Build Muscle

Build Muscle Fast 3 Big Steps For Muscle Mass Explosion

2009-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

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.

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

2009-01-11T05:14:00.001-08:00

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

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Muscletech Gakic Review

2008-12-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

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

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Weight Lifting Exercises & Their Affect On Different Muscle Fibers

2008-11-24T07:19:00.001-08:00

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

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

2008-11-23T08:01:00.001-08:00

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.

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Muscles and Protein: How Much Do You Need?

2008-11-22T20:13:00.001-08:00

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

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Learn the Best Way To Gain Muscle

2008-10-30T06:01:00.001-07:00

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

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How To Build Muscle and Lose Fat While Traveling

2008-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

How To Build Muscle and Lose Fat While Traveling
By Bob Giddy

As a bodybuilder travelling is one of the most testing times, as travelling and bodybuilding don't go hand in hand. As the majority of people have to travel at some point, whether it's for business or pleasure, even if you are in the minority of professional bodybuilders you'll still have to travel between competitions. Travelling can create some serious problems for bodybuilders as it can very difficult to travel and maintain your discipline and training while travelling. While it's difficult to continue training and sticking to your diet, with a bit of discipline you can keep pumped and lean all year round even if you are a regular traveller.

Go to the gym before

Whenever you are about to travel, get down the gym the day before or on in the morning before you leave. Ideally try and stay somewhere with a weight room, however more than likely if there is a weight room the opening hours will be varied and the equipment limited. If there isn't a weight room or the equipment is lacking there is no reason why you can not do plenty of cardio training, such as running. If you do a heavy weight session before you leave your body will have some time to recover while you travel, ideally try and schedule your travel so that they coincide with your normal rest days.

Pack your protein shakes and healthy snacks

One of the biggest challenges which bodybuilders have during travel is having the right nutrition and eating the right foods. Always aim to eat healthy and if you can stick to the foods you eat normally, don't let yourself be tempted into eating junk foods it's not worth it. If you are faced with a long flight make sure that you pack healthy snacks and protein shakes so that you your nutritional needs are met, as airplane food is not designed for bodybuilders, make up a packed meal if necessary. Remember always to take a bottle or two of water when you fly as it's easy to be come dehydrated on flights and paying for drinks can quickly become expensive.

Think strategically

Once you arrive in your destination, think strategically. Speak to your reception and find out where the nearest supermarket or grocery store is and buy in some good, nutritious healthy food, and then find out about your hotel's gym facilities or local what gyms there are locally if your hotel doesnt have one.

Don't overindulge

If you eat out don't over indulge, as you bodybuilder you should know what foods are good for you and which are bad, try to stick to your diet plan and if you do over indulge, put in some extra cardio work to burn it off. In conclusion if plan ahead, be disciplined and do everything you can to ensure that you stick to your training and diet plan, there is no reason why you cannot travel and maintain the body of your dreams.

Do you want to learn how to pack on massive muscle, melt away fat and get the body of your dreams? If so, get your hands on free bodybuilding training tips for beginner bodybuilders by clicking the following link: http://teenbodybuildingtips.info

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Which MuscleWhich Equipment

2008-10-15T06:53:00.001-07:00

Which Muscle-Which Equipment
By Scott Jameson

If you are a newbie to the gym, all the equipment may look confusing. Now I am sure over time, you can watch others use the equipment and get the hang of how to use it but not necessarily will you know when to use it. In other words which muscle group are benefiting.

You see, most workouts consist of focusing on one muscle at a time. Generally you should not do one exercise for chest, followed by an exercise for legs and then followed by an exercise for back. It just doesnt maximize the intensity of your workout. You should perform the entire workout on a given body part or muscle group before moving to the next.

Okay, so which exercises hit which muscle groups? I will detail that out below but keep in mind this is a shopping list that you choose. Also, this list is not all encompassing. I sure I could add a dozen more exercises but I will just list some of the basics. Also I will not list the machines for the specific muscle groups below. The machines are self defining. BUT you should add some of those machines to your routine.

Chest

Flat Bench Press-Barbell

Incline Bench Press-Barbell

Decline Bench Press-Barbell

Dumbbell flies with flat, incline or decline bench

Standing Cable Crossover Flies

Back

Wide Grip Pull Ups using body weight (hands forward)

Wide Grip Seated Cable Pull down

T bar rows

Bent over barbell rows

Seated Cable Row

One arm dumbbell rows

Shoulders

Seated Bench Barbell Presses

Seated Bench Dumbbell Presses

Side lateral flies-Dumbbells

Front Alternating flies- Dumbbells

Seated bent over (chest on legs) flies Dumbbells

Barbell Shrugs

Dumbbell Shrugs

For a more complete listing of muscle groups,exercises and pictures go to http://www.bodybuildingprogramzone.com/article195.htm

Scott Jameson is a bodybuilder and trainer for over 30 years. He has a passion for bodybuilding and helping other achieve this success. He regularly applies the techniques in this article. See more of his articles at http://www.bodybuildingprogramzone.com

If you want to more information on a Bodybuilding Program - Check out the Zone, the site with a passion for you to succeed.

This article may be reproduced on your website provided you acknowledge Scott Jameson as the author and must show link

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The Mommy Muscle Do Your Age In PushUps Plan

2008-10-13T16:58:00.001-07:00

The Mommy Muscle Do Your Age In Push-Ups Plan
By Curt Conrad

If you want to get in shape, do your age in push-ups. Why do your age in push-ups? Well, it's a good, tangible, precise goal to shoot for and it guarantees you'll always get better with age.

Most important, this goal reinforces a key fact of physical reality for moms with young children... Your children will keep getting heavier as they age, making the physical care of them harder and harder on YOUR body. Having a fitness goal like doing your age in push-ups will keep you ahead of the challenge.

Ok, hopefully you're on board with this so let's go for it.

If you've never done push-ups before, it's likely you may not be able to do even one full repetition. That's OK. Push-ups use stabilizing muscles in a way that's different from almost any other exercise. You need to condition these stabilizing muscles so you can move on to doing a full push-up. The best way to get you there is with a modification.

How to do a Modified Push-Up

A modified push-up gives your muscles a mechanical advantage until you get strong enough to push your full body weight. There are two primary ways to do this. Both are pictured at the begining of the post.

Modification One: On the ground you do push-ups from your knees instead of your toes.

Modification Two: Do a push-up leaning against a bench, wall or other elevation. The picture shows a StrollerFit class doing this modification from a ledge. (Click on the pic to really see the form)

Once you can do 15 back-to-back modified push-ups, you should be able to do one full push-up.

Full Push-Up Form:

Start in the modified form from the ground, but instead of pushing from your knees, raise them off the ground so only your hands and toes are touching the floor.

- Make sure your back is straight.

- Tighten your stomach

- Inhale and lower your body until your chest is just below your elbows (going lower than that can put unnecessary strain on your shoulders).

- Exhale as you push yourself back up and repeat.

- Get a good rythm. Don't go too fast or too slow.

- If you still are unsure of how to do a proper push-up, contact a good personal trainer or find someone who was in the military to demonstrate- they'll know for sure.

> Some people experience low back tightness as they do push-ups. If your back starts to hurt discontinue the exercise and try again in your next workout. Typically your low back muscles condition out of this as they get stronger stabalizing your torso during push-ups. Just don't push them too hard at first. They'll let you know when they've had enough for the day.

If you feel your back tightening while doing push-ups, it may be that your abs aren't tight and your back is sagging or arching. Be especially vigilant to keep proper form as you do your last few and hardest reps. This is when most people tend to sag or arch their backs.

Now that you've got the form here's another tip...

Set incremental goals - set smaller age goals, like doing your baby's age first, then your cat or dog, then one of the Olsen twins - you get the picture.

*If you are doing push-ups as part of a longer workout, be sure to do them first or at least do them before you start additional exercises for your chest, triceps or shoulders.

Your Basic Mommy Muscle Do Your Age In Push-Ups Plan (Takes 21 minutes or less a week, 7 minutes a workout)

First Set: Warm-up with 10 modified push-ups to get some heat and blood into your muscles. Rest one minute.

Second Set: Do as many push-ups as you can. Rest for two minutes

Third Set: Do as many push-ups as you can. If it's at least half the number of your first set - congratulations, your workout is over. If you didn't get there, rest 2 minutes and do one more set of as many as you can. (This technique will keep you making fast forward progress even if you're having an off day)

*Note - your goal should be to do at least one more push-up on the second set of each workout. Try and do a little better than your last workout each time. Don't be to hard on yourself if you don't improve every workout. Fitness development can sometimes follow a one step back, two steps forward pattern. The key is a weekly upward trend.

Keep a piece of paper handy to record your progress and watch your numbers rise. By the way, these workouts should take you no more than seven minutes.

Do this workout 3 times a week on non-consecutive days and you'll see rapid and steady impovement toward your incremental goals. If your consistent, you'll be doing your age in push-ups before you know it.

Curt Conrad, CSCS, is Founder and President of StrollerFit Inc. an international product and franchise company that helps parents exercise with their babies. He is author of The StrollerFit ExerBook. His companies have helped thousands of clients enjoy better life through better fitness. http://www.strollerfit.com

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Why Do My Muscles Get Sore After A Workout?

2008-10-10T06:04:00.001-07:00

Why Do My Muscles Get Sore After A Workout?
By Josh Stone

Muscle soreness - something I'm sure EVERYBODY can relate to. Even if you've never stepped into a gym, I'm sure that sometime in your life, you've done some sort of exercise/heavy work (mow the lawn, paint the house, wash the car, etc) - and experienced muscle soreness. Wanna know why you get sore? Then read on.

24 hours to 48 hours after a hard workout, most people begin to experience soreness in the body parts trained. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS.

DOMS is caused by tiny microscopic tears that occur in the muscle as a result of high intensity exercise (such as weight training, intense cycling, etc). After the workout, the muscle begins to rebuild itself (provided it is allowed enough time and nutrients to recover). This is the rebuilding process which creates new muscle that is bigger and stronger than before. In other words, your muscles are growing. Your muscles grow when you are at rest - not when you're at the gym.

DOMS pain is different from the burning sensation and pump you feel during a workout and also different from the pain you get from an injury. DOMS is often used as an indication of a productive workout as it means you've trained intensely enough to break down muscle tissue.. and now, as a result, you will be rewarded with new muscle growth.

Beginners who have never exercised before would experience quite severe DOMS at first. However, the human body is an amazing thing and even the beginner's body will slowly adapt to the workload and eventually - these episodes of soreness will be less severe. Remember the first time you blasted your biceps in the gym, only to realise that you could barely hold a pencil to write on a piece of paper the next day? Well, do you still experience such soreness today? Understand what I mean?

We need to constantly 'shock' our body with new routines and progressive overload in order to constantly and steadily stimulate muscle growth. Expect the soreness to return everytime you try something new at the gym though.

Now a question Ive been asked too often:

What if I'm still sore from my previous workout? Should I still train?
I say if the soreness is very minor, then yes - go ahead and train right through it! As blood gets in the area and your body temperature increases, the remaining soreness will dissipate. Those of you who are so kiasu and addicted to the Les Mills classes that it's practically impossible to discourage you from skipping a class would be able to relate to this - the soreness going away as you start exercising again.

However, if there is a substantial amount of soreness remaining from the last workout, this is a sign that you have not recovered enough and your body is still 'healing'. Listen to your body and take it easy.. perhaps just go for cardio and skip the weights for the day. You can probably reduce soreness by stretching the body part AFTER the workout and by getting circulation into the area with cardio. However, if you constantly ignore the signs and if you keep training and 'breaking down' muscle tissue before it has a chance to recover, the effect will be the opposite of what you want - you will get weaker and smaller.

Although you cant achieve the same level of soreness all the time, personally, I consider soreness to be an indication of a successful workout. I also consider the complete dissipation of the soreness as a sign of full recovery. There are some who may not agree with me but then again, this is how I train by experience.

I'm quite content with the soreness I'm experiencing in my back right now as a result of the mean barbell rows I attempted last night Could definitely do with a good backrub

Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site http://www.dailymuscle.com which offers the author's personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.

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Causes Of Backpain: Poor Posture Or Muscle Strain

2008-10-08T15:36:00.001-07:00

Causes Of Backpain: Poor Posture Or Muscle Strain
By Paul D Osborne

Back pain is a common phenomenon in the United States with nearly 80% of the population suffering from it. However, a large portion of them are unaware of the reasons or the causes of this problem. A strain in the muscles is the most common cause of backpain. Although back pain may emerge suddenly, it may be caused by a problem which has plagued us for a long time.

Back pain is generally not a serious problem and disappears quickly in most of the cases. However, medical advice is essential in cases where the pain persists for a long time. It is a general notion that bed rest is the best cure for back pain. But evidence has shown that rest does not aid in the recovery of a person suffering from Back pain. It is much better if one carries on with normal activities while taking some measures for relieving the pain. It is essential that we find out the true causes of the backpain.

Back pain is one of the most common ailments with 8 out of 10 people experiencing it at one or the other point of time in their life. Backpain can be acute, recurrent or chronic. A poor posture or an injury to the back muscles or problems like tumor, infection or Osteroarthritis can be the major causes of backpain.

The most common cause of backpain is a poor posture or positioning. Sitting or standing in one position for a long time also results in backpain. An imbalance of the muscles which arises when some of our muscles are being used regularly while others are not. This is also a major cause of backpain.

Overuse or underuse of the back are also one of the causes of backpain. Inflammation and swelling often occur in the joints and ligaments, especially in the cervical and lumbar regions, as people grow old. A herniated disc or spinal stenosis which refers to the narrowing of the spine also results in back pain.

Conditions that can result in spinal stenosis include infection, tumors, trauma, a herniated disc, arthritis, thickening of the ligaments and disc degeneration. In the case of the old people, Spinal stenosis is a result of the degeneration of their vertebrae. Any kind of injury which damages our muscles, joints, ligaments, and vertebrae also a cause of backpain.

A tumor in the spine results in the compression of the muscles or the nerve roots in the back and are the major causes of backpain. The muscles in the back may also get compressed due to an infection in the vertebrae and may result in serious neurological deterioration.

Paul Osborne is the executive editor of http://backpain-resources-online.com &http://lowerbackpainrelief.org Both sites offer a host of information, tips and advice forlower back pain relief.

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6 Simple Steps To Catapult Your Muscle Gains

2008-10-06T05:49:00.001-07:00

6 Simple Steps To Catapult Your Muscle Gains
By Gary Matthews

What if I were to tell you that throughout the years there has been a growth of strength training techniques that have no scientific proof to back them up.

Well there are hundreds of them, do yourself a favour, have a look at the facts presented in this outline of muscle gain principles and make up your own mind.

Below you will find the Scientific Guidelines for strength training that have always been around for a long time but not followed by many main stream training systems these days.

1. Limited Energy Level

A strength-training program should be short and simple as you only have a limited amount of energy per training session.

Scientific studies reveal that blood sugar levels (energy) start to deplete after 30 mins, so exercise selection and the time taken to perform them is crucial.

What you should be aiming for is stimulating as many muscle fibres in the shortest period of time available.

Your blood sugar levels deplete after high intensity training (usually between 20 - 30 minutes) and remember that you need energy to recuperate after the workout.

The trick is to give yourself a high intensity workout before your blood sugar level depletes, and then you will have given your body the exercise that it requires to gain the maximum amount of muscle possible.

2. Progressive Overload

Progressive Overload is the main exercise principle you need to be aware of in order to get the results that you're after with strength training.

The two most important points are:

* Complete your exercise with perfect technique
* Push to total failure when doing a set and overload the weight on the bar progressively. (Overload your targeted muscles to beyond what there used to)

Basically this means that when the body is stressed by high intensity training beyond its normal demands, the body will adapt to these new demands of improved strength.

When I say ormal demands, I mean what level of stress/strength your body is used to now.

