vegetables supposed to promote muscle gain? Your mom was right when she told you to eat up all your vegetables if you wanted to grow big and strong. Finally, the ‘muscle-nerds’ are catching up. Not only are vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals but they also contain important plant chemicals called phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning.
The most neglected benefit of eating vegetables is their role in recovery. Sure, you need calories to grow, but you also need these veggies for their high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training, and they will accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.
Most people are unaware that proteins and grains create high levels of acid loads to the blood, and if this is not balanced out with alkaline rich vegetables and fruits, then too much acid can result in a loss of bone strength and muscle mass. So it is important to keep these acid levels balanced by ingesting vegetables (and fruits) for their alkalinity to the blood.
The best way to get your vegetables is to cut them all up at the start of the week. This will make life easier and make them more accessible. Aim for at least 2 servings, which is the equivalent of 1-2 cups per meal. Yes, every 2-3 hours you must be eating veggies.
Principle #8: Eat Your Biggest Meal At Breakfast, Pre-Workout and Post-Workout
No matter what anyone says, I believe this is the safest and most effective way to maximize your muscle:fat gain ratio when bulking. In this article we will not discuss the topic of nutrient timing.
Shortly we will discuss the benefits of packing the bulk of your calories around the most catabolic and anabolic times of the day so you will have sufficient energy to train hard and heavy without any risk of muscle breakdown, not to mention enough calories to support muscle growth. How much food you eat at a particular time of the day should be based on the NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AT THAT CURRENT MOMENT.
Principle #9: Plan Ahead
This principle could easily be number one because oftentimes it is not a shortage of information that creates a roadblock but our lack of CONSISTENCY and CREATIVITY. I bet if you did not change anything about what you are currently eating but ensured food was there when it was time to eat, you would experience a growth surge.
I strongly agree with the famous cliché that states, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ It is so true. You must have a plan that will ensure you have the food prepared and cooked in the right selection and amounts every time you eat. This might require you to spend a few hours on Sunday evening cooking and storing all your food in Tupperware containers. This might mean waking up half an hour early so that you can cook all your meals for the day. This might require you to carry a lunch bag wherever you go. This might mean packing a few shaker bottles if you know you will be on the road most of the day. Bottom line - be prepared.
Principle #10: Eat Whole Foods 60% Of The Time and Liquid Meals 40% Of The Time
I often have my clients use as few supplements as possible for the first few months of training. You will be amazed at the results achieved by simply putting all your efforts into following your meal plan, proper training and sleep. It’s a very eye-opening experience when they see almost immediate changes in body composition, health and energy levels.
Your food intake should come from high quality food at least 60 % of the time, which means you are eating at least 4 of the 6 meals.
This will ensure more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that supplements and pills lack. Whole food is loaded with digestive enzymes as well that help the absorption of food instead of eating too much ‘ground up’ food in the form of powder. Power shakes will make your life much easier and will remove some of the inconveniences of having to cook and prepare food all day. Aim to use these at least 2 out of your 4 real meals a day and never more than three power shakes unless your life is extremely hectic and unmanageable.
Conclusion
Dedicate the next 12 weeks to putting these muscle building nutrition principles into action. Building muscle is really quite simple and exciting because you get to indulge in large quantities of food, try new recipes and become a master chef since you'll be spending more time in the kitchen. Taking these principles and applying them consistently over time and making them a part of your lifestyle is the secret. Be sure to visit Vince Del Monte Fitness for more answers
Obviously, not every weight trainer has the same ultimate goal that a bodybuilder has. Weight trainers will be more successful today if they have a quick and convenient plan to follow that involves basic measuring and minimal number crunching.
An awesome resource to help you with all of this is right here.
One of the biggest benefits you’ll get from sprinting is the EPOC effects it creates. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This just means the body will expend a great deal of calories returning the body back to its former state after the workout.
Because sprint training is so intense, this will contribute to a large calorie burn after you have finished the workout. To even further increase the EPOC that is seen, consider doing hill sprint training. Since this is even more intense in nature, it will give added challenges to your body.
Metabolic Adaptations
The reality is that many people's nutritional level does not exceed the See Food Diet, that is, 'see food' and eat it. Not a bad option if you can avoid getting a potbelly in the process. If this is you, then consider yourself blessed with a Lamborghini-style metabolism. Go right ahead and eat whatever and whenever you want until you’re ready to audition for Rambo IV.
