Health Care

Incorporating these tips into the bent-over lateral movement will target your rear delts like a laser beam!

For pictures on how to execute this technique go the following URL: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue10-delt-tip.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6667 Secret Training Tip #242 - Be 10% Stronger in Leg Curls Instantly! This is a trick to be done on a leg curl machine. By simply changing where you grip your hands on the machine, you can increase your strength in the movement by as much as 10% instantly!

Lie face down on the bench as you normally would when doing the exercise. Instead of gripping the machine on the handles below the bench with your arms bent, extend your arms straight overhead in front and grab on to whatever is there. This is generally the frame on either side of the weight stack. Be aware that this trick will not work if there is nothing there to grab - some machines just end at the bench and have the weights stack to the side or behind.

Do your leg curls as you usually would but using this different grip. You should feel stronger when doing them.

One of the best ways to see this principle in action is to do a set as you normally would with your normal grip for about 10 to 12 reps. When you can’t do any more reps, switch to the grip as explained above. You should be able to get a few more reps out.

When using this grip you should also find that you can use a little more weight than you usually do for reps.

The reason this trick works is that having your arms straight removes your biceps as the limiting link in the exercise. It transfers the force through your stronger back muscles instead, resulting in instant increased strength!

For information on how to do the leg curl exercise, go to http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Leg_curls.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6668 10 Things You Can Do To Lose Fat Without Even Trying 1. Eat smaller more frequent meals - not only is your metabolism boosted every time you eat something, your body can more efficiently process smaller meals. Instead of having 3 large meals in a day, try to break them up into 5 or 6 smaller meals.

2. Drink more water - regular water intake helps to flush away waste products in the body. Get at least six to eight 8 oz. glasses per day. An easy way to do this is to keep a water bottle handy and drink from it frequently.

3. Be inefficient - do you need to go to the kitchen to get a couple of things? Break it up into to two trips even if you can do it in one. Being inefficient like this can easily double your activity level, burning calories without even trying.

4. Eat more protein - sources of protein include foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, lean red meats, etc. Your body burns more calories processing protein than either carbohydrates or fats. Protein also helps to support your muscle tissue, which burns calories all day long!

5. Take the stairs instead of the elevator - any time you can add in a little more physical activity, do it. This doesn’t mean you need to slog up 20 flights of stairs. Even a flight or two done regularly will add up.

6. Don’t let yourself get hungry - when you get hungry you will have a much greater tendency to overeat when you do finally get something to eat. As well, because your body is starting to go into starvation mode, it will be much more likely to hold onto whatever you give it.

7. Order small portions at restaurants - it’s tough to order small french fries when supersizing your order is such a great value. Take note, however, your real savings will occur in the calories that don’t end up on your backside.

8. Eat more fiber - fiber is very filling. By eating more fiber you will find yourself full sooner. This feeling of fullness will last a long time as well.

9. Wait 20 minutes between servings - your brain takes at least 20 minutes to register that you’re full. By waiting that long, you’ll give your brain a chance to realize that you don’t really need any more food.

10. Cheat on your diet - one thing I always make my clients promise is that they will cheat on their diet. The only thing I ask that they do is to cheat ONLY when they have planned to cheat. By planning when you are going to eat the foods you crave, you take back control of your eating habits.

This way you no longer give in to your cravings. You reward yourself for sticking to proper nutritional habits. Do this once or twice a week and you will feel far more in control of your eating.

In conclusion, if you follow even a few of these 10 easy tips in the long term, you will certainly notice a difference in your overall weight and health.

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6669 How Stretching Can Explode Your Muscle Growth When you think about gaining muscle, stretching is probably not the first thing that pops into your head. But did you know that stretching plays a critical role in building muscle?

Every muscle in your body is enclosed in a bag of tough connective tissue known as fascia. Fascia is important for holding your muscles in their proper place in your body.

But your fascia may also be holding back your muscle growth. Think for a moment about your muscles. You train them and feed them properly. They want to grow and will grow but something is holding them back. They have no room to grow!

Because fascia is so tough, it doesn’t allow the muscle room to expand. It is like stuffing a large pillow into a small pillowcase. The size of the muscle won’t change regardless of how hard you train or how well you eat because the connective tissue around your muscles is constricting the muscles within.

The best example of this is the calf muscle. The lower leg is riddled with fascia because of its tremendous weight-bearing duties in the body. It is because of this fascia that many trainers have great difficulty developing their calves.

The solution: stretching.

Using the pillowcase example from above, imagine you can expand the size of the pillowcase by stretching it. Suddenly, the pillow within has more room and will expand to fill that new space.

By stretching your muscles under specific conditions, you can actually stretch your fascia and give your muscles more room to grow.

The key to effective fascial stretching is the pump. The best time to stretch to expand the bags that are holding in your muscles is when your muscles are pumped up full of blood.

When your muscles are fully pumped up, they are pressing against the fascia. By stretching hard at that time, you increase that pressure on the fascia greatly, which can lead to expansion of the fascia.

One of the major reasons Arnold Schwarzenegger had such incredible chest development was that he finished his chest workouts with dumbell flyes, an exercise that emphasizes the stretched position of the pectoral muscles. He would pump his chest up full of blood during the workout then do flyes, holding the stretch at the bottom of the flye. This gave his chest room to grow to amazing proportions.

Fascial stretching is more rigorous than regular stretching but the results can be amazing. When you stretch hard enough to cause the fascia to expand, you will really feel it! When you are stretching the fascia, you should feel a powerful pulling sensation and pressure as the muscle works against the fascia to expand it.

Be sure you do not stretch so hard that you cause the muscle to tear or cause injury to yourself. You will rapidly learn to distinguish the difference between a good stretch and a bad stretch. You should not feel any sharp pain, just a steady pull.

Hold each stretch for at least 20 to 30 seconds as you must give your fascia time to be affected by the stretch. Stretch hard like this only when you have a fully pumped muscle as you must give your fascia a reason to expand. If your muscles aren’t pumped, just stretch normally.

You can find instructions for stretching at: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Info/Stretching1.htm

One set of hard stretching after each set you do for a muscle group, besides the obvious benefits of increased flexibility, can have an incredible effect on the size of your muscles and their further ability to grow.

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6670 Most Amazing (and Ridiculously Simple) Trick For Stiff-Legged Deadlifts You Will Ever Read In Your L The stiff-legged deadlift is one of the best exercises you can do for your hamstrings. The only problem is, it can also be one the hardest exercises to perform properly.

For years, I tried to feel my hamstrings working when I did the stiff-legged deadlift. I knew it was the best exercise to work the hip extension function of the hamstrings but I never succeeded in feeling my hams work until I came up with this simple technique.

Let me tell you, the very rep of the very first set I used this technique on, I could feel my hamstrings like never before! It was like a revelation. It was also extraordinarily simple. I guarantee if you’ve never had success with stiff-legged deadlifts, you will definitely have it after applying this technique.

The trick? Elevate your toes on weight plates while you do the exercise. That’s it! It’s very simple but very elegant in the way it addresses the kinesiology and anatomy of the hamstrings. I will explain exactly how to set it up and the mechanisms of why it works so incredibly well.

How To Do It:

Set two 25-pound weight plates on the ground butted up against each other (one for each foot). They should be right beneath the barbell you will be using for the exercise and placed side-by-side so you can set your feet on both of them.