An example: The set that you performed last week using the same technique and weight, your body will now have adapted to. If you stay at this level your muscles will not become stronger or bigger, so this is where the Progressive Overload plays a major part.

Once your muscles have adapted to a particular weight then it'll be time to overload them further (add more weight, speed, repetitions). You'll need to keep on repeating this process of overload if you want to become stronger.

Remember to always use 'Good Technique' Technique must never be sacrificed for extra load.

3. Training Frequency

The sad reality is that the popular high volume type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) is irrelevant to the majority of the population and has a shocking failure rate.

What is good for Joe Star is probably not good for you. Everybody has different genetics; most of us have poor genetics and are not taking steroids like the stars.

The only way the majority of us can make any gains at all is to perform short intense workouts followed by long periods of rest so that we don't overtrain.

4. Over-Compensation

Many studies conducted around the world have shown clearly that recuperation from strength training requires far more rest time than previously thought.

Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is necessary for you to increase your functional muscle.

Here's what you need to do - allow your body enough recuperation time for over compensation to take place, so that the muscles can adjust to their new strength and growth.

5. Exercise selection for intensity

I can't stress enough of how exercise selection is absolutely crucial. There are only a few exercises that you really need to perform. These exercises consist of multi-joint movements.

These particular exercises are far superior to that of isolation exercises (working 1 muscle group at a time) because you are required to use more muscles from every muscle group.

By using these exercises your whole body will be worked hard.

6. Visualization

Over my 20 years in the industry, I've noticed that this area is by far the most neglected by mainstream health and fitness professionals...

Most books or courses concentrate on the physical side of muscle gain or fat loss and completely neglect the mental side of things.

By training your mental state as well as your physical body you can even further progress in muscle growth.

Now that you know these strength-training principles put them to the test straight away and stop wasting your time in the gym.

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' muscle building e-course.

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5 Tips for Building Muscle Now

2008-10-01T05:27:00.001-07:00

5 Tips for Building Muscle Now
By Gregg Gillies

If you're frustrated with your muscle gain or fat loss goals, I sympathize with you completely, and understand exactly what you are going through. I worked out for years before finally figuring out the correct ways to build muscle and lose fat.

I finally figured ou that the routines and body building tips touted by professional bodybuilders and the muscle magazines just aren't going to work for most people. But take heart, you can reach your muscle mass and fat burning goals.

Putting together a program that incorporates the following body building tips will point you in the right direction and get you making gains you hadn't thought were possible.

Tried and True Body Building Tips

Train Intensely - You must work each set until you can't do another repetition in good form. There is no point in stopping at a set number of reps (such as 8), if you are capable of doing 12. Your body needs to be challenged or it will not adapt by building new muscle or burning off body fat.

Cycle Your Intensity - In order to prevent burnout and overtrainingfrom training intensely, it's important to take a week off fromtraining every 8 - 12 weeks. If, like me, you can't stay outof the gym that long, you should train for a week at a very lowintensity level.

Train Briefly - Your workouts need to be short. This is a very important weight lifting tip. You should never need to do a weight lifting routine that takes over an hour. If you are in the gym that long, you aren't working intensely enough. You can workout hard or long, but you can not do both. And to succeed in building muscle, you need to workout hard.

Train Infrequently - Your body needs time to recover from your weight training routine, so that in can adapt and grow. If you train with weights before your body is completey recovered, you won't add new muscle and will eventually over train, a big no no.

These are extremely important body building tips. It seems that your body's potential for strength increases far outweighs your body's ability to recover. What this means is that as you grow stronger, your body needs more time between weight training sessions in order to recover.

Bench pressing 300 pounds is a far greater stress on your body than bench pressing 50 pounds, even if both were maximum attempts at the time.

Train Progressively - You need to constantly challenge what your body can do by continuing to add more weight and/or repetitions to your previous best effort as often as possible.

Following is a sample weight training routine that incorporates the above weight lifting tips. If you put the other pieces in place, such as your nutrition plan and supplementation plan, you'll be well on your way to great gains and transforming your physique.

1 - Squats

2 - Deadlifts

3 - Chin Ups

4 - Dips

5 - Bench Press

6 - Military Press

Here's another weight lifting tip - break in to this routine. For the first few weeks, try working out 3 times per week on nonconsecutive days, performing 2 working sets of each exercise, doing 12 - 15 reps per set.

Don't train to failure.

After about a month, you can lower the reps on everthing but Squats and Deadlifts, to the 8 - 10 rep range. Start training to failure on some sets.

After another month, begin training to failure on all working sets and consider only weight training two times per week to accomodate the higher level of intensity and strengh that you've developed.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He publishes a free fitness newsletter available at his site that includeslots of weight training tips, fat loss, nutrition and exercise program information to help you build your best body as quickly as possible. check it out at Build Muscle and see how you can get a customized muscle building nutrition plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com

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Build Muscles

2008-09-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

Build Muscles
By Richard Romando

The human body consists of various systems performing a multitude of functions. Every action is determined and stimulated as per the nervous system. Similarly, the actions to move a limb or any other body part are conditioned by the muscular system. Muscle, known for its elasticity, contracts to help the various body movements. Not only this, muscles also determine the shape of the human body. It is. therefore, necessary to keep the muscles in shape, for an active and proper functioning of the body. This can be achieved by Building Muscles.

Building Muscles help to break down fat and maintain a healthy body. In the human body muscle tissues are re-built from the broken down muscle tissues. The muscle gains in mass when the breakdown activity or catabolism is overtaken by re-building activity or anabolism. Muscles build up with the increase in muscle mass or fibers.

With the growing awareness of the importance of exercises to look good and feel good, more and more people are going in for Building Muscles. Exercises varying from aerobic and cardiovascular to weight training help to Build Muscles. A regular practice improves blood circulation and supplies oxygen to nourish muscles. This will help to burn fat and Build Muscles.

The exercise is supplemented with a diet rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin D, E, B, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Of course, water is equally important to prevent electrolyte or mineral salt (loss in potassium, sodium) imbalance of the body, and dehydration.

Muscles are the powerhouses that burn calories. So a body with more muscles means the body burns more fat and increases bone density. An aging body especially tends to gain fat and weight, affecting muscles. Therefore, one needs to build muscles as a precaution to prevent ill health and prevent chances of osteoporosis. But in case of body builders, they take up weight training, a good calorie diet with proper rest to Build Muscles. They also take supplements to increase muscle mass by improving muscle growth. These may vary from ordinary health drinks to steroids and growth hormone injections.

Muscles provides detailed information about muscles, build muscles, muscle cramps, muscle diseases and more. Muscles is the sister site of Best Treadmills.

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How Many Reps and Sets To Build Muscle

2008-09-25T03:07:00.001-07:00

How Many Reps and Sets To Build Muscle
By Shawn LeBrun

One of the most asked questions I get while training others is how many reps and sets of an exercise are needed to achieve lean muscle growth, strength increase, and an overall improvement in body composition.

Reps

The desired repetition range for both men and women for just about all exercises is four to six repetitions for your last, heavy sets.

That doesn't include warm-ups or acclimation sets, just your last sets.

There is one and only one reason a muscle has for gaining lean muscle tissue and getting stronger....

....Progressively increased overload.

You need to progressively force the muscle into growing and getting stronger or it will not.

In order to increase overload, you need to increase resistance. In order to increase resistance, you need to increase the amount of weight, or work, you are doing.

Lower repetitions of an exercise will allow you to increase the overload to that muscle instantaneously. This forces the stimulation of new muscle fibers that will be recruited to handle the additional stresses that will be placed upon the muscle.

The repetition range for optimal muscle fiber stimulation will be between four and six repetitions for just about every heavy set of an exercise you do.

Low reps will not cause women to ulk up. Low reps will strengthen and one your muscles quicker than higher reps.

Lighter weights and higher reps will basically keep you from making optimal gains. If you can do ten repetitions of an exercise, the weight is too light to achieve overload.

How do you know what weight to use? If you can do more than six repetitions on your heavy sets for an exercise, the weight is too light. If you cannot do at least four, the weight is too heavy.

So the low down on reps is 4 to 6 for all heavy sets. Warm up sets and intermediate can be 8 to 10 reps, but to get the muscle stimulating benefit of weight training, you must use lower reps to create enough of an overload.

Sets

The amount of heavy, intense sets per exercise will be between one and three sets, depending on the order of the exercise.

When you are warmed up, the number of all-out, intense sets will be three at the most, and on some exercises, just one or two sets.

It is the overload that causes the muscle to grow, not the amount of sets you do. There is no universal law which states that if you double the amount of sets you perform, you also double the results.

The key is to stimulate, not annihilate, the muscle into responding and growing. You do this with two, very intense sets of four to six repetitions. This will efficiently stimulate the muscles more than doing more sets with more reps at a lighter weight.

If we were doing bicep curls, we would do our warm-ups and then two heavy, intense sets of four to six repetitions. This exercise is now done. You have effectively overloaded the bicep muscles and will then proceed to the next exercise, if there is one.

As you can see, it is all about quality over quantity when it comes to producing results.

It is so much better to do one or two heavy sets at maximum intensity than 3 or more at an easier level.

More is not better....better is better.

Fitness Consultant Shawn Lebrun has helped over 13,000 individuals lose fat and build muscle in less time. Toread more about what he can do for you, please check outhis site at Shawn Lebrun Fitness.com

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What to Look For in a Muscle Car Restoration Business

2008-09-21T05:05:00.001-07:00

What to Look For in a Muscle Car Restoration Business
By Lamar Burns

Do you have a muscle car that you would like to have restored? Whether you are looking to create the car of your dreams, restore your vehicle back to its original beautify, or raise the overall value of your car, for financial purposes, you may be interested in having your muscle car restored. If this is the case, you will need to find an individual or company who can perform the work for you. Although it may sound like an easy enough decision, it is one that shouldnt be made on a whim. When it comes to choosing a muscle car restoration company, there are a number of important factors that you should take into consideration.

Perhaps, the most important thing to keep in mind is experience. Muscle car restoration is not an easy task. In fact, that may be why you are seeking professional help instead of trying to restore your own muscle car. To achieve perfection, you must have some knowledge of cars and restoration. The same criteria is needed for professional muscle car restoration experts. An experienced individual or business should be more than willing to share their past history with you. Look for individuals or companies that have years of experience with muscle car restoration. Training is also important. Did the individual in question or any of the companys employees undergo any training pertaining to muscle car restoration or car restoration in general? Although everyone needs to start somewhere, you are urged against going with a brand new individual or company, it is considered a risk.

In addition to just discussing training, education, and experience, you may also want to ask for proof, namely with samples. An experienced muscle car restoration expert or company will document their restoration projects. In fact, you should be shown before and after pictures. An individual or company that shows you pictures of their vehicles while the project is in the process of being completed are true professionals. In fact, ask if you will receive these same types of pictures. They are a great way to know exactly how your muscle car was restored, as well as have pictures to show your friends, family, or potential buyers!

Of course, cost is an important factor when choosing a muscle car restoration business or expert. As you likely already know, restoring a muscle car can be considered an investment due to its high cost. If you are a budget, you may still be able to have your muscle car restored, but it is important to be on the lookout for individuals or companies that have rock bottom prices. These prices are often a sign of the quality you will receive. If you want the best, you need to be prepared to pay for it. Also, it is quite common that a deposit be required, especially with well established muscle car restoration businesses. This is not a scam; in fact, it is quite common.

Who you choose to restore your muscle car is an important part of the end result. By keeping the above mentioned points in mind, you should achieve the end result that you were hoping for, a beautifully restored muscle car.

Lamar Burns is a writer for Finished Dreams where you can find accurate information about Muscle Car Restoration and other related information.

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2 Simple Steps To Ripped Summertime Muscles

2008-09-18T09:06:00.001-07:00

2 Simple Steps To Ripped Summertime Muscles
By Sean Nalewanyj

Summer is on the horizon, and the time has come to kick back and relax under the sun. Its time for beach days, barbecues and pool parties, and for any serious weightlifter these activities also mean one thing: its time for the shirts to come off and to showcase that rock-solid physique theyve been working on all year. No one wants to be walking around with a soft, smooth and flabby body, and for the next month or two, all of those serious lifters will be shifting into get ripped mode.

How do they usually go about this?

They lighten up the weights and perform higher reps.

This has always been a widely accepted method of cutting down and if you ask most trainers in the gym theyll tell you that heavy weights bulk up the muscle and lighter weights define the muscle.

Do you want to know the reality behind the light weight and high reps method of obtaining a ripped and defined physique?

It is completely, totally and utterly DEAD WRONG.

It couldnt be farther from the truth. In fact, there is no logical basis for this way of training whatsoever, and whoever dreamt up this downright ridiculous way of thinking has caused the vast majority of lifters to waste their time and impede their progress in the gym.

Let me clear this up once and for all: you CANNOT spot reduce. In other words, it is physically impossible to target fat loss from a specific area on your body. Performing bench presses with light resistance and high repetitions will not magically burn fat off of your chest or cause it to appear harder and more defined.

Every single time you wrap your hands around a barbell, dumbbell or cable, your goal is to stimulate as much muscle growth as you possibly can. There are no special, secret weightlifting exercises that will define your muscles or cause them to become more ripped.

Training with weights builds muscle mass, end of story.

So how exactly do you define a muscle?

The only way to define a muscle is by lowering your body fat level in order to make your muscles more visible. Body fat reduction can be achieved in two ways:

1) Modify your diet.

You should lower your overall caloric intake to around 15x your bodyweight and focus on consuming smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism naturally raised at all times and will keep your body in a constant fat burning state. Limit your intake of saturated fats and simple sugars, and focus instead on consuming lean sources of protein and low glycemic carbohydrates. It is also very important to keep your water intake high at a level of around 0.6 ounces per pound of bodyweight.

2) Perform proper cardio workouts.

Let go of the traditional method of moderate intensity cardio in 30-45 minute durations. If you want to maximize your bodys fat burning capacity and also minimize the muscle loss that inevitably accompanies a fat burning cycle, focus on shorter cardio workouts performed at a high level of intensity. These types of workouts will shoot your resting metabolism through the roof and will allow you to burn maximum amounts of fat even when you are at rest. I recommend 3-5 high intensity cardio sessions per week, spaced at least 8 hours away from your weight workouts.

Thats all there is to it, folks. Take the notion of light weight and higher reps and throw it right out the window, down the street and around the corner. Following this misguided method will only cause you to lose muscle mass and strength, and will not assist you in burning fat or defining your physique.

All you need to do to mold those rock-solid muscles for the summer time is this:

1) Train with heavy weights and low repetitions to build maximum muscle mass.

2) Modify your diet and implement cardio workouts to eliminate body fat and create visibly harder and more defined muscles.

End of story.

Ill see you at the beach!

About The Author

Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. Learn the honest truth about building maximum muscle in minimum time by visiting his website: http://www.MuscleGainTruth.com

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Muscle Cars: Why Now?

2008-09-18T08:54:00.001-07:00

Muscle Cars: Why Now?
By Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Nearly everything would argue against bringing back the muscle cars of the 60s: Mustangs, Camaros, and Dodge Chargers.

Gas is around $3 a gallon, and if Iran has its way, that price could spike to $5 and above.

SUV sales are finally shrinking, and even Hummers have been downsizing.

And theres that matter of political correctness. Sooner or later, Americans are going to join W and admit theyre gas guzzling junkies, and find cutting back, patriotic.

But these notions aren't dampening the lust for muscle cars.

Why are they so appealing?

In their last heyday, around 1964-1972, Vietnam was raging. Now were in Iraq, and an exit strategy from that war seems about as elusive as finding our way out of the jungle was some thirty-plus years ago.

In the middle 1950s, we were given the Corvette and the Thunderbird, along with the Korean War.

I think theres a connection: When were up to our necks in foreign quicksand, we like to kick butt back home, on the streets, in the only socially acceptable manner we have, by burning rubber.