For the most part, the See Food Diet is typically not the most healthy meal plan since it puts zero restrictions on any food categories and is more a concept to shift a weight trainer's mind-set than anything else. These days, the majority of readers should know the fallacy of a See Food Diet. Sure, you can eat a super high calorie diet, like this, and add some muscle, but you'll add even more fat than you want to. I'm sure many of you can personally testify, putting the fat on is much easier than taking it off!
Muscle-Building Nutrition Principles
Mastering the principles of nutrition should be like mastering the principles of training – simple. Master the basics and execute them consistently. Think about the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results will come from 20% of your knowledge. Taking what you already know and putting it into action consistently is the magic formula. Let's go over the most important nutrition principles you'll need to practice to get your body growing.
Principle #1: Eat Often – Every 2.5 to 3 Hours
Don't expect to pack on quality mass – muscle without body fat – on three square meals a day. This would lead to massive quantities of both protein and carbs at each meal. Your body can only store so many calories per meal, so guess what this results in? Bloating, poor digestion and unwanted body fat.
Your first meal should be consumed within 15-30 minutes of waking up and consumed every 2.5 to 3 hours. Set your stopwatch to beep until you get something in your body. Don't view these meals as burdensome but as opportunities to fuel and grow your muscles. Look at them as growth surges. Think of the next meal as a fuller chest, broader shoulders, bigger arms and rock-hard abs!
If you miss a meal, visualize a sea of piranhas eating up your muscle tissue like it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. Those deadly piranhas are eating up your CURRENT muscle that you are not even satisfied with. They are actually making your muscles smaller.
No, you will not lose an inch on your arms if you miss one meal, but once you start averaging 3-4 instead of 6-8 meals a day, don’t be upset when people look surprised when you tell them you work out with weights regularly!
How many meals should you be eating? That’s easy - just divide the time you’re awake by 2 or 3. I would suggest mastering eating every 3 hours before you consider every 2 hours. So if you’re awake 18 hours a day, eat 6 meals.
What if one of those meals falls right before bedtime? Then eat up! Take the opportunity to eat. If we went to the extreme we would eat every 3 hours throughout the night as well. No matter what you have heard on this (never eat after 7 P.M. garbage) ignore it. Trust me!
Also, don’t view these feeding opportunities as ‘snacks.’ This is a wimpy word mentality that should not be in your vocabulary if you are trying to build muscle. Every 3 hours you should be eating decent size meals that will make your body better.
Principle #2: Eat A Variety Of Foods
It is easy to get into a robotic state of nutrition where we eat the exact same foods every day, ingesting the same breakfast, lunch and dinner and the only time we eat differently is when we go out for dinner or someone else cooks for us. It is easier to choose convenience over variety.
Just like our training that we rotate around to prevent boredom, you should rotate your food selection. Normally, you will eat whatever is in your house, so the best strategy to eating a healthy variety is to shop for different foods each week. This will help balance out your diet and help you measure the response a variety of foods. Don’t go for the boring and easy route.
Principle #3: Eat Enough Calories
Building muscle is an eating game because your muscles grow on calories. Not eating enough calories is like an attempt to buy a $50,000 car with only $25,000 in the bank. It's not going to happen. If you are not gaining at least 1-2 pounds per week, then add some extra carbohydrates and proteins to your breakfast, pre-workout meal or post-workout meal.
THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS STEP. Even if you have the perfect training routine, you will never grow unless you provide your body with the proper amount of nutrients. It’s like saying you want to build a house but you do not have enough bricks, cement and wood. It will be impossible to build that house. It’s like saying you want to race a car as fast as possible but you don’t have any gasoline or oil. It’s downright impossible.
If you wish to ensure that your muscles have enough fuel to support your workouts, lift heavy weights for high reps, recover from workout to workout and, let’s not forget, GROW NEW MUSCLE, then you have to keep track of what you are eating every day. There is no way around it. This is the number one reason why skinny guys never gain weight or why anybody for that matter will not make quality gains that they so desperately strive for.
Keeping track of what you eat is a lot easier than it sounds – it’s probably why most people avoid it, because they perceive it to be difficult.
Sure, you’re going to have to take some extra time to read containers and labels, but if this method will promise another 20 pounds in a few months from now, is it not worth it? And the good news is that your brain will create a new file to store all your new nutrient calculations, and since you are eating from the majority of the same foods, your ‘memory food bank’ will expand quickly.
Principle #4: Eat 40-60 Grams Of Protein Per Meal
Building muscle is not on your body’s 'to do' list – simple survival is. Not getting enough protein for your internal organs results in your body robbing it from your muscle tissue. Your body cannibalizes itself for the amino acids it needs! This is the polar opposite of what skinny guys want.
