We’re well into 2015 now, and if you have long since abandoned your new year’s resolution to get in shape, I want to get to the root cause of the problem. Essentially, we will look at what didn’t go to plan, and why you threw in the towel.

Seeing the Bigger Picture

To begin with, we need to understand what your initial objective was, and what caused you to lose focus and jump ship.

In most cases, when someone makes a new year’s resolution, they begin with extremely high expectations. While this is a nice idea in theory, in practice it is almost impossible to achieve. The majority of people ask too much of themselves, rapidly become disillusioned, and then give up.

The key lesson here is to understand your current level of progress. This way, you can make suitable adjustments along the way, with the correct mindset and ideas for implementation.

I’ve always been keen to emphasize the folly of setting the bar too high, when it comes to fitness goals. Whenever I speak to novice fitness enthusiasts, I ask them to specify how long they think it will take for them to reach their objectives.

On many occasions, the replies I get are far fetched — to say the least. Unfortunately, lots of gym goers seem to fall for the marketing hype of the latest muscle building supplement, or ‘ground breaking’ new workout routine.

When attempting to adjust the body’s physiology, our theoretical, well intentioned hypothesis doesn’t often turn out as we expect. Maybe, after estimating your body fat, you think that you have to lose ten pounds of fat to get a six pack. This is nice in theory. However, you may be banging your head against the wall three months later, when you have shed fifteen pounds, yet are not as defined as you hoped to be.

The moral of this story is that outcomes in real life often don’t correspond with measurements that you make in advance. Much of the time, people discover that they need to lose more fat than they originally thought.

Keeping Your Feet on the Ground and Understanding Where you Want to get to

We all set standards for ourselves. I have high expectations of myself, which might appear excessive to others. However, other people’s opinions are not something that I care about. My ambitions are personal to me. They have an emotional significance, so I strive to achieve them. You need to adopt a similar mindset.

Having said that, it is worth pointing out that nothing in this world comes for free. When establishing fitness goals, we have to take our limitations into account (both perceptual and real).

You should always take a long term perspective with your expectations. If you wish to achieve a particular body weight, your immediate aim is to reach that weight. However, the primary aim, which is a long term goal, is to sustain that weight and to further improve your muscle to fat ratio.

Therefore, when establishing your expectations for particular goals, bear in mind that the time frame to get there is not the focal point. What’s important, is that you achieve your goals and maintain that outcome going forwards.

OK, let’s assume that you aim to lose one to two pounds of fat each week. You also need to consider what you will do if this doesn’t go to plan.

Say, for example, it takes you a month to lose one to two pounds.

Is this important? Perhaps.

Does this alter anything? Probably not.

Does this have some kind of higher meaning? Interesting question.

If you are doing everything properly, trying your hardest, and all the expected progress indicators are heading in the correct direction, you are on course to succeed.

Don’t forget, deciding on a preferred deadline is fine, however don’t be disconsolate if you happen to miss this deadline. Human beings are notoriously poor at estimating time frames.

How Strict Deadlines can do More Harm Than Good

Strict deadlines often put us under a lot of unnecessary stress. Bear in mind, I do not mean this to apply to bodybuilders, strength athletes or fitness models, who have to achieve a body weight or body fat percentage by a particular date for a competition.

Rather, I am referring to people who have no other deadlines, apart from the arbitrary ones they impose on themselves. We may look at a before and after picture of someone on the Internet, which reads: ‘John lost twenty pounds in four months!’. Then, we might consider ourselves to be a failure, if we lose weight any less quickly than John.

Don’t forget, progress is the objective, irrespective of the time frame. Imagine if you only had to lose twenty pounds to achieve your target weight. The majority of people could accomplish this, and even more crucially, keep the weight off via increased physical activity and better nutrition.

Let’s put the total weight loss described above into three categories:

• Quick weight loss (eight to ten pounds monthly)
• Mild weight loss (three to four pounds monthly)
• Modest weight loss (one to two pounds monthly)

Considering these situations, which ones do you think are the least and most difficult to achieve?

Quick weight loss would appear to be the hardest physiologically. This results in greater levels of stress, a steeper deficit, and probably major hunger problems. Nonetheless, the end result would be achieved rapidly, which would ease much of your mental frustration. Impatient people, who wish to progress fast, will enjoy witnessing their bodies alter quickly over the duration of a month.

Mild weight loss appears to be easier physiologically. This would result in far less diet related stress from a lower deficit. Needless to say, mild weight loss only produces a mild level of psychological and physiological stress. Nonetheless, for people who wish to achieve results fast, this might be a bad option, due to the frustratingly slow progression. However, don’t forget, if you are not a professional athlete or actor (with strict deadlines), there is no sense in imposing stressful deadlines on yourself. This additional stress will only work to your detriment.

The Best Approach: Focusing on the Process, Rather Than the Outcome

The world we live in is three dimensional, where time passes straight ahead of us. There is the here and now (the only thing you ever really experience), the future (that is always uncertain) and the unchangeable past.

The present (here and now) is the sole thing that you can consciously control. And, like the old saying goes, the way you act each day produces the ripples that create your future.

In other words, what you choose to do now causes what comes to pass in future. Therefore, if you desire a good future, you have to act in a way that is conducive to this.

Going forward, I want you to change your mindset from being target oriented, to being process oriented. Target orientated is too concerned with the future. Targets are nice to have, but if you are forever thinking about the future, you miss the here and now, which is detrimental.

By being concerned with the present, you will inevitably concentrate on the process. This means the day to day implementation of your body sculpting routine. It means cooking meals that complement your training. And it means training diligently and concentrating on the effort you are investing.

Original Source: Fitness Goals: Why We Throw In The Towel Too Quickly
Find more posts like this on: Muscle & Fitness Tips

Earlier this week I received an email from Todd. Todd is 22 and recently started bodybuilding. He asked me the following: “I started bodybuilding…how many times a day should I eat and what should I eat?“, so I thought I’d answer his questions with this detailed article:

Bodybuilding is a long and painful process that requires proper nutrition, mental preparedness and a lot of hard work. It also takes times, so there is no room for slacking and quick fixes. Since you have already embarked on an effective workout routine, what remains is knowing what to eat and when to eat it. Read on for answers to all your questions.

The Best Bodybuilding Meal Schedule

It is important to note that as your activity level increases, your body’s demand for nutrients will also increase. Therefore, you must eat sufficient food every day to make sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs to operate optimally. While you may be used to the standard three meals a day, I recommend between 5 to 8 meals per day. However, you should not assume that you need to eat more. All you need to do is split your three meals into six portions and take them at regular intervals of two to three hours.

For instance, if you take your breakfast at 7am, you can take a mid morning meal at around 10am then lunch at 1pm. This should be followed by another meal at 4pm and another at 7pm. Before you go to bed, you can eat something nutritious to keep your digestive system busy before the next meal in the morning. These meals should contain all the essential nutrients; vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and fats that your body needs to perform optimally. Be sure to also drink one or two glasses of water between these meals.

Bodybuilding Nutrition

When you embark on a strict bodybuilding regimen, it is important that you up your protein, carbohydrate and fat intake. The right ratio for the proteins, carbohydrates and fats is 40:40:20. Finding a variety of carbohydrate and protein sources is the key to developing a successful bodybuilding nutrition program. Fortunately, this task is not as difficult as it sounds as it only requires a little bit of research.

The carbohydrates you consume are meant to provide the body with energy to power your muscles. When you consume food consisting of carbohydrates only, your energy levels will drop within the house and any excess carbohydrates will be converted to fat, which is undesirable. On the other hand, consuming a purely protein meal will deprive your body of energy. This will make it difficult for the body to convert the proteins into muscle tissue.

A balanced diet consisting of equal portions of high quality carbohydrates and proteins will give you the desired results, which include building muscle within a reasonable period of time. Since you are hyperactive, the standard restrictions on red meat and saturated fats do not apply to you, so you can eat as much steak as your bodybuilding nutrition plan would allow.

Bodybuilding Food Options

As mentioned earlier, you will need proteins, carbohydrates, fats an some vitamins to build muscles safely. The following are some food options to provide you with these nutrients.

i) Legumes

Beans, peas, lentils, tofu, soy beans, split beans and any other type of legume can provide you with enough proteins and carbohydrates to help you build muscle mass and strength. Most legumes can provide you with equal portions of carbohydrates and proteins. Beans are great for breakfast as well as lunch, but it should be combined with other sources of carbohydrates and fats to ensure that the recommended ratio of 40:40:20 is maintained.

ii) Animal Proteins

There are many types of plant proteins. They include; eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, fish, meat, butter, mutton, butter and pork among others. During the fitness regimen, you can eat several eggs per day as well as a sizable portion of beef or chicken. Basically, animal protein sources containing saturated fats may be consumed during the bodybuilding program. Full-fat dairy milk is also a great option as it contains special nutrients, such as whey protein, which can help you build muscle.
Drinking full-fat milk after exercising is highly recommended.

iii) Nuts

Nuts and seeds contain a lot of fat, carbohydrates and proteins per ounce. For instance, roasted peanuts are not only tasty, but also nutritious. Snacking on roasted peanuts and groundnuts is a great way to eliminate salted snacks and processed foods from your diet. Alternatively, you can apply peanut butter on bread to get your carbs, protein and fats. Flax seeds, canola oil, almonds and olive oil are all great sources of fats, so be sure to include them in all your meals.

iv) Pasta, Bread and Grains

The best sources of carbohydrates are grains. Consider adding bagels, bread, cooked barley, brown rice, bran muffin, oatmeal, macaroni, wheatgerm, spaghetti, wholegrain cereal, white rice, wild rice, sliced wholemeal bread and wholemeal pretzels in your diet.

v) Fruits

Except for avocados, most fruits only have trace quantities of fats. Most of them are rich in carbohydrates and proteins. Since fruits are seasonal, be sure to make the most of the in-season fruit. You can eat them whole or make fresh fruit juices from them. Apricots and grapefruits have the highest protein content in fruits. On the other hand, orange juice, pears, pineapples, bananas, grape juice and apples are the best sources of carbohydrates. In addition to these nutrients, fruits also provide the body with a lot of vitamins.

vi) Vegetables

Your meals should also include a vegetable portion. Shredded cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbages, collard greens, butternut squash, broccoli, beets, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, kale, mushrooms, green beans, garlic, chopped onions, pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach, mashed or boiled potatoes and tomato juice can all add some flavor and nutrients to your meals.

There’s a great product that goes more in-depth about bodybuilding food and it contains over 200 recipes. You can learn more about it here.

Supplementation

While these meals can supply the body with all the nutrients it needs to build muscle mass, it may sometimes be difficult for you to achieve your goals due to lack of time to find these foods and prepare them. You may also fail to meet your goals after following the recommended guidelines. In such cases, you may want to consider supplementing your meals with natural protein supplements. Whey proteins, which is extracted from milk, is a great example of protein supplements that can help you gain the desired muscle mass. Check out the 4 basic supplements to build muscle mass for more info.

Got more tips for Todd? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

Original Source: I Started Bodybuilding…How Many Times A Day Should I Eat And What Should I Eat?
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If you have been working out for a while, you understand the importance that your joints have in your ability to keep training hard. When your joints are not operating at their peak, the ability to perform certain exercises and lift heavy weights becomes limited. To perform a basic exercise like the bench press, for example, you need healthy wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

If any of these joints suffers an injury, then the quality of your workout will suffer as well. Fortunately, there are simple joint care techniques you can use to take the pressure off your joints and help prevent serious injury or damage.