Stand in front of the barbell with your feet half on the plates and half off. The front parts of your feet will be on the plates and your heels will be on the ground. Use the weight plates to brace your feet up so that your toes are up in the air and your feet are flexed up (known as dorsiflexion). At the end of this article you will find a link to a picture of how to set up this exercise.

Bend over and grasp the bar at about shoulder width with an overhand grip. Keep your knees locked but slightly bent while doing this exercise and keep a tight arch in your lower back.

Look directly forward while you are coming up and going back down. This will help you to keep an arch in your lower back.

Squeeze the bar off the ground slowly and deliberately, coming up only until your upper body is slightly above parallel. Any higher and you’ll start to lose tension in the hamstrings and throw it on your lower back. The real value of this exercise lies in the stretch at the bottom anyways.

Come down slowly, being absolutely sure to keep the arch in your lower back. As you near the bottom, stick your butt out and try to raise your toes as high up as possible. This dramatically intensifies the stretch you put on your hamstrings. Hold that stretch for a moment or two then reverse the direction without bouncing.

Repeat this for 5 to 7 reps. At the end of the set, place the barbell down gently then get ready to grab onto something for support. If you’ve done this technique correctly and intensely, your hamstrings will probably feel like jelly and you might find yourself prone to falling down suddenly (this is not a joke - I can’t tell you how many things I’ve had grab onto to catch myself on after doing a hard set of these)!

Why Is This Technique So Effective?

The reason this toe-raising technique is so effective for the stiff-legged deadlift comes straight from biomechanics and anatomy.

The stiff-legged deadlift exercise places the most tension on the hamstrings at the bottom, stretched position. Therefore, in order to maximize tension on the hamstrings, we must maximize the stretch on the hamstrings at that point.

In the standard stiff-legged deadlift, this is normally accomplished by simply bending at the hips. But this is not the greatest anatomical stretch that can be put on the hamstring muscles.

As you may or may not know, the muscles of the calves are tied in with the hamstrings. Therefore, placing a stretch on the calves also places more stretch on the hamstrings. This is what the weight plates accomplish - they raise your toes, putting a stretch on the calves, which then puts a greater stretch on your hamstrings.

By stretching the hamstrings at both the hip joint and the knee joint (from stretching the calves), you literally force your hamstrings to activate strongly during the stiff-legged deadlift movement.

The difference is quite amazing! Try it for just one set and I promise you’ll never go back to doing it the standard way ever again!

For a photograph of how to set this exercise up, visit: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9-hamstring-tip.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6671 Strong To The Core of Your Being - The Benefits Of Core Training If you were to ask me which muscle group in your entire body you could work to get the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time, I would tell you without hesitation, the core. Strengthening the core can realize tremendous benefits to anyone regardless of his or her training experience and can do so very quickly.

But what is the core?

The core, as it’s known in strength training circles, consists of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas. This includes all the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus and intercostals) as well as the muscles associated with the spine (the erector spinae group) and the hip flexors (iliacus and psoas, collectively known as the iliopsoas).

These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. The core muscles also function to keep your insides in, where they belong!

And why is strengthening the core so important?

Weak core muscles contribute to all kinds of problems in the body, the most prevalent of which is lower back pain. By strengthening the muscles that help support the spine and improve posture, you can dramatically decrease the symptoms of lower back pain.

Picture your spine as a column of soda cans stacked one on top of the other. If you wanted to keep that column standing up under stress, what do you think would work better: a tenser bandage (as is used for wrapping injured ankles) or Scotch tape? Sure the tape would keep the cans together but the cans wouldn’t receive a whole lot support, would they?

When you strengthen the muscles of the core, you are in effect turning that Scotch tape into a nice, tight tenser bandage, increasing the amount of support that your spine gets.

Core training also has the potential to greatly improve sports performance. Watch a baseball pitcher throw a pitch in slow motion. The power of the throw starts at the legs, gets transferred through the abdominal area (a.k.a. the core) then ends up in the arm where the ball is released. Imagine how much speed and power would be lost from that throw if the core muscles couldn’t efficiently transfer the force from the legs to the throwing arm.

The core is the one area of the body that will always give you a great return on your investment.

So how do I train my core muscles?

Exercises that work the abdominals and the lower back are the staples of core training. Also, exercises that target the stabilization and power-transfer duties of the core muscles are very effective.

The most basic abdominal training exercise is the standard crunch. You can go to the following URL to see the proper technique for this exercise:

http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Crunches.htm

But I’ve got an exercise for you that blows the standard crunch right out of the water. The equipment required for this exercise: one rolled-up towel.

The exercise is known as the Abdominal Sit-Up. It uses a sit-up-like movement but focuses directly on the abdominal muscles rather than the hip flexors (which a regular sit-up does). It is also very safe for your lower back. Another advantage it has over the standard crunch is that it targets the stretched (arched back) range of motion of the abs, which is totally missed in standard floor crunch.

How To Do It:

Lie on your back on the floor. Roll up a towel or mat and slip it underneath your lower back, just above the waistband (the size of the towel affects your body position during this movement - use a fairly large towel).

Your knees should be bent about 90 degrees. Keep your feet close together and knees fairly wide apart. This prevents the hip flexors from having a direct line of pull, helping to minimize their involvement.

Do not anchor your feet or have someone hold them down. This automatically activates the hip flexors. You will get the most out of this exercise by minimizing their involvement.

The difficulty of this exercise depends on where you hold your hands. The hardest position is above your head at arms-length, then beside your head, then across your chest, then straight down between your legs or at your sides. Start with the easiest first then progress to the other positions as you get stronger.

You are now ready to begin.

• Keeping your torso straight and stiff, start the sit-up by tightening your lower abs then lifting your upper body off the floor.
• As you continue up, imagine trying to push your face up against the ceiling (think up, not around).
• When you reach about 25 to 30 degrees above horizontal, hold there for a second or two and squeeze your abs hard.
• Keep your lower back in contact with the towel at all times and always maintain tension in the abs.
• Lower yourself down slowly and under control. Do not just drop back to the ground. The negative portion of this exercise is extremely effective.
• Remember to adjust your arm position depending on the strength of your abs (see above).

You can see pictures of how this exercise is done by going to:

http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue9-ab-tip.htm

Incline Ab Sit-Ups

If you are a beginning trainer, this is a good starting variation of the Abdominal Sit-up.

Set an incline sit-up board to a slight incline. If you don’t have an incline sit-up board, you can use an adjustable incline bench, a decline bench, a Step platform with a riser under one of the ends or a flat bench with something under one end. You can even use a propped-up 2 x 6 board!

Your head should be on the higher end with your feet placed on the floor.

The execution is exactly the same. The only difference is that the tension on the abs is much less due to the greatly improved leverage in this position, allowing even people feel that their abs aren’t strong enough to do the exercise.

Lying Superman Raises - An Exercise For The Lower Back

Though this exercise has a rather unique name, it is an excellent strengthening exercise for the lower back that you can do almost anywhere.

How To Do It:

Lie face down on the floor with your arms stretched out directly overhead (like Superman flying, hence the name).

Raise your left arm and right leg into the air at the same time, also raising your chest slightly off the floor. Hold there for a second and squeeze the muscles of your lower back. Lower your limbs back to the ground then raise your right arm and left leg and hold for a second.

You can push down with the hand that is on the ground to help raise your other arm and chest higher off the ground.

This exercise, even though it only uses your limbs as resistance, provides an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles.