Proteins should make up at least 35% of your overall caloric intake. This translates to 40-60 grams of protein per meal for males less then 200 lbs and will be enough to maintain your appetite, increase your muscle mass, accelerate recovery and keep body fat levels low. Hit this level and you’re doing well.
It is better to get your protein from whole, complete, and lean protein. Remember that protein is a costly food and burns twice as much energy as carbs and three times as much energy as fat. You need protein to maximally turbo-charge your metabolism, improve your muscle mass and accelerate recovery.
Aim for lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Aim for fish such as salmon, tuna, orange roughy, etc. Aim for Omega 3 eggs and pasteurized egg whites. Aim for dairy from cottage cheese, yogurt and partly skimmed cheeses. And if you have to resort to supplement shakes, go for whey, casein or milk protein blends.
Principle #5: Eat 60-80 Grams Of Carbohydrate per Meal
Not getting enough carbohydrates will make you feel like you’re carrying a bear on your back throughout your workouts. Your body’s gas tank is comprised of carbohydrates. No carbs and don't expect to get that car too far.
A lack of carbs in your diet can slow the muscle-building process because your muscle tissue can be used as energy if your body’s preferred source of energy, carbs, are not available.
It is best to get your carbohydrates from a variety of high-fiber, complex and low-glycemic carbohydrates as opposed to simple carbs (sugars) found in fast food, fried food, processed food and junk food. Complex carbs release a slower and longer lasting energy that is critical for your intense training workouts. Complex carbs will rarely get converted to fat unless you are clearly eating too many of them. If you are gaining more fat around your midsection as opposed to muscle, then you know you should cut back on your complex carbs or add a few cardio workouts.
Aim for high-complex, muscle-building carbs such as bran, barley, buckwheat, beans, brown rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes and whole grains.
Principle #6: Eat 20-30 Grams Of Fat Per Meal
About 30% of your diet should consist of fat - this number should remain pretty consistent for everyone. And as a skinny guy or anybody who wants to maximize muscle growth, then eating 30% of your intake from fat is critical for boosting testosterone levels. However, the key is to balance out your intake between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. If you achieve 1/3 in each of these, then you will optimize your health and muscle gains. This is not as complicated as it looks.
Since North Americans are harshly deficient in mono (olive oil) and poly fats (from fish oils) and get enough of saturated fats as it is, your job is to simply include more olive oil and fish oil into your diet. This is something that can be recommended for every man and women and has no potential side effects. Again, don’t worry; the meal plans included have got you covered.
The only fats you MUST avoid at all costs - for so many reasons - are trans fats.
Trans fatty acids, also known as trans fat, is an artery-clogging fat that is formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. It is found in many other foods besides margarine and shortening, including fried foods like French fries and fried chicken, doughnuts, cookies, pastries and crackers. In the United States, typical French fries have about 40 percent trans fatty acids and many popular cookies and crackers range from 30 percent to 50 percent trans fatty acids. Doughnuts have about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fatty acids.
To determine the amount of trans fat in a food you must know what to look for on the food labels. Whenever you see shortening, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil higher up on the list of the ingredients, the more trans fat.
Principle #7: Eat Vegetables With Every Meal
How are vegetables supposed to promote muscle gain? Your mom was right when she told you to eat up all your vegetables if you wanted to grow big and strong. Finally, the ‘muscle-nerds’ are catching up. Not only are vegetables loaded with vitamins and minerals but they also contain important plant chemicals called phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning.
The most neglected benefit of eating vegetables is their role in recovery. Sure, you need calories to grow, but you also need these veggies for their high antioxidant profile that will help reduce the amount of free radicals from heavy training, and they will accelerate recovery by healing damaged muscle cells.
Most people are unaware that proteins and grains create high levels of acid loads to the blood, and if this is not balanced out with alkaline rich vegetables and fruits, then too much acid can result in a loss of bone strength and muscle mass. So it is important to keep these acid levels balanced by ingesting vegetables (and fruits) for their alkalinity to the blood.
The best way to get your vegetables is to cut them all up at the start of the week. This will make life easier and make them more accessible. Aim for at least 2 servings, which is the equivalent of 1-2 cups per meal. Yes, every 2-3 hours you must be eating veggies.
Principle #8: Eat Your Biggest Meal At Breakfast, Pre-Workout and Post-Workout
No matter what anyone says, I believe this is the safest and most effective way to maximize your muscle:fat gain ratio when bulking. In this article we will not discuss the topic of nutrient timing.