Dangers of not Properly Caring for Your Joints

Joints and their surrounding structures allow people to wiggle their hips, bend their knees and elbows, turn their heads, bend their backs, and wave their fingers to say hi or bye. A joint connects two bones. Smooth tissue called synovium and cartilage and the synovial fluid cushion the joints to prevent bones from rubbing together. However, sitting the wrong way, injury, increasing age, or carrying too much weight can eat away the cartilage, leading to a reaction that can damage the joints and cause arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a condition that mainly affects the cartilage, which is the smooth, rubbery tissue that covers the bones in a joint. Ideally, the cartilage should allow the bones to glide over each other without friction. It absorbs the shock caused by movement. However, when it breaks down and wears away, it can cause osteoarthritis.

The friction causes swelling, pain, and loss of motion. In fact, the joint may lose its shape over time. Bits of cartilage and bones can even break away and float inside the joint space, which can cause more damage and pain. Unlike other types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis affects only the joints and not other parts of the body.

In addition to osteoarthritis, dislocations, sprains, and strains are three more things that you want to avoid. When it comes to stiffness, joint pain, dislocations, sprains, and strains, 35 is the new 50. When I was in my early 20s, I would go to a gym, jump on a machine and start exercising without thinking twice about my joints. Now, as I approach 40, I am thinking more and more about my joints. In fact, before I learnt how to protect my joints during workouts, there were days when it seemed easier to skip my exercises altogether than to cope with my stiff and achy knees. The fact that you are reading this article proves that you can relate to what I went through.

The older we get, the more likely we are to experience aching and mild soreness when we exercise, climb stairs, stand, or jog. An aging body does not recover as swiftly as it did in the past. In addition, the cartilage naturally deteriorates with age. In a sense, it is like a vehicle’s shock absorbers which wear out with time and continued use. As we age, we begin to experience more of the physical toll our bodies are going through. In addition, we tend to lose bone strength and muscle tone the older we get, which can make physically demanding tasks more taxing.

Most sports–related injuries have something to do with the joints. When exercising for fitness and health, individuals can be more at risk of suffering injuries caused by overuse. The good news is that when you learn how to protect your joints during exercising, you can avoid serious injury.

How to Protect Your Joints during Exercising

Exercise provides numerous health–related benefits. However, it also comes with a certain level of injury risk. Depending on the type of workout, you can put a lot of stress on your joints. Nevertheless, this is not a good enough reason for you to opt out of exercise. The key is to do it safely and choose movements and activities that reduce your risk of pain, injury, or any other complications.

So how do you make sure you’re not doing more harm than good when working out? By creating a workout routine based on your abilities and requirements, as well as following some safety measures. Proper joint care can transform a typical workout into an enjoyable part of your daily exercise routine.

Most joint injuries are caused by a variety of factors, including failure to warm–up, improper technique and training, sudden directional changes, overuse, and even falls. Of course, health conditions such as degenerative disc disease, osteoporosis, and arthritis can affect the joints as well. The most common joint injuries, however, occur as a result of repeated impact on the joints. The level of impact can vary depending on the type of activity.

Injuries to walkers and runners, for example, typically affect the ankle joints, knees, and hips, since the lower body absorbs most of the impact. On the other hand, tennis players often suffer from elbow joint problems, while people who play high–impact sports can often experience joint twists, tears, and sprains due to the force of a sudden directional change. However, you do not have to be a professional athlete to experience joint injury.

Most Common Mistakes that Lead to Joint Injury

Workout warriors often suffer joint injuries due to a few simple mistakes that can be avoided. Here are a few mistakes you should avoid in order to enjoy exercise without injury or pain.

• Doing too much, too soon
• Muscle strength that increases too rapidly
• Wearing the wrong footwear
• Doing the same routine all the time
• Using improper technique
• Lack of proper nutrition
• Omitting the warm–up, cool down, and stretches
• Doing too many high–impact activities
• Skimping on rest and recovery

What Types of Stretches are the Best?

Active stretching can protect joints and build muscle. Most people know that they should stretch before exercising; however, many are unsure of when or how to best do so. Stretching is an important part of every workout regime. Stretching, whether static or dynamic, maintains the range of motion around joints. A stiff joint is more prone to swelling, which can significantly weaken the muscle fibers protecting the joint. Some of the reasons why you should stretch include:

• To reduce muscle tension
• To prevent injury
• To improve movement within joints
• To maintain proper muscle length
• To promote body awareness
• To compensate for training load and strenuous activity
• To increase range of movement
• To boost circulation
• Relaxation

Your weight bearing joints, such as the knees, hips, and spine, take the load of your body weight. It is, therefore, important to protect them from wear and tear while exercising. Stiffness begets stiffness. Thus, keeping your joints mobile is key to reducing pain and stiffness. Low–impact stretching and bending keep pain and discomfort to a minimum. The best time to stretch is before and after a workout, or after being idle or stationary for long periods.

Stretches for Healthy Joints

Daily stretching is an under-emphasized part of joint care exercises. Some of the best stretching tips to include in your daily routine include:

• Working with a physical therapist to come up with a good plan. Once you learn how to stretch without injuring yourself, you can include it in your normal workout routine.

• Fingers are a common site of stiffness, swelling, and joint pain. Rest your hand on a flat surface palm down and lift each finger as high off the surface as possible. Then, rest the hand palm up and bend all your fingers into the palm of your hand. Finally, hold out your hand and touch each fingertip to your thumb. Repeat these exercises six times for better flexibility.

• Stretch your forearm and elbow for at least 15 minutes each day.

• For a healthy neck, move your head around while sitting upright in a straight–backed chair.

• Lie on your back on a flat, firm surface with your feet flat on the surface and your knees bent upwards. Without bouncing your backbone, stretch your legs slowly and hold each back stretch for 5 seconds. Repeat the movement ten times.

• For healthy feet, stand on a flat, firm surface and press down with your toes, while at the same time increasing the arch of your foot. With your legs out straight, move each foot up and down and try to make a complete circle with each foot.

• Finally, you can include some stretching in your warm–up and cool–down periods.

Is There a Specific Warm-Up you can do?

It is important to warm–up all major muscle groups before working out and stretch afterwards to improve flexibility. Unfortunately, most people tend to forget the warm–up process. It does not have to be complicated or long. Five minutes of light activity, such as walking, is all you need to warm up your muscles and get your blood flowing. If you are planning on having an intense workout, it pays to start off slow and let your muscles and body warm up to give your circulatory system, cartilage, and ligaments time to adapt.

Workout Tips for Healthy Joints

Steer clear of behind–the–neck presses
Avoid moving your arms and hands behind the plane of your shoulders when weightlifting. For example, a behind–the–neck lat pull down or overhead bench press may place your shoulders in an unstable position, which may lead to injury. Most people have poor muscle flexibility in addition to limited shoulder joint mobility, so they may hurt themselves when performing such exercises. There are more effective and safer workouts to perform.

Get proper nutrition
Minimizing excess body fat and inflammatory responses are two ways of ensuring healthy joints and muscles. A diet that is more alkaline has been proven to help lower inflammation and provide more energy. You should include foods such as spinach, papaya, kale, berries, dates, avocados, apples, and ginger in your diet. In addition, foods such as legumes, nuts, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish are excellent for joint care.

Shake things up
People who want to avoid injuries caused by overuse, not to mention boredom and burnout, should understand that it is a bad idea to stick to the same routine every single day. Shaking things up is even more important if you are suffering from arthritis or achy joints. Muscles involved in the function and control of joints become weak from overuse, which can increase the risk of injury.

Alternate lower and upper body workouts
The popular exercise advice is to work your major muscles first and then work the smaller ones, mainly because the smaller ones support and stabilize the larger ones. However, switching between the lower and upper body workouts makes life easier for your joints by allowing them a longer recovery time between exercises. For example, when weight training, you should alternate between leg and arm exercises to prevent overuse of one joint or body part.

It is important to cool down at the end of a workout and take time off between workouts to allow your muscles and joints to recover. In addition, proper form when working out is important. It is better to do ten right than fifty wrong. Remember to drink a lot of water before, during, and after your workout. Water helps to lubricate the joints, thereby relieving joint pain. Finally, when taking part in high–risk activities, remember to wear a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist pads.

Original Source: How To Protect Your Joints Before, During And After Exercising
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If your goal is to bulk up and build some major muscle, then I’ve got the perfect plan for you. There is no need to spend a great deal of money, because if you’re on a budget, you can still follow this plan and see some amazing results.

Here are some effective bodybuilding tips that will enable you to bulk up fast while adhering to a budget:

Are supplements absolutely necessary?

When most people think about bodybuilders, they think about guys with huge, bulging muscles, while downing protein shakes in rapid succession. However, protein supplements aren’t absolutely necessary. These products are intended to do just that-supplement the protein in your diet. I can tell you from personal experience that protein supplements aren’t absolutely necessary in every situation.

What would warrant the need for protein supplements when it comes to bodybuilding? The only reason you would ever need to take supplements is if you aren’t obtaining enough through your diet. Of course you can’t build muscle without adequate protein intake, and ensuring that you consume enough protein-rich foods is relatively simple. All that you must do is use one of the many protein calculators available online, enter your weight and the calculator will tell you exactly how many grams you need in order to properly bulk up. For instance, if you’re 220 lbs, then you will need anywhere from 242-286 grams of protein each day. It may be challenging but not impossible to consume this amount of protein on a daily basis.

Once you’ve been on your regime for a few months and you’re making progress yet you find it difficult to reach your recommended amount of protein on a daily basis, you might want to consider using supplements, but only once a day. Using supplements (bars and/or shakes) will not help you to reach your goal any quicker than eating regular meals, so it’s not worth it to go over your budget in order to purchase these products.

If you’re not sure which foods to eat in order to help you reach your protein requirements, then there are many meal and snack ideas available. You just want to ensure that you aren’t consuming high amounts of high-calorie protein that has high amounts of fat, as well. Here are some perfect lean protein choices:

Tuna – You could make tuna and pasta dishes, eat tuna sandwiches, or even eat tuna salad. Another good thing about canned tuna fish is the fact that you can purchase it for a relatively cheap price. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to find it at 2 for $1.

Eggs – This is one of the most versatile but nutritious foods you can find. In addition to being a high protein food, eggs contain numerous beneficial nutrients. You can opt to eat eggs in many different ways, including boiled, scrambled, fried, in vegetable and meat dishes, and more. The sky is the limit when it comes to eating eggs, and eating them makes it easy to get your required amount of protein in each day. Eggs are another food that is extremely economical. Buying larger amounts, such as 18 or 36-count packs will lower your cost even more.

Chicken breast – There is a great deal that you can do with chicken breast. You can make huge salads with sauteed chicken breast as the main protein source, and you can make so many other delicious and healthy dishes with it, as well. If you need some ideas, all you have to do is simply conduct an online search and you’re bound to come up with more recipe ideas than you knew existed. Chicken breast doesn’t have to be expensive, because if you shop at the right stores and buy in bulk, you can find some chicken at relatively cheap prices. Click here for a simple chicken breast recipe I’ve put together a few months ago.

Greek yogurt – Not only can Greek yogurt be considered a great snack, but it could also be eaten as a dessert. If you’re trying to keep your fat and sugar calories low, then simply opt for plain, non-fat Greek yogurt and add in your own fruit, sweeteners, etc. By eating Greek yogurt, you will have the ability to obtain high amounts of protein and enjoy a creamy and delicious treat at the same time. Again, buying in larger sizes or bulk is your best bet for spending less money on this high protein food.