This muscle-mania has something to do with collective self-respect, I believe.

I drove a rented 2005 Thunderbird on vacation recently, and it gave me a thrill. I was happy to be getting such a kick out of an American ride for a change.

So, buckle up and have some fun.

And did I mention the EPA mileage estimates on these hotties isnt all THAT bad!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable, published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

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Stationary Bikes Improve Muscle Tone

2008-09-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

Stationary Bikes Improve Muscle Tone
By Grateford Jameson

Although the personal trainer at the fitness club will say differently it is imperative to note that even low intensity workout on the stationary bike will produce health benefits and be less likely to produce injury. The inactive population is often led to believe that there must be sore muscles and a lot of agony associated with the daily workout but not so!

Part of the reason to exercise regularly has only glancing relation to improved muscle tone and cardiovascular improvement. Much of the reason has to do with stress reduction and improved range of motion. Flexibility and balance can be improved and maintained as well. In fact there is only one real rule to keep in mind when exercising. That is simply that you didnt get out of shape over night and it is probably best not to try to get in shape over night.

The good news though on this topic is that measurable aerobic improvement can be obtained in about one month after beginning any aerobic activity. Think of it. Almost no other self-improvement project can be successful in so short a time as an aerobic fitness program. It is nearly instant gratification when compared to body building for instance. To achieve the competitive well defined muscles required of this sport takes approximately two years of four to six hours per day. Much of that is painful by the way.

Stationary bikes can be successfully incorporated into the more demanding athletic workout. It can provide valuable cross training benefits to any athlete. For most it is used as a stand alone workout. Few of us has the time to invest in a fully evolved regular workout. At least for a long term consistent matter it becomes a luxury.

But if cross training , weight training and triathlon are words that dont apply to ones fitness level dont despair. It may be time to start stationary bikes reviews. Exercise can be fun and beneficial.

Read more stationary bikes articles and stationary bikes reviews news or visit our stationary bikes site.

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Pilates: Improve Your Flexibility and Muscle Tone

2008-09-14T08:15:00.001-07:00

Pilates: Improve Your Flexibility and Muscle Tone
By Rebecca Naylor

Pilates is an excellent way to trim down your body and strengthen core muscles without bulking up. This style of exercise will teach you how to control your bodys movements and increase your flexibility and grace. This is the secret to many top models and celebritys beautiful physique.

This is one of the best ways to get a workout since it allows you to exercise at home whenever you have the time. It is recommended that you do it at least three times a week. With no commuting to the gym, your time will be your own.
There are two general types of Pilates: one requires equipment, the other only requires a mat. Previously, equipment was too bulky for people to bring home, but now companies have begun to fill the market niche for home workout equipment. DVDs have been made to give you different choices for workouts, either on a mat or with the special equipment.

Before buying a DVD and starting the workout, it is recommended that you take a couple of Pilates classes at your local recreation center. This allows your technique to be corrected to prevent injuries later on.

DVDs and videos are made from beginner to advanced levels, and you will be able to do most of the offered workouts in a small space. Consider purchasing small, inexpensive rings and rollers that allow for variations in the routine and ensure it doesnt get boring.

Reformers are a popular Pilates workout machine as they assist in the workout, or add resistance when necessary. They use a series of springs and ropes to improve your body tone.

If you dont have much space, select the Pilates IQ Reformer. It shortens for easy storage in a closet or under a bed. Specific videos made for this type of machine encourage consistent workouts that will help you lose weight and increase muscle tone.

The Allegro Reformer is great if several people in your family are planning to use Pilates as their workout since it can adjust to accommodate various heights. It comes with a free DVD to show you how to use the machine, plus a workout.The highest quality Pilates equipment for home use is the Studio Reformer it can even match the furniture! It is for professionals or consumers who have the budget for luxury. Choose between cherry, walnut, or mahogany, and upholstery colors in 88 different shades.

Smaller (and cheaper!) pieces of equipment include circles or rings which improve balance and flexibility. Two popular brand names are the Ultra Fit Circle and Flex Ring Toner. They are made of flexible plastic with two padded handles on the inside and outside to allow for resistance as you stretch various muscles.

Foam rollers, mats, fit balls, balance boards, rotator discs, exercise bands, and reformer foot plates or jumper boards, make up the rest of the equipment you can purchase at minimal expense. Only the mat and a DVD or video are necessary for Pilates, but the other equipment can improve your workout and make it more interesting.

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More Muscles Than You Think Are Used In the Golf Swing

2008-09-14T07:54:00.001-07:00

More Muscles Than You Think Are Used In the Golf Swing
By Mike Pedersen

While most golfers are aware of the fact that the muscles in the lower part of the body are used in the golf swing, many are not aware of just how important these muscles are to the consistent execution of the perfect golf swing.Many do not even realize how imperative it is that muscles used in the golf swing are exercised and kept in tip top condition. Actually, if this is not done, it becomes extremely difficult to for anybody to enjoy the game as too many factors stand in the way of a golfer who does not exercise.

For example a common complaint amongst many golfers on the course is that of pain in the lower back which is usually aggravated by golf. This pain is especially evident after longer sessions on the course.

How can any golfer improve golf swing, let alone have any hope of enjoying the game with such a nagging, persistent pain? Yet this problem is easily solved by simply strengthening lower back muscles used by doing certain exercises.

The result is that there is a higher level of endurance which will also have a tremendous impact on the golf swing of any golfer.

There is actually a very simple exercise to achieve this which can be done from the comfort of your home and without having to go into a gym or special exercise area.

Muscles used in the golf swing include some in the lower leg as well as those higher up like the hamstring which is crucial in accomplishing the perfect golf swing.

It is a proven fact that muscles used in the golf swing that are not exercised and conditioned on a regular basis with the correct exercise, will usually not respond to the correct golfing techniques.

Without being conditioned to obtain the necessary stamina and staying power it is unlikely that muscles used in the golf swing will be able to deliver the required performance

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds at his golf fitness site - Perform Better Golf.

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Create Perfect Smoothie With Gingerroot Just 1 Tsp. Per Day Can End Muscle And Joint Pain

2008-09-12T09:15:00.001-07:00

Create Perfect Smoothie With Gingerroot - Just 1 Tsp. Per Day Can End Muscle And Joint Pain
By Katkat Jasi

Recent study in the journal Medical Science Monitor revealed that consuming Ginger revealed migraine pain in 82% of sufferers. The credit goes to gingerols which inhibit prostaglandis and leukotrienes, inflammatory neurotransmitters that trigger head pain. Ginger also tames stomach upset, from general nausea to motion and morning sickness. One more reason to consume gingerrot is that just 1 tsp. per day can end muscle and joint pain, according to Danish Researchers.

Here's a perfect Gingerroot Smoothie : Sweet 'n Spicy Smoothie

Sweet 'n Spicy Smoothie

In blender, combine :

2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbs. chopped fresh gingerroot
1 Tbs. honey
1/4 cup milk and
1 cup crushed ice.

Blend 1 minute or until smooth. Pour into 4 glasses: Garnish each with a lemon curl and a sprig of fresh mint if desired. Makes 4 servings.

More Ginger smoothies :

Gingered Apple Cidar

3 apples, cored and sliced
1 inch piece ginger

Process through a juicer and serve.

Lemon~Lime Ginger Ale

1 apple, cored and sliced
inch fresh ginger (less if you find the taste too strong)
handful of grapes
1/4 lemon
1/2 lime
sparkling mineral water

Remove the grapes from the stem. Juice the apple and ginger together,then juice the rest of the fruit. Pour the juice in a large glass and fill to the top with sparkling water and serve with ice. Enjoy.

You can throw just about anything in a smoothie to enhance its flavor such as honey, tofu, jams, any combination of fruits, peanut butter, juices, etc., but keep in mind it will effect the nutritional values.

For more Healthy Fruit Smoothie Recipes for Free, visit Fruit Smoothie Recipe : http://fruitsmoothierecipe.bravehost.com

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2 Muscle Building Secrets Guaranteed to Add Muscle Mass!

2008-09-11T05:47:00.001-07:00

2 Muscle Building Secrets Guaranteed to Add Muscle Mass!
By Gregg Gillies

Building muscle mass is much easier to do when you are armed with the correct information. With the correctinformation, you'll build muscle mass faster than youthought possible.

I finally figured out that the routines and weight lifting tips touted by professional bodybuilders and the muscle magazines just aren't going to work for most people. But take heart, you can start building muscle with effective weight training routines and nutrition programs.

Following are a couple of weight lifting tips that Ive found to be extremely effective in building muscle and adding strength as quickly as possible. Putting together a program that incorporates the following weightlifting tips will point you in the right direction and get you making gains you hadn't thought were possible.

Building Muscle Tip #1 - An Intense Twist

Arthur Jones, inventor of Nautilus, pioneered the concept of training with 100% intensity, ie, training to failure. And this is an extremely important part of your routine if you are interested in building muscles as quickly as possible.

However, as others caught on toe Arthurs effective training ideas and the training to failure concept became more widespread, an important piece of advice by Arthur was forgotten. Arthur suggested that people go beyond failure.

And Im not talking about some of the more popular high intensity techniques available today such as rest-pause, forced reps, drop sets, etc. Im talking about a very specific way of training to failure that is very effective for building muscle mass.

Arthur Jones suggested that once you could no longer complete another repetition, you should continue pushing or pulling on the weight for approximately another 20 seconds. Obviously, on certain exercises like squats or bench presses, you either need to work in a power rack with safety pins or have a very good spotter.

Lets use the bench press as an example of how to use this bodybuilding technique for building muscles. Most people, when they start a rep and get stuck near the bottom, they drop the weight against the safety pins or have their spotter help rack it. Instead, you should continue pushing against that immovable weight for a good twenty seconds.

On barbell curls, you would most likely come to a grinding halt about two or three inches into the rep, when your arms are slightly bent. You know you wont make the rep but you continue to pull on the bar for as long as you can before finishing the set.

Muscle Building Tip #2 - Squat, Squat, Squat

You have to fall in love with the squat. It truly is the king of all muscle building exercises, bar none. While some people can build muscle mass on almost any training routine or diet, most of us cant. So put as many factors in your favor as you can control and one of the biggest is work hard on an effective squat program.

Hard work on the squat is the single most important thing you can do to ensure your bodybuilding success. Forget about the latest greatest high tech routine or the newest supplement fad.

The key component to any program you do is hard work. Building muscle isnt easy. But it can be made easier. Hard work will take you much further than your choice of exercises, sets or reps.

But if you get the other components of your training program put together correctly and then add hard work and dedication, youll be absolutely amazed at the progress you can make. Youll be building muscle so fast, youll go from a before to an after before you know it.

You need to use all the weight you can handle and then add some more. Since the squat is the toughest weight lifting exercise you can do physically, it's also the toughest mentally.

Your mind gives in on the squat well before your body does. If you want to gain lots of muscle, you need to put an end to that. Everything you have has to go into your squatting program.

The key to the success of rapid weight gain by squatting is the amount of work you put into it. After your warm ups, load the bar to a weight you normally do 10 reps with. Now, do 20 reps. No, I'm not kidding. Like I said before, the squat is the most mental exercise there is. I've never seen anyone, when properly prepared mentally, fail to get 20 reps with their 10 rep weight.

These bodybuilding tips are very effective tips for building muscle and getting stronger. Add them to your weight training program and watch your muscle mass increase.

Keep in mind that weightlifting workouts like this are the best way for effectively building muscle mass fast butit's also the best way to lose fat, completely change the shape of your body, and keep the fat off. Weight lifting is much more effective for fat loss than aerobics or dieting alone.

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Power Partials for Massive Muscle Size and Strength

2008-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Power Partials for Massive Muscle Size and Strength
By Gregg Gillies

Power Partials are another extremely effective training toolfor building muscle and gaining strength. It's also anothertraining tool, like single rep training, or the 20 rep squatroutine, that you rarely see used. Why is that? Because,despite the effectiveness of power partials in building muscle,they require a lot of hard work. Brutally hard. And most people don't want to pay that price. But if you're willing towork this routine, it will work for you.

In order to train effectively with power partials, you'll needaccess to a power rack. Hopefully, your gym will have one. Ifyou work out at home, I highly recommend you purchase a powerrack. It will last a lifetime and allow you to do almost anyfree weight exercise without the need for a spotter.

There are many ways you can incorporate power partials intoyour weight training routine. Let's take a look at threevariations of this technique.

1) Perform power partials at the end of your full range set.Let's use the bench press as an example. Perform your normalset to failure and then continue the set by cranking out twoor three partials at the top of your range of motion. Forexercises like squats, bench press, and the seated press, youneed to perform these in a power rack. Partials are quite easy to perform in safety on exercises like the lat pulldown.

2) Perform a set of heavy partials after your full range set.We'll use squats as the example this time. Do a couple of setsof 8 - 10 reps using your normal full range of motion. Then pileon 30 to 40 percent more weight on the bar. After a few minutesof rest, perofrm a set of top range partials, doing only the topone third to one quarter of the movement.

3) Do a set of heavy partials before your full range sets. Thisversion allows you to use the most weight on your power partials.This version can do a great job of building muscle and strengthat a fast rate. You'll want to build up with a couple of weeksof submaximum workouts. The reasoning is that by performing yourpartials before your full range sets you'll be using a lot moreweight than you are used to. You don't want to risk injuringtendons and ligaments by using such extremely heavy weights withoutbuilding up to them.

You can also progress by training with partials in all three ways,in the order in which I've described them. This will give youa natural progression from the least to the most intense andthe lightest to the heaviest weights.

You need to be cautious. Big weights can mean big results butalso big trouble if you don't pay attention to safety and goodform. You can't go from using 150 pounds on the bench pressone workout to using 250 pounds on the bench press the next workout.You need to build up to these weights. Done properly, power partialscan be your ticket to bigger muscles and more strength.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of Build Lean Muscle.com His articles have appeared in international publications such as Ironman Magazine. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. You can get a free copy of his ebook Fast Mass at Build Muscle Fast.

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Why Less Is More When Trying To Build Muscle

2008-09-09T08:32:00.001-07:00

Why Less Is More When Trying To Build Muscle
By Shawn LeBrun

One of the biggest myths I deal with as a personal trainer is that many people still believe it takes hours in the gym to build muscle and get a lean, muscular physique.

Not true.

In fact, the best results I've seen, both with my own training as well as clients, come from spending no more than 3 to 4 hours a week in the gym. And that's the time spent weight training and doing cardio each week.

I spend no more than 3 hours a week weight training and my online clients spend the same amount. And we achieve great results.

So if you're currently spending more than 3 hours a week weight training, you may be seriously limiting your gains by overtraining.

You see, when trying to build muscle, its not the amount of time spent that matters. It's how you spend that time.

Muscle growth occurs from stimulating the muscle with heavy weight (overload)then allowing the muscle to rest and recover. Proper rest and nutrition during this time is vital.

By working out too much and too often, you don't allow your muscles the needed rest. And this is the time in which the muscle repairs itself from the effects of intense training. And if a muscle does not recover, it does not grow or get stronger.

So it's important you spend no more time than necessary for muscle stimulation to occur.

I've used this analogy a lot before with clients, but let's do it again. Suppose you want to get a tan. There's a certain amount of sun you need. Too little sun and you will not get a tan.

But too much sun and you'll get a burn and not the nice dark tan you wanted. And what happens if you get a burn but keep going out in the sun anyways, still trying to get a tan.

Right! You can seriously get injured with 3rd degree burns. You don't increase your chances of getting a tan. Too much sun in this case does not bring about the desired result.

So if you're after more muscle growth and you're already lifting a lot, the last thing you want to do is spend even more time in the gym.

The main goal of all the human body's systems is to keep the body in equilibrium, or balance. By lifting too much too often, you throw off this balance mechanism and as a result, your body will actually start working against you.

So you have to find that balance that works for you.

