A Muscle Building Diet - The Top 3 Components

By Stephen "the Body" Jones

There are 3 major things that go into a diet for those
wishing to build muscles: protein, carbohydrates and water.
Here are a few ideas on how to arrange your diet to include
the most necessary building blocks for muscles.

As we all know, water is required for life and some do not
take into consideration the effects on the muscles it has. A
doctor would recommend for a healthy adult to drink at least
64 ounces of water a day. If a person were to exercise more
than a half hour daily, it would be suggested that a minimum
of another 16 ounces be taken in to replace the lost fluids
from exercise.

Carbohydrates are off limits in many diets. But if you are
trying to build up muscles, they are have an essential
function. For someone who has a 2,000 calorie a day diet,
half of this should be from carbohydrates. If your diet is
more than 2,000 calories a day, the carbohydrate intake has
to be elevated as well so the energy required for exercise
is available and the muscles can be built up.

Your carbohydrate intake should be from foods like fruit,
potatoes and vegetables, and avoid sources that include
added sugars like fruit juices and sports drinks. The added
sugars will offer short bursts of energy and also normally
add fat that the body does not need. Your healthy
carbohydrates should come from bread, green vegetables,
colorful fruits and almost any type of noodle or pasta.

Your last half of daily caloric intake should come from
proteins. Some foods that are considered the healthiest
means of getting your intake includes baked chicken or
turkey as well as salmon or tuna in water. Do not take in
any fried foods, since they offer additional fats that you
do not need and this could cause fatigue of the muscles.

Since muscles have to break down and then rebuild, each of
these 3 components are needed in a diet. They can be changed
as needed due to special diet requirements or medical
conditions. However, if you do have a medical condition it
is best to consult your doctor before starting any diet.



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Some Important Tips For Quick, Correct & Safe Muscle Building

By Chris Tan

Building muscle mass and doing quickly requires extreme
commitment and dedication. Anyone can choose to follow a
path to building muscle, however there are many who jump in
full throttle without doing the research first. This mistake
leads to a plateau which in turn leaves the person
frustrated, and eventually they quit. Below, I will show
some important tips to build muscle mass quickly, correctly
and most importantly; safely.

A good foundation for muscle growth.

The dreaded plateau is commonly reached within two to three
months of the day the workout or muscle mass training
begins. The reason for this plateau is that the proper
foundation has not been laid out. In order to achieve the
ability to increase the weights used in a workout, the
bodybuilder must first incorporate a series of ten strength
training workouts. These workouts allow the body to become
prepared for more intense workouts by gradually increasing
the weights as well as more rapid repetition, which will
then create muscle mass.

Focusing solely on the upper body.

Next, one of the most commonly found mistakes that lead to a
plateau are that most bodybuilders only focus on training
their upper body. The upper body consists of our arms,
chests and abs. These are the favorite training parts of
bodybuilders as they are more noticeable. However, you need
to train up your lower body as well in order to consistently
increase the weights you use throughout your muscle building
routines. Lower body muscle groups like our thighs are huge
muscles that should not be left out.

Focusing only on isolated exercises.

Exercises that train only a certain muscle group are called
isolated exercise. This is another common mistake beginners
make. Bicep curls and tricep extensions are a couple of
examples of these exercises. In order to achieve muscle
mass, the entire body must be included in the exercise
regimen. Therefore, compound exercises must be implemented.
These exercises allow the muscles to achieve higher weight
which in turn forces them to adapt to the increase and grow.

Are you guilty of these common mistakes? Have you reached
the dreaded plateau? These tips are very important in
achieving your quest for muscle mass. Having the proper
workout, technique and doing the research needed in order to
do it correctly is the only way to acquire your goal. In
addition, don't hesitate to ask an experienced bodybuilder
for tips; they will be more than happy to share the
knowledge.

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Over 40 Fitness Made Easy

There's no doubt that fitness over 40 is widely discussed by
medical professionals, organizations and people in all walks
of life. They may complain because they can no longer climb
flights of stairs due to uncomfortable knees.

Everyday, either an acquaintance or a friend will speak
about the diseases of the heart or elevated cholesterol or
even say that someone was diagnosed with diabetes or raised
blood pressure.

Fitness programs are a good way to relax yourself and have a
less stressful life with a lot less diseases. Increasing
physical fitness levels help to build up muscle strength
which in turn supports joints and helps lower
arthritis-related pains.

Sadly, only 40% of individuals in the US get the suggested
amount of exercise and 75 percent are sedentary. This
statistical data is gradually increasing as is the number of
those who are suffering stress induced illnesses such as
cardiac disease, strokes, increased cholesterol levels,
raised blood pressure, and blood sugar disorders such as
diabetes.