Conclusion:

These two exercises will give you a good place to start with core training. You can begin improving your core strength by doing these exercises 3 times a week for 2 to 3 sets each.

Make core training a priority in your exercise routine and you will rapidly reap the benefits of having a stronger, more injury-proof midsection and back.

If you have any questions about core training or the exercises described here, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Contactus.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6672 Follow the Path of MOST Resistance! Why Weight Training Is The Fast Track To Sculpting Your Body Resistance is NOT futile! When it comes to changing your body for the better quickly and permanently, nothing comes close to good old-fashioned weight training.

The shape of your body is determined by three things: muscle, bone and fat. While there’s really nothing you can do about changing your bone structure, there is a whole lot you can do about muscle and fat. This ratio of muscle to fat is commonly known as your body composition.

And what is the fastest way to change your body composition? Weight training. Why is it so effective? Because it builds muscle.

Muscle is the key to changing your body. While fat certainly gives your body shape, muscle is what gives you the shape you actually WANT!

One of the greatest things about muscle is that it burns calories all day long, even when you’re lying on the couch. What this means is that the more muscle you have, the more calories you’ll burn during the day and the more you’ll be able to eat without gaining weight. Sound interesting? There’s more.

Weight training stimulates your metabolism more than aerobic training such as cycling or walking. This means that you’ll continue to burn calories long AFTER you’ve completed your weight training session. The calorie-burning effect of aerobic training generally declines rapidly once you stop the exercise.

Beginning trainers, who are just starting with exercise, are often under the impression that they should stay away from weight training because they might gain weight before they start losing it.

I like to use a car as an analogy. Imagine your body is a car, your muscles are the cylinders in the engine, and your bodyfat is the gas.

With a four-cylinder car, you only burn a minimum amount of gas/fat. Weight training and building more muscle is the equivalent of putting more cylinders into your engine. As you can imagine, you’ll burn a whole lot more gas even while idling! And, just like a car with more cylinders, you’ll be a lot more powerful too!

The bottom line to you is this…with more muscle, you’ll get greater fat loss with less effort.

While it certainly is a possibility that you could gain weight before losing it, if you gauge your success solely by numbers on a scale then you’re not getting an accurate picture of yourself. Measure your progress by how you feel, how you look and how well your clothes are fitting, not by which direction the needle on a measuring device is moving.

At the end of the day, I’m not suggesting for a moment that you should eliminate cardiovascular training from your exercise routine, but, if you are struggling to lose fat and keep it off, weight training may be just the thing you need to lose that fat and keep it off for good!

For more information on resistance exercises you can do at home, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Begin/exercises.htm

For more information on weight training exercises you can do at the gym, including optimized exercise technique, tricks for improving the exercise and common errors, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Exercises.htm

If you are interested in having a personal trainer set up a personalized weight training program for you based on your goals and designed around your life, go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Personal-training/Training/Training.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6673 Get A Grip! Get More Out Of Your Biceps Curls Would you like to know how to get more out of every single dumbell curl you do? Amazingly enough, you can do this simply by changing where you grip the dumbell.

First, I’m going to tell you what the trick is, then I’m going to tell you exactly how and why it works. Then I’m going to finish by telling you how to make the trick so powerful it’ll blow your mind!

In a nutshell, instead of gripping the handle in the middle (as is normally taught), grip the handle with the thumb and forefinger side of your hand pressed up against the inside of the dumbell plates. There will be a space of several inches between your pinky and the other side plates.

To take full advantage of this change in your grip, start the curl with your palms facing in to your thighs, otherwise known as a neutral or hammer grip. As you curl up, rotate your forearm so that your palm is facing up at the top of the movement. You should feel a strong cramping in your biceps.

For pictures demonstrating exactly how to execute this technique go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue7-bicep-tip.htm

Here’s how and why it works:

The biceps muscle has two main functions. The first is flexing the elbow (in essence, bringing the forearm closer to the upper arm like when you bend your arm to scratch your nose). The other function is called supination, which is a biomechanical term for forearm rotation. Supination occurs when you turn your hand from a palms-down position to a palms-up position.

The traditional dumbell curl without forearm rotation addresses the flexing function of the bicep. Rotating your forearm as you curl the dumbell up invokes the supination function of the bicep, working more of the muscle mass of the bicep and giving you a stronger contraction.

Holding the dumbell off-center essentially adds resistance to the supination function of the bicep muscle. If you think about it, when you hold your hand in the middle of the dumbell, the two ends are balanced like two identical-weight people on a see-saw. You get very little, if any, resistance on the supination.

By holding the dumbell off-center, you tip the balance of the dumbell towards the pinky side of your hand. Your bicep must then work against resistance to accomplish the supination, adding in more resistance to the curl movement.

This resistance translates into more efficient work for the bicep and, ultimately, more results for you!

—

Now I’m going to tell you how to adapt this trick into something that will make your jaw hit the floor on the first rep you do.

You’ve learned about supination and adding resistance to the supination movement by holding the dumbell off-center. You’ve felt the difference this makes in your biceps.

Now imagine how much more effective this trick will be if you add actual weight for resistance instead of just shifting your hand over!

In order to accomplish this, you’re going to need one of two things: do-it-yourself dumbells with which you can add or remove weight or Plate Mates (TM), which are small magnetic weight plates that stick to the metal of the dumbell.

The execution is simple: make a dumbell with more weight on one end than the other. That’s it. For example, place 20 pounds of weight on one end and 25 pounds of weight on the other.

Grip the dumbell in the middle when you use it, making sure that the heavier end is on the pinky side of your hand. If you are using Plate Mates (TM), stick a few of them onto only one side of the dumbell to accomplish the same imbalance.

Now when you curl up and supinate, your bicep is going to have that added resistance on the supination movement. The cramping sensation you get on the very first rep as you come to the top and squeeze the muscle hard will show you just how powerful this technique is. The pump you get in your biceps after your set will seal the deal!

You will also notice that your forearm and grip are getting a lot of work with this trick. This is just icing on the cake and will not decrease the tension on your bicep in any way.

Note: If you are using dumbells that weigh less than 30 pounds total, I would recommend you use a 2 1/2 pound plate on one side rather than a 5 pound plate. Any more than 30 and you should use a 5 pound plate.

Being a dedicated trainer myself, I love to hear how well my tips work for other people. It would be really gratifying to hear from you about how this technique worked for you or any suggestions you might have as to how to make it more effective.

You can send your comments to me at betteru@fitstep.com.

And, when your biceps are so pumped and sore that you can barely brush your teeth the next day, be sure to tell everyone who will listen to you who did this to you:

Nick Nilsson at Fitstep.com!

For more information about the anatomy of the biceps, go to http://www.fitstep.com/Advanced/Anatomy/Biceps.htm?news

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6674 What Do You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn?t The Best For Fat Burning? But how can this possibly be? Everywhere you look, it’s always said that long-duration, low-intensity training is best for fat loss. All high-intensity work does is burn carbohydrates, right?

Wrong.

After reading this article, I guarantee you’ll develop a new respect for high-intensity cardio training for fat loss.

Low-intensity exercise is defined as working at a heart rate of about 60% to 65% of your maximum heart rate (which is equal to 220 - your age = maximum heart rate, thus if you are 20 years old, 220 - 20 = 200 max HR). High-intensity exercise is defined as working at about 75 to 85% or more of your maximum heart rate.