Lean steak – Forget the Porterhouse and New York Strip steaks, because if you’re wishing to attain the leanest cuts, then you should opt for a choice like round steak. Not only is round steak low in fat and high in protein, but it is significantly cheaper than fancier steaks.

Pork chops – Not only are pork chops super inexpensive, but they are lean and extremely high in protein, like other meats. You can easily create scrumptious and muscle-inducing meals and snacks.

There’s a great product that goes more in-depth about bodybuilding food and it’s actually really good. You can learn more about it here.

Skip the gym

You may be wondering how you could possibly obtain the type of body that you desire without hitting the gym at least 5 days each week. There is no need to pay the high costs associated with gym memberships when you can work out just as effectively in the comfort of your own home. You can find weights, a bench and any other equipment that you need very inexpensively. Or you can also perform bodyweight exercises at home.

By working out at home instead of the gym, you might be able to achieve your fitness goals even sooner. Since you won’t have to head out to a gym, you might be motivated to work out more frequently. It is a great deal more convenient to walk to your home gym from your living room as opposed to driving across town and waiting to use equipment.

So if you’re looking for clean bulking on a budget, then hopefully these tips will help you to achieve your goal quicker than you ever thought possible. As long as you’re willing to use supplements sparingly and eat foods that are conducive to supreme bodybuilding, then you can reach your fitness goals without going broke.

Original Source: Clean Bulking On A Budget
Find more posts like this on: Muscle & Fitness Tips

A well-sculpted chest can give you an imposing physique as well as improve your overall posture. Of course, to get such a chest, you may have to put in a lot of hard work in the gym and keep your body fueled with muscle-building foods such as proteins and carbohydrates. If you have the will, patience, and desire to improve your physical appearance, here are 3 chest exercises to perform at least once every week:

1. Twisting Dumbbell Bench Press

The twisting dumbbell bench press is a variation of the popular bench press exercise. It is one of the most effective workouts for building upper body strength and parts like the chest. Furthermore, it is easy to master making it the ideal workout for beginners who want to improve their upper body physique fast.

Instructions

1. Grab two dumbbells with your hands and lie down on a bench press. Stretch your arms straight upwards and let the palms of your hands face inwards. In addition, your dumbbells should be almost touching. Start lowering weights slowly while at the same time twisting your wrists until the palms face outwards by the time the upper arms are parallel to the ground.

2. Hold this position for a few seconds and push dumbbells back to starting position. Remember to twist your wrists in the opposite direction when pushing upwards.

3. You can perform anywhere from three to six reps with rests of about 90 seconds between sets. For maximum effect, keep the speed of lowering dumbbells to about 3 to 4 seconds.

Handy Tips

1. Try as much as possible to use the longest range of motion you can achieve when turning the wrists. This is necessary for proper stretching of muscles in the chest.

2. Make it a habit to lower weights twice as longer as it takes to raise them.

Turning the wrists slowly as you lower weights stretches chest muscle fibers much harder and more efficiently. As a result, you will develop a bigger chest over time.

2. Weighted push-ups

Another common and popular exercise that you can change a bit to build a bigger chest is the push-up. In this case, you perform push-ups while carrying extra weight on your back. It is advisable to have a training partner around to help you position weights onto your back though this is not mandatory.

Instructions

1. Assume a normal push-up position while keeping the hands about six or so inches apart. Tell your training partner to place a gym weight onto your back. Make sure it feels well balanced. If not, inform your training partner to change its position or add padding onto your back to improve balance.

2. After this, lower your chest slowly until the upper arms up to the elbows are parallel with your body. Push back until the arms are fully extended. If you can, perform 10 reps and rest for 90 seconds. Use the same procedure to perform about 5 to 10 sets.

Handy Tips

1. If you do not have a training partner, you can put weights inside a backpack and strap it onto your shoulders.

2. Keep your neck and the lower back in neutral positions. In simple terms, neither flexed nor extended. A great way to keep the neck in a neutral position is by fixing your gaze at a point on the floor.

3. Push out the chest and pull back the shoulder blades when performing these push-ups.

4. It makes sense to start with lighter weights and add more as you progress.

5. If you can, try switching from close-hand to wide-hand push-ups in between sets, not in between reps.

6. Avoid fancy push-ups styles because it is easy to rip up tendons or pick up nasty injuries due to the extra weight your body has to bear and support.

The beauty of weighted push-ups is they pump up chest, upper arm, and front half of shoulder muscles, which is good news because your upper body will appear bigger.

3. Dips

Unlike the other two exercises described above, most people tend to shun dips while working out in the gym. This is largely because they can be tough to perform for beginners. Nevertheless, they are great exercises for sculpting and enhancing the size of the chest. Furthermore, you can perform dips anywhere provided there are bars or beams to hold onto with both hands.

Instructions

1. Place your hands onto each of the bars used for this exercise in the gym. Use the toes of your feet to give your body a nudge as you rocket upwards until the arms are fully extended.

2. With the hands firmly locked onto each bar, lower your body slowly while slightly leaning forwards. Keep the soles of your feet from touching the floor by bending both legs at the knees.

3. Keep lowering your body until you feel the pressure of chest muscles stretching out. At this point, push your body upwards; this constitutes a single rep. The complete set consists of about 5 to 10 reps. Make it your goal to complete four or more sets.

Handy Tips

1. It is very important to lean forward because this is the best way to target and work chest muscles.

2. Control your breathing while lowering and pushing up the body. The general rule of thumb is to breathe in when going down and breathe out when going up.

3. Introduce weights if these exercises become too easy. You can do this by hanging a heavy chain around your neck or strapping a backpack filled with weights onto your back. If you decide to use extra weight, make sure it is evenly distributed across your back.

Conclusion

You can easily attain an imposing physique by performing exercises that would increase the size of your chest. Some of the most effective workouts you can use to achieve this goal include dips, weighted push-ups, and twisting dumbbell bench-press. When combined with a protein-rich and healthy diet, these workouts can deliver impressive results within 3 to 6 months.

Original Source: 3 Exercises For A Bigger Chest
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Here are the 10 most anabolicious recipes from the Anabolic Cooking cookbook by Dave Ruel. You can download the PDF for free (1,02MB).

The PDF includes the following anabolic cooking recipes:

• Dave’s Anabolic Blueberry Oatmeal
• Apple & Cinnamon HP Muffins
• Dave’s Famous Turkey Meatloaf
• Baked Crispy Chicken Nuggets
• The MuscleCook’s Chili
• Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry
• Classic Tuna Melt Patties
• High Protein Fudge Bars
• Lemon Cheesecake
• Banana Bread Shake

About Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking

Anabolic Cooking is a program aimed at helping you eat the foods that will promote muscle-building as effectively as possible. It’s not just any diet program, but you’ll learn about the best foods to pack on those pounds of muscle. It’s meant to be paired with a bodybuilding/strength training program, as that’s the only way that you can actually put on the muscle. With the series of ebooks included in this package, you can fuel your body with all of the right foods! You can read our Anabolic Cooking review here.

Original Source: [FREE DOWNLOAD] Anabolic Cooking Recipes from Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking cookbook
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In this video IFBB PRO bodybuilder Ben Pakulski teaches chest training for bodybuilding. Learn how you can build a massive chest with these handy bodybuilding principles for hypertrophy. Check out the Ben Pakulski chest workout routine below!

Learn more about optimal training & nutrition with Ben Pakulski’s Mi40 workout program.

About The Mi40 Workout Program

The Mi40 Workout Program or Mass Intention 40, is an innovative resistance training package of 40 days. It consists not only on training and nutritional manuals, but also on 8 hours of demonstration videos that show you how to properly carry out every exercise in the workout. Within the Mi40 bodybuilding program, each training session consists on an effective resistance workout that contains from 6 to 9 exercises and takes about 40 minutes to be completed. Click here to read our Mi40 review.

Original Source: Ben Pakulski Chest Workout
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Squats are one of the most important exercises that people can perform. Not only is it extremely efficient and capable of developing functional strength in the individual, but it can also be a great way to warm up for future exercises.

However, I noticed that one of the biggest problems that people have with squats is getting the form right. Learning how to squat means taking the time to understand the squat form and how it can be optimized to create the desired results. Before you get started with any workout regimen, it is strongly recommended for you to learn more about the squat’s form itself.

Trunk Position

For everybody asking about what is the perfect squat form, it is crucial to begin with the right stance. The first thing that you should learn how to do correctly is positioning your upper body. Imagine snapping into a standing position, with your head up and your shoulders back. This is the perfect positioning for your spine, and one of the most important parts of getting the form right. You need to have your head back, your chest raised, and your lower back slightly arched. When you have achieved this stance, you will be ready to move on to the other aspects of a proper squat technique.

When you have established your back’s position correctly, the next step is making sure that your feet are set in a correct way too. Set them shoulder width apart from each other and maintain your back’s position. It is important for you to keep your back and shoulders as straight as possible, only arching your back as you move down. Getting the right position will also help make sure that you perform each squat correctly. When you are in the right position, you can feel the burn better, and, as a result, get the gains that you have always wanted.

Power Rack

One of the best ways for you to do squats is through the power rack position at a gym. This can be great for those who want to adjust their workout until it is perfectly comfortable. The pins can be set in any of the weights to make sure that you are pulling what you need to. These pins can also be a great way to establish your visual depth, giving you a focus point to help you keep your movements correct. Your eyes are one of the most important parts of the workout, as they will help you determine whether or not your back is as straight as it needs to be throughout the workout.

Getting Started

A lot of people get started by using towels and other types of padding beneath the bar. I personally do not like to do this because it creates little areas of instability that make it really difficult to continue with the workout. If you feel like you are struggling with your workout, you need to stop it as soon as possible in order to avoid damaging your muscles or causing some other types of long term problems. Always think with safety in mind.

When you are ready, step up to the bar and keep your hands the same width as the bench press. Make sure they are completely even with the bar before you unrack as well. Grip firmly and take a deep breath, stepping under the bar as you unrack it. The vast majority of squat injuries occur when people do not step back correctly. Only take a few steps back to give yourself the room you need before continuing. You do not have to go all the way back, just enough to clear the machine. Adjust your hands as appropriate and make sure that you have the grip you need. Put your feet into the starting position when you are ready.

Descending

When you are ready to descend, it is important for you to go as slow as possible. Be sure to take a deep breath and start by contracting your abs. The descent should feel as though you are going to sit back on a chair behind you. Do not go straight down, and keep your knees in line with your feet. As you move, it is important for you to avoid bowing your knees as much as possible. This can results in sprains and other problems if you are not careful. Always be sure to start with a light load to prevent overloading.

It is important to remember that all exercises are ultimately done for your benefit, so if you do not do them correctly, you are only hurting yourself. I prefer to keep my shin at a ninety degree angle with the ground, which is easier to do with a wider stance. Regardless of the way your feet are positioned, it is strongly recommended for you to get as close to parallel as possible without hurting yourself. As soon as you start to notice the strain, slow down and get ready to move up.

Ascending

Your position should be upright on your way down, no matter how much of a load you are carrying or how spaced your feet are. Be sure to bend at the hip and avoid putting too much pressure on your spine. When you feel that you cannot move any lower, you will be ready to ascend. It is crucial for you to reverse your direction as soon as possible, but keep your movements equally slow and even. As you move, try to pull your back up as hard as you can during your ascent.