Physical activity is not very helpful if it doesn't elevate
your coronary rate and breathing for 30 minutes, and fitness
over 40 programs don't always start in the gym. That may
mean taking a brisk 30 minute walk around the neighborhood,
jogging, riding bikes with the kids, rowing, watching TV
while on the treadmill, hopping on an physical exercise ball
or bouncing on a trampoline.

To start an over-forty fitness program, you should address
and think about changing your habits including nutrition and
diet.

Another thing to incorporate into your over forty program is
to eat more whole grains and fruits and vegetables. A
nutritionist can help guide you slowly in the right
direction towards a healthier diet that you can stick to.

Five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables, 8 - 10
glasses of water and decreasing the amount of white flour in
your daily diet will go a long way to improving your health.

Exercise is always essential but you also need a firm
foundation of nutrition, diet, and new lifestyles that will
make you healthier. Your fitness over 40 program can consist
of cardiovascular and strength training.

Physical exercise that improves the cardiovascular system
includes bicycling, jogging, walking, swimming, jumping
rope, and using a trampoline or exercise ball. You'll have a
better time and stick with it longer if you vary your
training and work out with friends.

Should you do the strength training aspect of a program, you
should skip a day before performing it again - as an
example, if you do it on Monday you should not do it again
until Wednesday.

Two to three days per week, strength training can be done at
home with hand weights or at the gym. Not only will strength
training improve your figure, it will also increase the
strength of your joints and diminish your chances of getting
osteoporosis.

What Does It Really Take To Reach Your Muscle Building Goals?

The goal setting is one thing that I've often been excited
about, but I haven't always kept up with it the way I should
have. I've recently decided that I need to become more
consistent, and I've been reviewing my goals carefully. I
started to think about what it would take to achieve these
goals, and they got me thinking about what it really takes
to reach your fitness destination.

After reading quite a bit about the subject, I've realized
that desire and passion are essential components of reaching
your goals. In addition, you have to ask yourself if you are
really ready to work hard. Ask yourself what level of
sacrifice you're prepared to make in order to reach your
destination.

What does this have to do with building muscle? Well, I hope
you realize that building muscle is not a new one day or one
week thing. It takes a long commitment and diligence to
reach your goals, including building a muscular frame. So if
you really want to build a more muscular body, you're going
to have to give some things up in exchange for this.

You may think that you've heard all this before, and maybe
that's true. But hearing something a number of times and
actually putting it into practice are two completely
different things. Without action, that knowledge is
worthless.

Whether we're talking about a strength training program or
anything else in your life, achieving a big goal is going to
require a long commitment. It isn't going to happen
overnight, and you're probably going to have to give up some
other activities in order to achieve that.

So are you willing to do what it takes to reach your fitness
goals? Which do you prefer, watching that favorite TV show or
working on a solid strength training program? Can you give
up the incredibly tempting ice cream sundaes you eat every
day in exchange for a healthier and better looking body?

As much as we may try to deny it, you won't reach your goals
overnight with one single action. It's going to be a series
of small choices, probably hundreds or thousands of choices,
that decide whether or not you will be successful..

Remember that a little bit at a time is far better than a
big change all at once. Stick with your plan step by step
and you'll soon reach your muscle building goals.

Do You Want Effective Weight Loss? Strengthen Your Core

Ask any gym buff what the most difficult part about
working-out is and chances are they'll say it's losing fat
quickly. A major detriment to working-out consistently is
boredom brought about by lack of motivation. Of course,
results will come even slower by skipping workout sessions
regularly.

In muscle development and fat loss, how fast we achieve
results have less to do with body type (ectomorph,
endomorph, etc.) than how we eat and exercise. Losing weight
from body fat reduction really depends on how much excess
calories we have when we hit our pillows at night.

Any fitness expert will tell you that the problem of
fat-loss comes down to creating a calorie deficit- burning
more calories than we take-in through food each day. Due to
the sheer number of novelty diets and workout schemes out
there however, they will not always tell you the fastest way
of getting lean and forming a shredded six pack.

Core-strengthening exercises have recently been recognized
by experts to bring about faster gains in toning-up the body
and losing excess fat. The upper and lower abs, lower back,
the obliques and buttocks make-up our body's foundation- our
core. Strengthening our foundation will inadvertently
improve our strength, endurance and balance also.

The simultaneous activity of the core muscles translates to
more caloric energy being consumed, leading to fast and
effective weight-loss. Adding exercises that improve core
strength to normal workout routines is a good option for
frustrated folks who want results yesterday.

Doing typical workout routines are quite ineffective in
developing core strength. Normal gym routines leave-out
certain muscles of the midsection because of their limited
movement.The same applies to all those traditional cardio
machines, never my favorite weight loss method.
Incorporating Pilates sessions into your weekly workouts
will let you reap the maximum benefits of core exercises
and ensure rapid gains.