With your weight training, too much lifting will prevent your muscles from recovering and they will not get bigger. Too little and they will not grow either. Again, you have to find that balance that works for you.

You can use the 3 hour a week time limit as a guideline, but learn to listen to your body. If you're weight lifting 3 hours a week but you feel drained, tired, sore, or sluggish, that may be too much time.

Others can work out longer and still get results.

Everyone's different so the time spent in the gym will vary. You have to do what's right for you.

So start making better use of your time spent in the gym. Shoot for quality over quantity and you'll build more muscle in less time spent.

Most people are dead wrong in how they train to build muscle mass. Shawn Lebrun shows you, step by step, the correct way to build muscle and lose fat in less time.

Visit Shawn Lebrun Fitness.com now!

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Why Your Muscle Pumps Don't Build Muscle

2008-09-08T05:58:00.001-07:00

Why Your Muscle Pumps Don't Build Muscle
By Marc David

Which is better, the pump or the feeling of totally exhausting your muscles to the point of failure when it is nearly impossible to pick up a pencil? Good question because I can promise that one is asked a lot. People love the feeling of being pumped and the blood flowing thru their muscles. In fact, Arnold has quite a few 'interesting' quotes on this subject.

But really, what is better? The pump or the taxed feeling?

Let's get down to brass tacks...

A pump does not build muscle. But overloading and giving your body a reason to grow does.

By the way...

There is some evidence to suggest that pumping the muscle full of blood will help get more nutrients to the area and therefore, help to build muscle. That is a weak argument that a pump builds muscle but nonetheless, I have run across that bit of debate.

While you might leave the gym feeling weak but not pumped, that certainly doesn't mean you are not making some serious progress. And in fact, some programs I've tried, I leave the gym feeling completely weak but I'm not pumped at all and I even have the feeling I could do more work but that's not part of the program.

My strong hunch is...

That you love the pumps! I mean honestly who doesn't? I know I do and that's why I found a little way to get the best of both worlds. Sort of like having my cake and eating it to.

It's called super setting. Its not a new concept at all. In fact its an old bodybuilding method but is foundational and can give you a great pump but at the same time, leaves you feeling weak and not wanting more.

Really think about...

A pump is just the blood flowing to the area. You can get a good pump without working all that hard. Giving your body no reason to grow. But you can get a great pump.

Overloading your muscles doesn't have to give you a pump either. If you engage in training that has you lift heavy weights but only in the 4-6 rep range, you may not feel a pump at all. But you will be weaker and you will get stronger. Yet you'll lose the feeling of pumps entirely because lifting heavy and resting simply doesn't give your body a chance to get all that blood to the area like a typical pump will do.

Needless to say...

Many just get frustrated and go between trying to get the best pumps and actually working hard.

What they don't know is that super setting is the ultimate way to work your muscle to a state of exhausting (increasing the intensity) and yet get that massive pump you've been looking to get.

Sample Pump Routine:

Incline Smith Bench Press (12 reps; slow, controlled reps, 70-75% of max)

IMMEDIATELY followed by

Incline Dumbbell Flyes (12 reps; 70-75% of max)

Keep in mind, this is just a sample but you are using weights that are challenging, in a higher rep range and following it up with another exercise that works the same area.

All this means is that you are going to bump up the intensity (forcing your body to grow) AND push blood to the area to get a great pump.

You can even experiment with rest intervals so that it's even more intense and the area you are focusing on is totally pumped.

Please understand that a pump itself does not build muscle. Overloading it, challenging it and giving it a reason to grow does.

You can use various techniques to bump up the intensity of any exercise, making it challenging without stacking on super heavy weights and having long rest periods. You'll not only get stronger and build muscle but you will get that pump feeling back.

Don't think that one or the other is better or worse, it's just different. But you can use techniques as I've shown above to build muscle and get them pumped up as well.

Certainly there are other ways in which to raise the intensity of an exercise and make it more difficult and still get the pumped feeling. Supersets were but one example. Drop sets are another variation that not only can overload the muscle and force it to grow thru intensity and progressive overload but you'll get a fantastic pump from that method as well. There's several other techniques you can use that I will detail in another article.

Make sure you go to http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com and learn more about super setting and the various training programs you can use to get a super pump and overload your muscles and force them to grow. You can have your cake and eat it too in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding.

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Building Muscle

2008-09-08T05:44:00.001-07:00

Building Muscle
By Dan Bialik

Are you trying to add lean muscle mass? Confused by all of the muscle building systems out there? Which system will work the best for you? There is High Intensity, Heavy Duty, Power Partials, Static Contractions, X-Reps, X-Size (different from X-Reps), High Volume, Pyramid, Twenty Rep Squats, Central Nervous System(CNS), my own Quick Hammer Routine, and many, many more to choose from. So, which one should you try? Why not take the best points out of each system and use them all? Obviously, you cannot do some of each of these systems, each and every workout.

What I like to do is take my basic, high intensity routine and add something to the end of the set. Although I really don't use high volume, and I only occasionally play around with X-Size, I like to use parts of these other systems on a regular basis. Again, I start with a normal high intensity routine where I might do one set of one to three exercises for a bodypart. I will then add one, or a combination of more than one of some of these other rep styles to my set. For instance, if I am doing bent rowing, I do as many normal repetitions with a heavy weight as I can.

One I reach failure, I will do as many partials as I can. If this has not completely wiped me out, I will throw in a static hold, or an X-Rep for 5-10 seconds at the end. Static holds are like an Isometric rep. You hold the weight in a contracted position for a few seconds. An X-Rep is much like a Static Rep, except you kind of pulsate the weight as if your contracted muscles are vibrating. Again, I will do one of these reps for about 5-10 seconds. I cannot tell you which of these two hold reps work's best, but they both really do work.

Now, if I am doing the benchpress, I prefer Pyramids over a single set. I feel much safer going up fifty pounds each set to get my mind and my muscles prepared for the heavy benchpress. At the end of my heavy set, I will do a Static Rep for around 10 seconds to really push the pecs. Squats are a bit different because I have a really bad right knee. The only way I will do a Full squat is with a very light weight while warming up. When I start going heavy, I do Only Power Partials.

Again, like the benchpress, I prefer to Pyramid the weight up to get my body ready for the heavy weight. I also rarely do less than twenty reps on squats. Even if I am doing 400lbs, I will do 20 reps. It is amazing about the legs, but no matter how hard you push them, they seem to always finish the set! At the end of the set, I will do a Static Hold for 10-15 seconds. I do Static Holds, or X-Reps on pretty much all of my other exercises including Curls and Triceps Dips.

I purchased Pete Sisco's CNS Workout last year and I will use it from time to time. The idea behind it is to hammer the body in a quick, high intensity way to get a massive response from your central nervous system. I don't use it regularly, but it is a very good system and I use it when I think the time is right. Another routine I like is my Quick Hammer Routine. It is ideal for people who want to build mass, but are very short on time. It work's the major muscles of the body in a brief, ten minute workout. In this case, you pick one exercise for the chest, back and legs. You do the three exercises one after the other in circuit training style, with the exception that you are using heavy weights and lower reps. you perform three cycles of the exercises, wit about a minutes rest between cycles.

If you are going to use this routine for an extended period of time, you can throw in some crunches for the abs. I like doing the routine with dips, bent rows and squats, but you can also use benchpress, chins and leg presses, or any other combination you choose. You just need to make sure you are using compound exercises so you are hitting the other muscles along with your legs, back and chest.

Another thing I will do to add strength, is to do two or three weeks of Static Contraction workouts from time to time. Instead of doing the Static Holds at the end of your set with a weight that you can do a normal repetition with, you use a weight which is actually too heavy for you to perform a full rep with. You really need a power rack or smith machine for these, as you are handling extremely heavy weights and I would not like to depend on someone else to keep this weight off of me. Let's use the benchpress for our example. You set the bar about four to six inches from full extension.

Now, load the weight on the bar. I mean, really load the weight on the bar! I can bench about 330lbs, but at the end of my last Static Contraction cycle, I was doing a ten second static hold with 450lbs! The theory is that you can handle much more weight when you lift in your strongest range of motion. When you lift such an incredibly heavy weight in this range, you incorporate so many more muscle fibres, spurring rapid growth and strength gains. I can personally vouch for the strength gains. I do not have the patience to stick with this system long enough to test the mass gains. I change routines on a regular basis to avoid going stale. The routine I use most of the time is something I picked up from Dorians Yates book, Blood and Guts, and made my own adjustments to it. I work chest and triceps in one workout, back and biceps in workout two, then Legs and shoulders in workout three.

I will perform crunches every other workout. I work each muscle a maximum of once per week, with the obvious exception of abdominals which get worked one or two times per week.

On Chest day, I pyramid the benchpress for my chest, then perform a hard set of parallel triceps dips to finish off my triceps.On back day, I do a set of deadlifts, a set of bent rowing after a lighter warm-up set, a set of chins and a set of barbell curls.

On leg day, I pyramid squats, usually performing twenty rep sets, a set of military presses and a set of dumbell side laterals.

This routine seem's to work the very best for me. You should experiment to find what work's the best for yourself.

For diet and nutrition, I like a diet that is simple enough for you to stick to for life. If it is too restrictive, you will fall off the wagon and usually go nuts on everything until you have gained back everything you lost and more! Restrictive diets also eat up alot of your valuable lean muscle tissue. What then happen's, is you start out weighing 200lbs with around a 23% bodyfat percentage. When you fall off of your diet, you have catabolized muscle mass with the fat you lost, so when you balloon back up to 200lbs, your bodyfat percentage is now around 26% or more. Now you weigh the same as you did before the diet, but you look worse! Eat smart, train and rest.

I don't recommend low carb diets unless you have alot of weight to lose. Then, I would use it in stages to break away at the fat a bit at a time, while cycling back to a more normal diet of complex carbs, protein and essential fats. Be sure to get a good protein/ carb meal or shake immediately after your training to quickly replenish your muscle protein and energy. Eat five or six small meals per day to get the most nutrients from the food, while storing less of the calories as fat.

Rest is very important for muscle growth. Your muscles do not grow while you are training. They grow while you are at rest. So if you have been training and eating well, and you are not making decent gains, you may not be getting enough rest to allow full recovery of your muscles.

I am a fitness consultant in St. Louis, Mo. I answer training questions via my website at:http://dan4fitness.com

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Will Hard Exercise Damage Your Heart Muscle?

2008-09-08T05:31:00.001-07:00

Will Hard Exercise Damage Your Heart Muscle?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

To improve for athletic competition, all athletes must suffer skeletal muscle damage. Without this damage their muscles will not grow and they will not become stronger. World-class competitive bicycle racers ride at close to their maximum heart rate for five to seven hours a day. Many researchers have been concerned that this very hard riding would damage their heart muscle as well as their skeletal muscles. A study from Freiburg University in Germany shows that hard exercise does not damage a healthy heart.

When muscles are damaged, they release enzymes into the blood stream. This study shows that the heart muscle is not damaged the way that skeletal muscles are (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, October 2003). Post exercise electrocardiograms and echocardiograms were normal as were blood levels of heart-specific enzymes, creatine kinase, creatine kinase MB and myoglobin. However, older bicycle racers did have a rise in another enzyme, brain natriuretic peptide, that is associated with heart function. The authors felt that this shows that older athletes may not adequately empty their heart's ventricles during the diastolic relaxation phase, and the increased pressure stretches the heart muscles to raise blood levels of this hormone.

Always check with your doctor before you start a vigorous exercise program or make a major increase in the intensity of your routine. Exercise does not harm a healthy heart, but could precipitate a heart attack if you have heart damage.

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A Powerful Muscle Building Supplement That Actually Works

2008-09-08T05:22:00.001-07:00

A Powerful Muscle Building Supplement That Actually Works
By Gregg Gillies

What's the best muscle building supplement available today? You might not like the answer. It's not sexy, it's not new, and it's not touted as a steriod replacement.

And if you don't, you might want to consider getting away from all those steroid-like results ads you are bombarded with in all the magazines.

If you get a chance, take a look back at all the muscle magazines from eight to ten years ago. What do you see?

I'll tell you. You see a lot of ads for wondersupplements, many of which were called the best muscle building supplementavailable at the time. Only problem is, you don't see any ads for those musclebuilding supplements today. Why is that?

Because they just don't work! Eventually, consumers figure that out and the supplements stop selling. So the supplement companies come out with the latest, greatest, cutting-edge, best muscle building supplement for you to spend your hard earned money on.

There are a couple of supplements that you still see ads for today. But theyaren't sexy, they aren't new, they aren't cutting edge, and they aren't drug-likegrey area supplements. So I give two answers to the best muscle building supplementquestion - protein and creatine.

If you want to make outstanding muscle building progress, you must put together a solid weighttraining program, train with a high level of intensity, add poundage to your exercisesas often as possible, eat six high protein meals every day, and make sure you are outof the gym often enough to recover from your workouts so that you can build themuscle you are triggering into growing.

Oh, and add the dual est muscle building supplement to your program - proteinand creatine. Protein powders make it extremely easy and convenient to eat sixmeals a day and to get enough quality protein into your body.

Use Protein Shakes - This will make it easier for you to consume enough calories and protein each day, as well as making it much more convenient to have 6 meals a day. Who has time to prepare six meals a day? Not anybody I know, that's for sure.

Here's a sample weight gain drink you can make up and use in your muscle building diets:

100 grams of protein powder

2 quarts of whole or 2% Milk

2 cups of skim milk powder 2 cups of chocolate ice cream

4 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 banana

Mix in a blender and drink throughout the day, in addition to your regular food meals. Add or subtract ingredients based on individual taste preferences and number of calories needed.

When you have your post-workout muscle building protein shake, throwin a serving of creatine as well.

High quality protein, aka, 'the real muscle building supplement' should be the center point of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for protein, which support muscle repair and growth.

When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weight 150 pounds, try and take in at least 225 grams of protein each and every day.

I know this sounds like a lot and you could probably do okay with 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. But if you find it really difficult to gain muscle, this extra protein can help.

You don't have to have carbs or fat at every meal, but you must have protein. When I say protein, I am referring to high quality protein derived from animal sources.

For getting bigger and stronger, the only protein you need to be concerned with are those found in whey, casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. This is the best muscle building supplement around and should be the cornerstone of your muscle building nutrition plan.

Throw in a high quality creatine product and you are good to go. As for the rest, save your money and stick with the dual muscle building protein/creatine stack for massive muscle mass gains.

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Muscle Looks Good On Every Body!

2008-09-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

Muscle Looks Good On Every Body!
By Dr. Gary S. Goodman

I was finishing a hike in Hollywoods Damon Runyon Park, a wilderness facility, when I crossed paths with a woman wearing a tank top and form-fitting jeans.

As she ascended, I descended, and caught a glimpse of her athletic upper arms.

Taut, without a hint of flab, they rippled as she moved.

Noticing her face, I detected that she was probably in her middle fifties, with bright, happy eyes.

She was just a picture of robust good health and I couldnt help lighting up when she cast a passing smile my way.

Would you like to come across this way, self-confident, buoyant, and full of life?

You can, and it shouldn't take a lot of effort, or much of your time.

Build up your muscle strength, and youll look, feel, and be fitter, and youll also burn more calories than the flab youll replace.

I like doing isometrics because I can do them anywhere, in quick sets, even when Im driving. Just by doing repeated death grips on the steering wheel I can build strength in fingers, hands, and arms.

Activating the cruise control, I can press both feet to the floorboard and work my thighs and calves.

You may prefer to use conventional weights and machines, and thats fine.

Muscle looks good on every body!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable, published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

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Charger Bass Boat Uncompromised Quality With Muscle To Spare

2008-09-07T09:06:00.001-07:00

Charger Bass Boat - Uncompromised Quality With Muscle To Spare
By Mike Singh

There are very few watercrafts today, that can match pound for pound the quality and craftsmanship that you can find in the Charger Bass Boat. This finely tuned machine takes on the task that many will shy away from; the Charger boat is anything but meek. With it's triple layered hull, and standard jack plates this boat offers you the opportunity to reach the rough spots and beat the rough weather back to the dock. With speed a way of life and the durability to withstand even the roughest waters, the Charger boat is clearly a true fisherman's best friend.