Using the previous example for maximum heart rate (max HR=200), working at 60% of your max HR would be 120 beats per minute and 80% of that would be 160 beats per minute.

There are several reasons low-intensity exercise is normally recommended for fat loss.

Let’s crunch some numbers to show you exactly what I mean when I say high-intensity exercise burns more fat.

Low-intensity training burns about 50% fat for energy while high-intensity training burns about 40% fat for energy. This is not a huge difference.

Say, for example, walking for 20 minutes burns 100 calories. Then 50% of 100 calories is 50 fat-calories burned.

Now say 10 minutes of interval training at a high intensity burns 160 calories. Well, 40% of 160 calories is 64 fat-calories burned.

By doing the high-intensity work, you’ve just burned 14 more fat calories in half the time. Starting to sound good? There’s more…

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Low-intensity exercise only burns calories while you are actually exercising. That means the moment you stop exercising, your

caloric expenditure goes back down to nearly baseline levels. Within minutes, you’re not burning many more calories than if you hadn’t done anything at all.

High-intensity exercise, on the other hand, continues to boost your metabolism long after you’re done (often up to 24 hours after, depending on the length and intensity of the training session). This means you’re continuing to burn many more calories all day long!

—

Low-intensity exercise does nothing to build or support muscle mass. Maintaining muscle mass is critical to an effective fat-loss strategy as muscle burns fat just sitting there. Want to keep your metabolism working to burn fat? Do whatever you can to build or keep your muscle tissue.

High-intensity exercise has the potential to increase muscle mass. Compare the body of a top sprinter to a top marathon runner. The sprinter carries far more muscle mass. You won’t get big bulky muscles from high intensity training but you will get shapely and more defined muscles!

—

How To Do It

Now that you’ve seen how effective high intensity training can be for fat loss, how is it done?

The absolute easiest way to start this type of training is to get on a cardio machine at the gym and select the interval training program. As you’ll see, you’ll start off with a fairly light warm-up cycle, then quickly jump up to a high intensity level for a short burst. You will then drop back down to a low level for a period of time, then back up to a high level again, repeated several times and finishing with an appropriate cool-down period.

The repetition of these intervals is the nuts and bolts of high intensity interval training. You can also do it manually by adjusting your intensity level up and down over short periods of time.

For example, do 30 seconds at high power then 30 seconds at low power. Repeat. It’s very simple and very effective.

Another excellent method for doing high-intensity training is called aerobic interval training. It is essentially the same concept as the previously explained interval training but the work intervals are longer with the intensity level somewhat lower. A good example would be running at a pace that you can only keep up for about 5 minutes then walking for 2 minutes then running 5 more minutes, walking 2 minutes, etc.

High-intensity training can be applied to any form of cardiovascular exercise. Anything from walking/sprinting to swimming to bike riding will work perfectly. I would recommend doing his type of training 2 to 3 times per week for best results. As always, be sure to consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.

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Remember, what you get out of exercise is directly proportional to what you put in. Work at high-intensity training for awhile and see just how much better your fat-loss efforts go.

For more information on cardiovascular training, including advice on activities you can do, reviews of different types of cardio machines, other forms of cardio training, and some well-explained, useful, basic physiology go to: http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Info/Info.htm?news

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6675 Resistance Training With Your Dog You may be wondering, How can I possibly do resistance training with my dog? Well, here are a few exercises you can do with the aid of your faithful furry companion.

One final word of advice when doing resistance training with your dog is never yell out Spot me! if your dog is not housetrained. It’s a mistake you’ll make only once.

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com. 117
6676 How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle Mass In the health, fitness, and nutrition world, achieving optimal or desired body weight is dominated by a single theme: losing weight. The vast majority of products and services available on the market proclaim to achieve weight loss goals, and even the (often discordant) medical community is in general harmony when it comes to promoting weight loss options, including drugs and some surgeries.

Overall, this is not a negative thing; especially with the Center for Disease Control predicting that obesity (which is already considered an epidemic among US youth) will soon become the number one preventable killer in the US, overtaking cigarette smoking. Yet lost within this maze, and haze, of weight-loss drive are naturally thin people who face a different challenge: they want to gain weight; not lose it.

The Problem of Gaining Weight

The saying “a little information is a dangerous thing” applies quite dramatically to the problem of gaining weight. The information available ? anecdotes on the web, ignorant health care “experts” who have not actually researched the problem of losing weight ? is generally of poor quality. In fact, the strategy “just eat more to gain weight” is far too often the well-meaning — but woefully incompetent — advice prescribed to naturally thing people who want to gain weight.

The impact of this ignorance is a cycle that involves two concepts: misinformation and misunderstanding. At first glance, these two words may seem synonymous. Yet, as briefly described below, they both have their separate roles to play in the problem of gaining weight.

* Misinformation stems from poor quality information, including anecdotal data that has no scientific basis, which leads people to attempt implausible and sometimes dangerous weight gain programs.

* Misunderstanding stems from the lack of results due to the misinformation phase noted above, and leads to the erroneous conclusion that a naturally thin individual “cannot gain weight”.

Despite this dramatic problem, correcting this knowledge gap is possible, and involves three strategies:

1. Appropriate Nutrition

2. A Complete Training Program

3. Intrinsic Motivation and Keeping Up Progress

Each of these key aspects are discussed below, but it is essential to note that they are integrated; no element is more important than another, and they work in a holistic, reinforcing system.

Graining Weight via Appropriate Nutrition

In the weight loss world, the word “calorie” is one of the more dreaded terms; and it’s not uncommon to find self-proclaimed diet foods that promise to help eaters burn more calories than they consume. For naturally thin people who wish to gain weight, however, the challenge is reversed: you need to ingest more calories than you burn.

Unfortunately, that simple phrase ? “you need to ingest more calories than you burn” ? represents the totality of most anecdotal (and inept) advice provided to naturally thin people. True, while the end of gaining weight is to ingest more calories than one burns, there is so much more information that must be conveyed. You could just eat ice cream all day. That has plenty of calories, right? But you would simply get fat. Why? Because all calories are not created equal.

Yes you must eat more food, but not more junk. Otherwise, the end result of ingesting “junk foods” (those that contain high amount of saturate fat, trans-fat, sugar and processed carbohydrates) is that an individual may “feel” physically bigger, but that increase will be simply an increase in unwanted fat. Even worse, is that the desired weight gain will not be concurrent to this increase in body fat, since fat tissue weighs so much less than muscle tissue.

The most stunning visual pointer of this biological reality is looking at Sumo wrestlers. Indeed, while these powerful men possess a great deal of muscle, unlike bodybuilders or heavyweight boxers, they are often best characterized by their enormous stores of fat; and all of that fat tissue comes from a steady diet of calories from fat (many Sumo wrestlers ingest startlingly unhealthy amounts of junk food).

On the other hand, calories derived from high quality sources of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats are unarguably more beneficial for adding lean muscular weight.

Foods that are high in protein include: whey protein, lean beef, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy products.

Calories from protein are efficiently converted into muscle when supported by an exercise plan (which will be discussed below), and the general rule of thumb while strength training is to ingest 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. This is typically more than the USFDA Recommended Dietary Intake, which suggests about 50 grams of protein per day for adult males. However, this recommended amount is intended for moderately active adult males who do not need (or want) to gain weight.

Complex carbs are found in potatoes, rice, whole grain breads and beans. Healthy fats are found in olive oil, flaxseed oil, avocadoes and raw nuts.