The wider range of motion and balancing efforts involved in
Pilates and core exercises recruits more muscle fibers
around the midsection. This entails further usage of stored
calories from body fat, toning-up the body and giving you
faster results and increased motivation.

Increasing the efficiency of your exercise sessions by
maximizing calorie burn can shorten the hours you spend in
the gym- letting you focus on other priorities. Improving
your core-strength will also lessen back pain and injuries
from bad posture at the same time giving you a lean,
well-defined abdomen.

The Truth On Why Your Six Pack Abs Are Not Showing

If you ask women what they consider the most attractive part
of a male body, the most likely answer you will get is
their six pack abs, those abdominal muscles with beautiful,
sculpted definition.

So, it isn't surprising to see every gym full of men doing
every exercise routine possible to get that much-prized
killer abs. Crunches, leg raises, sit-ups, and all other
kinds of body twisting trainings, these are what keeps these
men busy. Unfortunately, not all of these men end up
successful in making their abdominal muscles visible. What
is the reason?

Fallacy #1. To develop killer abs, you have to do
abs-specific exercises. You have to do many repetitions of
crunches, leg raises, sit-ups, and other similar exercises
in order to develop those rock solid muscles faster.

The truth is, no matter how many repetitions of these
exercises you do, it will never be possible to develop rock
solid muscles in your abdominals if there are layers of fat
covering your belly. The flabs of fat have to be removed
first before you can work out on your muscles. Otherwise,
your waistline will even become bigger while love handles
will become thicker because the muscles developed add to the
layers of fat. What do you need to do? Burn the fat by
taking care of your diet, making it the healthiest possible
and one that provides your body with all macro-nutrients
needed.

Fallacy #2. Gadgets, machines, electronic gizmos, slimming
pills and supplements are what you need for speedy
development of killer abs.

The truth is the makers of all these things claim they work
because they need revenues from their products. However, it
is not a good thing to rely on these machines because as
mentioned over and over again, you need the right
ingredients in order to develop rock hard ab muscles. These
three ingredients are proper nutrition, cardio interval
workouts, and quality strength training combined with
weights.

Fallacy #3. You can eat whatever you want as long as you are
rigidly working out.

To show your abdominal muscles, you have to reduce or lose
fats deposited around the belly area. To do this, you have
to lose fat permanently by having a mild-deficit caloric
restriction diet. Therefore, it is totally not a good idea
to eat whatever you want even though you are burning the
calories as you are working out your body. When you are not
careful with what you eat and drink, all your workouts will
be useless. Those unwanted fats and calories will still
stubbornly stay. To avoid that, your nutritional needs must
be met.

There are three things you need to remember: have a mild
calorie deficit diet, frequent cardio interval training, and
quality weight or strength trainings to permanently burn
fats away and develop muscles so six-pack abs will show up
on your body.

Strength Training Without Weights - Bodyweight Exercise Secrets

Strength training without weights is one of the latest fads to hit the fitness world. Exercises without weight, or bodyweight exercises as they are better known, are for people who primarily want to build stronger and leaner physiques but don't want to go to the gym.

One of the biggest myths is that you need to go to the gym and spend long hours lifting heavy weights in order to achieve a sleek looking physique.

Here are a couple of bodyweight exercise secrets that you might not be aware of:

1. You Don't Need To Do Hours Of Cardio To Get Ripped Abs - What you actually need is a consistent and diverse workout routine that features somewhat challenging exercises that simultaneously target multiple muscle groups at once including your upper and lower abdominal muscles. For example, take an ab exercise called the 3 chair push up. 

With this exercise you will be performing a traditional push up except, unlike with push ups, your feet will be placed on the seat of a chair rather than on the ground. This exercise will increase your range of motion that you normally experience with push ups and will cause your abdominals to rapidly contract in order to stabilize your body. While this exercise can help you achieve seriously ripped abs you will still need to maintain a balanced diet and a proper mix of carbs, protein, and unsaturated fats.

2. Injuries Are Not A Prerequisite For Becoming Strong And Muscular - There seems to be this idea common among bodybuilders that in order to develop massive muscles you need to get injured a few times. Injuries are apparently seen as a mark of honor by some weight lifters because they symbolize that you are moving up in weight and therefore becoming stronger.

In reality, injuries are a massive setback to virtually any training routine not to mention the accompanying and often debilitating pain. If you become injured lifting weights you will likely be unable to perform certain exercises for several weeks or even months depending on the severity and location of your injury.

A week off from weight training can actually be beneficial but several weeks or months can easily reverse your strength and muscle gains. One of the principal advantages of bodyweight exercises over heavy weight exercises is that it is very difficult to sustain an injury during a bodyweight workout routine.