Shortly we will discuss the benefits of packing the bulk of your calories around the most catabolic and anabolic times of the day so you will have sufficient energy to train hard and heavy without any risk of muscle breakdown, not to mention enough calories to support muscle growth. How much food you eat at a particular time of the day should be based on the NEEDS OF YOUR BODY AT THAT CURRENT MOMENT.
Principle #9: Plan Ahead
This principle could easily be number one because oftentimes it is not a shortage of information that creates a roadblock but our lack of CONSISTENCY and CREATIVITY. I bet if you did not change anything about what you are currently eating but ensured food was there when it was time to eat, you would experience a growth surge.
I strongly agree with the famous cliché that states, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail.’ It is so true. You must have a plan that will ensure you have the food prepared and cooked in the right selection and amounts every time you eat. This might require you to spend a few hours on Sunday evening cooking and storing all your food in Tupperware containers. This might mean waking up half an hour early so that you can cook all your meals for the day. This might require you to carry a lunch bag wherever you go. This might mean packing a few shaker bottles if you know you will be on the road most of the day. Bottom line - be prepared.
Principle #10: Eat Whole Foods 60% Of The Time and Liquid Meals 40% Of The Time
I often have my clients use as few supplements as possible for the first few months of training. You will be amazed at the results achieved by simply putting all your efforts into following your meal plan, proper training and sleep. It’s a very eye-opening experience when they see almost immediate changes in body composition, health and energy levels.
Your food intake should come from high quality food at least 60 % of the time, which means you are eating at least 4 of the 6 meals.
This will ensure more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that supplements and pills lack. Whole food is loaded with digestive enzymes as well that help the absorption of food instead of eating too much ‘ground up’ food in the form of powder. Power shakes will make your life much easier and will remove some of the inconveniences of having to cook and prepare food all day. Aim to use these at least 2 out of your 4 real meals a day and never more than three power shakes unless your life is extremely hectic and unmanageable.
Conclusion
Dedicate the next 12 weeks to putting these muscle building nutrition principles into action. Building muscle is really quite simple and exciting because you get to indulge in large quantities of food, try new recipes and become a master chef since you'll be spending more time in the kitchen. Taking these principles and applying them consistently over time and making them a part of your lifestyle is the secret. Be sure to visit Vince Del Monte Fitness for more answers
Monday, July 26, 2010
Grow Your Biceps to the Size You Want Them
The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.” The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of bicep! Bulging biceps - every guy wants them. Count me in this group.
The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an 'obsessive addiction' in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can 'see' a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look 'good.'
Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy 'obsessive addiction.' for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The 'guns' are of a man's most prized possession and one of many women's most desired body parts on a man (of course)!
My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21's which are 'promised' to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?
Let's examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.
Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better
If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don't you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don't you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.
Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply 'out do' your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.
I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps 'look' big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.
Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!
Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.
Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength
Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.
However, if you are always blasting and 'smoking' your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.
Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time
Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these 'simple' exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let's also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.
I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.
Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:
Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi's by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.
Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi's by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don't let them move.)
Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don't underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.
Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle
I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.
VIEW OR DOWNLOAD
4- Week Bicep Prioritization Program - CLICK HERE
Weight Training Program Notes:
* Notice the simplicity of the workout structure. This program will work extremely well for hardgainers. The overall volume might be a little low for someone used to a traditional bodybuilder split program and has more than four years of consistent training.
* The power of the program is found in the principle of prioritization by sequence on the first pull workout. Notice that your prioritization muscle is being sequenced at the start of the workout and the start of the week. This is happening on purpose. We are intentionally giving your biceps an opportunity to train at their two most “fresh” times – at the start of the week and at the start of the workout.
* Focusing on increasing overall strength can still be achieved on the second pullworkout where the biceps will not be pre-fatigued.
* Notice the slow speed movements. Many anabolic hormones are released when your muscles are under constant tension. The tempo's are set up so that will be forced to move the weight slower and with a greater amount of tension concentrically and eccentrically.
* On a pull day, 402 would mean: 4 seconds to release the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to pull the weight. On a push day, 402 would would mean 4 seconds to lower the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to push the weight up.
* Focus on adding 5-10 pounds to each of your exercises over the course of the next four weeks while keeping the rep ranges and sets the same. It is not necessary to do more sets or more reps. Focus on increasing more weight under the same set, rep, tempo and rest prescription.
The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an 'obsessive addiction' in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can 'see' a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look 'good.'
Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy 'obsessive addiction.' for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The 'guns' are of a man's most prized possession and one of many women's most desired body parts on a man (of course)!
My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21's which are 'promised' to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?
Let's examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.
Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better
If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don't you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don't you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.
Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply 'out do' your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.
I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps 'look' big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.
Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!
Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.
Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength
Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.
However, if you are always blasting and 'smoking' your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.
Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time
Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these 'simple' exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let's also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.
I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.
Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:
Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi's by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.
Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi's by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don't let them move.)
Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don't underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.
Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle
I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.
VIEW OR DOWNLOAD
4- Week Bicep Prioritization Program - CLICK HERE
Weight Training Program Notes:
* Notice the simplicity of the workout structure. This program will work extremely well for hardgainers. The overall volume might be a little low for someone used to a traditional bodybuilder split program and has more than four years of consistent training.
* The power of the program is found in the principle of prioritization by sequence on the first pull workout. Notice that your prioritization muscle is being sequenced at the start of the workout and the start of the week. This is happening on purpose. We are intentionally giving your biceps an opportunity to train at their two most “fresh” times – at the start of the week and at the start of the workout.
* Focusing on increasing overall strength can still be achieved on the second pullworkout where the biceps will not be pre-fatigued.
* Notice the slow speed movements. Many anabolic hormones are released when your muscles are under constant tension. The tempo's are set up so that will be forced to move the weight slower and with a greater amount of tension concentrically and eccentrically.
* On a pull day, 402 would mean: 4 seconds to release the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to pull the weight. On a push day, 402 would would mean 4 seconds to lower the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to push the weight up.
* Focus on adding 5-10 pounds to each of your exercises over the course of the next four weeks while keeping the rep ranges and sets the same. It is not necessary to do more sets or more reps. Focus on increasing more weight under the same set, rep, tempo and rest prescription.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Five Rules For Weight Training, and One Bonus
You wake up in the morning and look in the mirror. Would you say you are pleased with your appearance? If you're not, don't worry, you aren't alone. You just need to start following the right weight training program. Click on this site to get started today.
There are many people who simply have trouble packing on lean muscle mass. Whether their hormonal environment isn't quite as favorable or genetics was just out to get them at birth, one thing is for sure, they need to follow a slightly different weight training plan than those who seem to grow muscle easier.
Luckily for you, you're taking the time to do your research about weight training so you won't be destined to a life where it seems like a strong wind might knock you over.
First, one of the key factors that you need to remember is that you must avoid volume work at all costs.
Rule #1:
Your new weight lifting routine is simple. Get in the gym and get out! That should be your motto from this day forward. Repeat it. Breathe it. Live it. Weight lifting is a calorie expensive activity and you need all the calories you can get at this point. If you are burning it up in the gym every single day, how do you expect to grow? You won't. Don't forget that these calories need to be replenished.
You grow when you are resting and a general rule of thumb is, the skinnier you are, the more rest you are going to need.
Now, that doesn't mean you should park it on the couch for a few days in between your workouts. It simply means that each weight lifting should not consist of set after set after set. Followed by a rest break to talk to that hot receptionist and then back to another twenty sets.
No, you're weight lifting program needs to consist of ten-twelve or fewer sets where you are pushing yourself to the MAX. There is no room for sissy, light-weight work in your weight lifting program.
Which brings us to Rule #2:
Ditch the isolated exercises. Who needs them? You certainly don't.
If your workouts normally include bicep curls, followed by tricep kickbacks, followed by leg extensions, followed by chest flys, followed by (you get the picture). You've got to change this pronto! Remember, you've only got so much time you are allowed to be in the gym for. Don't you want to get the biggest bang for your buck? Likely you do, so that means focusing on compound lifts only. This includes weight lifting exercises like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, rows and military presses.
Become friends with those exercises and you will have new muscles in the picture soon enough. Toss the five day split program, get yourself on a good upper/lower or full body workout program and you have found the key to unleashing new muscle mass.
Now onto the next significant point. Cardio.
Rule # 3:
I know you want to be big, but you don’t want to be fat. Let's not worry about feeling fat at this point.
Gaining fat weight is going to be more a concept of diet than anything else so as long as you are being smart in the kitchen, you don't need to perform hours of cardio to remain lean. Cardio is just going to further burn off precious calories that could have gone towards building you new muscle mass. For you, calories are a hot commodity and should not be spent on the treadmill.
If you want to keep up some cardio for general health sake, that's awesome, but limit this to two or three twenty minute sessions per week - TOPS. And make it low to moderate intensity as well. The only place you are to be intense is in the weight room.