The makers of the Charger bass boat set out to design a machine with unparallel quality and function all on one very refined and savvy product, they met their mark on this boat and have only a fine product to build upon for the next installment of the Charger series. With between 200-225 hp, the bass boat is made for the tight and nimble speed that the customer so desires. With two motor models available, the Yamaha XR, or the Evenrude you know you are getting a fine machine for a great price. Combine this power with the standard 4 transom that could easily be considered bullet proof, and you have yourself a machine that is meant to tear up the water.

The Charger bass boat is not only about power however, as you will quickly see the fine details that has been strewn about this craft with comfort and ingenuity in mind. The bass boat comes with several options when it comes to the seating and deck carpeting when you order this fine craft. You have the option to go with cloth, leather, or vinyl foam filled seats, which include rear, couch style seating. All of these seats allow for individual form fitting, which keeps you firmly planted when the water gets rough or the speed of the craft is increased. As far as the carpeting is concerned, you have an option of basically any color in the rainbow. This makes the Charger boat a completely customizable craft that can be exactly what you want as the customer. This is a machine that goes out of its way to be individual and not follow market trends. Check out the Charger bass boat for yourself and see why it has become such an integral tool in the angler's arsenal.

Check out http://www.1-stop-fishing.com/ for more articles on cheap fishing tackle and ontario fishing vacation.

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17 Muscle Building Facts I've Discovered

2008-09-07T01:21:00.001-07:00

17 Muscle Building Facts I've Discovered
By Shawn LeBrun

I've been a personal trainer and natural bodybuilder for the past 5 years. During that time, I've discovered a lot of muscle building facts and fitness observations.

I wanted to share some of the most important ones with you, in this article.

Here are 17 of the most important muscle building facts I've learned over the years.

1. People do not see great results with their muscle building endeavors simply because they are misinformed and misled as to what works and needs to be done. My job as a trainer is to inform and to educate people as to what really works.

2. In order to stay with your fitness routine for the long run, you need to identify the why behind what you're doing. Uncover, specifically, what you want to change and why you want to change. Use this to become your driving force.

3. You absolutely must associate pleasure with your muscle building routine and pain with not committing to your fitness routine. Humans by nature do things that are pleasurable and avoid things that create pain.

4. We are after long-term, permanent results, so there will be no quick fixes and gimmicks. We are going to create a lifestyle change that will be easy to live with. No counting calories or points, just make better choices and healthier, moderate portions.

5. Always think quality over quantity. This means more working out is not better when it comes to building muscle, better is better. Most people I come in contact with work out too much and eat too little.

6. The key to permanent fat-loss is to speed up your metabolism. Once this is done, weight-loss becomes permanent.

7. The whole process of changing your body takes time. Commit yourself to at least three months to literally transform your body. You may see some results before then, but three months is what it takes to see great results.

8. During the first couple weeks of a muscle building program, you'll notice that your scale weight either doesn't change or it may go up a bit.

Throw the scale out the window, it doesn't distinguish between fat and muscle, so when you initially gain a bit of muscle at the start, the scale weight will go up. That's a good thing. Over time the scale weight WILL go down.

9. You must eat often and in moderate amounts to speed up your metabolism. If you eat often, your body utilizes and breaks down your food often, leading to less stored body fat.

10. Eat 5-6 small meals/snacks throughout the day. The easiest way to do this is to eat a moderate breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and then a small snack between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, and then a small snack at night. You must condition your body to eat every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. You cannot restrict calories too much, this will slow down metabolism and absolutely stop progress dead in its tracks.

11. You must create a synergy between proper nutrition, moderate aerobic exercise, and intense, brief weight-training. The answers to weight-loss lie within each one of these. This is why diets, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and other programs are not long-term successful. One or more of these elements is missing.

12. Small, steady steps will lead to progression, which will lead to results, which will increase motivation, which will again increase results, which in turn will lead to long-term change.

13. For best results with building muscle and losing fat, 5 days a week, 30 minutes a day is most beneficial. More than 5 days and you risk overtraining. Less than 5 days and you may not see optimal muscle building results.

14. You must incorporate resistance weight-training into your weight-loss efforts. Fat is metabolized by muscle, muscle literally will burn more calories just to maintain itself. Increased lean muscle tissue helps your body to speed up its metabolism (again, increased metabolism being the key to weight-loss.

15. Too much aerobic activity will be counterproductive to your muscle building efforts. 2-3 days a week, 20-30 minutes each session is optimal. Again, more is not better, better is better.

16. Diets do not work, so never try to diet. Diets are a flawed method which create to much pain (pain/pleasure principle). You can diet for a short time, but the physical and psychological cravings come, leading you to binge and eat more than you would have.

17. Pick one day a week and cheat. Eat anything you want, and I mean anything, but just make it a moderate amount. Then be strict for the other 6 days a week.

These were some of the most important muscle building facts I've learned over the past 5 years. Follow as many as you can and you'll soon see more results from your time spent in the gym.

Shawn Lebrun is a personal trainer and drug-free bodybuilder that offers a proven muscle building and fat loss program. Get the most muscle and definition possible in the least amount of time: Muscle building and fat loss program

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Unique Muscle Building Fat Loss Training Technique Exposed

2008-09-06T18:29:00.001-07:00

Unique Muscle Building, Fat Loss Training Technique Exposed
By Gregg Gillies

Whether you are feeling stale on your current routineor just looking for a way to improve your workouts andstart making progress again, unilateral training is a perfect way to increase the results of your training time and help you build muscle.

What is unilateral training? It is simply working one sideof your body at a time. This is not the same as, say,alternate dumbbell curls where you do a rep with the leftarm, then a rep with the right, etc. You do a complete set for one side before moving to the other.

For example, do a set of 10 reps on the leg press withyour right leg only and then do a set of 10 reps with your leftleg only.

Unilateral training allows you to increase your focus on themuscle you are working by doing a better job of isolating theworking muscle.

Your intensity increases because you increase the muscle involvement due to the bilateral deficit. The bilateral deficitmeans the total weight you can lift by working one limb ata time is more than the total weight you can lift whenworking both limbs together.

This increase in focus and intensity will help your muscle building efforts while boosting your strength.

Here are a number of exercises that are well suited tounilateral training that can help you build muscle mass -

Smith Marchine Squats
Leg Press
Leg Curls
Leg Extension
Calf Raises
Cable Crossovers
Pec Deck
Pullups or Pulldowns
Seated Cable Rows
All types of lateral raises for the shoulders
Dumbbell Press
Seated overhead dumbbell extensions
Tricep Pressdown
Dumbbell Preacher Curl
Cable Curl

If you are looking for something different to help you break out of a rut and build muscle or youjust want to increase the intensity and productivityof your current workout, you should definitely giveunilateral training a try. Give it a fair shake and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

In order to take advantage of these tips to build muscle, muscle building diets and nutrition plans and design an effective weight training program it's important to understandthe fundamentals of weight training.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com. His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He publishes a free fitness newsletter available at his site that includeslots of weight training tips, fat loss, nutrition and exercise program information to help you build your best body as quickly as possible. check it out at Build Muscle and see how you can get a customized muscle building nutrition plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com.

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Will High Intensity Training Really Build Muscle Mass?

2008-09-06T06:34:00.001-07:00

Will High Intensity Training Really Build Muscle Mass?
By Gregg Gillies

In order for your muscles to grow, you have to stimulate them with a high intensity training stress and then allow them to move through the three phases of the recovery process.

There seems to be a number of differing variations of high intensity as it relates to bodybuilding, so lets make sure we are on the same page, okay?

High intensity refers to the percentage of momentary muscular effort being exerted.

If you can curl a 100 pound barbell for 10 repetitions and an 11th repetition is impossible, you have performed high intensity training and have trained with 100% intensity and to the point of momentary muscular failure, if, and this is a big if, you also gave it 100% mentally, not just physically.

And that makes high intensity training a completely different kind of animal.

This is what is meant by the phrase, training to failure, as advocated by high intensity training enthusiasts. In other words, if you are doing a set of barbell curls and you perform as many repetitions as possible until you cant complete another repetition in good form, you have trained to failure.

There is another important point we need to touch on in the above definition and that is the ideal of volitional effort. You see, your muscles are voluntary - they will not contract (work) unless your mind tells them to do so.

You see, intensity, as it relates to bodybuilding, is the possible percentage of momentary muscular and volitional (mental) effort exerted. You can not train with 100% intensity (train to failure) without doing so mentally as well as physically.

The fastest way to make progress would be to stimulate your muscles with high intensity weight training (in order to trigger the adaptive response) and then minimize the stages of the recovery process. The way to minimize the recovery process would be by performing the least amount of exercise needed to trigger the adaptive response - one set per exercise per body part.

One set per exercise per body part is the least amount of exercise we can do and still stimulate muscle mass and strength increases. By performing just one set, you limit the drain on your body's finite energy reserves.

Every set you perform eats in to your limited recovery ability. Your workouts need to be hard, brief, and infrequent if you want to make maximum progress in a minimal amount of time.

Once you've performed a high intensity set on an exercise, you've triggered the adaptive mechanism that will allow over compensation (increase in muscle mass and strength). It only takes this one attempt (one set) to make progress. Performing any more sets will only drain away your body's limited recovery ability.

If you remember, your muscles adapt and grow larger and stronger by being exposed to an anaerobic stimulus that challenges their current existence. In other words, progressive overload through high intensity weight training.

If you train intensely enough, most of you will not duplicate or outperform what you did in the first set. For example, if you train to failure and manage to do 10 reps with 200 pounds in the bench press, you will not be able to duplicate this performance. You may get 6 or 7 reps on the second set.

So what would be the purpose of this set, since it does not come close to challenging your bodys current strength level, and we already know that is necessary in order to cause the adaptive response we are looking for. All youve done is create a much greater inroad into your bodys recovery ability. Although it doesnt seem like much, by adding a second set, youve increased the volume for that body part by 100%!!

However, this is where things get muddy for the skinnyhardgainer. For you, it may be necessary to add anotherset or two. Here's why -

As a skinny hardgainer two things are likely - yourmuscles have low neuromuscular efficiency and you havemore slow twitch fibers.

With lower neuromuscular efficiency your body may need a second set to fire enough muscle fibers to trigger the adaptive response. Thus, a second set could be of benefit.

In addition you need more time under load as discussed inthe previous report. In order to satisfy this as well asmake up for lower neuromusclar efficiency, you may needto add a set or 2 to each exercise in order to make enoughof an inroad to trigger the adaptive response mechanism.

Keep in mind, there are a lot of variables when it comesto designing a proper weight training program. I am notstating that one set per exercise is the most effectiveway for you to train all the time. But it is extremelyeffective, if (and that's a big if), you work at a highenough intensity level, something very few people areable or willing to do.

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The Perfect Rep Range For Building Muscle

2008-09-05T16:32:00.001-07:00

The Perfect Rep Range For Building Muscle
By Sean Nalewanyj

No matter what you read or who you talk to, everyone has their own opinion of what the perfect rep range should be to allow for maximum muscle stimulation and growth. In this article Im going to clear up the confusion once and for all and teach you the truth about choosing the most effective rep range for optimal muscle-building results.

Sets that utilize heavy weight and low reps are without a doubt the most effective means of stimulating muscle growth. For every set you perform in the gym, you should utilize a rep range of 5 to 7. This means that for every set you perform, the weight should be light enough that you can complete 5 reps in good form, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 7. What's so special about 5 to 7, you ask? Well

1) Each set will only last between 20-30 seconds.

Maximizing your muscle gains is all about intensity and efficiency. By utilizing a lower rep range, your sets will only last a short period of time, allowing you to generate 100% mental focus and effort. Training with 100% intensity is critical to stimulating muscle growth and it is much easier to maintain this level of effort for shorter periods of time. You will not have to psyche yourself up for marathon sets lasting minutes on end, but rather for a short burst of all-out effort lasting only several seconds.

2) Muscle stimulation will be maximized.

Our bodies are made up of 2 main types of muscle fiber: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers cannot generate large bursts of power and are utilized during prolonged activity. They have a high tolerance for endurance exercise but do not have a very high potential for increased growth. Fast twitch fibers on the other hand produce large bursts of power and are utilized during short, explosive movements. They contain a large amount of mitochondria (an area in the muscle cell where energy is produced) and have the highest potential for increases in both size and strength. By utilizing a rep range of 5 to 7 you will tap into these extremely responsive fibers and this will result in the greatest amount of muscle growth and strength gain possible.

3) Maximum resistance can be used.

By performing only 5 to 7 reps per set, you will enable your muscles to handle heavier amounts of weight than you could with a higher rep range. Building muscle is a byproduct of building strength, and training in a lower rep range is the most effective way to accomplish this. Since your strength will shoot up much faster using 5 to 7 reps per set, so will your muscle size.

4) Lactic Acid production will be kept to a minimum.

Training in the range of 5 to 7 will also decrease the amount of lactic acid that is secreted within the muscles. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste product that is produced as the body burns carbohydrates for fuel. Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle tissue at increased rates the longer you exercise. By limiting the amount of lactic acid production you will decrease muscle catabolism and create an environment in the body where greater amounts of energy can be generated. This will translate into greater power output and maximum strength potential.

Okay, so we've established that a rep range of 5-7 is the absolute most effective means of stimulating muscle growth. However, this does not apply all the time or on every single lift. There are a few select muscle groups that should be stimulated using a slightly higher rep range. These are the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps. These muscle groups are predominantly made up of slow-twitch fibers, and therefore will respond better to higher reps. For this reason, a rep range of 10-12 should be utilized for these muscle groups. Again, this means that the weight should be light enough for you to complete at least 10 reps, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 12.

Summary:

Perform 5-7 reps for the chest, lats, biceps, triceps, shoulders and thighs.

Perform 10-12 reps for the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps.

Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. If you want to learn the honest truth about building muscle, gaining strength and burning fat, visit his website: http://www.MuscleGainTruth.com/

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You Just Have To Love That Classic Muscle Car

2008-09-05T16:26:00.001-07:00

You Just Have To Love That Classic Muscle Car
By Harvey Ong

They're tough. They're masculine. They're high-performance. Those words often come to mind when one speaks of the classic muscle car. These vehicles are considered some of the finest examples of the time when American automobile production had reached its zenith. The classic muscle car, with its trim design and unusual suitability for drag racing, has attained a fame that has earned it a place as one of the signature vehicle design movements of modern automobile history.

The classic muscle car design is one that does not emphasize power over appearance. Instead, the design embraces both the power of the machine and the aesthetics of the design. These cars have larger engines than conventional automobiles, are bigger than the average sports car, and have a toughness of frame that other types of cars don't have. The typical definition of what a muscle car is tends to exclude any cars made outside Australia and the US, and even then, only cars made in the years between 1964 to 1973. Among some of the more popular models are the Dodge Charger, the Chevrolet El Camino, and the Plymouth Road Runner.

These machines enjoyed the peak of their popularity in the car market almost immediately after being introduced. They cashed in on the growth of the racing trend among the youth market, which was only an emerging market in terms of spending power at the time. Taking advantage of that trend, the manufacturing companies began to design tougher cars that appealed to the sense of aesthetics that the youth market had and combined it with technical and performance statistics that made them suited for street racing. While, initially, the implementation of the new designs and technical upgrades nearly doubled the costs of the car, many companies eventually developed udget muscle models that compromised some of the performance and design aspects in favor of reducing costs. In time, both the classic muscle car and budget muscle car designs were accepted into the market and began to drive their way into the American driver's psyche.