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Building Lean Muscle Mass - How Much Muscle Mass Can You Really Build?

The average amateur weight lifter expects to build tons of lean muscle mass in a very short period of time. That is to say that the average weight lifter expects to get ripped in a flash. Getting a ripped physique fast is largely a myth. You can not realistically build dozens of pounds of lean muscle mass really fast. The vast majority of my clients and men I encounter at the gym simply have unrealistic expectations when it comes to building muscle mass.

It's difficult to actually say how much muscle you can add to your body but the average weight lifter seems to believe that they can add 25 pounds of muscle in 90 days. It's remarkable how often I meet someone who has been hitting the gym for three or four months and is disappointed that they haven't added twenty or more pounds of muscle. You surely can gain 20 or more pounds of body weight in just a few months but there is a big difference between body weight and muscle mass.

You can gain weight by simply taking in lots of carbs, calories, and weight gainer and doing little aerobic exercise. But again, in following this kind of diet plan you will only be adding body mass not lean muscle mass and there is a big difference between the two. Adding lean muscle mass means adding pure muscle tissue, not water weight or glycogen weight. And adding lean muscle mass takes the three P's: persistence, perseverance, and patience.

Under the ideal circumstances, the average male can add a maximum of 2 pounds of lean muscle mass in a single month. Remember that this is under the best possible conditions, more than likely you will be fortunate if you can add half this much muscle mass each and every week. This may be discouraging or upsetting to some but it's important to be realistic in your goal otherwise you could end up wasting your time or worse, doing things that may actually be harmful.

Train hard, eat right, get a good nights sleep each night, and you will inevitably get the body of your dreams!

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How To Build Muscle Mass The Right Way

There are countless weight training mistakes that individuals periodically fall victim to from time to time all of which can bring your muscle building efforts to a screeching halt. As with just about all things in life, building muscle mass requires learning and one of the ways we learn is from trial and error. More than likely though the mistakes you've made are not your fault are likely the result of being downright lied to by self-proclaimed experts.

There is a ton of money being made in the bodybuilding industry and all of this money has caused the lies and misinformation to proliferate dramatically in recent years. In many ways the bodybuilding industry and those who believe call themselves experts are actually robbing you of your hard work and muscle building efforts and literally robbing you of your hard earned money.

That being said, here are the 2 most common bodybuilding mistakes:

1. Cardio Will Have A Negative Effect On Your Muscle Gains - Many experts claim not only that weight training is just as good for your body as cardio exercises but that too much cardio can actually deter muscle growth. First of all, weight lifting is practically useless for stimulating your heart and cardiovascular system. Secondly, cardio exercise can only affect your muscle gains if you do cardio exercises to excess. Twenty minutes of cardio each day will do wonders for your health and cardiovascular system and will not affect your muscular development.

2. It's Good To Do A Lot Of Reps On Arm Exercises - I can not exaggerate how frequently I see men at the gym spend a full hour or more training their biceps and triceps. In reality, the biceps and triceps require the least amount of stimulation because of their small size (small relative to your other muscle groups). More often than not, less is actually more when it comes to your biceps and triceps.

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Gain More Muscle By Adding More Weight To The Bar

With a seemingly endless array of articles, "amazing" techniques, impassioned debates, and throngs of self proclaimed muscle building experts who claim to know the secrets to massive muscle growth, it's difficult to uncover what really works. While there are many nuances and details that constitute a successful workout routine, the simple truth of the matter is that consistently adding more weight to your exercises is the foundation of any winning weight lifting routine.

If, for example, you take all of the most basic weight lifting exercises like squats, curls, and bench press, increasing your weight from week to week will by itself yield the most profound muscle building results. Adding 100 pounds to your bench press or dead lift will cause you to become significantly bigger and stronger provided you have a proper nutrition plan in place. Granted, you won't be able to add this kind of weight overnight (unless you want to risk serious injury) because building your physique takes time and patience.

Many of the self proclaimed experts are reluctant to tell you that lifting heavier weights is the essential key to dramatic results because they either don't know or, more than likely, because they want to sell you their bogus gizmo, gadget, or program. Instead, these "experts" would rather have you dancing around the gym super-setting from exercise to exercise, focusing on isolation movements, and feeling the burn rather than simply focus on the foundation required to increase your strength. And that foundation is consistently increasing your weight from workout to workout.

If you are able to stimulate an adaptive response from the muscles by training intensively, recover and rest properly, eat a proper diet, and repeat from week to week then you will gradually become bigger and stronger. If your strength and muscle size is not increasing then you are more than likely doing something wrong, whatever you may have read.

