Build Muscle Fast 3 Big Steps For Muscle Mass Explosion

Build Muscle Fast - 3 Big Steps For Muscle Mass Explosion
By Eric Schneider

In my 20 years of performing Bodybuilding and Powerlifting routines. I have found that exercise is only a small fraction of the muscle mass equation. In order for you to keep your body in a state of muscle growth, these steps I will outline below must all work together to produce the results you want.

Step (1)

You must eat every 2.5 to 3 hours (this might mean 6-7 small meals per day)

Wake up 15 minutes early every day to eat breakfast (meal 1). This is the most important meal of the day. Your body has just spent hopefully 8-9 hours in a fasting state all night long. So you must feed your machine.

Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and more depending on how active you are. You must also have a healthy carbohydrate range between 1.5 and 2.5 grams per pound of bodyweight for muscle growth. Carbohydrates are meant to fuel our bodies not protein or fat. The best range I have found for healthy fats is 0.4 or 10 grams per meal.

This would mean if you were 180 pounds six meals would be divided like this: 45 grams of carbohydrates 30 grams of protein and 10 grams of fats split into six meals every 3 hrs. These numbers will increase or decrease depending on your activity level. Only you know your body and how it will react.

Step (2)

Sleep, Sleep and more Sleep.

If you are expecting to get the most out of your training routines in the gym, but only giving yourself 5-6 hours of sleep per night then you might not reach your full potential. Sleep is a key factor in the muscle building process.

This is when are bodies repair the damage and recover from muscle tearing we have done that day. A good example of this muscle tearing process would be weight training. Without 8-9 hrs. each night or 7-8 hrs and a small mid-day nap your muscle gains might suffer.

Step (3)

Mind Muscle Connection with Controlled Intensity

Next time you go to your local gym or fitness center try this little experiment. Watch some of the people train. Are they pushing or pulling the weights with a rhythm? Does it look like they are thinking about lifting the weight or is the weight controlling them? and YES there is a difference.

Now stop and look around again. This time for the people who look like there in a really good shape. I mean extreme condition. I bet there is a look of determination and concentration in every single rep they do. They are not just simply moving the weight. They are controlling the weight.

This is called Mind Muscle Connection. Without this you are just spinning your wheels. You can easily develop Mind Muscle Connection without weights. I want you to Flex your biceps muscle. Do it very slow and controlled feeling the muscle work through a full range of motion while concentrating on contracting your bicep at the top. That is Mind Muscle Connection.

Now it's time to put these tools in place and get you to the next level in your training.

Eric Schneider is a C.P.T Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Program Specialist. You can contact him for performance program information at http://www.Expect2getFit.com/Comming soon http://www.myperformanceprogram.com for specialized performance programs to give you that all important edge in your diet and training.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=EricSchneider
http://EzineArticles.com/?Build-Muscle-Fast---3-Big-Steps-For-Muscle-Mass-Explosion&id=171431

Canine Myotherapy Common Dog Illnesses and the Benefits of Canine Muscle Therapy

Canine Myotherapy, Common Dog Illnesses and the Benefits of Canine Muscle Therapy
By Jeff Zitzkat

It's a known fact that most dogs take on the personality of their owners. Just as our dogs learn by our body language and actions, we can also learn from theirs. Ever notice how your dog seems to know when you're sick?

As our dogs age, certain ailments, health problems, and dog illnesses may manifest. A change in gait, activity, energy, or appetite, are all signs of potential underlying health issues. Maybe you noticed she just seems stiff lately, has a harder time with stairs, or takes longer to get up from bed.

Although orthopediec problems are often the cause of such symptoms, muscular dysfunction may also be the culprit. In any case, myotherapy can be helpful to prevent and resolve the pain associated with a variety of dog illnesses and other health issues.

Initially, a certified Myotherapist will apply gentle pressure along your dog's muscle edges, finding and releasing trigger points, or knots as they are also known. These knots can be very painful to your dog, limit muscle range of motion, and cause her to adjust her gait or body positions to compensate for the pain. If left untreated, these compensations in posture made by your dog can lead to other painful problems.

By releasing these trigger points, and stretching each muscle group through their full range of motion, the Myotherapist stimulates endorphins and improves blood flow to the area. While the endorphins act as a natural pain killer, the increased blood flow helps to flush the muscles of lactic acid. The end result is a dog in less pain with increased flexibility who of course, is much happier.