When you stand back up into a proper position, you will be ready for another rep. Repeat the process as many times as you feel that you can before setting the weights back. Always move as carefully as possible and save some of your strength for the removal of the weights. You want to tire yourself out as much as possible, but remember that safety first will always guarantee that you make the most of your workouts.

Original Source: How To Squat: Learn the Proper Squat Form With These Tips
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It is important to understand your body type in order to plan your diet program and muscle building training. This is because a person’s body type influences how he/she responds to training and diet. When the muscle-building bug first bit me, I was overwhelmed by the number of different diets, supplements, training programs, information, and articles there was out there. With so many conflicting training programs and diets available, I did not know where to begin or what to do. This resulted in about six months of working out with little gains and even less motivation to continue training.

To make the situation even worse, there were guys in the gym who seemed to do very little to achieve the type of physique I could only dream of. I was at a complete loss. In fact, I almost gave up. Fortunately, I met a guy in the gym who told me about body types and how they affect diet and training. That information opened my eyes to the reasons why I was making little gains in the gym.

There are three main body types, namely:
• Mesomorph
• Endomorph
• Ectomorph

Essentially, these are fancy ways of saying naturally muscular, naturally bug, and naturally lean. If you want to see significant changes in your physique, you need to exercise in a way that compliments your body shape. You should pay less attention to your strengths and concentrate on your natural weaknesses. The notion that body types are genetically predetermined is nothing new. In fact, both Plato and Friedrich Nietzsche referred to the concept before William Sheldon made the three main categories of body popular in the 40s.

Body type describes more than how a person looks. It also gives information about a person’s sympathetic and hormonal nervous system characteristics and how he responds to food intake. If you want to plan your diet and training regimen successfully, you will need to understand your body type. Once you do, you will be able to adjust your nutrient intake to maximize your health–related and fitness goals.

The Mesomorph

If you want a good example of a mesomorph, think about your high school football stars who seemed to pack on more muscle while also maintaining their lean physique just by looking at weights. The mesomorph body type is, somewhat, in between the endomorph and ectomorph body types. In a sense, it displays qualities from both body types. A mesomorph has a larger bone structure and larger muscles, but a low body fat percentage. I bet this is the type of body you would want. If you are a mesomorph, however, you will know it from the envious looks you get.

Mesomorphs find it quite easy to lose and gain weight, and they are naturally strong, which is the best foundation for building muscle. They also tend to be growth hormone and testosterone dominant. Most mesomorphs seem to take their bodies for granted, which can lead to poor diets and diluted workouts. However, since they gain fat more easily than ectomorphs, they need to watch their calorie intake more closely.

Some of the characteristics of a mesomorph include:
• Low body fat
• Small waist
• Strong
• Symmetrical build
• Large muscles
• Wide shoulders
• Generally hard body
• Eats in moderation
• Burns fat easily
• Puts on muscle easily

Some of the famous mesomorphs include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Garner, Anna Kournikova, and Halle Berry.

Training and Dieting Tips for Mesomorphs

If you are a mesomorph, you need to train in the 8 to 12 rep range and rest for a half a minute between sets. You also need to do enough cardio to maintain your lean physique. When it comes to your diet, you need to portion your meals by balling up your fist, which represents one portion size. Remember to eat enough calories to maintain muscle mass and keep your carbohydrates intake at 40% to 60%. Finally, break your meals into five or six smaller meals throughout the day.

The Endomorph

This body type is the complete opposite of an ectomorph. Endomorphs are usually large with little muscle definition and heavier fat deposits. They usually find it extremely difficult to lose weight even when they try different workout and diet programs. They gain fat easily and are usually of a shorter build with thick legs and arms. Their muscles, however, are naturally strong, especially their upper leg muscles, which means that they excel in exercises such as squats.

Most power lifters and football linemen tend to be endomorphs. People with this body type also tend to be insulin dominant, which means that they have a greater propensity for storing energy, including both fat mass and lean mass. If you are an endomorph, you may think that you are destined to be overweight. However, this is not so. You just need to make an effort to eat the right food and make exercise a part of your daily routine.

Common characteristics of an endomorph include:
• Large frame
• Larger fat accumulation
• Low muscle definition
• Fatigue easily
• Eat larger meals
• Insatiable appetite
• Unable to drop weight easily
• Try different exercise and diet programs to failure

Examples of famous endomorphs include John Goodman, Jack Black, Luther Vandros, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, and Queen Latifah.

Training and Dieting Tips for Endomorphs

Endomorphs need to do as much cardio exercises as possible and train in the 15–plus repetition range. They should also do compound lifts to burn calories and take 30 to 45–second rest periods between sets. When it comes to the diet, endomorphs should eat 30% to 40% carbohydrates and portion their meals appropriately. They should include whole grains and non–processed foods in their diet and eat large quantities of veggies to keep them full. They should divide their caloric intake by five to six meals and drink plenty of water. Finally, they should avoid flash diets.

The Ectomorph

You can easily spot this body type in any weight room. Ectomorphs are usually below the average weight for their height and often appear skinny. They tend to have unusually high metabolisms and often suffer from fussy eating with little or no weight gain.

Some of the common characteristics of an ectomorph include:
• Fast metabolism
• Small joints
• Hyperactive
• Get full easily
• Skinny appearance
• Can eat anything they want
• Narrow frame
• Small buttocks and chest
• Low body fat
• Difficulty gaining weight
• Difficulty gaining muscle

Examples of famous ectomorphs include Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Bruce Lee, Kate Moss, and Cameron Diaz.

Training and Dieting Tips for Ectomorphs

An ectomorph should do compound lifts and train heavier in the 5-10 repetition range. Due to the heavier weights used, they should take longer rest breaks and avoid doing cardio. Ectomorphs should eat high–density weight gainers and break their caloric intake into several small meals. They should eat foods such as avocado, almonds, and peanut butter, and eat at least 50% to 60% carbohydrates. They should also drink tons of milk and eat foods they enjoy. Click here for more training tips for the skinny Ectomorph.

Few people, however, fall perfectly into one of the above categories. You might have some qualities of the three body types. Pure breeds are rare. I hope that this information will help you succeed in your health and fitness goals. Please share this post if you found it useful.

Original Source: The 3 Main Body Types Explained
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In this video IFBB PRO bodybuilder Ben Pakulski teaches back training for bodybuilding. Learn how you can build a massive back with these handy training tips. Check out the Ben Pakulski back workout routine below!

Learn more about optimal training & nutrition with Ben Pakulski’s Mi40 workout program.

About The Mi40 Bodybuilding Program

The Mi40 Training Program or Mass Intention 40, is an innovative bodybuilding program of 40 days. It consists not only on training and nutritional manuals, but also on 8 hours of demonstration videos that show you how to properly carry out every exercise in the workout. Within the Mi40 bodybuilding program, each training session consists on an effective resistance workout that contains from 6 to 9 exercises and takes about 40 minutes to be completed. Click here to read our Mi40 review.

Original Source: Ben Pakulski Back Workout
Find more posts like this on: Muscle & Fitness Tips

As spring comes to an end, summer beach trips, lazy days by the pool and other outdoor activities are just around the corner. For many of us, that means it is time to get serious about dropping that last weight and excess fat. To get the fat burning boost you need to be beach ready this summer, fat burning supplements are powerful ally in the battle against the bulge.

Fat burning supplements are easy to find, easy to work into your daily routine and can help amp up your weight loss efforts. There are numerous supplements on the market readily available at health food stores, big box retailers and at your local pharmacy so getting your body summer ready is easy and convenient.

Which Fat Burning Supplement Is Right For Me?

There are so many fat burners on the market it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. To help you find the most effective fat burning supplement, we have made a list naming the Top 5 Fat Burning Supplements for 2015. Compiling this list was no small task since 2015 saw the introduction of many new, high quality fat burners. To help us name the Top 5 Fat Burning Supplements, we needed a scientific approach to ensure we help you find a fat burner that delivers so we researched supplements and based our decision on these factors:

• Ingredient research
• Price
• Quality
• Effectiveness
• Number of servings

Based on these criterion, we have narrowed down the wide variety of supplements and are happy to give you the break down on the Top 5 Fat Burning Supplements to help you get the results and the body you want. Here are our Top 5 Picks for 2015:

5. BPI Roxylean Fat Burner

BPI’s Roxylean offers a potent supplement that help burn fat and increase energy levels. While we do not know every single ingredient found in this supplement due to its inclusion of 510mg of a “proprietary blend,” the listed ingredients are known to have powerful fat burning properties that help people shed weight.

The main and first ingredient found in Roxylean is caffeine, an ingredient found in many fat burning supplements. Next on the ingredient list is lemon, an ingredient used in many weight loss supplements that helps detoxify your liver. Following lemon is adhatoda, an ingredient usually found in treatments designed to open up the respiratory tract and reducing blood pressure.

While it’s speculation on our part, we think this ingredient was included by BPI in Roxylean to promote improved cardiovascular function through improved respiratory health. Next up comes Yohimbe, a commonly used fat burning supplement shown to enhance exercise performance but can sometimes raise blood pressure.

Goldenseal is the next listed ingredient and helps lower blood pressure. White willow helps reduce joint pain and Chinese skull cap and Rauwolfia also help lower blood pressure.

It seems BPI took precautions to counteract Yohimbe’s chance of elevating blood pressure levels by including several ingredients that lower blood pressure and combined them with weight loss stimulators such as caffeine and provides a balanced approach to improving your body’s metabolism and fat burning capabilities.

As far as servings go, Roxylean comes with 60 one capsule servings. While Roxylean is definitely not on the cheap side, its large number of servings and comprehensive list of metabolic stimulators makes it a great fat burner choice for those who do not experience high sensitivity to stimulants.

4. Cellucor Super HD

Cellucor has been a fat burner supplement leader for years and has always provided high quality supplements. Super HD is no exception. Made of two proprietary blends, Super HD’s first blend called “Super HD Nootropic and CNS Support Blend,” contains caffeine anhydrous, toothed club moss and N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine. Tooth club moss has been found to reduce inflammation and has been used to enhance memory functioning.

The second proprietary blend is called “Super HD Thermosculpting Blend” and contains a 253 mg blend of root extracts and herbs that decrease water retention, increase energy and promote increased metabolism. On top of the two proprietary blends, Super HD includes a B vitamin blend that encourages weight loss and higher energy levels.

With 120 servings per bottle, Super HD is a great choice for those looking for an effective and affordable fat burning supplement. At $70 for a two month supply, Super HD is a budgetable option that produces results.

3. Muscletech’s Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite

Hydroxycut has been on the market for quite a while now and Muscletech is upping the ante with Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite. An updated blend of Hydroxycut, this improved and updated formula has a totally transparent ingredient list, no proprietary blends here. With this fat burner, what you read on the label is what you get.

The ingredient list contains:

• caffeine anhydrous
• green coffee extract
• l-theanine
• coleus extract
• cocoa extract
• yohimbe extract

Coleus extract is known to suppress the appetite and L-theanine paired with caffeine improves focus and alertness.

Hydroxycut Hardcore Elite is very reasonably priced at $25 to $30 dollars for a 100 capsule bottle that provides 50 servings. For those looking for an affordable fat burning supplement from well known manufacturer, Hydroxycut Hardcore elite is a solid choice.

2. Imperius Lab’s Torrid FX

This best selling supplement offers a four way fat burning formula that produces results. This supplement aims to improve thermogenesis, cognition, water retention and thyroid functioning. Including a variety of B vitamins, chromium and biotin, this supplement is also packed with three proprietary blends as well as caffeine, bacopa monnieri, l-theanine, and l-tyrosine to help burn fat and increase alertness, reduced stress and fatigue and restful sleep.