Sadly, politicians caught on to the trend and effectively killed the classic muscle car by pointing out the inherent dangers of such powerful engines in vehicles being targeted to the youth. Some opponents pointed out the fact that the muscle cars did not have the same braking and turning capacity as other cars and stated that it was a major safety risk. Insurance companies also increased their rates and charges on all high-powered models of automobiles, effectively making any prospective buyers turn away because the muscle cars were out of their budget. For the most part, the makes and models were retired, though some were reinvented as luxury cars instead. Environmental concerns also began to wear away at the power of the muscle car era as control over engine emissions was placed ahead of power and performance as the priority for engine design.

However, there have been some attempts at reviving the original classic muscle car. The Mercury Marauder, the Ford Crown Victoria, and even the Pontiac GTO are considered models intended to recapture the magic of the classic muscle car years. While they have not yet come back with the same force they once had when they originally appeared, reports show that there is still a market for them. Despite sharing the same attacks over environmental concerns that the modern SUVs are getting, manufacturers are still producing limited quantities of the modern muscle cars.

For more valuable information on Classic Muscle Car, please visit http://classifieds.itrustmotors.com//cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?db=classic

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Your Most Important Mommy Muscle The Transverse Abdominis

2008-09-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Your Most Important Mommy Muscle - The Transverse Abdominis
By Curt Conrad

If there is one muscle in your body that can help you be a better mom, look great in a bikini and provide an insurance policy against injury would you spend time developing it? If the answer is yes, read on...

Still with me? The muscle Im referring to is your Transverse Abdominis (TA). Its located in your abdomen. The TA provides the foundation of all efficient movement because of its direct and indirect stabilizing relationship to your other muscles. Ever try walking across a trampoline? Its pretty awkward and hard to move on such an unstable surface. Your muscles cant operate efficiently because theres no solid foundation under you.

In contrast, walking on solid ground is easy. A stable foundation lets your muscles work with maximum effectiveness and ease. Your TA muscle acts as your bodys internal foundation. It provides a solid platform for your other muscles to work their best. Heres how it will help you:

Be a better mom moms need energy and strength to care for their babies. Having a strong TA muscle saves your body from wasting energy, which means you have more for you and your baby. Lets face it the more energy we have the better parents we can be.

Look great in a bikini The TA muscle is located beneath your Rectus Abdominis muscles (the six-pack stomach muscles). Here is the difference between the two; If youve ever seen body builders with a six-pack stomach, they have very developed rectus abdominis muscles. The problem is when these muscles get developed they grow outward. If you have very low body fat, it creates a six-pack effect and can look cool if youre into that. However, if you have a layer of fat over those muscles it can make you look fatter and bulge your tummy. Building your rectus abdominis muscles are like letting out your belt.

The TA muscle actually develops inward when you build it. Its like tightening your belt or wearing a muscular girdle. So regardless of your current body fat percentage, developing this muscle can help flatten your stomach and feel better in a bikini. For those with lesser body fat, a strong TA muscle also creates a sexy definition frame around your stomach. That's what makes swimsuit models stomachs look so attractive without being too muscular.

Insurance because your TA muscle acts as a muscular girdle and helps stabilize your pelvis it provides more support against outside forces (impacts, physical stresses, etc.) . When you're bending, twisting, running, moving to care for your baby, you're being subjected to a number of forces. A strong TA muscle helps you transfer force efficiently through your body through the muscles, rather than your back and joints. Having a strong TA is like an insurance policy against forces that create aches, pains and injury from the repetitive physical motions of childcare.

The first step to getting a stronger TA muscle is to know how to activate it. Actually, as a mom you activated your TA when you were pushing during labor and delivery. However, when you're not on the birthing table you may want to use the following techniques. This is a conscious process that takes practice. But once you get it you can get great results.

Get Activated

1. Lie on your back and pull your navel to your spine without holding your breath. Place a toy block on your stomach while you do this and it should sink. Now move the block up and down while breathing normally. You are using your transverse abdominis. Now stand up and do the same thing. (without the block)

2. While wearing a belt, pull your navel away from the belt without holding your breath. Feel the gap between your stomach and belt. Now keep that gap while breathing normally. Your TA is activated.

Activating your TA muscle is the first step to developing your most important MommyMuscle. In future posts, Ill give you some exercises to build a TA to be proud of

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Learn More About Human Muscles

2008-09-04T22:25:00.001-07:00

Learn More About Human Muscles
By Allan Lye

The human body contains more than 600 muscles. Skeletal muscle contains contractile units that have the ability to convert chemical energy into mechanical energy, thus enabling the muscle to contract or shorten. Muscles cannot independently lengthen. They can lengthen only by contracting the opposing muscles. When one muscle (the agonists) contracts, the opposite muscle (the antagonist) lengthens.

In order for muscles to contract at all, they must be attached to the bones. Strong, fibrous tissues located at each end of the muscle, called tendons, accomplish this. The attachment of the muscle at the proximal end of the bone (the end closer to the body) is considered the muscles' origin. The attachment at the distal end of the bone (the end farther from the body) is referred to as the muscle's insertion. The origin of the trunk muscles are always at the upper or superior attachment, while the insertion is found at the lower or inferior attachment.

Muscles have different contraction capacities and therefore can play different roles depending on the desired movement. A muscle can contract concentrically while it shortens or pulls. This typically results in a movement in which the muscles acts as a primary mover.

A muscle can also contract concentrically in cooperation with other muscles. The synergistic effort results in a movement that the muscle would not have been able to perform completely on its own. In this situation, the muscle would be considered a synergist or an assistor.On the other hand, a muscle may also contract eccentrically while it lengthens, Even though it is elongating, the muscle can still be contracting enough to help slow the movement. In this case, the muscle acts like a brake to control the body as it moves.

Yet another possibility is that a muscle could be contracting isometrically while it neither shortens nor lengthens. A muscle may utilize varying degrees of these isometric contractions in order to stabilize the body and certain joints during an exercise. The muscle would be working as a stabilizer in this situation.

A muscle may also contract to prevent an undesired effect of another contracting muscle. It would then be acting as a neutralizer. For example, the abdominal muscles neutralize part of the effects of the hip extensors and erector spinae as we walk. Neutralization prevents the spine from reaching large degrees of hyperextension.

As you learn the various movements the human body is capable of performing, the roles and responsibilities of each muscle during each joint motion will become clearer. If you are a personal trainer, fitness instructor, or coach, it is extremely important that you know this information in order to more competently teach and train your clients and athletes.

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Muscle Building Tips: Increasing Efficiency With the Same Exercises!

2008-09-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

Muscle Building Tips: Increasing Efficiency With the Same Exercises!
By Jasdeep Singh

Want to bring a zing and energize your stale workout routine? Master a trick or two from the following tips and see the results for yourself. Certain tips that can stimulate new techniques to squeeze more muscle-building efficiency out of each exercise that can really make all the difference...Check what the experts suggest!

Do a proper warm-up: Before lifting weights, do a 10-minute warm-up at a moderate pace on the treadmill, stationary bike or cross-trainer. A proper warm-up reduces the overall wear and tear of your body, which means that you will be able to stick with a programme longer.

Use gloves and wrist wraps: If the pressure from the bar causes too much discomfort, you will never be able to reach your maximum number of reps. Also, many people cant add more weight to 'pushing' exercises, such as the bench press, because their wrists cant withstand it. Wrist wraps can help get you to the next level.

Use lifting hooks: Hooks can assist you with important exercises, such as dead lifts, barbell shrugs, pull-downs, and chin-ups, where grip fatigue is the usual reason people fail to do more reps and use heavier weights. Don't let your grip strength limit the development of all those major muscle groups.

Know your body fat per cent: Why is it that even if two men are of the same height and weight, one of them looks flabby, while the other appears lean and athletic? It's because of their respective percentages of lean vs fatty tissue. And that is why it is important to measure your percentage of body fat with fat calipers. If you gain five pounds of muscle and lose five pounds of muscle and lose five pounds of fat, your bathroom scale will say your weight hasn't changed, and you may feel as though you are getting nowhere when this is clearly not the case.

Build your forearms: Forearms are the most neglected body part when it comes to training. And it's not just about having owling pin forearms. Grip strength is the foundation of many other important exercises. Sports, such as martial arts, rock climbing and water-skiing, all benefit from having more power in your grip and forearms.

Boost the intensity: If your workouts are always of the same intensity, there is no reason for your body to grow new muscle or transform itself in any way. So add a little more weight to each exercise or squeeze out a few more reps.

Use high-intensity exercises: When you want to target a specific muscle group, such as chest, triceps or quads, you have many exercises from which to choose. Use the exercises that allow you to lift the greatest amount of weight in the shortest time.

Try Alpha and Beta exercises: There are two forms of muscle strength. Alpha strength is the momentary strength required to do, for example, one maximum bench press rep. Beta strength is the strength required to perform four sets of 20 reps with the heaviest weight possible. Think of it as a sprint versus marathon. Experiment to discover which form of muscle strength is your forte. Try a workout where you do only one all-out set, and then try a different workout, where you do multiple sets to failure.

Do leg presses: Heavy leg presses, especially when limited to only your strongest range of motion, are the single most intense exercise anyone can do. The anabolic effects of doing ultra high-intensity leg presses carries over to the entire body.

Work out less often: This is the only tip that is totally counterintuitive. If you want to burn more calories by jogging, you should jog every single day. But never make the mistake of working out too often and not allowing your body enough time to recover between workouts. Your body must fully recover before it will be able to perform muscle growing functions.

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Jasdeep: for http://www.weightloss-health.com/ your complete and most comprehensive family guide on Health.

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15 Muscle Building Rules for Skinny Guys and Gals!

2008-09-04T22:08:00.001-07:00

15 Muscle Building Rules for Skinny Guys and Gals!
By Anthony Ellis

WHY CAN'T YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Though there may be many reasons why you may be thin, the most apparent reason is because of your genetics. If your parents are naturally thin or have a small body frame, then you will most likely have the same small body type.

To some degree, your size can also be controlled by your metabolism. If you have a difficult time gaining weight of any kind (fat or muscle) then you most likely have a fast metabolism. That simply means that your body burns calories at a faster than normal rate. You must take this into account whenever you are considering a particular diet or training program. Is it geared towards someone with your metabolism and goal?

Now as you know, there are many ways to train. Hundreds, thousands even. Some work and some do not, but for the specific goal of gaining weight, there are a few UNIVERSAL things that all skinny guys must do.

Though much of the information I cover here is not as magical as you may like, I consider these rules to be the basics with regard to weight gain. These are not all of the answers, but they are definite elements that MUST be addressed in any successful weight gain program.

You should be able to easily integrate these rules into your current program to make it more suitable for your particular body and goals.

GENERAL RULES

1.Get the proper information that pertains to your SPECIFIC condition and goals.

The first big problem I find in most people is the lack of correct information. Yes you are motivated and doing things, but your effort is wasted on incorrect dieting and training information. Basically, skinny guys are taking advice from people who have never had a weight gain problem. Want to know how to gain weight? Then find someone who has walked your shoes. Someone who has been where you are.

2.Set a specific goal and create a plan of attack.

If you were to drive cross country to another city, would you just start driving randomly, or would you plan a route that would get you quickly and efficiently?

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your destination. Without a plan and a specific goal you will be without focus and can easily get lost or side tracked. This happens more often than you know. I see many people in the gym just doing whatever, or just eating whatever -- no plan or specific goal. They wonder why they don't make progress. They have no focus.

Having a specific program to follow allows you to take action each day. This action is focused on specifically getting you to your destination quickly. There is no thinking, debating or guessing. You just do it. A specific plan provides necessary daily structure that not only keeps you on the road moving forward, it also helps to develop good eating and training habits that will benefit you long after you have reached your destination.

3.Have confidence in yourself and belief in what you are doing.

Lets face it; we live in a cruel world. Hate and jealously is everywhere. For most people who begin a fitness program to improve themselves, getting started will be half the battle. The other half will be staying motivated throughout the constant onslaught of negativity from others. A few negative words can do serious damage if you allow it.

The most insulting things you hear may be from friends, co-workers and acquaintances at the gym. People hate change. It makes them insecure, because they suddenly discover theres more to you than they were probably willing to admit. They fear that you may actually achieve your goal. It makes them look less superior.

Once you have begun your plan, you must have faith and believe in what you are doing. Stay focused and avoid overly critical or negative people. If you have to, keep your business to yourself. When I first began my program, I stopped talking about what I was doing because I got tired of hearing things like you cant do that, thats impossible, youre wasting your time and money. Funny thing is, now those people are constantly bugging me for advice.

Its your life. Its your body. Its your dream. Dont allow your success or failure to rest in the hands of others.

WORKOUT RULES

4. Stop listening to every ridiculous piece of advice you hear in the gym or read on a message board.

Recently a client of mine informed me that someone in the gym stated that he was training all wrong and he needed to train 5-6 days a week, and aim for more reps during his workout. Somewhere in the range of 15-20 reps per set.

The person giving the advice was quite confident about his recommendations, and he had an impressive physique that typically elevates him to the elusive listen to me if you want to look like me level in the gym. He was bigger than my client, so even though my client's intellectual mind knows that advice is absurd; his unrealistic dreamer mind took this information very seriously. So seriously that he changed his program and didn't inform me until a week or so later. This particular person had been making great progress on his current program, yet he allowed this one persons comment to overshadow that progress and convince him that his program was inadequate. This is a mistake and it showed in his lack of further progress.

In addition, don't judge the validity of what a person says by how they look. Just because the guy is huge doesn't mean he is spewing pertinent advice for you. Many people that have big physiques are big despite of their training, not because of it. I know some huge guys that know very little about training and dieting correctly. They can do whatever and still gain muscle; unfortunately we are not that way, so we much approach things in a more intelligent way.

5.Workout Infrequently

This is the most difficult concept for many to grasp simply because it involves less action, instead of more. When we get motivated and start a new program, its natural to want to do something. We want to train and train and train. Thinking all along that the more you train, the more muscle you will build. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth.

More training does not equal more muscle growth. Understand that the purpose of weight training is to stimulate muscle growth. That takes very little time. Once that has been done, the muscle needs to be repaired and new muscle needs to be built. That only happens when you are resting. You do not build muscle in the gym, you build muscle when resting! If you never give your body any essential non active time, when will it have a chance to build muscle? Think about that.

Now, add in the fact that you have a difficult time gaining weight and the importance of rest increases. Individuals who are naturally thin and have difficulty building muscle tend to require less training and more rest.

6. Focus on Multi-Jointed Lifts

Multi-jointed exercises are those that stimulate the most amounts of muscle fibers. Unlike isolation exercises which only work individual muscles, multi-jointed lifts work many different muscle groups simultaneously. For those needing to gain weight, this is ideal because these lifts put your body under the most amount of stress. This is the stress that will shock your nervous system and cause the greatest release of muscle building hormones. This results in increased muscle gain all over the body.

You can still do some isolation work; however it should not be the focus of your workouts, and should only come after your multi-jointed lifting is complete.

7. Focus on Using Free Weights

Free weights are preferred over machines for many reasons, but most importantly because they allow the stimulation of certain supporting muscle groups when training. Stimulating these stabilizer and synergistic muscles will allow you go get stronger, and ultimately build more muscle faster. Yes, some can most likely still build large amounts of muscle using machines, but why make it more difficult if you already have a difficult time gaining weight?

8. Lift a weight that is challenging for you

Building mass involves lifting relatively heavy weight. This is necessary because the muscle fibers that cause the most amount of muscle size growth (called Type IIB) are best stimulated by the lifting of heavy weight. A heavy weight as one that only allows you to perform 4-8 reps before your muscles fail.

Using a lighter weight and doing more reps can stimulate some Type IIB fibers, but again if you have a difficult time gaining weight, why make it more difficult? You need to try and stimulate as many as you can with the use of heavy weights.