Canine myotherapy is often used for issues such as poor gait, stiffness, lameness, lethargy, roached back, poor flexibility, limping, arthritis, cow hocks, Lyme disease stiffness, as well as many other similar canine ailments.

The number of sessions and length of treatment will vary for each individual dog and is based on the severity of its condition. Your Myotherapist will make an analysis during your initial visit. Once treatment begins, you may notice an increase in the need for water, increased sleep, and increased stretching. These reactions should resolve shortly and are a result of your dog's body recovering and healing.

Most likely you will be sent home with an exercise program to implement at regular intervals. This assures that the level of muscular health achieved by the canine myotherapy sessions is maintained.

If your dog shows symptoms of muscular dysfunction, or other health issues, consider a visit to a Canine Myotherapist. You will be rewarded with a more energetic, alert, and agile companion.

Jeff Zitzkat, Copyright
Founder & Editor
all-about-great-danes.com

For additional information on dog illnesses affecting large breed dogs, including those that may be treated with Canine Myotherapy, visit all-about-great-danes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=JeffZitzkat
http://EzineArticles.com/?Canine-Myotherapy,-Common-Dog-Illnesses-and-the-Benefits-of-Canine-Muscle-Therapy&id=117898

Muscletech Gakic Review

Muscletech Gakic Review
By Mike Berg

A funny sounding bodybuilding supplement has recently been introduced by Muscletech. Gakic, also known as glycine-l-arginine-alpha-ketoisocaproic acid has been in development for about 8 years by Muscletech.

What Does Gakic Do?

GAKIC is a pre-workout supplement that is designed to help your body remove toxins that are released when you fatigue your muscles. Research has shown that two of these toxins, ammonia and lactic acid, can be reduced by taking Gakic prior to working out. The theory is that when you reduce these fatigue toxins, you will allow yourself to lift more weight and for longer periods before you actually fatigue the muscle. Clearly, if you can lift more weight, your muscles will grow bigger, faster.

The interesting part about the Muscletech research on Gakic is that there is a lot of data to support their claims (something you don't get much in the bodybuilding supplement industry) that have been published in some pretty decent publications.

How To Take Gakic

Gakic works pretty quickly. You can get it in powder or pill formula and you take it about 30 minutes before you workout. It is intended to get into your blood system within 15 minutes and while it is mostly used as a bodybuilding supplement, a lot of new users are athletes such as football, hockey and basketball players because it remains active in your system for several hours. Muscletech recommends that it only be used on days that you train and that you only take one scoop every 24 hours. Since there are 16 servings in a container, if you train every 4 days, it should last you about a month. The pill version will last the same time. Overall it's not a bad deal since it lasts a month.

Is Gakic Hormonal?

No. Gakic has no hormonal elements to it. It is merely meant to help your body reduce the toxins that are released by physical exertion.

Who Should Not Take Gakic?

As with most supplements, unless told otherwise by a doctor, anyone under 18, any pregnant or nursing women should not take Gakic. Also, if you have high blood pressure or diabetes you should not try it.

Gakic is showing a lot of promise mostly based on the research behind it and also from anecdotal evidence by users. Considering all the choices bodybuilders have, it might be a useful tool in their supplement budget.

Mike Berg has been involved in bodybuilding and fitness as an enthusiast and trainer for over 20 years.

Click here for more information on GakicVisit his website for bodybuilding and fitness articles and Bodybuilding Supplements at http://www.milleniumfitness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=MikeBerg
http://EzineArticles.com/?Muscletech-Gakic-Review&id=200116

Weight Lifting Exercises & Their Affect On Different Muscle Fibers

Weight Lifting Exercises & Their Affect On Different Muscle Fibers
By Patrick Mckeeman

Weight lifting exercises cause your muscles to generate heat and strength. Your muscles need to be strong, in order to help you move, breathe and so on.

This article on weight lifting exercises will look at the relationship between the exercises you use when weight lifting and your muscles.

Your actual muscle tissue is made up of 2 types of muscle fibers, actin, which are a slim fiber and myosin which are substantially thicker. Both of these fiber types help to give your muscles a striated look about them.

When performing any exercises used in weight lifting the muscle being exercised must be able to contract properly. To do this they need to become stimulated by motor neurons. These are simply nerves.

One motor neuron and the muscle fibers stimulated during exercises used during weight lifting activities are called a motor unit. These motor units or muscle fibers play a large part in the force your muscles can produce during a contraction.

The more motor units you can activate during your weight lifting exercises the stronger the contraction. Meaning you'll be able to lift a greater amount of weight for an increased number of repetitions.