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Strength Weight Training - What You Need To Know About Weight Training

Weight training is a great way to stay in shape, build muscle, and look great. But if you are just starting out training with weights then there are a few things you need to be a aware of in order to get the most out of your exercise routines.

The most import thing to do when it comes to strength weight training is warming up your muscles prior to physical exertion. Many inexperienced weight lifters don't believe a warm up routine is important.

On the contrary, a solid warm up routine helps circulate blood through the muscle tissue which prevents the chance of serious injury and also helps maximize your strength during repetitions. A good warm up need not last more than five or ten minutes. 

You can warm up by simply reducing the weight you intend to do by 50% and doing ten reps of each exercise. In addition to reducing injury, a good stretching and warm up session will actually make your strength weight training session substantially more effective. Your muscular development will be easier and smoother with just a few minutes of warm up and stretching and you may even notice that the muscle shapes you are trying to achieve are better formed.

You don't necessarily need to buy a gym membership in order to start weight training although that certainly is the best option given the type and quantity of exercise equipment available. Believe it or not, a few pairs of dumbbells will allow you to do dozens of exercises without ever leaving your home. Bowflex recently released a new set of adjustable weight dumbbells that are essentially like buying 10 pairs of dumbbells. You can buy the new Bowflex dumbbells on Ebay for less than $150.

In my opinion, the most important thing you can do to maximize your muscle gains from weight training, other than warming up properly, is to learn the proper weight lifting techniques for each and every exercise. Performing an exercise improperly will not only hinder your gains but could also lead to very serious injury. When starting a new exercise or a new routine always do some research online first or consult an expert trainer before hand. 

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Increase Your Bench Press - How To Increase Your Bench Press In 3 Easy Steps

One of the first questions I am often asked when I reveal to people that i train is "how much do you bench press?"

Everyone wants to know how much you bench press because the bench press is kind of like a barometer of your overall strength. So it makes sense as a weight lifter to want to focus much of your efforts on increasing the amount of weight that you bench press. I've put together a couple of tips that will increase your strength and bolster the amount of weight you can bench press.

Bear in mind that these tips are coming from someone who was born with few genetic gifts as far as weight lifting is concerned. I have, for example, a small frame and high metabolism and yet I've managed to work my way up to a max out weight of 285 pounds which is impressive for a guy that is barely 5'8 and only 165 pounds. The point is that you can likely overcome any or all of your physical limitations when it comes to increasing your bench press.

That being said, here are 3 things you can do right now to increase your bench press:

1. Rotator Cuff Exercises - These aren't the most glamorous of exercises but they have the potential to both reduce serious injury and add as much as 30 pounds to your bench in a month and half. Most weight lifters only do a few rotator cuff exercises at their end of their workout if they do them at all. Rotator cuff exercises can strengthen your chest and bolster your bench press weight because the rotator cuff muscles are the four small muscles that stabilize your upper arms. By strengthening your upper arms you will in turn have more strength for bench press.

2. Modify Your Grip Width - How you actually hold the bar while on the bench press can have a substantial effect on your muscle gains. If you grip the bar too closely you will actually be placing additional stress on your triceps which can hinder your overall pushing power. In contrast, if you grip the bar too wide you are placing additional stress on the shoulder joints.

The best width for your hands is determined by pressing the barbell with no weight at all and with a partner closely monitoring your form. While your partner is closely watching your forearms, slowly lower the bar down to your chest. When you have brought the barbell to your chest your forearms should be perfectly vertical. If they are you have found the right group and if not then adjust your grip accordingly.

3. Breathing Right - When your lifting heavy weights, core stabilization is far more important than when you are doing low intensity repetitions. The best way to breathe while doing a heavy weight is to breathe in deeply while lowering the weight and inflating your chest as much as you can. When you go to raise the weight back up don't exhale all at once but slowly breathe out. If you exhale too quickly you could destabilize your chest and weaken your press.

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Building Lean Muscle Mass - Why Resting Helps Build Muscle

Resting properly between workouts and between sets is essential to building lean muscle mass. Between sets, you need to wait enough time so that your muscles are rested enough to perform as well as you did on your first heavy lifting set. Your second set of repetitions needs to be nearly as intense as your first set so that the overload to each muscle involved is nearly the same as the previous set.

For example, lets suppose you do a set of six repetitions and then right afterward are only able to do a set of 3 repetitions. This means you are either doing far too much weight or you haven't rested properly enough between sets. Overload refers to the ability to lift a weight a certain amount of times over and over again.

Now lets say you do six repetitions of a given weight and then on the next set increase the weight slightly and rest for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. You should be able to do six more repetitions which in turn enhances the likelihood of new muscle forming.
 