Offering 30 servings for bottle, this fat burner is what a fat burner should be and is a great choice for anyone looking to trim their physique and improve their overall health, level of alertness and energy.

1. Nutrex’s Lipo-6 Black Ultra Concentrate

An updated version of Lipo-6, this supplement is packed with ingredients known to enhance metabolism and incinerate fat. With a proprietary blend coupled with caffeine anhydrous, theobromine anhydrous, advantra z Citrus aurantium, yohimbe HCI, rauwolscine this supplement goes back to the basics and delivers results. As you can see from the previous supplement ingredient lists, this one is packed with everything you need to burn fat and get fit.

With 60 servings per bottle, this supplement is our top pick of 2015 and offers everything you need to rev your metabolism and get ready for summer.

Time To Go Shopping

Now that you’ve read our top picks, it’s time for you to make a decision and start your supplement routine. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll see results so go get your top pick and start today. You can buy all these fat burners from the Bodybuilding.com store.

Original Source: Top 5 Fat Burning Supplements Of 2015
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Occasionally, I get asked questions that require a complete article to fully address. This is one such occasion. The good news is that I believe this information is valuable, and that many people stand to gain much from reading it — so here goes:

QUESTION: “I can not visit the gym anymore, and I do not have the money or space to set one up in my home. Can I still develop my muscles, without special gym equipment or weights? Or, should I just give up on bodybuilding completely?”

ANSWER: Every time somebody asks me about muscle training at home (with no gym equipment, or any barbells or dumbbells), my instinctive reaction is to question why.

What do I mean by this? – I hear you ask. Well, it is obvious that anyone who wants to develop their physique is not in the best of circumstances, if they can not access a gym. Therefore, my first priority is to identify the main obstacle that is causing this problem.

Is it impossible for you to access any gym? Could you, perhaps, purchase a few less iPhone apps and use that money to become a member at your local gym? Could you discard some of the rubbish that has accumulated in your garage or basement, and acquire some barbells and dumbbells?

In a minority of instances, these questions resonate with the person, which results in a resolution of the underlying problem. Consequently, their bodybuilding goals are put firmly back on track. However, far more frequently, people simply give negative answers to the above questions. In this situation, they are trapped in this clearly undesirable predicament.

In turn, this begs the initial question that was asked:

Is it possible to develop my physique at home, with no equipment? ABSOLUTELY! However…

The welcome news is that it is certainly possible. There are home workout routines you can adopt that will develop your muscles, without all the elaborate equipment many gyms offer. Of course, not having any barbells or dumbbells is a hindrance. Nonetheless, it is definitely achievable.

The less welcome news though, is that it will be far less straightforward and substantially more challenging overall. This is why…

Building Muscle Mass: The Main Requirements

There are two basic principles that govern muscle development:

1. Progressively overloading your muscles in a manner that stimulates their growth (in other words, increasing physical strength via a well thought out training regimen).
2. Adopting nutritional habits that facilitate muscle growth (in other words, eating the correct quantities of protein and calories).

Providing each of these principles are adhered to regularly over time, muscles will develop.

Excellent Tools Versus Satisfactory Tools Versus Inadequate Tools

At this point, you might have realized that I made no mention of gym memberships, as part of these requirements. Also, I did not mention exercise machines, free weights, or gym equipment of any type.

This is because none of this is what develops muscles. It’s just that they are generally the most effective tools for the task.

Standard gym equipment enables you to perform the exercises that work each group of muscles effectively. This provides your muscles with the requisite growth stimulus. Also, this equipment makes it easy to increase the weight you use with those exercises, which allows progressive overloading to occur continuously.

This is why gyms are packed with free weights from five pounds to 100 pounds plus in five pound increments, plates and barbells from as little as 2.5 pounds up to forty-five pounds (also in five pound increments), adjustable benches that can be positioned at different angles, racks that can be used for different exercises, and cable columns and other machines for each group of muscles – with resistance levels that can be changed in tiny increments, by simply placing a pin into another slot.

Therefore, I am going to be perfectly honest here. If building muscle is your goal, using the above equipment is the preferred option, both in terms of results and efficiency. If you can’t access all of it, you might be slightly handicapped. However, if you can’t access any of it, you are going to be majorly handicapped.

Notwithstanding, as I said previously, it is still possible. There are lots of different methods that can be employed for this task (developing muscle), and even less-than-ideal methods can achieve the goal, if they are correctly applied.

So…how should you go about it?

Well, first of all, you are already in possession of one excellent item of equipment, whether you are aware of it or not — namely, your body weight. Using this (and a bit of creativity), you can perform all types of exercises. Here’s a few that immediately spring to mind:

• Pull ups (and the numerous variations)
• Press ups (and the numerous variations)
• Tricep dips
• Inverted rows
• Body weight bicep curls
• Handstand press ups
• Lunges (and the numerous variations)
• Body weight tricep extensions
• Pistol squats
• Bulgarian and standard split squats
• Regular Squats
• Leg curls using body weight
• Romanian deadlifts (single leg)

Obviously, this is not intended to be an exhaustive list of exercises you can do with your body weight. You will discover many more, if you hunt around online. For example, you can find a very useful bodyweight exercises chart here or subscribe to our monthly newsletter and you’ll receive a complete handbook on bodyweight training for FREE.

However, the list above is sufficient to accomplish the stated goal. There are several exercises on the list that can be combined into a good muscle building regime — one which would be suitable for home use, with no costly gym equipment or barbells/dumbbells of any type. Thank goodness for your body weight!

In addition to this, if you include something as simple as bands, you will be able to perform many other exercises as well (band pull downs, band rows, band lateral/front raises, band presses, band tricep extensions, band curls, etc).

This means that everything looks rosy, with regards to exercises. That’s the positive news. Here’s some negative news though…

Progress Will be Difficult, but it is Attainable

Making progress with these exercises (the most important part of muscle development) can be challenging, particularly as you become stronger. Suffice to say, the weight of your body is not immediately adjustable. You can not simply add five pounds and move onto the following weight, like you do with dumbbells and barbells.

Happily, this will not be a huge problem initially, because there are a couple of excellent solutions.

Firstly, you can progress from a less demanding exercise to a more demanding one (for example, from performing press ups on your palms, to performing press ups on your knuckles). That works well. Then, increasing the number of repetitions is great. For instance, if three sets of five reps is all you can manage on a certain exercise, you can progressively increase to three sets of twelve reps.

However, at some stage, you will exhaust all your options for harder exercises. Also, if you continue to increase the number of reps, you will be training for muscular endurance, instead of muscle growth.

What is the best approach then? Well, you can either carry on doing the same thing and fail to develop any extra muscle, or become stronger, or you can think of ways to increase the resistance. Examples include:

• The use of dip/pull up belts
• The use of weighted vests
• The use of rings, Jungle Gym XT, TRX and similar items
• The use of heavier bands
• The use of inexpensive, adjustable sets of dumbbells, intended for confined spaces
• The use of products like ‘Never Gymless‘

Based on the particular exercise, there is virtually always some way of making it harder, adding some extra resistance to it, or increasing the tension in a manner that allows progressive overload to carry on, so that muscles can continue to develop.

All you have to do is invest the time and effort to decide how to do this, for every exercise you perform, and then take action on it. This is crucial.

If you fail to do this, you will wind up like the majority of people who train at home, without any special equipment or free weights — constantly stuck in a rut, performing the same exercises, with little progress to speak of for as long as they choose to workout.

Are the Muscle Building Regimes I Design Able to be Implemented at Home?

Over the past twelve months, I have received thirty to forty emails from people who train at home, using different types of equipment. Some people have adjustable benches, full size racks, a comprehensive range of barbells and dumbbells, and even a gymnasium standard leg press (lucky guy!). Other people have a pull up bar and a few free weights. And others have no equipment at all.

All of these people ask the same question though: Can these workout regimes still be used effectively?

Clearly, the answer depends on precisely what equipment each person has access to. However, as a general rule, I would say that in most cases, everything that has to be done is doable at home using whatever equipment the person owns. Alternatively, it can be replaced easily, with a different comparable exercise.

What is the Appeal of a Home Workout Routine in any Case?

This is the reason why I prefer to categorize my exercise regimens as ‘effective workouts’, rather than ‘home workouts’.

If you workout at home, with the bare minimum of equipment, you just have to adapt everything to your requirements, and make the necessary amendments to the exercises as appropriate (this is much simpler than you imagine). This way, you will wind up doing similar versions of standard exercises. From a technical standpoint, this means that ALL workouts have the potential to be ‘home workouts’.

The Valslide and Pull up Workout

Instructions

Complete all the ‘A’ exercises, followed by all the ‘B’ exercises, followed by all the ‘C’ exercises.

A) The Valslide Leg Curl
Repetitions: Eight
Sets: Six
Recovery: One minute

Lie down looking up at the ceiling, with both feet on Valslides. Begin by extending your hips, while flexing your glutes. Next, keep your hips in this position and curl your feet beneath your knees. A straight line should be maintained, from your knees to your shoulders.

B1) Feet Elevated Press ups
Repetitions: Eight
Sets: Five
Recovery: One minute

Carry out a standard press up, while your feet are resting on a bench or small box.

B2) Pull ups
Repetitions: Eight
Sets: Five
Recovery: One Minute

Use a shoulder width, supinated grip on a chin up bar. Pull your chest up to the bar, while squeezing together your shoulder blades.

C) Crocodile Drags
Repetitions: Ten
Sets: Four
Recovery: Half a minute

Position your feet on different Valslides, or a slideboard. Adopt the press up position, with a tight core and squeezed glutes. Keep your arms and legs straight, then move forward using your arms with your legs dragging behind you.

This is just one example of a home workout routine you can do. Obviously there are tons of other home workout routines you can find online. So get started as soon as possible but make sure you keep my tips in mind!

Original Source: Muscle Training At Home – Developing Your Physique Without Equipment
Find more posts like this on: Muscle & Fitness Tips

The way you feel after a workout can sometimes vary, especially from person to person. One of the first things that many gym goers notice is that they will feel sore after some exercises, but not after others. “I don’t feel sore after working out” is one of the most common things that some people say, and usually in a surprise tone that suggests they were expecting otherwise.

However, the truth is that when it comes to muscle soreness, how sore your muscles are usually won’t indicate the quality of the workout. Understanding why your muscles are sore after a workout, however, can be a good way to focus more on your regimen.

The concerns that people have are understandable. Many believe that the indication of a good workout is the fact that their muscles are sore. They think that if their bodies aren’t aching by the end of the workout session, then they may have wasted their time working out. Many wonder if the lack of soreness implies that they didn’t increase their muscle mass or strength. Other times, people may have questions related to specific workouts. Some people only feel sore after certain workouts, but not others. Does this mean that some workouts were less effective than others? What does it mean for the final results of the session itself?

The Truth Behind Muscle Soreness

Simply put, muscle soreness is not a good indicator of the quality of the workout. Sore muscles the day after you exercise does not always mean that you have a productive or effective session. It does not mean that you built your strength in any particularly profound way or lost additional fat that day, or whatever other misconceptions people may have about the workout. On the other hand, it is also true that not being sore does not convey that the workout went poorly. It does not mean that your exercising was bad that day, or useless, or ineffective. It does not mean that you are failing to get the results that you want, so you should not be discouraged if you do not feel incredibly sore after your workout.