Your muscle fibers are categorized as Type I, Type IIa and Type IIb muscle fibers. The more common term for muscle fibers are fast and slow twitch.

When performing high rep weight training exercises it's your slow twitch muscle fibers (Type I) that will be recruited to do the majority of the work. Your body uses this type of muscle fiber when endurance activities, aerobic activity or high rep sets are used.

Fast twitch muscle fibers (Type IIa and Type Iib) are used by your body during explosive contractions. It's these fibers that have the greatest potential for growth resulting from the weight lifting exercises you perform.

Your body will used fast twitch muscle fibers during high-intensity, short-duration exercises such as weight lifting exercises that use heavy weight for very low reps, or sprinting.

People who seem to be able to build muscle at will when performing almost any weight lifting exercises, usually will have an unusually large number of fast twitch muscle fibers in their body.

In the majority of people the muscle fiber make-up in each muscle group will be relatively equal in most muscle groups. Therefore you need to recruit both slow twitch and fast twitch fibers at some point in your exercise program.

One exception to the rule of equal types of muscle fibers is when it comes to your hamstrings. The hamstring muscles in the vast majority of people tend to be made up of mostly fast twitch muscle fibers.

For that reason, when performing weight exercises for your hamstrings, you should try to use heavier weights for a lower number of reps.

Now, when executing any weight training exercises your muscles will go through a few different actions. There are isometric, eccentric, concentric, and isotonic portions of most weight lifting exercises;

Isometric contractions can best be described as the same stress your muscle would go through when pushing against a wall.

The lifting portion of weight training exercises such as a dumbbell bicep curl is known as the concentric contraction. Lowering the dumbbell in a controlled fashion is the eccentric portion.

The more common terms for this part of weight training exercises are positive (concentric) and negative (eccentric).

The fourth type of contraction that can occur during weight exercises is the isotonic contraction. This can occur more commonly during plyometric training.

Patrick Mckeeman has very quick, easy & effective health & fitness solutions for you. For extensive information on weight lifting exercises please go to: http://www.man-health-fitness-solutions.com/weight-lifting-exercises.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=PatrickMckeeman
http://EzineArticles.com/?Weight-Lifting-Exercises-and-Their-Affect-On-Different-Muscle-Fibers&id=131296

Which Is Better For Building Muscle: Machines Or Free Weights?

Which Is Better For Building Muscle: Machines Or Free Weights?
By Shawn LeBrun

Want to know the Million Dollar question I get asked probably more than any other?

Which is better for building muscle: Machines or Free Weights?

Well, first of all, overloading the muscle with heavy weight -- whatever the type of equipment you use -- is what promotes muscle growth. Any exercise that limits overload is not a good choice.

However, in most cases, it's much more effective, and more efficient, to overload the muscle with dumbbells and barbells.

Most machines are very inefficient and not nearly as effective at muscle stimulation as free weight compound exercises. That's because they limit the amount of overload you can achieve. Less overload... less muscle fiber recruitment and less muscle growth as a result.

Sticking with basic free weight exercises enables you to handle maximum overload and use natural biomechanics as you perform the movements. Machines restrict your natural movements, again, making them less effective for building muscle.

Now, if I had to use a machine for resistance training, it'd probably be Hammer Strength machines. Hammer Strength is a company that recognizes that humans do not lift weights in a perfectly straight line. The range of motion of Hammer Strength equipment generally follows the natural arc of our own force curve.

And the thing is, you can probably lift more weight on Hammer Strength equipment than a free weight barbell. And it makes sense why. The machines help you out by balancing and stabilizing the majority of the weight for you. This makes it easier to lift more weight. But it's not an advantage. Muscle fiber recruitment will always be less than if a free weight were used.

Even though the absolute poundage is greater on a machine, the actual overload on the muscle is greater with free weights because you're responsible for balancing and stabilizing all the weight yourself. This, along with an increased range of motion, is why free weights are better for more muscle fiber recruitment and maximum stimulation.

Bottom line, good old-fashioned free weights are the number one selection for building muscle!

Shawn Lebrun is an online personal trainer and natural bodybuilder. If you're looking to pack on more muscle massand get a lean, tight physique, check out my Simple Steps To Get Huge And Shredded program.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=ShawnLeBrun
http://EzineArticles.com/?Which-Is-Better-For-Building-Muscle:-Machines-Or-Free-Weights?&id=100246

Muscles and Protein: How Much Do You Need?