Another general rule is that you should consume protein as a part of every meal, and meals should be eaten in small portions throughout the day as opposed to large meals 1 or 2 times a day. Calories from protein can help ward off a dramatic insulin spike that would otherwise greet fat calories (such as after one eats a candy bar or piece of cake).

Avoiding this insulin spike, or at least preventing some of its damage, is critical for gaining the right kind of weight (muscle) and avoiding the wrong kind of weight (fat).

A Complete Training Program

There are more training programs available than can be catalogued; and this is, in itself, not negative. It simply means that different people, with different strength training goals, can follow a program that most effectively reaches their goals. What can be negative, however, is when someone focusing on gaining weight is provided with a training program that is either incomplete, or completely meant for someone else; such as someone who wants to lose weight, or convert existing excess fat into muscle. Find a program that is “specifically” designed for your goal.

The most effective kind of strength training for “our” needs, involves free weights. True, machines and other exercises are better than nothing at all but free weights cause the most stress on muscle fibers, and that is precisely how muscle is built (through the tearing and repairing of miniscule muscle fibers).

A typical strength training program for weight gain all almost always includes compound free weight lifts like squats, bench press, shoulder press, pull-ups (wide grip), and dips. The amount of weight used for each, the amount of reps, and the frequency of training, will obviously be customized to suit your body type, current strength, and strength training goals.

It’s also important to note is that training too often is both dangerous and counter-productive. More training does not equal more muscle. The body does not become stronger during exercise; it actually becomes stronger during the repair period between exercising. This is rather non-intuitive, but it’s a basic scientific fact. As such, it’s critically important for people to avoid over-training, and to build in appropriate rest periods between reps, sets, and workouts.

Intrinsic Motivation and Keeping Up Progress

This may be the most neglected component of an effective weight-gain system, yet it’s easily as important as the other two noted above.

The problem of motivation is typically not one of starting. Many people have the will and desire to start a weight gain program; at least, they do for the first few times. Where motivation makes ? or breaks ? a weight gain program is when it comes to monitoring progress and maintaining muscle gain.

This doesn’t imply that people are weak or uninterested in progress; actually, it’s rather more complex than that. Though 1,000 people may focus, on the same day and at the same time, on gaining weight effectively and with measurable muscular results, it’s not an exaggeration to say that each of these people will experience something different. Some of those differences will be profound and visible; other differences will be subtle and difficult to put into words. The dilemma here is that people may start doubting the validity of their program when their progress (or lack of progress) does not mirror the results achieved by someone else. Or worse, some people may truly start doubting their own ability to “ever gain weight” when they see someone else making apparent progress towards their weight gain goals.

The remedy to this dilemma is contained in the term “follow-through”. The key to successful weight gain lies fundamentally in one’s ability to follow-through with a program, and to stick with it, while at the same time making appropriate adjustments to exploit gains, and avoid disappointment. Ultimately, if the nutrition and strength training components are in place, achieving weight gain goals are merely a matter of time and effort; and that is where motivation plays it’s most important role.

Typical proven strategies to ensure motivation remains high and continuous include: adjusting workouts to add some variety and avoid boredom; using visuals (such as a before and after picture, or a video) to monitor progress; writing down (realistic!) goals; measuring physical improvements on a bi-weekly basis; measuring mental/psychological improvements on a bi-weekly basis; staying focused, and of course, taking breaks when necessary.

Putting it All Into Place and Taking Action

As noted earlier, there is a disconcerting amount of poor quality (or no quality) information available that purports to help naturally thin people gain weight. The majority of this harmful information revolves around “eating more”; which, if it works, simply leads to the creation of permanent fat cells. Unfortunately, for naturally thin people stuck in this cycle of misinformation and misunderstanding, their choices are to either remain thinner than they’d like, or put on fat pounds and risk a high body fat ratio or even obesity.

Thankfully, however, nothing needs to be created in order to help naturally thin people succeed in their weight gain goals; scientific advancements or miracle cures are not required. Simply, what is required is action based on what is already available, and what has been noted above: proper nutrition, effective strength training and self-motivation.

Ensuring that these three elements are present is the unifying theme that is common to almost every successful weight gain story that has ever been written, applauded, and admired.

Former skinny guy Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass! The most widely used weight gain program in the world.

This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries and boasts the largest private weight gain forum on the Internet, with well over 13,000 members at http://www.fastmusclegain.com

Click here to view over 200 user testimonials: http://www.fastmusclegain.com/testimonials.html 117
6677 Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 3 Welcome to article number 2 in our series “Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts”. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Here’s a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article:1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article:2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article:3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article:4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article:5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article:3 - Targeted Stretching

Stretching can be great, but it can also make existing injuries worse or even bring about new ones!

The key to making stretching work for you is knowing which stretches you need to be working on? and just because a muscle feels tight, that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be stretched.

For example, many people stretch the hamstrings because they feel tight and they think the hamstrings are limiting their flexibility?

the fact is, most of the time the hamstrings are “tight” because they are constantly being pulled / lengthened due to muscle imbalances that tip the pelvis forward.

As you can, when the pelvis tips forward the hamstrings get pulled upward and are constantly held in a stretched position?

And this is why millions of people can stretch their hamstrings every freakin day and never make any improvement in their flexibility?.

Are you one of those people?

If you are, you need to stop stretching your hamstrings and find out exactly which muscles you need to be targeting by reading the rest of this article?

Not only does this forward tipping of the pelvis (which is caused by muscle imbalances) keep the hamstrings tight and make it very difficult to make improvements in the muscles flexibility, but it also leads to the following:

? increased stress / wear and tear from the ankles all the way up the spine

For example, the forward tipping of the pelvis places uneven pressure on the ankle, knee and hip joints and also many of the vertebrae in the spine.

? weakens the hamstrings, inhibits normal functioning and increases the likelihood of hamstring pulls

When the hamstrings are constantly being strained because of the muscle imbalances, the muscle is weak, not able to function as it normally would, prone to injury and without correcting the muscle imbalance recover can take up to 9 months to a year, or longer!

? creates excess curvature in the lower and middle spine

This tipping of the pelvis places excessive amounts of abnormal stress on the muscles, vertebrae and discs in the lower and mid spine and this sets you up for potential injuries to the muscles of the lower and middle back?

Plus, it also causes the discs between your vertebrae to wear down and deteriorate much faster than they normally would and this sets you up for degenerative, bulging, protruding and herniated discs along with numerous other spinal conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, and the oh so popular sciatica!

This hamstring example is just one of many? muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there!

Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises:

? upper back and neck pain
? shoulder injuries (rotator cuff)
? elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc)
? knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc)
? hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc)
? ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc)

All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances? and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica.

What the heck is a targeted stretch?

This is a question we are asked often and here’s the definition we give it:

Targeted Stretch - a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase the flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring the bones and or joints back towards the normal position.
When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like the ones found in Yoga, Pilates and the corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, it’s no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of the problem.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next article we’ll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Pain Articles and post any questions you have on our discussion fourm.

Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of http://www.losethebackpain.com. If you’ve got back pain or sciatic pain, you’ve gotta check out their website! 117
6678 Hair Removal Tips For Bodybuilders One of the most time consuming and frustrating parts of bodybuilding is not building muscles, it’s removing unwanted hair.