This leads to rule #4:
REST! You've put in your effort at the gym, fed your body with nutritious food and now what? Plans to go out partying all night with your buddies? You might want to rethink that. While you definitely want to continue to have a social life while trying to gain weight - and you should - it should not come down to sleep deprivation.
Sleep is prime time when it comes to your body repairing itself and growing stronger. When you short-circuit your sleep patterns, you are short-circuiting your results. Just don't do it. It's that simple.
Get ready for rule #5:
Technique. Ever seen that guy in the gym who is hoisting so much weight on his barbell for barbell curls that it looks like he's got more momentum going on than the Gravitron at the fair? He's using unnecessary leverage from the wrong parts of his body. This is pretty much working every muscle in his body except his biceps. This is not beneficial at all. Not only that, but give him two weeks and a hundred bucks says he's suffering from back pain.
You must maintain proper form throughout your weight lifting exercises, not only to prevent injuries but also to see the muscular gains you are looking for. If you cheat form, you are only cheating yourself. If you don't know what proper form is yet, book a session with a trainer or find yourself a spotter who can help you.
And now, bonus rule #6:
Find a mentor. You want someone who's been there, done that. They used to not know anything about weight training just like you and they've managed to overcome this and dominate the weight room. This guy will do wonders for people who want to learn about weight training for beginners. Don't feel like lifting? Have a good look at his body. You'll want to pick that weight up after all. Furthermore, he can let you in on some of his weight training tips that just might be key for you as well.
If you don't know how to find someone like this, check out this weight training program today. This will definitely help you.
So to sum up your new approach to your weight lifting routines - get in, train hard and with proper technique, get out, eat and rest. Repeat this process over a few months without getting distracted or becoming too much of a party animal and you will make this the year you change your dreaded skinny image.
There are many people who simply have trouble packing on lean muscle mass. Whether their hormonal environment isn't quite as favorable or genetics was just out to get them at birth, one thing is for sure, they need to follow a slightly different weight training plan than those who seem to grow muscle easier.
Luckily for you, you're taking the time to do your research about weight training so you won't be destined to a life where it seems like a strong wind might knock you over.
First, one of the key factors that you need to remember is that you must avoid volume work at all costs.
Rule #1:
Your new weight lifting routine is simple. Get in the gym and get out! That should be your motto from this day forward. Repeat it. Breathe it. Live it. Weight lifting is a calorie expensive activity and you need all the calories you can get at this point. If you are burning it up in the gym every single day, how do you expect to grow? You won't. Don't forget that these calories need to be replenished.
You grow when you are resting and a general rule of thumb is, the skinnier you are, the more rest you are going to need.
Now, that doesn't mean you should park it on the couch for a few days in between your workouts. It simply means that each weight lifting should not consist of set after set after set. Followed by a rest break to talk to that hot receptionist and then back to another twenty sets.
No, you're weight lifting program needs to consist of ten-twelve or fewer sets where you are pushing yourself to the MAX. There is no room for sissy, light-weight work in your weight lifting program.
Which brings us to Rule #2:
Ditch the isolated exercises. Who needs them? You certainly don't.
If your workouts normally include bicep curls, followed by tricep kickbacks, followed by leg extensions, followed by chest flys, followed by (you get the picture). You've got to change this pronto! Remember, you've only got so much time you are allowed to be in the gym for. Don't you want to get the biggest bang for your buck? Likely you do, so that means focusing on compound lifts only. This includes weight lifting exercises like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, rows and military presses.
Become friends with those exercises and you will have new muscles in the picture soon enough. Toss the five day split program, get yourself on a good upper/lower or full body workout program and you have found the key to unleashing new muscle mass.
Now onto the next significant point. Cardio.
Rule # 3:
I know you want to be big, but you don’t want to be fat. Let's not worry about feeling fat at this point.
Gaining fat weight is going to be more a concept of diet than anything else so as long as you are being smart in the kitchen, you don't need to perform hours of cardio to remain lean. Cardio is just going to further burn off precious calories that could have gone towards building you new muscle mass. For you, calories are a hot commodity and should not be spent on the treadmill.
If you want to keep up some cardio for general health sake, that's awesome, but limit this to two or three twenty minute sessions per week - TOPS. And make it low to moderate intensity as well. The only place you are to be intense is in the weight room.
This leads to rule #4:
REST! You've put in your effort at the gym, fed your body with nutritious food and now what? Plans to go out partying all night with your buddies? You might want to rethink that. While you definitely want to continue to have a social life while trying to gain weight - and you should - it should not come down to sleep deprivation.