What Does Soreness Mean?

Already, a lot of people might be surprised. If soreness does not indicate anything about the results of the workout, why do people get sore after they exercise? What does the soreness mean, then? Why is it easier to get sore after some sessions, but then not after others? In the most basic sense, muscle soreness is something that only occurs when your muscles are doing something that they are not used to. This means that the likeliest periods of time where you will feel your muscles hurt is when you are just starting to exercise. All people will almost always feel some type of soreness and pain when they exercise after a long period of inactivity, or if they are doing something different in their routine that they have not done before. Usually, there are two major changes in the workout itself, the first change and the future ones.

The First Change

The first time that people begin to notice that their muscles hurt after a huge workout is when they start exercising in the first place. At this period, many people will remember the tremendous soreness that they feel after they get started with a new routine. The soreness in these situations is often much more intense than in other ones, to the point where some people felt as though they could not move. Slowly, however, as your body becomes more and more used to the exercise and the work that you are putting on, it will begin to experience less and less general muscle soreness over time. It will always eventually reach a point where you are not sore anymore at all. This does not mean that your workout was not effective, just that your body is getting better at adapting to the stress of your exercise routine.

Future Changes

While this answers a few questions, it still leaves others open. Why are you sore again now instead of the last few times? Muscles generate that sore sensation when they have to perform work that they are not used to doing. This means that when you perform the same type of exercise for a week, but then suddenly decide to switch it up this week, chances are that you will be a little bit sore the day after. People doing bench presses will feel the heat after they perform incline dumbbell flyes. It has nothing to do with the fact that the workout may have been more or less effective. The only reason that you feel sore after your workouts is because you changed something in your routine, which caused the muscle soreness.

Some Exercises Just Make People More Sore

While many instances of soreness result from general changes in your exercise routine, there are many things that people should also keep in mind when they work out. Sometimes you may feel sore after performing a certain type of exercise, simply because of the nature of the exercise itself. Many people have no idea how to explain it, but some exercises are just able to make people feel more sore than others. Exercises that have some type of stretching component to them will always make you a little bit more sore than exercises that do not. The muscle groups usually do not matter in such situations.

Exercise Effectiveness

Regardless of whether or not you feel sore after your exercise, one of the best and only ways to know that you are exercising effectively is to mark your progress. Watch the weight that you can lift and the reps that you can perform and make note of how you are changing your approach. Do you notice that you are getting stronger? Is fat being lost in your overall appearance? These are the only indicators of a workout that is giving you results, so try not to worry so much about how sore you feel the day after, unless it starts to inhibit the way your exercise.

Original Source: Why You Don’t Always Feel Sore After A Workout
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Here’s the deal:

Everybody wants faster muscle gains, that’s just a fact of life.

For many people who want to learn how to build muscle faster, however, it can be hard to know where to get started.

It gets worse:

After a while, most people get comfortable with a routine and just settle into where they can perform the same exercises as they need to. While it’s still doing something, it’s not doing enough, especially if you want to get the fastest and most efficient gains for your time.

One of the best ways to get fast gains naturally is through the use of grit sets.

Learning more about these options can save your gym life, and help you look better sooner.

How Grit Sets Can Speed Up Your Muscle Growth

First of all: What are Grit Sets?

Grit sets are paired like supersets, but they are designed to work without cancelling the resting period. This means that you can enjoy an even denser workout, doing more total work in a comfortable period of time.

Of course, even the most efficient exercisers can’t make the most of their workouts unless they are performing the right pairings.

The point of working out isn’t just to do as much as you can at the gym.

People work out to get stronger, and the only way to do this correctly is by planning ahead and knowing how you want to get the most out of your workout through these grit sets.

How Grit Sets Work

Grit sets work by pairing the correct movements with the correct exercises. It pairs the movements that you are strongest at with the ones that address your weaknesses.

The problem with straightforward exercising is that they do not cover your weaknesses.

Grit sets are designed to make your strong lift stronger as well, and with the right amount of resting time, you will feel ready to gain explosive results.

The best part about these pairings is that they do not rely a great deal on equipment. This means that it can be one of the best ways to engage in efficient exercises during your time at the gym, so be sure to select your options as necessary.

Bench Press

With this set, the chest is the strong part, while the glutes and hamstrings are the weak ones.

In order to perform this set, you should start hammering your glutes on lower body training days while mixing in plenty of compound lifting, like deep squats and deadlifts.

It’s always a good idea to add in some extra glute time on chest days, as it can be as easy as just rolling over on the machine. As soon as you are done with your bench workout, just shift over and perform single leg hip thrusts for your glutes. This is one of the best ways for you to guarantee early results.

Vertical Pulls

With these exercises, your strong points will be your lats, while your weak ones will be the shoulders.

It is always hard to cram in shoulder work in one workout, especially if you are already including your triceps and chest. In this situation, one of the best ways for you to engage shoulder work is by focusing on back days.

Vertical pulls can be a great way to focus on your lats and then give you plenty of room for your shoulders.

Pairing the opposite actions can also be one of the most efficient ways to engage your entire body in the workout, so be sure to mix and match to get the best results.

Rotator Cuff

With this set, you will be focusing on horizontal bench pressing, which means that your chest will be the point of strength. Your point of weakness will be the shoulder external rotation.

The vast majority of the activities that you perform at the gym involve internal shoulder rotations. However, it is important for you to not forget some type of external rotation exercise in order to balance out your activities.

These movements can be a great way for you to supplement some other areas as well. One of the best ways to engage in such exercises is by performing some light sets of band shoulder rotations with barbells and dumbbells for your bench press routine.

Posterior Chain

As the name implies, this grit set will be all about your posterior, including your glutes, hamstrings and lower back. This means that your anterior core will be your weakness.

Many multijoint strength movements can also be performed with your core in mind after you are done with them. Things such as single leg dumbbell Romanian deadlifts and reverse hip extensions can have a measurable effect on your body.

All of these exercises focus on the posterior core muscles, which is the glutes and lower back, but by incorporating a few situps and crunches into your routine after, you will be able to help handle your anterior core muscles as well.

Triceps

The triceps are some of the most commonly focused sections of any exercising routine. Taking the time for your triceps and lats can be as easy as performing all of your ordinary exercises, as these will be your strong pairs in the grit set.

Your weak pairs, on the other hand, will be your upper back and your rear delts.

You can focus on a good routine by performing face pulls and then using that same rope to perform straight arm pull downs for your back. Always be on the lookout for ways to combine these two motions and alternate to get the best results. Both exercises can be performed back to back, making it easy and adaptable.

Biceps

Finally, the biceps are always an important part of any routine.

With the biceps, your weaknesses will be your upper back and your rear delts again. These are a common weak spot because of how specific they are to target, but making sure not to neglect them can be a great way to balance out your workout.

One of the best pairs to combine is the dumbbell bicep curl with shoulder A’s, incorporating the variations until the desired results are achieved. Do not be afraid to get creative too, and take plenty of rest time to recharge between your alternations.

Original Source: This Simple Technique Will Give You Faster Muscle Gains
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When I first started working out, I never concerned myself with questions like does alcohol affect bodybuilding. At the time, alcohol and bodybuilding side effects were not widely discussed, so I did not consider this to be particularly important.

As a young man, I did drink quite regularly. Although I did get some positive benefits from alcohol, I would say that the majority of its’ effects were negative. In fact, lots of social problems have been attributed to alcohol, such as family breakdowns and domestic violence. The irony is that alcohol is made using fairly harmless ingredients.

For centuries, alcohol has been produced using honey, fermented grains and fruit juice, and consumed by people of all nationalities. Personally, I found that alcohol helped me to relax and enjoy myself.

I always felt much less inhibited after a few drinks, and found it easier to talk to people. Some health benefits, like blood thinning (which can help cardiovascular functioning), have also been reported.

Responsible Drinking in Moderation

Nonetheless, the problem I often faced is that I didn’t know when to stop. It is not healthy to consume any more than a couple of alcoholic drinks, in the majority of cases. Because I regularly consumed more than this, the aforementioned benefits were outweighed by the negative effects.

One reason for this is that alcohol is categorized as a depressant of the central nervous system. Therefore, it relaxes the brain and reduces inhibitions.

Alcohol adversely affected my muscle coordination, speech, logical reasoning and emotional well being. This is when I discovered that alcohol and muscle building are not a good combination. In severe instances, the consequences can be fatal.

For bodybuilders in particular, alcohol is highly detrimental. Some fitness enthusiasts have asked me does alcohol affect abs. My answer is always a resounding ‘yes’, because alcohol interferes with:

• protein synthesis
• recovery
• motivation
• hydration
• and nutritional intake

I never fail to wince, whenever I recall the amount of money I wasted on damaging my health and hindering my progress as an athlete.

How Much Does Alcohol Really Hurt Your Gains?

For all types of athletes, alcohol is especially harmful. It obstructs many processes that are crucial for success, such as focus and recovery.

Ultimately, when I drank too much, it affected my performance in the gym. I felt physically weaker and more drained after workouts. Protein metabolism is impacted negatively, once alcohol enters the system. Clearly, this can hinder the process of muscle repair and thus affect muscle growth.

Professional sports men and women should not drink during competitions, because the effects of alcohol can last for days.

While alcohol is quickly absorbed, it is gradually metabolized, so its’ effects might still impede athletic performance for as long as two days after the previous drink.

I found that if I tried to train within two days of a heavy drinking session, I experienced a reduction in physical strength, slower reaction times, fatigue and worse balance and hand/eye coordination.

Liver function is substantially affected after alcohol is consumed. I discovered later that I felt tired because my liver was still metabolizing the alcohol, while sacrificing glycogen (metabolized carbohydrate). Glycogen is required for the body’s cells to function correctly. Therefore, these health problems arise when it is not used efficiently.

I also found that drinking gave me the sweats and caused me to dehydrate. This is because alcohol impacts kidney function, and disrupts the regulation of fluids and electrolytes in the body. Nutrient supply and cellular waste removal are the primary functions of electrolytes and fluid, which are controlled via kidney function.

Large quantities of water are filtered by the kidneys from many areas of the body, like the brain, to metabolize alcohol. Due to the dehydration I experienced, I had to tone down the intensity of my workouts.

As well as reducing my explosive physical strength, drinking also depleted my stamina and aerobic capabilities for a couple of days after a night out. Alcohol intake boosts blood pressure, which means that the heart has to work harder to direct blood throughout the body.

Tachycardia (or an abnormally quick heart rate) can arise from alcohol consumption too. Worse still, drinking alcohol boosts cholesterol synthesis, which increases the chance of heart disease.

I frequently suffered from insomnia, following a boozing session. Although I would fall asleep reasonably early, I usually woke up during the night and found it hard to get back to sleep. Needless to say, proper sleep is vital for all athletes. There’s nothing worse than trying to train when you feel like a zombie.

Certainly, sleep disruption linked to alcohol results in the inadequate restoration of neural processes. Disorientated thinking can be caused, if the brain receives insufficient glycogen due to alcohol metabolism. The ramifications of cognitive malfunction are serious for athletes. It made me feel less motivated and focused.

Alcohol can hinder the absorption of minerals and vitamins, which are crucial for good health. Also, it gradually depletes the body’s own vitamin supplies. Sometimes, even just a couple of drinks each day (apparently a ‘safe’ amount) has this effect. In particular, B vitamins are depleted extremely quickly. These vitamins have crucial metabolic and enzymatic functions.