For any competing bodybuilder, hair removal is a must but it’s also growing in popularity among casual bodybuilders.

Before looking at recommendations for specific body areas it should be stated that laser hair removal or electrolysis are regarded as the only permanent hair removal methods.

Although the most effective, they are also the most expensive! For full information on laser hair removal and electrolysis, visit this Laser Research Library: http://www.about-hair-removal.com/Laser-Library

Here is checklist of body areas and recommended hair removal methods for each:

Upper Lip, Chin, Mustache and Beard -

Men: Shaving.

Women: Waxing or sugaring.

Back of Neck -

Men: Shaving, clipping.

Women: Waxing or sugaring

Chest -

Waxing, shaving, depilatories.

CAUTION: Some find the shaving option unacceptable due to the irritation it causes when stubble reappears shortly afterwards. There can also be an acute problem with ingrown hairs in some cases. Once the shaving option is taken for chest hair removal it will need to be done regularly.

Nipples -

Tweezing. Stretch the skin slightly, grip the hair close to the root, and pull gently, firmly and evenly. Yanking the hair may cause it to break off thus increasing the risk of ingrown hair.

Shoulders, Back, Arms, Hands, Tummy -

Waxing, sugaring, depilatories. Waxing or Sugaring is the best method for all these areas. Taking a shower directly after waxing the back helps eliminate the possibility of acne breakouts and skin redness.

Underarms -

Shaving is safe in this area. Hair under the arm grows in all directions so a side to side stroke as well as up and down strokes may be necessary to catch all the hairs. Do not apply deodorants or antiperspirants right after shaving as this can cause acute irritation and soreness. Waxing or sugaring are also safe.

Do not use depilatories to avoid the risk of chemical burns on the sensitive skin in this area.

After the skin in this area has become accustomed to shaving, applying a thin layer of Vaseline petroleum jelly instead of a shaving foam or gel will give a really close shave.

Pubic Area and Bikini Line - If the hair is long it can be cut down with scissors. Then use a waxing or sugaring solution. Careful shaving is also possible.

Genitals - Male -

Hair growing on the shaft of the penis and on the testicles can be removed by shaving using a new wet razor. Great care is needed to avoid cuts.

Genitals - Female -

Waxing or sugaring is generally best. Shaving will only cause stubble to appear after a few days and it may cause skin irritation and painful bumps.

Anus and Perineum -

The Perineum is the area of skin rich in nerve endings located below the anus. In men it extends to the base of the testicles, in women to the vaginal opening. The anus is a mucous membrane. Depilatories should not be used as they can result in serious damage. Shaving produces stubble which may cause irritation as the sides chafe and rub together. Waxing or sugaring are the best methods.

Legs, Feet, Toes -

Shaving the legs is popular but the hair grows back after a short time. Waxing or sugaring are preferred although you have to wait until there is about a quarter of an inch of growth.

Recommendation: Hair inhibitors can increase the effectiveness of all the methods mentioned above (with the exception of depilatories). By significantly reducing hair growth hair removal sessions become less frequent. Click here for details: http://www.1bodycare.com/159490-kalo

Attention Ezine Editors: Click here to see how you could be earning money with this article: http://www.1bodycare.com/159490-bizop 117
6679 Body Building for beginners Body building or even just showing up at a gym can be intimidating for a beginner. Provided below are some tips that can help you get into body building, and into your first fitness club:

Be smart about getting into body building to ensure that you will achieve success both mentally and physically.

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Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the following caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.

Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Bodybuilding Area. Which is a great web directory and information center for Body Building and related topics like Weight Lifting. 117
6680 8 Tips To Building Your Dream Body Just like routines, this document is not intended to be a one size fits all. Take from it what you will, but please remember that what is most important is your health and well being. In that light, consider the following list:

1. Before beginning any serious weight lifting or body building regimen, consult your physician.

2. Set your goals. Define what you expect to achieve with your new bodybuilding campaign within a realistic time frame. If you create goals that are unattainable you are setting yourself up for failure. You can become bored, disappointed and disillusioned to the point where you may give up. This is a very sad outcome to what might have been the best decision of your life. Don’t sell yourself short. Set your long term goals, of course, but also set short term goals that are achievable. And, don’t forget to reward yourself when you do achieve them.

3. Consider the costs. If you don’t already have a budget, create one. Then, determine what amount of discretionary funds you have available for your bodybuilding program. This will determine whether you can afford to have a home gym or if your needs would better be served by joining a club. Joining a club is still a good short term introduction before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment that might not be appropriate for your needs.

4. Don’t forget some of the low cost alternatives to purchasing your bodybuilding equipment. If used equipment is still functional why spend the extra dollars just for a little glitz! Good, brand name used equipment is every bit as functional as something right off a showroom floor.

5. Consider combining a home gym along with a membership in a public facility. Purchase less expensive free weight equipment for use at home and join a gym to have access to the more expensive equipment. You can design your entire workout routines around a combination such as this.

6. Eat healthy! This can’t be stressed enough. The only true bodybuilding aids are good nutrition. Consult a licensed dietician. Watch your local community calendar for free seminars on diet and nutrition. Learn all you can about what nature freely provides that can help you to develop a healthy diet.

7. If you choose to use dietary supplements, make certain that you know what you are putting in your body. Follow the packaging guidelines we outlined above. Ask your physician for his/her recommendations based on the regimen you have selected. No friend, coach or acquaintance can take the place of your physician. In fact, you may even investigate finding a physician who specializes in sports wellness.

8. Be kind to yourself. Yes, it’s important to push to achieve your goals, but it’s very easy to tip the scales in the other direction and create a nightmare for yourself. Obsessive, compulsive behaviors are not conducive to a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle.

I wish you a healthy and happy journey on your road to weightlifting and bodybuilding. Put the suggestions and recommendations to work and you are well on the way to building the body you can be proud of!

Tony Newton publishes the popular health and wellness website - http://www.1st-for-health.com With lots of informative articles on low carb diets, hair loss, arthritis pain relief, acne and lots more. 117
6681 Muscle and Fitness — The First Key To Achieving Your Goals Lets discuss what I term as Muscle and Fitness — The First Key.

In a previous article, I went through the ‘Three Keys To Success’ in any muscle and fitness regime that you use.

Remember — ‘BE - DO - HAVE’?

If you missed this article, you can get it here… Fitness Goal

If you’ve read it, here’s just a very quick overview of what it was about:

1. Decide what you want to HAVE. What are your goals?

2. Decide what the necessary steps are, that you must DO to reach those goals.

3. Choose what you need to BE. What do you need to become in order to DO what is necessary to HAVE what you want?

If you are at all confused about this article, please re-read it, and again if necessary. You’ve really got to get this right so that you can succeed in anything you choose to do, including achieving any sort of success with your fitness goals.

Assuming you understand the concept I’ve just discussed, here are the ten most important steps of the ‘HAVE’ key:

1. Get out a note pad and pen. Lets name the very top of the page Muscle and Fitness Goals.

2. Write the day and date just below the title.

3. Decide what your ultimate fitness goal is. When all is said and done, what is it that you really want to have out of your Muscle and Fitness regime? What is that end result that you’re trying so hard to get? Write it down.

4. It’s not enough to want just one thing, because you won’t feel justified in doing something well if that’s all there is to it. So lets justify it.

Are there other benefits that you want your training program to achieve? This is the time to think. Just think about what you want.