Sleep is prime time when it comes to your body repairing itself and growing stronger. When you short-circuit your sleep patterns, you are short-circuiting your results. Just don't do it. It's that simple.
Get ready for rule #5:
Technique. Ever seen that guy in the gym who is hoisting so much weight on his barbell for barbell curls that it looks like he's got more momentum going on than the Gravitron at the fair? He's using unnecessary leverage from the wrong parts of his body. This is pretty much working every muscle in his body except his biceps. This is not beneficial at all. Not only that, but give him two weeks and a hundred bucks says he's suffering from back pain.
You must maintain proper form throughout your weight lifting exercises, not only to prevent injuries but also to see the muscular gains you are looking for. If you cheat form, you are only cheating yourself. If you don't know what proper form is yet, book a session with a trainer or find yourself a spotter who can help you.
And now, bonus rule #6:
Find a mentor. You want someone who's been there, done that. They used to not know anything about weight training just like you and they've managed to overcome this and dominate the weight room. This guy will do wonders for people who want to learn about weight training for beginners. Don't feel like lifting? Have a good look at his body. You'll want to pick that weight up after all. Furthermore, he can let you in on some of his weight training tips that just might be key for you as well.
If you don't know how to find someone like this, check out this weight training program today. This will definitely help you.
So to sum up your new approach to your weight lifting routines - get in, train hard and with proper technique, get out, eat and rest. Repeat this process over a few months without getting distracted or becoming too much of a party animal and you will make this the year you change your dreaded skinny image.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Some Clarity About How Weight Lifting Helps Your Health
While some individuals are strictly interested in obtaining muscle for aesthetics, for most people, this isn’t an interest. Instead, you’re more interested in knowing what health benefits weight lifting will have for you… here is one place to find out.
Far too many people overlook the many health and fitness benefits that weight training has to offer, and because of this, experience problems down the road with their body such as decreased bone density, a slowed metabolic rate, increased stress levels and other negative consequences that are associated with constant stress.
Increased Bone Density
Weight lifting, being one of the best weight bearing exercises you can do, will increase your bone density and help ward off osteoporosis or stress fractures in the future.
Many people think running is the best exercise for increasing bone density, but this isn’t necessarily true. If the truth is told, running actually promotes muscle breakdown in the body, while weight lifting, being an anabolic process, helps to promote the building of tissues.
Therefore, weight lifting is going to be much better at preserving your bone mass, not to mention it’s far less impact than going for an hour run.
Decreased Frequency of Injuries
When you strength train, not only are your muscles going to get stronger, but you’ll also work the ligaments and tendons that are connecting bones, muscles, and other tissues, thus reducing the chance they become injured when participating in other physical activities.
If you’ve ever been injured, you know just how frustrating this can be. In about 80% of all injury cases, the injury is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not being strong enough when a stressful force is applied.
Since weight training will really hit all those deep tendons and ligaments, it’s the best injury prevention out there.
Reduction of Health Related Risks
Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular weight training can have a positive effect on health by showing reductions in the rate of insulin resistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
If you couple a solid weight training program then with a well-thought out diet, you’ll be putting your best foot forward at warding off these chronic problems
Prevention of Fat Gain
The more you weight lift, the higher your metabolism will be, thus the more food you can eat while maintaining your weight. If that isn’t good news for your future and the fight against body fat, I’m not sure what is.
Now, with all of this said, one big problem many people run into is the thinking pattern that using a muscle building program will make you big and bulky.
This is most certainly not the case.
Let’s look at an analogy to gain an understanding of this.
Pretend you have two teams and each are going to try and build a house using the exact same building technique.
One team is given 10,000 bricks to construct this house, and the second team is given only 1,000 bricks.
Who’s going to build the bigger house?
The choice should be obvious – team one since they have more bricks to build it with.
Now, think of those bricks as being the calories you put into your body. Unless you’re supplying enough calories, you aren’t going to build really big muscles. This is precisely what makes bodybuilders look like bodybuilders.
It’s not just about the way they train, but more about the way they eat (if you’ve ever had a teenage son in the growing process in your house, you likely know just how much food must be consumed when growing at rapid rates).
Whether it’s growing in height during puberty or trying to build bigger muscles later on, calories must be supplied for this growth process to take place.
You can’t build a house out of nothing. Likewise, you can workout all you want, but if those building blocks – in the form of amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fats are not there, you aren’t going to see too much muscle growth.
So, don’t get caught thinking that just because you add weight lifting to your workouts, you’re going to develop large bulky muscles. If you control your diet, this simply will not happen.