Consequently, the kidneys, thyroid, heart and liver are damaged.

Vitamin A is depleted as well, and this makes the body more susceptible to illnesses. The depletion of Vitamin C makes the body vulnerable to anemia. Furthermore, when alcohol is consumed, calcium is excreted from the body at double the normal rate, thereby impeding wound healing and bone growth.

Final Thoughts: How Alcohol Affected My Bodybuilding

While alcohol significantly affected my performance for one or two days after a drinking session, it was the indirect, long term effects that caused me the most harm. Once the quality of my sleep and training declined, my performance was noticeably affected. It was only when I made a conscious effort to stay sober, that I realized how much it was hindering me.

Therefore, I recommend all serious athletes to avoid alcohol entirely, when competing and weight training. Learn from my mistakes and don’t risk damaging your health, and putting yourself at a disadvantage, just for the sake of some short term pleasure.

So does alcohol affect muscle growth? Yes it does! Alcohol and bodybuilding, they just don’t mix!

Original Source: Does Alcohol Affect Muscle Growth?
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Everyone wants to have a fit and lean body. Yet only a few have it. What separates the two? It’s simple, it’s motivation.

Motivation is what keeps you going to the gym or running the extra mile. It is what keeps you from reaching for a fattening fast food meal. Instead, motivation helps you prepare healthy meals.

For many, motivation can be quick to find but easy to lose over time. The key to getting the physique that you want, is keeping the motivation. There are a few fitness motivation tips that can help you start and stay on track.

Keep your goal simple

You want one, simple goal. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when trying to focus on many different goals. Add in the daily stress of everyday life and it’s easy to see why so many of us get sidetracked.

Sit down and consider what your first goal will be.

Maybe it’s to lower your overall body fat percentage. It could be that you want to improve your cardio through running or swimming. Building muscle is another great goal, but keep a simple gym routine. Once you achieved your goal, you can move onto another goal.

Allow others to inspire you

When your motivation is waning, inspiration can help revive it. Subscribe to fitness magazines, they often have numerous weight loss motivation tips. If you’re training for a specific sport, look for a magazine that caters to it. Magazines offer a great way to inspire you each month with new articles.

Books are another great tool. Many former athletes have written inspirational stories of how they achieved their goals. Cookbooks can help inspire you to create new dishes when your eating routine becomes boring.

With a quick google search, you can find blogs and articles about fitness. Many of these will have great success stories, stories that will inspire you to keep working towards your goal.

Tell everyone about your fitness goals

One of the best workout motivation tips there is, is to make your goal public. The more people that know about your fitness goal, the harder it is to quit. Let members of your family know, post it on your social media.

Quite often the people in your life will inquire about your workouts, inspiring you to keep improving.
Tell people about your workouts, post pictures of your improvements. You may even inspire others in your life to set their own fitness goals. That’s a great motivational tool in itself.

Find your support network

Trying to achieve your fitness goals alone can be daunting. There are many other people who are striving for the same goal as you are. There are also many fitness groups that you could join.

For example, join your local run group if you want to run a marathon. Not only will you meet others who can encourage you when you hit a slump, you will want to attend workouts because you will be held accountable.

You may also learn tips from fellow runners on how to run faster and longer. No matter what your goal is, there are support groups for it.

Consider joining an online forum, another great way to meet people who are sharing the same growing pains as you.

Keep track of your daily workouts and diet

Studies have shown, people who track their diet and exercise have better results than those who don’t. Many bookstores sell workout logs, or you can keep it simple and use a notebook. Strive to record your diet and exercise daily. Not only will it help you keep yourself accountable, it can motivate you.

When you feel like you are in a slump, read through your log. You will see the improvements you’ve gained each week. Slow weight loss is hard to see each day. Keeping track of your weight and measurements is a great motivational tool.

If you struggle with your diet, your log will often show you that healthy meals lead to better workouts. Your log can also help remind you to take supplements and to drink enough water each day.

Keep your goal handy

Keep your goal in front of you. Write your goal on post-it notes and place them around your home and work. Change your email password to your goal. If you’re wanting to achieve a six pack, keep a picture of it around. If you’re wanting to run a marathon, keep the registration form posted. Download and use one of the many popular fitness apps.

The more you see and think about your goal, the more you will want to achieve it.

Block time out each day to work towards your goal. Write it down on your calendar or program it into your phone’s alarm. Keep a gym bag packed and healthy meals handy.
The easier it is to head to the gym or eat, the more likely you will stay on track.

Know that you will have bad days

We’ve all been there, days where it’s just not possible to workout. You may get sick, your boss needs you to stay late or family obligations happen. Recognize that these days will happen and allow them to happen. Pick up your routine the next day.

The longer you wait, the more likely you will lose your motivation. So make sure that you get back on track after a bad day.

Making a commitment to workout everyday is impossible, making a commitment to workout each day that you can is achievable. Let the bad days happen then regroup and start again.

Remember the end benefits

There will be days or even weeks where your workouts are tough and tiring. You may go out to eat with friends and have to pass on fattening foods.

Remember the end benefits.

Achieving a lean physique is a great goal, but it comes with great benefits. Those who are fit are less likely to succumb to diseases. Those who exercise regularly have a better outlook on life.

Healthy living slows the ageing process. Those tough workouts will pay off big in the end.

Here are 50 more reasons to exercise, so get started now & stay on track if you want a fit and healthy body! Good luck!

Original Source: 8 Motivational Tips to Get You Off Your Butt & Stay On Track!
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Everybody knows that the right food can make all the difference in your workout. It doesn’t matter whether you are trying to bulk up or slim down, eating makes all the difference.

If you want to get your gains to become even more noticeable, I highly recommend checking out some of these high protein recipes.

They are all designed to be extremely easy to make and delicious to prepare, so no matter what type of exercise routine you are undergoing, you’ll love the way it tastes.

Try not to alter too much of these high protein low carb recipes when it comes to keeping their ingredients the same.

Balsamic Chicken Breast

This is one of the best easy high protein recipes you can enjoy because of how well rounded it is. You make your chicken with some vegetable brown rice and kale, all of which is lightly sauteed in olive oil. This recipe serves two, and you will just need a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients Needed:

• Get three tablespoons of olive oil,
• two chicken breasts,
• one tablespoon of chopped shallots,
• a quarter of a cup of balsamic vinegar,
• a teaspoon of minced garlic,
• a teaspoon of chopped basil,
• a teaspoon of salt,
• a quarter of a teaspoon of black pepper,
• and an eighth of a teaspoon of bay leaf powder.

Instructions:

With your ingredients set aside, begin by placing the skillet pan over a medium heat. Slowly add olive oil to it and heat for at least thirty seconds.

Once the oil is hot, add your chicken breasts and brown on each of the sides.

Add the shallots after and cook until the shallots are browned, then slowly add the balsamic vinegar to the mix.

Add all of the remaining slices after and then turn your heat to a medium low, where you can cook for five to seven minutes.

Afterwards, remove your chicken breasts and then serve with the desired veggies or clean carbs. To make the flavor even better, pour on the remaining liquid.

Broiled Asian Cod

This is another delicious and easy to make recipe. I recommend serving it with bok choy, which offers an incredible amount of vitamins with low calories.

Ingredients Needed:

• To make this delicious meal, you will need half of a cup of honey,
• a quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar,
• a quarter of a cup of soy sauce,
• a quarter of a cup of sesame oil,
• a teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger,
• an eighth of a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper,
• two pinches of sea salt,
• and two cod fillets.

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the cod fillets, in a larger bowl.

After the ingredients are mixed, put the cod into the bowl. Submerge your cod in this mixture and allow them to marinate. Doing so overnight can be best, but it is okay to wait as long as an hour if you are in a hurry.

After it is ready, preheat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit (220° Celsius) and remove your cod from your bowl.

Place it on a cookie sheet that is coated with cooking spray, and pour the leftover mixture over the cod for a bit of extra flavor.

After this is done, cook your fillets for up to ten minutes. Once it is done, you can serve with your own choice of vegetables and carbs for the best results.

Turkey Stew

Here is a simple favorite.

Ingredients Needed:

• To make, you will need four tablespoons of olive oil,
• six pounds of ground turkey,
• two garlic cloves,
• a medium onion that is roughly chopped,
• two celery stalks cubed into one inch squares,
• six baby carrots,
• two cans of diced tomatoes,
• a cup of chicken broth,
• a teaspoon of sea salt,
• half a teaspoon of ground black pepper,
• and a quarter of a teaspoon of bay leaf powder.

Instructions:

Begin by pouring the oil into a pot over a medium heat.

Stir in the ground turkey until it is lightly browned.

Cook for three minutes and then add your garlic, celery, onions, and carrots.

Cook this mixture for five minutes, and then bring it down to a simmer after you add the broth and tomatoes.

Add the spices and stir occasionally for an hour.

Lean Beef Meat Loaf

Keep this recipe lean and use ground sirloin steak.

Ingredients Needed:

• To make, you will need six pounds of ground beef,
• one half of a medium onion to be chopped,
• a can of tomato paste,
• a chopped clove of garlic,
• two tablespoons of chopped red and green bell peppers,
• three tablespoons of bread crumbs,
• one whole egg,
• a teaspoon of parsley,
• a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and pepper,
• half a pound of potatoes cut into wedges,
• and half a cup of chicken broth.

Instructions:

To make this, preheat the oven to 425 Fahrenheit (220° Celsius) and combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, leaving out the broth and potatoes.

Shape the meat loaf in whatever shape you want, but keep it about three inches thick.

Place it on the baking pan after. Place the wedges around the meatloaf and then put it all into the oven to bake for thirty minutes.

Remove it when it is ready and enjoy a slice after!

Broiled Ginger Salmon

Ingredients Needed:

• For this recipe, you will need two salmon fillets,
• two teaspoons of peanut oil,
• two tablespoons of chopped garlic,
• a tablespoon of chopped ginger,
• a tablespoon of chopped lemongrass,
• half a cup of asparagus tips,
• half a cup of halved brussels sprouts,
• half a cup of snow peas,
• half of a red pepper to be sliced,
• a quarter of a cup of soy sauce,
• two tablespoons of water,
• and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and pepper.

Instructions:

To make this, preheat your oven to 425 Fahrenheit (220° Celsius) and put your fillets on a tray to set in the oven.

Cook your fillets for twelve minutes and then add peanut oil to a skillet.

Heat the oil for 20 seconds and then add the garlic, lemongrass, and ginger.

Stir this quickly and then add the snow peas, red bell pepper, asparagus, and brussels sprouts.

Cook these for one minute before adding the soy sauce, water, and salt and pepper. After five minutes, top your salmon with these vegetables.

There you go, 5 delicious recipes that are high in protein and low in carbs. Perfect for bodybuilding and for weight loss!

Check Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking cookbook for more delicious recipes. You can download 10 sample recipes from his book here.

Original Source: 5 High Protein Recipes That Are Easy To Make
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Constantine (a.k.a Big Con) made an epic bodybuilding song featuring Rich Piana. Turn up your speakers & listen to “Get Swoll” below! Big Con is currently working on more songs so follow Rich Piana on Youtube to stay up to date!

Original Source: Get Swoll – The Bodybuilding Song by Constantine ft. Rich Piana
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Calves are among one of the smaller and more neglected muscle groups amongst fitness buffs.

Calves workouts are usually either neglected or not done with the sort of intensity as workouts designed to target other body parts and muscle groups (usually larger ones).