9. Focus more on the eccentric portion of the exercise.

When you lift a weight, it can be divided into three distinct periods. The positive, the negative and midpoint. The concentric or positive motion usually involves the initial push or effort when you begin the rep. The midpoint is signaled by a short pause before reversing and returning to the starting position. The eccentric, or negative portion of each lift is characterized by your resistance against then natural pull of the weight.

For example, when doing push-ups, the positive motion is the actual pushing up motion. Once you have pushed all the way up, you hit the mid point. The negative motion begins when you start to lower yourself back down. Most would simply lower themselves as fast as they pushed up, but I recommend extending and slowing down this portion. Slowing down the eccentric part of the lift will help to stimulate more muscle growth. It actually activates more of the Type IIB fibers mentioned about in Rule 7.

10. Keep your workout short but intense.

Your goal should be to get in, stimulate your muscles and then get out as quickly as possible. It is not necessary to do large amounts of exercisers per body part trying to target every muscle and hit every angle. This should only be a concern of someone with an already developed, mature physique who is trying to improve weak areas.

If you have no pec, dont concern yourself with trying to target inner, outer, upper, lower or whatever. Just work your chest. You should do no more than 2-3 exercises per body part. Thats it. Doing more than that wont build more muscle, faster. In fact it could possibly lead to muscle loss. Long training sessions cause catabolic hormone levels to rise dramatically. Catabolic hormones are responsible for breaking down muscle tissue resulting in MUSCLE LOSS. While at the same time, long training sessions suppress the hormones that actually build muscle.

If you dont want to lose muscle during your workouts, I suggest limiting your sessions to no more than 60-75 minutes MAXIMUM. Less if you can.

11. Limit your aerobic activity and training

Honestly, I do not do any aerobic activity when I am trying to gain weight. This is mainly because it interferes with the important non-active time my body needs for muscle building and recovery. I do understand that people have lives and other activities that they don't want to give up, so it must be kept to a minimum. It wont hurt your progress as long as you dont over do it. If you find that you are doing more aerobic activity weight training, thats overdoing it.

I also dont recommend it because people tend do it for the wrong reasons. Many start aerobic activity because they believe it will help them to lose fat. While that is true, it wont do so on a high calorie mass diet. To lose fat, you need to be eating fewer calories.

12. Dont program hop

Heres how it usually happens. Youve just read about a new exercise or workout that is supposed to pack on the mass. Now, even though you had already started another training program a few weeks ago, you are tired of it and really want to start this routine instead because it sounds better.

I call these people, program hoppers. They are very enthusiastic when starting a new program, but they never follow it long enough to actually see any results. They are easily distracted and love to drop whatever they may be doing to follow the latest hot workout or exercise.

My advice is dont do it. This is a bad habit that never leads to a positive outcome. Understand that it takes time for any program to work. To be successful, you must follow your program consistently. Yes, there are many different training methods and interesting routines out there, but you cant do them all at the same time and jumping around wont allow enough time for any of them to actually be effective for you. Pick one that is focused on your current goal and stick with it. There will be plenty of time to try the others later, but NOT NOW.

EATING RULES

13. Eat more

This rule is pretty simple, but usually the one that is not done correctly. If weight gain is your goal, then you will need to eat more food. Period. In most cases, you will need to eat more than you are normally accustomed to.

One large problem that I had when starting out is I just had no appetite. I knew I needed to eat more, but I just did not want to. I had to force myself to eat at each meal. Thankfully, after about 2 weeks, my appetite grew. I was becoming hungry before each meal, and if I didn't eat my meal at the normal time, my body knew it.

If you have this problem, you still must eat something, no matter how much. Start off making yourself eat something small like fruit every few hours. Then, as your appetite becomes more active, gradually move into more real food.

What this will do is gradually get your body accustomed eating at regular intervals. Eventually you will be hungry before each meal time.

When eating more, you will need to make sure that you are getting plenty of good quality protein. Protein is a nutrient that is essential for building muscle. Every meal that you eat should contain some form of protein. Meal Replacement Powders like Myoplex are excellent for this purpose. They enable you to eat large amounts of good quality protein in a very convenient manner.

14. Eat more often

In addition to eating more calories, you should also strive to eat more often throughout the day. Eating infrequently, or going long periods without eating, will cause your body to breakdown muscle tissue for the calories it needs. This is especially true for those with fast metabolisms.

Spreading your meals throughout the day will give you more manageable meal sizes, improve nutrient assimilation, and make sure that your body always has the calories it needs for muscle building and repair. I recommend eating a high protein meal every 3 hours. During normal waking hours, that usually equals about 6 meals.

Now, I know what you are saying, Im too busy to do this, or how can I do that with a full time job and school? Dont let the thought of this being too difficult keep you from doing it. It may seem very inconvenient at first, but once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes second nature and you dont have to give it much thought. Trust me, Ive been doing it for years and do not feel that its limiting or time consuming.

15. Use Nutritional Supplements.

Before you buy any product, remember that supplements are not magic. Too many people think that just because you buy the latest product, it guarantees that you will automatically begin to pack on the pounds. The truth is that supplements are only there to enhance an already solid diet and workout program.

They can give you the extra edge by:

* Adding More Convenience: Using food supplements like Myoplex or Designer Protein help to eliminate the common problem of 'not enough time', by providing you with a quick, efficient way to get your required nutrients each day. They make eating large amounts of calories and protein easier for people with low appetites.

* Increasing Strength Levels: Products that contain Creatine, like Phosphagen HP or Cell-Tech enable you to swing the odds of gaining more weight in your favor by increasing your strength output. Creatine enables you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle fibers and cause more muscle growth.

* Decreasing Recovery Time: Vitamin C is essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is helping to repair connective tissue. All of this helps decrease the amount of time you are sore.

* Enhancing Your Immune System: Weight training increases the body's need for many minerals like magnesium and selenium. I always use a good multi-vitamin ensures that I am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide. I simply don't have the time or desire to do it any other way. This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Yes, but I have to be honest and say that from my experience, gaining weight is much more difficult than losing fat. Even if you are doing everything right, it will still be difficult because you are fighting against what your body naturally prefers. If you are naturally thin, building an impressive physique involves persistence and determination, but no matter what anyone says, it is well within your ability. Good luck and for more information on how to gain weight, be sure to check out my website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com

Former skinny guy Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass. The most widely used weight gain program in the world. This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries. For more information on how to gain weight and build muscle, check out his website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com

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Best Bodybuilding Supplements To Gain Weight Build Muscle And Increase Strength

2008-09-04T21:26:00.001-07:00

Best Bodybuilding Supplements To Gain Weight, Build Muscle And Increase Strength
By Tim Gorman

If your looking to build superior ripped muscle by adding additional weight in the form of muscle or dramatically increase your overall strength and workout intensity then bodybuilding supplements may hold the key to what you're looking for and for good reason. Many aspiring weightlifters and bodybuilders know that taking the right muscle enhancing supplements means increased gains and taking the wrong muscle building supplements means a waste of money and even worse, perhaps possible injury or illness from the adverse side effects.

No discussion about bodybuilding supplements would be complete without talking about creatine monohydrate. This is considered by many to be the grand daddy of muscle building supplements. Actually, you may not be aware of this but creatine does occur naturally in our bodies. It's produced from a combination of three amino acids; arginine, glycine and methionine. Creatine is renowned for providing a short energy burst, which makes it beneficial to weight lifters and bodybuilders that are serious about reducing their lactic acid buildup, increasing their strength, providing more energy for your workouts and adding muscle weight gains in a short amount of time.

Another beneficial bodybuilding supplement is whey protein. This is considered to be the highest grade of protein and since protein is the building block for muscles it only makes sense that whey protein can help in this endeavor. Here's a fact that may surprise you. Whey protein actually contains some of the same ingredients that are found in a mother's natural milk. This is one of the main reasons you find whey protein in bay formulas. It's good for the body. The big benefit for weightlifters revolves around the fact that whey protein provides many important nutrients; especially the much needed amino acids. As a result whey protein is valuable to repairing and rebuilding the muscles after a strenuous workout. For this reason whey protein is a fantastic bodybuilding supplement.

One final bodybuilding supplement that deserves to be mentioned isn't just for muscle bound weightlifters. In fact it can be used by anyone interested in adding the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals that they may be missing out on due to the normal diet. These meal replacement supplements, as they are commonly called, are very quick and an extremely convenient way of proving your body with protein, carbohydrates and other vital minerals and nutrients. Most replacement meals come in several tasty varieties and are engineered to either help you lose weight or gain muscle weight. For bodybuilders the weight gain meals are what they are most interested in consuming.

As you can gather there are literally hundreds of different bodybuilding supplements on the market but the three mentioned above provide the best hope of obtaining additional muscle weight and increasing your workout intensity levels and post workout recuperation.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of VitaminSupplementsGuide.com. He provides more information on dietary supplements, anti-aging supplements and bodybuilding supplements that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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Using Bodybuilding Supplements To Build Muscle Mass!

2008-09-03T07:55:00.001-07:00

Using Bodybuilding Supplements To Build Muscle Mass!
By Anthony Ellis

OK, first let's get something straight here...

If you think that buying a shake or taking a few pills will all of a sudden make you huge, then you are mistaken.

No supplement will help you if you are not training and dieting correctly -- they will just give you very expensive urine. All aspects of your program have to be in order for you to get the maximum benefit from sports nutrition supplements. From my experience, supplements enhance your program by:

1. Adding an element of convenience: Using food supplements like Meal Replacement Powders and whey protein help to eliminate the common problem of 'not enough time', by providing you with an quick efficient way to get your required nutrients each day.

2. Increasing strength and decreasing recovery time: Using vitamin and amino acid supplements help to minimize the negative side effects of weight training and speed your recovery.

The Benefit of Convenience

There are many 'old school' trainers and bodybuilders who profess the uselessness of supplements. They are constantly preaching that they don't work, and that you don't need them. Well, to tell you the truth they are correct, somewhat. Remember that not too long ago there were no supplements. Bodybuilders built huge physiques without meal replacement powders, creatine or prohormones.

There was no such thing as exercise 'machines'. They used multi-jointed, compound free weight exercises that not only increased their muscular size, but also make them incredibly strong. So, if you look at that way it can be done and you don't need any supplements. However, the decision whether or not to use supplements should involve the consideration of other factors that may come into play when speaking of dieting today. The first of which is time.

Many people today just do not have the time to live, eat and breathe food. Very few people like to cook, and even fewer cook on a regular basis. When was the last time that you actually had six meals that you actually cooked yourself? Many of those who are against dietary supplements continue to preach that you should get all the nutrients that you need from your diet. 'Eat a balanced diet and you will get all the nutrition you need'. Well, 100 years ago that may have been true, but today this type of advice is questionable.

The fact is, most people's idea of a good meal is restaurant or (even worse) fast food. To ask someone to eat specific amounts of protein, fat and carbs seems like an impossible request considering that most people can't even get their minimum requirements of good fat or fiber. Experts will continue to spout 'eat a balanced diet,' while Americans feast on nutritionless fast food and sugar. Not only do our bodies have to deal with the ever-increasing external stresses of everyday life, they also have to combat nutrient-depleting, tissue damaging exercise.

If I did not have the option to supplement my diet with whey protein, I probably would not have gained as much weight as I have. Now, I'm not saying that the whey protein is why I gained weight, but it did help me a great deal.

I am usually very busy and I just don't have the time, nor the desire to eat six, planned whole food meals per day. Supplements like meal replacement powders and whey protein fill in this gap for me.

I typically have three real food meals and three protein supplement meals -- that makes up my required six meals each day. When I'm away from home, or not able to get an adequate meal, my MRP is always right there when I need it. It gives me a quantifiable amount of protein so that I can keep track of my nutrient intake. In my opinion, this is much better than just grabbing something and then trying to guess at how much protein, fat or carbs you just ate. Getting in all of your required meals and nutrient amounts is crucial to your success.

My mass diet requires a very high daily protein intake -- Over 300g per day. Just to give you example of how much that is, here are some examples of what 300g of protein is equal to:

Tuna -- 50 oz of canned tuna (the average can is 6-8oz.), which is 1,750 calories and 25g of fat

Chicken -- 38 oz of chx breast (equals about seven 6oz breasts), which is 1,313 calories and 38g of saturated fat

Beef -- 43 oz of lean ground beef (about 2.7 pounds of meat), which is 3,214 calories and 215g of saturated fat

Eggs -- 50 large whole eggs, equals 3,750 calories and 250g of saturated fat

Egg whites -- 100 egg whites, equals 1,600 calories and almost no fat

Pure whey protein -- 15 scoops of EAS Precision Protein, equals 1,500 calories 7.5g of saturated fat

It is very possible to get this amount from eating whole foods only -- But it will take work. Also, as you can see from the above numbers, getting all of your protein from regular food will also bring a lot of unnecessary elements like extra saturated fat. Yes, our goal to gain mass is to eat a lot of calories (including fat), but your main fat intake should consist of unsaturated fats that are liquid at room temperature like olive oil, flaxseed oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil. Whey protein supplements will help to give you the extra protein without the fat.

Increased Strength and Decreased Recovery

In addition to a whey protein supplement, I recommend that everyone should be taking a multi-vitamin, plenty of vitamin C, and glutamine. Creatine can also be added if you are over 18.

Multi-Vitamin

Weight training increases the body's need for many minerals like magnesium and selenium. The multi-vitamin ensures that I am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

I always take a multi-vitamin without iron, because grown men do not need additional iron. We get enough from our food. Men and postmenopausal women should never take iron supplements unless they have iron-deficiency anemia, which is only diagnosed by blood tests. The body has no way to eliminate excess iron except through blood loss. Women who menstruate are protected from iron overload, obviously. Iron is also an oxidizing agent that can cause damage to the heart and arteries, and is a major risk factor in arteriosclerosis.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is helping to repair connective tissue which helps decrease the amount of time you are sore. I train very heavy and extremely hard. When I train my legs, I am usually sore for about 5-6 days afterwards.

If I do not supplement my diet with vitamin C, I would normally be sore for almost 10 days! So, it really helps me to recover and get back to training. I typically take around 3,000mg in divided doses. That would equal quite a few oranges!

Glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid that is produced by our bodies, but most of the time our bodies demand so much, that it can't create enough. I supplement my diet with glutamine to increase my levels of glutathione. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant, which helps to combat the stresses of exercise trauma, and prevent muscle protein breakdown.

I especially believe that it helps prevent my body from breaking down my new muscle while I am asleep, so I never go to bed without taking it. I take about 15g per day (in divided doses), which would be impossible to get naturally.

Creatine Monohydrate

Creatine's purpose is to supply our muscle with energy. It is also found in red meat, but you would have to eat an enormous amount of meat to get the same benefits as taking pure creatine powder. Everyone knows about creatine so I will not go into it here, but I do want to say that the major benefit from taking creatine is that it will increase your strength.

This will enable you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle growth. Many people make a big fuss over the muscle volumizing effects of creatine, because if you stop taking it, you lose that extra fluid that creatine brings into your cells. So what! You certainly DO NOT lose the extra muscle creatine helped you to gain.

Don't get caught up in product hype. Supplements will help, but they will NOT do the work for you.

Former skinny guy Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass. The most widely used weight gain program in the world. This unique program contains the complete diet, supplements and weight training program he used to gain 32lbs of mass. For more information on how to build more muscle go to http://www.fastmusclegain.com

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Why Do My Muscles Get Sore After A Workout?

2008-08-27T05:17:00.001-07:00

Why Do My Muscles Get Sore After A Workout?
By Josh Stone

24 hours to 48 hours after a hard workout, most people begin to experience soreness in the body parts trained. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS.

Now a question Ive been asked too often:

I'm quite content with the soreness I'm experiencing in my back right now as a result of the mean barbell rows I attempted last night Could definitely do with a good backrub

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5 Tips for Building Muscle Now

2008-08-20T03:04:00.000-07:00

5 Tips for Building Muscle Now
By Gregg Gillies

Putting together a program that incorporates the following body building tips will point you in the right direction and get you making gains you hadn't thought were possible.