The amount of rest required between sets is generally different for each and every weight lifter because not everyone's muscles are the same. Some individuals require little rest between sets while others may require more than two minutes. You ultimately have to find your own rhythm to find what works for you. Generally speaking, 90 seconds between sets is usually sufficient for the average weight lifter. I have found that about 7 deep breaths tends to approximate 90 seconds although, if you want to measure your resting period exactly, you can always purchase a stop watch for just a couple of dollars.

A given muscle needs to recover fully from a previous workout before it can handle the additional stress in the future. For most muscle groups adequate recovery time can take several days. If you lift weights with sore or overworked muscles you risk reversing your muscle gains as well as the risk of encountering serious injury. This is why you should only train a given muscle group no more than twice per week and only once if you are doing very heavy weights. Additionally, you should strive to sleep 8-10 hours every night and a few naps here and there aren't a bad idea either.

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Build More Muscle Mass By Training Less Frequently

It's common knowledge that the harder you work at something the better your results be. Perhaps we believe this and accept it as one of our central doctrines because it simply seems so obvious. While working hard to achieve superior results may be true much of the time it certainly isn't true all the time.

In school you are told study hard so your grades will be better. In sports you are told to practice harder and longer so you will be a great athlete. But when it comes to weight lifting spending long hours in the gym doesn't translate to better physical development and more muscle mass. What seems like a truism for many of us simply isn't true when it comes to building more muscle, precisely why so many weight lifters unnecessarily spend dozens of hours in the gym.

"So will spending less time working out actually help me develop more strength and muscle mass?"

The answer is absolutely yes. Over the course of tens of thousands of years the human body has evolved to become a highly adaptable organism that can adapt to nearly any external conditions that are placed upon it. For example, we perspire to cool ourselves down when the temperature rises and develop a sun tan when we are exposed to excessive UV light. And when we break down muscle tissue by lifting heavy weights are muscles respond by becoming bigger and stronger.

By resistance training the muscle is strained beyond its present capacity and the body immediately recognizes the threat and responds by gradually increasing the muscles size (called hypertrophy) in order to prevent harm. As you increase the weight and repetitions performed each week (called progressive overload) the body is forced to adapt and grow in response until the body's strength and development limits are reached.

Building muscle is basically that simple but what is often forgotten is that muscle tissue can only develop and become bigger provided that they also have sufficient recovery time. If your muscles are deprived of sufficient rest between workouts then muscle growth can not really take place. Once you have stressed your muscles beyond their current capacity you have essentially done your job. Adding additional stress (working out longer than you should) only increases the recovery time necessary for muscle growth.

Here are 4 basic guidelines to maximize your muscle gains:

1. Limit your heavy workout sessions to a maximum of 4 sessions per week.
2. Limit your heavy workout sessions to no more than 90 minutes per session
3. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night
4. Limit yourself to 4 sets on smaller muscle groups such as the shoulders, biceps, and triceps

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Benefits Of Weight Lifting - Why Lifting Weights Is Good For You

According to the American Medical Association approximately 66.3% of the American population over the age of 20 are overweight and more than a third are obese. Further research has found that many foods consumed by Americans contains large quantities of fats, cholesterol, and sugars. Building muscle is one of the most effective ways of burning fat and shedding excess calories.

There are actually several benefits that can be derived from lifting weights on a regular basis. The first and the most obvious benefit you will get from weight lifting is the physical development. As a result, you will look better and feel better and have more confidence in yourself. Regular exercise has also been shown to mitigate the effects of depression.

Here are a couple of other benefits that can be derived from weight lifting:

1. Gives The Immune System A Boost - Believe it or not, you will actually get less sick, less often when you are lifting weights on a regular basis. This is due to increased blood circulation and the increase in white blood cells that result from weight training

2. Decreases Cholesterol Levels - When you engage in physical exercise your body naturally has to burn energy to fuel your muscle gains. Some of the energy that your body expends is derived from the bad fats contained within your body. Some of these fats are the ones responsible for producing cholesterol.

3. Increases Flexibility - Exercising the muscles allows the body to become more flexible due to the stresses and strains placed on the body during physical exercise. While being more flexible may not sound like much of a benefit, in reality increased flexibility will reduce the risk of injury during normal activities. People who do not exercise at all are far more likely to suffer joint and back injuries than those who lift weights on a regular basis.

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Strengthening Back Muscles - 4 Keys To Getting A Massive Back

Having been immersed in physical fitness for nearly 5 years, it always surprises me how totally clueless many people I run into at the gym are. I see people trying desperately to obtain a wide, intimidating back but surprisingly few seem to actually know how to accomplish this. The average new, aspiring lifter usually want to build their chest and arm muscles. After all, these muscle are the ones that drive the opposite sex crazy.