As such, the gains that are experienced in said larger muscle groups are not the usually evident in the calves. Still, there are many great exercises for calves that can help you get the results you desire.

These exercises below make up a 15 minute workout that should be done at least three times a week as directed to experience significant gains.

Here, I have compiled some of the best calf exercises to get you back on track, and help give you the results you desire.

Three of these exercises can easily be done at home without the need of expensive equipment.

Ensure That You Stick To The Following Directions

Squeezing out a few half-hearted calf raises is simply not enough to give you the results you want. The following calves workout can be done on its own as an individual workout or coupled with an existing regimen targeting larger muscles in the upper or lower body.

Just ensure that you stick to the following directions:

1) Keep the periods of rest between each set brief — not extending beyond 60 secs.

2) When just getting started with this regime, be sure to have one day of rest between calves workout days to give your muscles the needed time to recover. As you become stronger and the calf muscles become more conditioned, you can train on consecutive days if you prefer.

3) Work your way from doing this workout three days each week with a day of rest between workouts (see above re rest days) to four or five days per week.

4) Spend at least 15 minutes per training session.

5) Be sure to maintain good form when doing the exercises at the recommended reps. Form will determine your results, as it determines the effectiveness of each exercise.

6) Form tip — ensure that you feel the stretch on both ends of the calf raise. That is, when you are on the highest point (the tip of your toes) and when you return to the lower end and starting position

About The Routine

This routine comprises of four different calf exercises ranging from about 10 to 30 plus repetitions per set.

Exercises are done for three sets each.

You will be able to add variety and challenge the calf muscles as you move between low and high repetition exercises using different weights. Variety can be further added through changing the order in which you do the exercises.

Exercises include:
• Seated Calf Raises
• Standing Calf Raises
• Leg Press Calf Raises
• Donkey Calf Raises

Exercise #1: Seated Calf Raises

Equipment needed: bench
3 sets / 10-15 reps / — rest

How to:
• Sit on bench with feet comfortably flat on floor
• Slowly raise up on the balls of your feet moving towards the tip of your toes (while remaining seated)
• Return to starting position

Special instructions and tips:
• You can make this a weighted exercise by wearing ankle weights or by resting weights on your thighs (right above the knee) while you do this exercise.

Exercise #2: Standing Calf Raises

Equipment needed: box (firm enough to stand on), a balancing bar
3 sets / 30 reps / — rest

How to:
• Stand on box with the balls of your feet on the box and the back half of your feet hanging off the edge. Use a balancing bar if you must to help you keep your balance.
• Slowly raise up on the balls of your feet moving towards the tip of your toes as far as is possible. Hold and then release all the way down allowing your heel to go below the surface of the box.
• Return to starting position and repeat.

Special instructions and tips:
• You can make this a weighted exercise by wearing ankle weights or holding dumbbells.
• Start each set with a moderate weight, doing as many full-range reps as possible. Thereafter, do as many dropsets as needed to reach 30 reps.

Exercise #3: Leg Press Calf Raises

Equipment needed: leg press
3 sets / 15-20 reps / — rest

How to:
• Sit down and put the balls of your feet against the plate and the back half of your feet hanging off the plate.
• Slowly raise up on the balls of your feet moving towards the tip of your toes as far as is possible. Hold and then release all the way, returning to the starting position, then repeat.

Special instructions and tips:
• Perform the first set with your toes pointed straight ahead, the second set with your toes pointed outward, and the third set with your toes pointed inward.

Exercise #4: Donkey Calf Raises

Equipment needed: box (firm enough to stand on), a balancing bar
1 set / 50 reps / — rest

How to:
• Stand on box with the balls of your feet on the box and the back half of your feet hanging off the edge. Use a balancing bar if you must to help you keep your balance
• Lean forward from the waist until your torso is parallel to the floor. Slowly raise up on the balls of your feet moving towards the tip of your toes as far as is possible. Hold and then release all the way down, returning to the starting position.
• Repeat

Special instructions and tips:
• You can make this a weighted exercise by wearing ankle weights or you can allow a training partner to help you.
• Remember to use relatively light weights so that you can maintain full range of motion and form for all 50 reps.

Final Note

Please remember to check with your physician before beginning this or any other exercise program. Also, do not add so much weight to your exercises that you begin sacrificing form throughout the repetitions.

Original Source: 15-Minute Hardcore Calves Workout You Can Do At Home
Find more posts like this on: Muscle & Fitness Tips

Intermittent fasting will provide you with many health benefits including improving your sensitivity to insulin, helping your body to burn fat for fuel effectively, increasing your overall energy levels, and increasing your mental clarity.

If you have agonized for years about finding a dieting and exercising regimen that will best suit your lifestyle and goals, you are not alone. For years, this was also my dilemma.

I understand how all this is frustrating you, taking into account the time and mental energy that goes into the whole affair.

You may have been as enthusiastic as I was, about starting out on a new diet plan or a fitness program, only to end up disappointed because of falling off-track.

I tried many things, with little or no success. I know what it means to go on a 100% whole-food diet or even to undertake a dieting plan of six small meals a day. I can tell you; these dieting plans do not work.

Just like my case, you may have blended, chopped, and tried everything in the book, but you are still where you started, because these programs are not resonating with your body. Most of the days, you find yourself lethargic and you are sick and tired of planning your diets and workouts.

Irrespective of what you do, you still do not see the desired results.

All this is set to change once you discover the incredible health benefits of intermittent fasting (IF). Maybe you have heard of this program before, and you did not give it much thought. This new approach to fitness and eating is what you have been waiting for.

Why You Are Struggling To Lose Weight

The main reason why you are not able to lose weight (apart from the fact that you maybe overindulging in foods grossly altered from their natural state: processed foods) is because you are always in a continuous feast mode without ever skipping a single meal.

This makes your body to burn sugar as primary fuel resulting to the down-regulation of enzymes used to burn stored fat. Fasting will help you to reboot your metabolism. This will make your body to start burning fat as primary fuel, making you to shed those unwanted fat stores.

With improvements in your insulin resistance and once you attain normal weight, you can go back to eating more frequently. By then, your body will have regained the ability to burn fat for fuel. This is the key to losing weight and keeping it off.

A lot of research has been carried out on intermittent fasting; more research is still being done. Let us explore some of these research findings.

Why & How Intermittent Fasting Will Work For You

According to a 2013 review, even if you only slightly reduce your total daily calorie intake or you do not change it at all, you stand to benefit from a broad range of therapeutic benefits associated with intermittent fasting.

Studies of this review produced evidence, which indicate that intermittent fasting may benefit you in the following ways:

• Reduce your blood pressure
• Improve your pancreatic function
• Reduce the level of bad cholesterol and total cholesterol
• Limit inflammation
• Improve insulin sensitivity and insulin levels
• Modulate the amount of dangerous visceral fat in your body
• Assist in preventing type 2 diabetes and slowing its progression
• Protect you against cardiovascular disease
• Improve the efficiency of metabolic efficiency
• Improve lipid levels and circulating glucose
• Reproduce cardiovascular benefits associated with exercises
• Improve body composition including significant body weight reductions in obese individuals
• Reverse type 2 diabetes

These health benefits can be attributed to the fact that your body thrives in a cycle of “famine and feast.” When ancestral conditions of cyclic nourishment are imitated, your body starts performing at optimal levels.

Fasting benefits your body by these three major mechanisms:

1. Increasing your mitochondrial energy efficiency and insulin sensitivity– If you want to retard aging and disease, you need intermittent fasting. Aging and disease are associated with declined mitochondrial energy and loss of insulin sensitivity. Fasting will help with these two.

2. Reduces oxidative stress– when you fast, you decrease the amount of oxidative radicals in your cells. This will prevent oxidative damage to cellular elements therefore will help to prevent disease and reverse aging.

3. Increases you capacity to resist disease, aging and stress– By fasting, you induce a cellular stress response similar to that induced by exercises. This will increase your ability to deal with stress and resist aging and disease.

How You Will Benefit By Exercising In a Fasted State

You may have heard of the notion that you should eat well before exercising. This belief has been the subject of many debates, in recent years.

Our ancestors had cyclical eating patterns and we know that in many cases such as when hunting for food, they performed strenuous physical activity on empty stomachs. Modern day research has confirmed the biological benefits of this kind of eating schedule.

Wellness Director for ISSA (International Sports Science Association), John Rowley, expounded on this concept, in an interview with Huffington Post:

If you exercise with the main goal of losing weight, you will find it highly beneficial to exercise after waking up, before you eat your breakfast. Before your evening or mid-day workout, you may also try to fast for some hours.

According to Rowley, the less glucose in your body, the more fat you burn. However, if you have performance related goals in mind (such as improving speed or strength), you need to fuel up because an energy shortage will make it hard to put forth a good effort.

Can You Gain Muscle While On Intermittent Fasting?

One of Martin Berkhan’s clients

If you want to gain muscle mass and still have a lean body, there is an optimal solution for you. It is provided by Martin Berkhan from LeanGains.Com.

Martin’s intermittent fasting approach will help you to achieve your fitness goals. This is because it has assisted many people to reach their fitness targets. Berkhan is an expert in the realm of muscle gain while on intermittent fasting.

Berkhan provides a number of fasting schedules. You should choose the schedule that will fit well with your lifestyle. He recommends an eating window of 12pm-8pm that is succeeded by a fasting period of 16 hours. I find his recommendation to be the best because of the following reasons:

You will not have to worry about making breakfast after you wake up especially if making breakfast was a hassle to you. Eating at night stops at 8pm. You will enjoy the convenience of intermittent fasting because you will clearly know the times when you should be eating and when you are supposed to fast.

An important factor that Berkhan has stressed is that if you are going to train hard or lift heavy weights, you should ingest a scoop of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) or a scoop of protein powder, 5-10 minutes preceding your workout. This will sidestep increased protein breakdown of fasted exercising and make you to reap benefits of increased anabolic response.

Another issue worth remembering is to eat a lot during your eating window of 8 hours. If you starve yourself and you are fasting and exercising, you can rest assured that you will be exhausted in no time and eventually give up.

My main fitness goal is building muscles. My schedule on a heavy workout day is as follows:

7:30- 8:00 am: I wake up and ingest 10 grams of branched chain amino acids
8:30 am: Start my workout
10:00 am: I take another scoop of protein powder of BCAAs. Cup of coffee and subsequently carry out some errands before breaking the fast.
12:00 pm: Fast-breaking meal/Post-workout meal. This should be your biggest meal. It should be high in carbohydrates and proteins.
3:00 pm: My second post-workout meal of the day.
7:30 pm: Third meal that should be high in carbohydrates and proteins.
9:00 pm: Water and tea galore!

You should repeat this schedule on a daily basis. The main point to remember is that you should create a fasting schedule based on your lifestyle. Intermittent fasting can work for anyone: some people fast for more than 24 hours while some fast for only 14 hours.

Is Intermittent Fasting For You?

So far, my results have been very encouraging. I am finally seeing abs after many years of stomach fat. My overall muscle composition and definition, has increased. Also, my energy level is at an all time high and the subsiding of my hunger levels is simply amazing.

When you are fasting, you can take as much water, coffee and tea, as you like. However, you should make sure not to exceed 50 calories in milk or sugar.

A single article cannot fully explore everything to do with intermittent fasting. This subject matter is broad.

If you wanna learn more about intermittent fasting, I recommend the Eat Stop Eat book by Brad Pilon, it’s a leading book on flexible intermittent fasting.

Original Source: How Restricting Your Eating Time Can Transform Your Fitness
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