Tried and True Body Building Tips

Bench pressing 300 pounds is a far greater stress on your body than bench pressing 50 pounds, even if both were maximum attempts at the time.

Train Progressively - You need to constantly challenge what your body can do by continuing to add more weight and/or repetitions to your previous best effort as often as possible.

1 - Squats

2 - Deadlifts

3 - Chin Ups

4 - Dips

5 - Bench Press

6 - Military Press

Don't train to failure.

After about a month, you can lower the reps on everthing but Squats and Deadlifts, to the 8 - 10 rep range. Start training to failure on some sets.

After another month, begin training to failure on all working sets and consider only weight training two times per week to accomodate the higher level of intensity and strengh that you've developed.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Tips-for-Building-Muscle-Now&id=122884

Running Intervals Teaches Your Muscles to Use Lactic Acid

2008-08-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

Running Intervals Teaches Your Muscles to Use Lactic Acid
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

You exercise so intensely that your muscles burn and you gasp for breath. Then you slow down for a minute or two, catch your breath, and then go very fast again. This training technique has been used in all endurance sports since the 1920's. Now George Brooks of the University of California at Berkeley has shown why interval training makes you a better athlete (American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, June 2006).

Inside each muscle cell are mitochondria, the little furnaces that burn fuel for energy. A major fuel for your muscles during exercise is the sugar, glucose. In a series of chemical reactions, glucose is broken down step by step, with each step releasing energy. When enough oxygen is available, the glucose releases all of its energy until only carbon dioxide and water remain; these are blown off through your lungs. However, if not enough oxygen is available, the chemical reactions stop at lactic acid which accumulates in the muscles and spills over into the bloodstream. Lactic acid makes muscles acidic and causes a burning feeling. This recent research shows that lactic acid is the most efficient source of energy for muscles. Anything that helps muscles to break down lactic acid faster will make you a better athlete because it will increase your endurance and allow you to move faster when you are tired.

Since lactic acid is burned for energy in the mitochondria, anything that enlarges the mitochondria builds a bigger furnace and helps to increase endurance. Lactic acid is carried from the cells into the mitochondria by special proteins called lactate transporter molecules, so anything that increases these molecules will build endurance. An enzyme called lactic acid dehydrogenase is needed to start the reaction, so anything that increases this enzyme will also help. Interval training does all three: it enlarges the furnace (mitochondria), increases lactic acid transporter molecules, and increases the amount of lactic acid dehydrogenase.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Running-Intervals-Teaches-Your-Muscles-to-Use-Lactic-Acid&id=238751

Will Hard Exercise Damage Your Heart Muscle?

2008-08-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Will Hard Exercise Damage Your Heart Muscle?
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Will-Hard-Exercise-Damage-Your-Heart-Muscle?&id=154170

Mercury Muscle Car Wins in the End

2008-08-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

Mercury Muscle Car Wins in the End
By Adam M

In 1939, Ford Motor Company established a separate automobile creation within their empire and called it Mercury. At first, their intent was to build an automobile that a little bit above the Ford in class but not quite a luxury vehicle. What they came up with was the Mercury Marauder.

By the time the 1960s rolled around, the United States was wrapped up in race car driving, the new national past time. Mercury fell in line and provided the public with what they were looking for fantastic stock cars which gave a great race. Everyone wanted to drive a Mercury stock car. World renowned Parnelli Jones got behind the wheel himself and gave Mercury a spin. In 1963 alone, the Mercury Marauder, the new stock car by Fords Mercury company, won no less than eight stock car titles and racing awards. Eight! In one year! Mercury was on a roll.

Never satisfied with success, Mercury decided to top itself. Less than a year after sweeping the race car driving awards, Mercury replaced the engine in the Marauder with an engine that boasted 410 horsepower. Now, the Mercury Marauder was unstoppable.

Today, Mercury continues to lure customers with a muscle-car design. In 2003, Mercury decided to create a Marauder based on their popular Grand Marquis. With a stronger frame, better suspension, improved brakes and steering, the new Mercury Marauder is more attractive and drives better than ever before. Special attention has been paid to the interior, with large bucket seats, large console, cupholders and a floor shifter.And there is a new and improved engine, a V-8, 302 horsepower. This is the type of power and push that is expected with a traditional muscle car. No one can disagree that the Marauder is a thrill to drive! Like many of its predecessors, the Mercury Marauder is a distinctive car that offers a unique driving experience.

Looking for a new Mercury or Used Mercury? Try your next car search at http://www.Mercury.us.com for reviews, consumer information and prices.

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http://EzineArticles.com/?Mercury-Muscle-Car-Wins-in-the-End&id=43040

Massage to Help Muscles Recover

2008-08-18T03:05:00.001-07:00

Massage to Help Muscles Recover
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

An article from Cornell shows that a massage after vigorous exercise can help reduce muscle soreness. Several other studies show that deep massage helps to make muscle injuries heal faster, improves training in athletes and relieves painful pressure points in muscles and tendons.

Athletes use muscle soreness to guide them in their training programs. Most athletes train by taking a hard workout that damages muscles enough to make them feel sore on the next day. Then the athlete takes easier workouts until the soreness goes away. When the soreness is gone, the athlete takes a harder workout again. A 30-minute massage after a hard workout lessens next-day muscle soreness and allows athletes to recover faster so they can perform more work and compete at a higher level.

Most coaches and trainers recommend massage therapy to their athletes, but many physicians are still skeptical about its health benefits. Researchers at Ball State University showed that vigorous deep massage done 21 to 29 days after severe tendon injury hastened healing. Many people suffer from pain in their muscles and tendons, and a study from Denmark showed that deep massage therapy and regular exercise help to relieve these trigger point pains, while ultrasound does not.

Nobody knows how a massage helps muscles recover faster. The massage does not make muscles stronger, but the athlete who can take more frequent workouts can build stronger muscles.

Why then do some physicians still not recommend massage therapy for their patients? One study from the University of Calgary shows that physicians, who may speak against massage, know least about how it is done and when to recommend it.

For journal references on the studies mentioned in this article see http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/1825.html

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Quick Tips to Gain Muscle Mass

2008-08-17T15:05:00.001-07:00

Quick Tips to Gain Muscle Mass
By Indy Stewart

Packing on size is easy, as long as proper techniques are applied. Keep in mind that everyone has a different body type. Here are some tips to help you gain muscle mass.

#1 Weight Train

Train with heavy weights using less reps. Using appropriate weight, you should only be able to do 4-8 reps. Using heavy weights and low reps puts your muscles and nervous system under much more stress than using lighter weights for many reps. The rest time in between sets should be approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

#2 Eat more Calories

To gain mass, you should strive to eat around 18-20 times you body weight in calories. The extra calories are needed to build new muscles and to repair muscle tissue that is damaged during the heavy workouts. However, do not consume empty calories; go for foods which provide you with correct nutrients essential for gaining muscle.

#3 Eat more Protein

Only diets high in protein help build muscle when incorporated with intense physical training. Without protein, your body will not be able to build new muscle. Carbs serve mainly as energy for the body where as protein provides the necessary amino acids to build and repair muscle. To build muscles get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

#4 Eat Fat

Dietary fat has a direct relationship with testosterone production. An increase in dietary fat intake seems to bring on an increase in testosterone levels, which is a must when you are trying to gain mass. Your main focus should be to increase your intake of essential fatty acids and not saturated fats.

#5 Drink more Often

To make sure that your muscles stay hydrated you must drink plenty of water. Dehydration can happen easily if you train hard. A dehydrated muscle takes longer to repair itself than a hydrated one.

#6 Take a Multi Vitamin

If you want to gain muscle, you must make sure that you are not deficient in any vitamin or mineral that your body needs. So it is a good idea to take a good multi vitamin tablet.

#7 Stop all Aerobics

In order to put on serous mass you need to stop all of your aerobics. If you do need to carry with it remember to limit it to once every week or once every two weeks.

#8 Take ample Rest

Resting the body is just as important as dieting and training. Try to get about six or eight hours of sleep a day. Resting is what actually causes the muscles to grow. Taking days, even weeks off from training will only benefit you.

Be patient and consistent. You may have the best diet, the best training schedule, join the best gym but without consistency its all worthless.

Indy Stewart also writes on how to Build Muscle Mass and Anabolic Steroids.

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Seven Biggest Bodybuilding Mistakes: Avoiding Common Obstacles to Muscle Mass

2008-08-17T03:05:00.001-07:00

Seven Biggest Bodybuilding Mistakes: Avoiding Common Obstacles to Muscle Mass
By Tony DiCostanzo

Bodybuilding is hard work. As far as athletics and sports go, it may very well be one of the hardest. I have spent time in competitive boxing, martial arts, powerlifting and yet I think I can say with confidence that bodybuilding caused me to face some of my greatest challenges. All sports present different challenges that are unique only to that specificsport. My boxing taught me that I needed to take a punch, shake a punch and more importantly do my best to avoid getting punched. Boxing also taught me how to achieve incredible endurance. My martial arts training caused me pain in parts of my body I never knew existed. I learned the importance of stretching, flexibility and mental discipline.

Bodybuilding is completely different. Some of the same factors are there. Bodybuilding requires steadfast discipline, both mentally and physically. However, true bodybuilding is much more than a sportits a lifestyle. From the diet, to the supplements, to the workouts that impact your daily schedule, bodybuilding requires dedication unlike anything else. Then, on top of all of that, you must look in the mirror every single day and see progress in the form of new muscle with greater degrees of definition. It can be very disheartening when the mirror doesnt represent gains that you believe you have earned and worked hard for.

Thats why it grieves me to see novice bodybuilders and even worse, experienced ones, making mistakes and succumbing to obstacles that are avoidable and inhibit their progress. As we consider the following obstacles, lets remember that they can make or break a bodybuilder.

1. Stick to the basics

Here comes Johnny Newcomer. He skips squats. He skips heavy bent over rows. If you asked him to do a deadlift he would look perplexed and wonder why you asked him such a ridiculous question. He would rather use the machines, swing the light dumbbells, and toy around with the cables. Oh yes, I forgot, he loves to bench press too. None of these things are bad and they all are important, but they must not replace basic, heavy compound movements (barbell). Compound movements involve more than one muscle group (squats, deadlifts, etc) and tax the body in such a way so as to cause the most favorable metabolic and hormonal environmentprovided that you do not overtrain. If you incorporate heavy movements like squats, heavy bent over rows, deadlifts, and standing military presses into your regimen, you will see and feel the difference. Give it shot and let me know. Im sure you will come back smiling even though they will take their toll physically.

2. Go homeenough already: Stop overtraining

You see them every day in the gym. They move from machine to machine and never seem to want to go home. Sometimes I sit in awe and I wonder, Does he have a home to go to? They work 20-30 sets for biceps and then still have the nerve to do some back training after all that. If youre training for more than an hour, you are overtraining. As far as Im concerned you have reached what I call the point of no return. After forty-five minutes of intense resistance training your bodys defense mechanisms engage and that in turn causes a sharp increase in cortisol (stress induced hormone). You will also have significant decreases in testosterone and human growth hormone levels. If you cut your workout time and increase your recovery time and your post workout nutrients, you will grow.

3. Exchange light & fluffy for heavy & intense

Put down the light weights and stop looking at yourself in the mirror with such lust in your eyes. If you have the wherewithal to take smoldering glances at yourself in the mirror as you smirk and blow kisses, you may not be lifting a weight that is heavy enough. Muscles will grow only if they are forced to the adaptation necessary to lift something heavier than they are use to and normally recognize. In other words, lift heavy and lift with intensity. Working out hard and working out with intensity are two different things. Intensity is what you should strive for if muscle mass is your goal. How can you lift with more intensity? Lift heavier weight. I say that because I know the word intensity gives some people the wrong idea. You can yell and scream in the gym, but that doesnt mean youre lifting with intensity.

In order to understand the true meaning of intensity I like to equivocate intensity with overload. I know that there can be a problem with this as well. Some can lift heavy, but lack the mental intensity. But keep in mind that when I use the word intensity Im not only referring to the mental aspects, but also force, strength and velocity. Keep your rep range in the 4-6 area and do 9-12 sets per body part maximum. Heavy weight would be considered a weight that you can not get more than 6 reps with on your own while using strict form. When you get to this point and you can do 7 reps, add more weight until you continue to fall in this rep scheme. Drop the light & fluffy. Heavy & intense is where the muscle lives.

4. Theres no happy hour here: Focus, focus, focus.

I think that some people see gyms as bars, nightclubs or social societies. Im amazed when I see people stop in the middle of a set to engage in conversation for 15-30 minutes or more. Its unbelievable. Its one thing if youre done with your workout and youre cooling down. But that is not the case most of the time. I once witnessed a girl walk up to a friend and begin conversation. Just by the duration I assumed she must have been done with her workout. Well, you know what they say about assumingnever do it. She turned around 35 minutes later as I was leaving and she picked up on the same machine she left off at. Focus and concentration is directly related to your degree of success and muscle growth. Save the conversation for after the workout. Think about and focus on nothing else but the muscle you are training. The only thing you should do between sets is mildly stretch the muscle youre working on. And Im not talking about the one in your mouth.

5. Now is the time: The importance of pre/post workout fuel

Last week a guy in the gym approached me and asked me if he should take a protein drink after his workout. I told him that if he didnt plan on having a protein/carbohydrate drink following his workout, it would have better off for him to stay home. How can anyone think that it is okay to put the body through serious stressful resistance training and then not know how crucial it is to give the body the nourishment it needs to grow and repair? You have a window of opportunity immediately following a workout which could lead to the foundation of an incredibly anabolic (building) environment or one that is catabolic (tearing down). You should always ingest a good protein source at least an hour before your workout and then a protein/carbohydrate drink immediately following your workout. Make sure the pre workout source is pre-digested. Its never a good idea to workout with anything undigested in your system. I would recommend 5 grams of glutamine before and after every workout. Never miss taking your glutamine.

6. The giver of life: Drink your water.

Your body can last months without food, but only days without water. Your muscles are made up of almost 70% water. Water is responsible for almost every single physiological function in your body. Lack of proper hydration can cause muscle weakness, stunt your muscular growth, cause joint pain, bring a lack of focus and concentration and inhibit your bodys ability to burn fat. That is just to name a few. Drinking your water is the most important thing that you can doperiod. Drink a minimum of one gallon a day.

7. Put down the pills: Eat your food

He walks into the local health food store and the salesman smiles as he sees the eager young bodybuilder with his wide-eyed hunger for muscle. The young bodybuilder then walks out with a box of supplements that he can now get home only with a truck. The biggest mistake that most bodybuilders make is wasting tons of money on pills and potions when they are not eating the proper amounts of solid foods to begin with. Supplements have their place. But supplements must never take precedence over healthy eating habits. Eating 5-6 solid muscle-building meals each day will build more muscle than any pill or powder. Make sure to have a balance of Protein/carbohydrates and fats. For muscle gains I would recommend a ratio of 25% Protein, 50% Carbs, 25% fats or depending on your metabolism another good ratio I put my clients on is 35/45/20. If maximum weight gain is your goal then add 500 calories above your maintenance & total expenditure levels.

Avoiding the common pitfalls can bring about rapid gains in muscle. Try to implement these basics if youre not currently doing so.

Tony DiCostanzo is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer (NFPT-CPT) and the Founder of DreamBodies Body & Life Transformation System. With over 20 years of practical experience as a natural bodybuilder in the field of health & Fitness, Tony is also a coach and motivational speaker who has inspired many through his lectures and seminars. He holds certifications in Advanced Sports Nutrtion, Sports Hypnosis and Stress management. http://www.dreambodies.net

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Will High Intensity Training Really Build Muscle Mass?

2008-08-16T15:04:00.000-07:00