For example, it could be to become more aerobically fit and lose weight, while increasing your lean muscle, increasing your confidence and building up your joints. Think of the benefits that you’d like to have as a result of your training routine, as well as the ultimate goal in ‘3′ above. Write them down.

5. Take your time. Don’t rush it. Just review what you’ve written so far. Is everything you want to ‘HAVE’ written in your note pad?

If so, great. If not, then continue to write your goals. Do this until you just can’t think anymore, or until your head hurts.

6. Now just leave everything alone and go about your daily routine. Forget about what you’ve just written for a few days. Just give yourself a break. You can come back later on to your muscle and fitness Have key.

7. After a few days, I want you to look through what you’ve written. Some of you will only have a few lines done, while others may have written an essay. Either way is good. Just read it again.

8. Is there anything you’d like to add? If so, write it down. Any ideas that spring to mind, write those down too. If you’re satisfied with the end result - great.

9. Now it’s time to re-write those goals. So move to a new page on your note pad and give it the same name again — Muscle and Fitness Goals Refined. Then write the date just below that.

You need to shorten your goals so that they’re specific and achievable by a certain time. At the same time they must have the essence of what you want to have achieved by the end of your training program. For example:

If one of your goals is to have lost weight. Then word it so that it’s specific, time limited and has the essence of what you want to achieve. So you would write it like this:

I am achieving a weight loss of 16lbs by March 5th, 2005.

Or –

I am increasing my arm size to 16 inches by April 21, 2005.

Get what I mean?

10. Now that you have written your goals, again, I want you to get a card. Lets say ‘Postcard’ size. Again write the title: My Muscle and Fitness Goals and the date of starting your program.

Now write those specific goals onto your card. These are now ready to be a part of your training routine. Every time you’re about to commence your training, just read those goals aloud.

As you do, see yourself perform those exercises. Feel your muscle work, your heart pump and how great it is to be achieving your goals.

I have got you to write your goals three times. Did you notice that?

Why?

Because I want you to –

* Establish those goals in you heart and in your mind.

* To be passionate about those goals that mean so much to you.

* To feel the benefits, as if you already have achieved your goals

* To see the benefits, as if you already have achieved them.

To conclude, follow these ten steps. Be patient. Be focused. And believe that this will help, even if you are doubtful. Where most people fail, is the point where they think negatively. As soon as you begin this negative thought process, you have damaged your chance of success on that occassion. If this happens, correct it immediately and continue.

Muscle and Fitness is the ‘HAVE’ key. There are still the ‘BE’ and ‘DO’ keys to go. But, that’s for my next article. Make sure you read all related articles and you’ll be well on your way to success in your Muscle and Fitness program.

Tony Farrell of provides valuable insight into the world of health, fitness and bodybuilding. Through his unique approach, he truly helps people to succeed and reach their goals. To subscribe to his ezine, just visit: http://www.how-to-build-muscle-and-fitness.com 117
6682 Maximum Muscle Development with Chaos Training Chaos is the scientific study of orderly disorder. It offers a way of seeing order and pattern where formerly only the random, the erratic, and the unpredictable (viz., the chaotic) had been observed. If a rock cliff is inspected, with its many jagged and irregular patterns splitting off in all directions, it can be concluded that the rock’s pattern appears the same whether looking at 100 square feet or 1-square inch of area. Hence, although the overall structure appears different, i.e. the divergences and measure of rock cut, the fragments that constitute the composition maintain close resemblance. Consequently, although chaotic in appearance, its nature is predictable and purposeful. Similarly, exercise can be very chaotic yet predictable, ever changing from one workout to the next but with direction… extreme variety coupled with standardization for purposes of sufficient measurement and comparison.

Chaos Training(TM) is the randomization of exercise stimuli that includes a limited measure of standardization in order to maintain a benchmark in which to compare exercise performance. In other words, this method provides from workout to workout an accurate method of measurement, to establish and test training progress, yet it allows for dramatic alteration of the stimulus, making exercise (at the very least) more enjoyable and interesting. Chaos TrainingTM is an ideal method for maintaining motivation while instilling structure ? two indispensable considerations for trainees as well as exercise instructors needing to collect feedback data from their clients.

Now, perhaps the most relevant concern when altering a program too frequently is consistency in the maintenance, and collection of data, to determine whether there is progress and by how much. Essentially, trainees must have a benchmark from which to compare, to determine the cost or benefit of current and future protocols. However, a person should not maintain the exact protocol from workout-to-workout for too long, since this causes an over-adaptation to the exercise stimulus. In other words, a person wants to adapt to the program by developing larger and stronger muscles, but does not want to adapt to the methods of exercise that act to stimulate gains.

On that basis, a highly variable routine enhances productivity, yet there needs to be some degree of consistency to gauge progress. This is possible so long as there remains some consistency at some point in the workout. And the best time and place for being consistent and standardized is at the commencement of a workout. Consider, for example, a trainee deciding always to alter his workouts, e.g., no two workouts will be exactly the same, or that it may be several weeks or months before the same sequence and set variables are repeated in the same manner. Three different workouts (for any exercise) using the breakdown/rest-pause method of exercise could appear as follows:

WORKOUT 1

3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
30 second rest
3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
30 second rest
1 repetition at a slow 10/5 cadence followed by…
8 top partials + 1 forced

WORKOUT 2

3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
40 second rest
4 repetitions (3/4 cadence)
0 second rest
4 negatives, followed by 10-second static hold at bottom

WORKOUT 3

3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
60 second rest
8 repetitions (3/3 cadence)
0 second rest
2 forced, followed by 1 set of pec decks x 5 reps

At first glance there appears to be no resemblance among the three examples, with each consisting of various loads, reducing or maintaining the same weight and tension times, allowing for different levels of recovery and metabolic demands, etc., in order to accommodate the various prescriptions.

Obviously a thirty-second rest is much different from a 40- or 60-second rest, or if a trainee implements near-zero rest. The magnitude of necessary weight reduction to complete a further 3 repetitions in a similar style, for example, will be much greater with a few seconds rest only than if preceded by a recovery break of 60 seconds. Repetition cadence can also have a bearing on performance and demands; a slower cadence makes it more challenging to complete a particular number of repetitions (consider lifting 100 pounds in one second as opposed to five or ten seconds). The altered mental and physical energy reserved for the remainder of the workout after the first set, the second set, and so on, must be considered.

However, close examination discloses that each example initially consists of 3 repetitions, all performed in an identical manner of 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down (for 30 seconds total); and that is the benchmark ? a biomarker buried within a realm of chaos. An increase in the load under the same conditions would conclude an improvement in lifting ability or function. Thereafter, the trainee is free to be inventive and spontaneous for the remainder of the workout for that muscle group. This is but one example of how a person can apply Chaos Training’, limited by one’s imagination.

(May be reprinted freely if linked to www.ExerciseCertification.com)

Brian D. Johnston is the Director of Education and President of the I.A.R.T. fitness certification and education institute. He has written over 12 books and is a contributor author to the Merck Medical Manual. An international lecturer, Mr. Johnston wears many hats in the fitness and health industries, and can be reached at info@ExerciseCertification.com.

Visit his site at http://www.ExerciseCertification.com for more free articles. 117
6683 Ace Abs Without Crunches, Cradles, Or Sit-ups! I know what many of you are thinking reading the title of this article. I also thought the same once. It cannot be done! Attaining a stronger, visible, set of abdominal muscles has always been a common goal in people’s fitness training programmes and yet, paradoxically, many (most) of these people never actually achieve this goal.