Unfortunately, many of amateur muscle building enthusiasts never really develop the chest and arm muscle gains they are seeking. While muscular chest and arms are a very important part of any physique, they play a comparatively small role when compared to the lats, traps, spinal erectors, rhomboids, and lower back. These muscle groups comprise the entirety of the back.

Many lifters neglect the highly important back muscles because:

1. The back muscles are not particularly flashy and are not easily seen in the mirror
2. Building the back muscles is more tedious than training the chest or biceps muscles
3. The average amateur bodybuilder doesn't understand how important and complex the back muscles really are.

The truth is that if you want to look as muscular, strong, and thick as possible then nothing will allow you to achieve these goals faster than a finely tuned, ripped back. Indeed, nearly 70% of the body's muscles actually reside in the back. So it only makes sense to spend a proportional amount of of your workout time developing your back muscles.

Here are the 4 keys to getting a massive back:

1. Deadlifts - This is the most basic and effective of back exercises. There are few other exercises that offer the extreme effectiveness of the dead lift. The dead lift will exercise many muscles of the body, from your fingers and arms to feet and toes. The deadlift will actually stimulate muscle development throughout all of the back muscles and should therefore be the foundation of any back workout routine.

2. Vertical Pulling - Vertical pulling exercises stimulate the lat muscle group and will likewise help you develop that wide "V" shape.

3. Horizontal Pulling - Horizontal pulling is usually referred to as rows by fitness professionals. This movement targets the upper and middle sections of the back. A wide variety of rowing exercises exist including bent over rows, dumbbell rows, seated rows, cable rows, incline rows, and many others.

4. Shrugs - These movements should be performed at the end of every back workout in order to target the upper back and to better develop the "V" shape. A set of dumbbell or barbell shrugs will do.

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Muscle Building Workout Programs - How To Fuel And Maintain Your Workouts

To understand muscle building is to understand what reaching your peak performance and physical appearance is all about, something that few people really understand. Most people who want to build muscle intend to do so in a relatively short time frame.

But muscle building and physical fitness should be a way of life and this can only be accomplished by establishing realistic strength and fitness goals. As an avid fitness enthusiast I believe that transforming the body to meet our subjective specifications is one of the greatest gifts nature gave us. In addition, how we take care of our bodies and express ourselves on the outside is kind of like an indicator of who we really are on the inside.

Here are a few guidelines to increase your strength and enhance your individual fitness training:

1. Don't Set Goals That Are Not Realistic - The fitness goals you set for yourself should be somewhat difficult but at the same time somewhat realistic. If you set goals for yourself that are not actually achievable for the average person, like gaining 20 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks, then you will actually discourage yourself from finishing your workout routines. Don't let yourself be fooled by the glitzy ads you have seen on TV and across the Internet that make outrageous fitness claims. Always remember that physical fitness and muscle gains require both time and patience and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

2 Stay Focused - It's always a good idea to keep track of your daily calorie, carbohydrate, and protein consumption. You can do this with either an online journal or a printable journal, whatever your personal preference. I prefer a pocket notepad because it's easily portable and can be taken anywhere. You should always try to drink plenty of water through out the day preferably filtered or spring water. Adequate hydration alone will help you maximize your strength and muscle gains.

3. Listen Carefully To Professionals - Expert fitness professionals know how the body works and the right ways to go about building muscle and staying in peak physical condition. The only trouble is identifying who is and who is not a fitness professional. Some people call themselves experts simply because they workout 15 hours a week and subscribe to several fitness magazines. If someone calls themselves a professional you should inquire what their qualifications are. Generally, most personal trainers have a pretty good idea of how to help you achieve your fitness goals.

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Beginner Weight Lifting Program - 4 Things Every Weight Lifting Routine Needs

Building muscle goes beyond just lifting heavy weights over and over again. In reality, a great weight training routine actually has several dimensions. When trying to build lean muscle mass you always need to remember proper diet, weekly cardio exercises, maintaining proper hydration, and resting 8 to 10 hours each and every day.

That being said, here are 3 things every good weight lifting program must include to be successful:

1. Warm Ups - A good muscle building workout program should always include a warm up routine. Warming up aids in muscle building by circulating blood through the muscle prior to heavy lifting and, most importantly, helps to reduce the risk of serious injury during weight lifting. To begin your warm up start off with 3-6 minutes of light cardio exercise, running or even a few minutes on an elliptical machine should do the trick. Next, lift 50% of your max weight on every exercise you intend to do approximately 10 times. This means you need to do pne warm up set on every exercise you intend to do.

2. Divide Your Workout - All of your exercises should be split up by body parts over the course of a week. You should never attempt to do all of your exercises in just 2 or 3 sessions. You should limit your workout routines to no more than 2 muscle groups every day. For example, one one day you could do your legs and abdominal muscles, on another day you could do your biceps and triceps, and on another day you could do shoulder and back. If you are doing very heavy weight then you should really limit yourself to just one muscle group per day.