Muscles and Protein: How Much Do You Need?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Many body builders and weight lifters are overly concerned about what they eat and what food supplements they take. If you want to grow larger and stronger muscles, you should concentrate on lifting weights, but you can help muscles grow larger by understanding how what you eat affects how you recover from hard exercise.

Just exercising will not make you strong and it will not help you to grow large muscles. If exercise made you strong, marathon runners would have the largest muscles. The only stimulus to make muscles larger and stronger is to stretch them while they contract. When you lift a heavy weight, your muscles start to stretch before they start to contract. This tears the muscle and causes soreness on the next day and beyond. If you rest and let the muscle heal, it will be stronger than before you stretched it lifting weights.

This training principle of stress-and-recover is so strong that you can enlarge a muscle by lifting weights even if you are fasting, losing weight and all your other muscles are getting smaller. In one study, obese, un-athletic women were instructed to restrict food and lift weights. They averaged a weight loss of more than 35 pounds in three months and gained a lot of muscle.

Training for sports is done by taking a hard workout and then having sore muscles on the next day. Then you take easy workouts or you take off until the muscle soreness disappears. You improve by taking hard workouts and your muscles grow and heal while you recover on your easy days. Of course, if you could recover faster from a hard workout, you could do more work and be a better athlete. Scientists have known for years that you recover faster by eating carbohydrates immediately after you finish your hard workout. Other studies show that eating extra protein on the day that you take hard workouts helps you recover even faster. Eating extra protein reduces muscle damage during hard exercise. Eating carbohydrates along with a protein building block called leucine helps you to recover even faster.

Chronic muscle fatigue in athletes is associated with low blood levels of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The sooner you eat protein after you finish your hard workout, the quicker you will recover. The benefits of eating protein soon after you lift weights does not apply just to elite athletes. A study from the University of Arkansas shows that eating meat helps older people grow large muscles when they also lift weights. Muscles are made primarily from protein building blocks called amino acids. Muscles heal from a hard workout when amino acids and other nutrients travel from your bloodstream into the muscles. Eating food, particularly protein, immediately after you finish your workout helps muscles heal faster. This study shows that men between the ages of 51 and 69 recover faster and grow larger muscles when they include meat than when they eat only dairy, fruits, vegetable, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts.

Most foods contain protein. Your stomach acids and enzymes in the stomach and intestines break down proteins into their building blocks, amino acids, which pass from the intestine into the bloodstream. If your body needs to build protein, your liver combines amino acids to form body proteins. Your body has no way to store extra protein. If you don't need all of the protein you have eaten, it is broken down into organic acids and ammonia, which can be used for energy or stored as fat.

For journal references on the studies mentioned in this article see http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/1181.html

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

Free weekly newsletter on fitness, health and nutrition

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=GabeMirkin,M.D.
http://EzineArticles.com/?Muscles-and-Protein:-How-Much-Do-You-Need?&id=111271

Learn the Best Way To Gain Muscle

Learn the Best Way To Gain Muscle
By Michael Perry

Some individuals have an extremely hard time gaining weight and muscle mass. Millions of frustrated people search endlessly for the best way to gain muscle and increase their body mass. Diet, exercise, and supplements are the most popular methods used to aid in gaining muscle and adding weight. Individuals looking for the best way to gain muscle will benefit greatly by following a sensible diet and weight training regimen designed to stimulate the body by consuming the proper foods and building muscle tissue.

You must increase your caloric intake significantly if you want to gain weight. A diet consisting of plenty of protein and fats will give your body no choice but to gain weight. The goal is to give your body enough calories to build muscle, but not so many to cause a large gain in body fat. The best way to gain muscle is to force your body to gain mass by increasing the amount of food you consume and promoting muscle growth by training with heavy weights.

Weight training is the quickest way to build muscle mass. Weight training stimulates growth while the increased caloric intake provides fuel for the body to use in building muscle tissue. If you fail to consume the proper foods while training with weights, you will lose muscle rather than build upon it. You will gain muscle mass more quickly if you use free-weight exercises and lifting heavy weights. Your body will respond to this by building muscle.

Your body can be forced to gain weight and muscle if you eat correctly and train properly. The best way to gain muscle is to give your body the fuel and the stimulation it requires to increase your muscle mass.

Michael is a former skinny guy who managed to pack on over 20 lbs of muscle. He attributes most of his success to the information about how to gain weight he learned from http://www.musclegaintips.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=MichaelPerry
http://EzineArticles.com/?Learn-the-Best-Way-To-Gain-Muscle&id=195782