So, hopefully it is clear now that just because you’re weight lifting, it does not mean you will end up with bulky muscles as a result. Many people make this incorrect assumption – but it really is the diet that makes all the difference in how this weight lifting will shape your body.
When you make the decision to work with me using my 6-Pack Ab Quest program, I’ll take you through the weight lifting and ab techniques that will provide maximum results with minimal effort on your part (why spend more time in the gym than you have to?), as well as provide you with meal plans that are custom designed to ensure you get the best results from your training without the muscle bulk – in fact, the plans are formulated to help you shed the fat so you look leaner and more defined.
For more help with weight lifting techniques check out this helpful resource today.
Not choosing to include weight training as part of your current workout program is without-a-doubt the biggest mistake you could make as far as your long-term health and fitness level is concerned. Don’t let this exercise pass you by any longer.
Far too many people overlook the many health and fitness benefits that weight training has to offer, and because of this, experience problems down the road with their body such as decreased bone density, a slowed metabolic rate, increased stress levels and other negative consequences that are associated with constant stress.
Increased Bone Density
Weight lifting, being one of the best weight bearing exercises you can do, will increase your bone density and help ward off osteoporosis or stress fractures in the future.
Many people think running is the best exercise for increasing bone density, but this isn’t necessarily true. If the truth is told, running actually promotes muscle breakdown in the body, while weight lifting, being an anabolic process, helps to promote the building of tissues.
Therefore, weight lifting is going to be much better at preserving your bone mass, not to mention it’s far less impact than going for an hour run.
Decreased Frequency of Injuries
When you strength train, not only are your muscles going to get stronger, but you’ll also work the ligaments and tendons that are connecting bones, muscles, and other tissues, thus reducing the chance they become injured when participating in other physical activities.
If you’ve ever been injured, you know just how frustrating this can be. In about 80% of all injury cases, the injury is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not being strong enough when a stressful force is applied.
Since weight training will really hit all those deep tendons and ligaments, it’s the best injury prevention out there.
Reduction of Health Related Risks
Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular weight training can have a positive effect on health by showing reductions in the rate of insulin resistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
If you couple a solid weight training program then with a well-thought out diet, you’ll be putting your best foot forward at warding off these chronic problems
Prevention of Fat Gain
The more you weight lift, the higher your metabolism will be, thus the more food you can eat while maintaining your weight. If that isn’t good news for your future and the fight against body fat, I’m not sure what is.
Now, with all of this said, one big problem many people run into is the thinking pattern that using a muscle building program will make you big and bulky.
This is most certainly not the case.
Let’s look at an analogy to gain an understanding of this.
Pretend you have two teams and each are going to try and build a house using the exact same building technique.
One team is given 10,000 bricks to construct this house, and the second team is given only 1,000 bricks.
Who’s going to build the bigger house?
The choice should be obvious – team one since they have more bricks to build it with.
Now, think of those bricks as being the calories you put into your body. Unless you’re supplying enough calories, you aren’t going to build really big muscles. This is precisely what makes bodybuilders look like bodybuilders.
It’s not just about the way they train, but more about the way they eat (if you’ve ever had a teenage son in the growing process in your house, you likely know just how much food must be consumed when growing at rapid rates).
Whether it’s growing in height during puberty or trying to build bigger muscles later on, calories must be supplied for this growth process to take place.
You can’t build a house out of nothing. Likewise, you can workout all you want, but if those building blocks – in the form of amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fats are not there, you aren’t going to see too much muscle growth.
So, don’t get caught thinking that just because you add weight lifting to your workouts, you’re going to develop large bulky muscles. If you control your diet, this simply will not happen.
So, hopefully it is clear now that just because you’re weight lifting, it does not mean you will end up with bulky muscles as a result. Many people make this incorrect assumption – but it really is the diet that makes all the difference in how this weight lifting will shape your body.
When you make the decision to work with me using my 6-Pack Ab Quest program, I’ll take you through the weight lifting and ab techniques that will provide maximum results with minimal effort on your part (why spend more time in the gym than you have to?), as well as provide you with meal plans that are custom designed to ensure you get the best results from your training without the muscle bulk – in fact, the plans are formulated to help you shed the fat so you look leaner and more defined.
For more help with weight lifting techniques check out this helpful resource today.
Not choosing to include weight training as part of your current workout program is without-a-doubt the biggest mistake you could make as far as your long-term health and fitness level is concerned. Don’t let this exercise pass you by any longer.
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