3. Work Yourself To Exhaustion - Muscles are developed by a process called "progressive overload." This is just a very fancy way of describing doing more reps or more weight or both every time you workout. In other words, you are not really going to build any muscle mass if you bench press 150 pounds 10 times over and over again. Exhaustion occurs when you can no longer safely perform a given exercise anymore. By working to exhaustion you will be overloading the muscles thereby helping muscle tissue to form on your body.


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Weight Lifting Fitness Myths – 4 Muscle Building Lies

The defining characteristic of human beings is our ability to freely communicate and share knowledge with one another. Unfortunately, the knowledge we share with each other sometimes isn't really knowledge at all but false and potentially damaging information. Having been a fitness enthusiast for more than 5 years I have heard all kinds of myths and misconceptions being preached as practical advice.

Sometimes this misleading advice is basically benign and won't harm your muscle building efforts. Other times, however, weight lifting fitness myths can actually prevent you from achieving the results that you have likely been working very hard for. Always remember to exercise common sense and your own intuition when taking advice from fellow weight lifters even if that individual happens to be a personal trainer and certified expert.

Here are 3 muscle building lies that you may have encountered at some time or another:

1. No Pain, No Gain – This one is actually half true. When an exercise is new or you have increased the amount of weight being lifted you will likely feel muscle pain in the effected area within a few hours of working out. But this is the only time you should feel pain from weight training. Feeling intense pain during a workout or chronic pain following a workout is not normal and is your body's way of telling you somethings wrong. If you experience this kind of pain you should consider serious changes in your workout routine as you are likely putting yourself at very high risk for serious injury.

2. Steroids Will Help You Bulk Up Like A Balloon – There is no such thing as a magic bullet that will grow muscle on your body without you having to lift a finger. Steroids will only grow muscle if taken in conjunction with a high intensity workout routine. At the same, a proper diet combined with a few supplements will produce similar results but without the dangerous side effects of steroids. If taken for prolonged periods steroids can cause serious health problems including kidney failure which is often failure.

3. Taking Time Off Will Cause You To Lose Your Muscle Gains – I was once told that if you take more than a few days off from working out your body will begin to convert your muscle tissue into fat and thus reverse your muscle gains. Not only is this not true at all but taking a week off every 8-10 weeks is actually a good thing and will heal those small and perhaps unfelt injuries throughout your body. When you do take time off always mix in a couple of hours of cardio per week.

4. More Protein Means More Muscle – It is true that you need lots of protein in your diet to build muscle but protein is not all important. To build muscle mass you need to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and take in more calories than you burn off. Muscles actually work on calories not on protein and the calories you do take in should be derived from carbohydrates.

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Natural Muscle Growth – What Causes Muscles To Grow?

If you are reading this article then you are probably interested in bulking up and building muscle mass. But have you ever wondered what causes muscles to grow? In other words, have you ever wondered why it is that the body builds muscle in response to lifting heavy weights repetitiously? Or why some people seem to develop muscle mass easily while others seem to struggle?

There are actually a variety of reasons that determine how fast your muscles will develop and how strong you can become. Of these the important reasons are your genes, the amount of growth hormones present in your body, types and quantity of food consumed, and the type and intensity of exercises performed.

Within the individual muscle fibers are cells involved in a process called protein turnover. Under normal circumstances your body is actively engaged in breaking down muscle tissue and building the tissue back up again. Exactly how and when your body performs protein turnover is regulated by your genes and unless interrupted by some other factor such as exercise keeps the muscle tissue and fibers at more or less the same mass and strength level.

Your genetic structure acts like a blueprint and designs the conditions for your specific physiology and there is little that can be done to reconfigure your body's basic architecture. However, by learning how your body is genetically hardwired you can determine how to reliably use other factors such as diet and exercise. If, for example, you are hardwired to have slow metabolism then you will require less eating and supplements then someone with high metabolism.

Growth hormones like testosterone act like messengers within the body and give messages to individual cells to repair themselves. When the amount of physical activity is increased there is a corresponding increase in the level of hormones present in the body. Muscles start to grow faster as the level of growth hormones rises.

Protein and water are the main ingredients required for muscle growth. This being the case you need to always make sure you supply your body with an adequate amount of high protein food and also keep your body properly hydrated. Protein is to muscles what a foundation is to a home or building. If the foundation is made from poor materials or built improperly the building will be very weak. Likewise, if you don't consume high quality protein or not enough then your muscles will be very weak.

To maintain proper hydration levels drink at least 3 tall glasses of water each day and when working out replace every ounce of lost body weight with 2 ounces of water.


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