Being involved in the fitness industry I see the same problem over and over again. The problem can be spelled out like this.

M-A-C-H-I-N-E-S!

Now, while there is nothing innately wrong with abdominal equipment, it does bring with it a whole host of potential problems. One of the most prominent is that people simply do not use the equipment correctly. Another is that they erroneously believe that somehow the machine will do half the job for them!

A third problem is that to some extent abdominal cradles, and the assortment of similar cradle designs, are essentially lifting your head for you thus eliminating the need for that much effort.

There is a way to work the abdominal region however that requires little movement, but that is highly effective, as the emphasis is purely on you to put in the effort without a machine in sight!

This method involves the use of deep focused breathing whilst squeezing (with varying degrees of intensity) your abdominal muscle. To some it seems too simple and yet, performed daily and with gusto, it is a wonderfully natural and invigorating exercise that promotes tighter abdominals and, as an added bonus, aids in strengthening the internal organs.

Try the basic exercise below each day for the next week and feel the benefits.

1. Stand (or sit) comfortably.

2. Inhale into your belly (not your chest) and feel it expand.

3. Once full with air, being your exhale, and squeeze your abdominals at the same time.

4. Do not rush this exhalation. It should be smooth with no impediments. A good way to perform this exhale is through pursed lips.

5. Repeat at least ten times.

Note ? Do not squeeze and try to force the air out while holding the breath. Breathing exercises such as this may be dangerous. Ideally, perform where fresh air is circulating. Having experienced this you should be feeling great! Your abdominals will have been exercised, you will have breathed deeply, and energised yourself in as little as ten breaths!

It is worth saying that you should not utilise one hundred percent muscular contraction in your first attempts at working your midsection this way. It may lead to injury. Instead, focus on incrementally adding tension as you become more proficient at it.

There are many other methods for working the midsection that one can do without machine based, or standard movements, but as a start the above exercise should provide you with food for thought on how one can get a great core workout in without having to wait in line at the gym for the abdominal cradles to be free!

Have at it!

? Tim Webb 2005

Tim Webb is a fitness instructor, Ju Jutsu instructor and competitor. He specialises in easily accessible deep breathing exercises that combine breath and mind together. His site http://www.breathforsuccess.com/ offers a product that provides deep breathing exercises for invigorating yourself, relaxing, and highlights how your breath can be tied in with your goals to move you towards them in record time! 117
6684 How to Gain Weight and Build More Muscle! For many thin guys around the world, gaining weight without using illegal steroids has been a challenge. For thousands of lean young men, the dream is to gain weight, but no matter how much they eat they remain thin. Some people are naturally thin; that means their genetic makeup is in such a way that the body burns more calories than others. The very basic method of weight gain is to eat more calories than your body burns off. By providing the body with more calories, this balance can be altered and body mass can be increased. Weight training is of great importance in this context, which enables the body to absorb more nutrients from the food by increasing the level of certain hormones and increasing the muscle mass.

There are many incorrect beliefs and theories bout building muscle. The type of food to be eaten is an important factor which decides the type of weight gained, whether it is muscle mass or mere accumulation of fat. Some types of calories are not equal to others for gaining muscle; because most processed junk food contains empty, totally nutritionless calories. These foods promote accelerated fat storage, and do not provide the body with the correct nutrients essential for gaining muscle. High quality protein, which the body breaks down into amino acids, should be the centerpiece of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for amino acids, which support muscle repair and growth.

Another factor is the selection of the right type of weight training. Resistance exercises will help with muscle growth. Whereas aerobic exercises can result in the reduction of weight. For maximum muscle gain, the focus of your workouts should consist of free weight exercises, rather than machines or bodyweight exercises. To get a very effective workout, you must stimulate as many muscle fibers as possible, and machines do not do this. The main reason for this is a lack of stabilizer and synergist muscle development. Stabilizer and synergist muscles are supporting muscles that assist the main muscle in performing a complex lift.

The results of weight training can vary from person to person, and will usually depend on your consistency and commitment to your program. You should have the patience and motivation for building a powerful body with a consistent diet and exercise schedule.

Exercise Guidelines for building muscle:

Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable resistance. This resistance can come in the form of free weights like barbells and dumbbells, machines that use cables or pulleys to help you lift the weight, and bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips. The more stabilizers and synergists you work, the more muscle fibers stimulated. The exercises that work the large muscle groups are called compound (or multi-joint) movements that involve the simultaneous stimulation of many muscle groups. These compound exercises should be the foundation of any weight training program because they stimulate the most amount of muscle in the least amount of time. Multi-jointed free weight exercises like the bench press require many stabilizer and synergistic muscle assistance to complete the lift.

Free weight exercises like the dumbbell press or squat put a very large amount of stress on supporting muscle groups. You will get fatigued faster and not be able to lift as much weight as you did on the machine. But you will gain more muscle, become stronger very quickly and have a true gauge of your strength.

If you use machines in your program, they should be used to work isolated areas and only after all multi-jointed exercises have been completed. Beginners should begin with a limited combination of machine exercises, bodyweight exercises and multi-jointed free weight exercises. Before increasing the weight levels, they should work on becoming familiar with the proper form and execution of each.

The following are some proven basic exercises to encourage muscle and strength gain unlike any other exercises.

Bench Presses - works the chest, shoulders, triceps

Overhead Presses - shoulders, triceps

Pull-ups/Barbell Rows - back, bicep

Squats - legs, lower back

Dead lifts - legs, back, shoulders

Bar Dips -shoulders, chest, arms

To build mass, you must weight train with heavy weights. To consider a weight heavy, you should only be able to do a maximum of 4-8 reps before your muscles temporarily fail. A weight is considered ‘light’ if you can do more than 15 reps before muscle fatigue sets in. Heavy weights stimulate more muscle fibers than lighter weights which result in more muscle growth. Heavy weight training puts a huge strain on your body, so adequate rest and recuperation after your workouts is essential.

Eating guidelines for building muscle:

A high protein diet is an inevitable part of any weight training programme, importantly, protein derived from animal sources. Proteins you need to be concerned with are those found in whey, casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. Soy protein, tofu and bean curd are some alternatives. Eating the right amount of foods consistently will force your body to grow beyond what you may think possible. The diet also should contain an adequate amount of carbohydrates (potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream of rice, rice, beans, bread, pasta, all cereals) and fat. Green leafy vegetables and fruits also should be included.

When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You also must have protein at every meal. To enable your body to actually assimilate and use the all the calories you will ingest, you have to reduce your meal size and increase your meal frequency. Splitting your calories into smaller, more frequent portions will enable food absorption and utilization of nutrients.

During the past 20 years there have been great developments in the scientific understanding of the role of nutrition in health and physical performance. Studies shown that adequate dietary carbohydrate should be ingested (55-60% of total energy intake) so that training intensity can be maintained. Excess dietary saturated fat can exacerbate coronary artery disease; however, low-fat diets result in a reduction in circulating testosterone. So the balance between protein, carbohydrate and fat should be maintained.

So the focus on weight gain programmes must be on two components, lifting heavy weights, which will stimulate the largest amount of muscle fibers. Your body responds to this stimulus by increasing your muscle mass and secondly eat more calories than your body is used to. When you overload your system with plenty of protein and fats, your body has no other choice but to gain weight.

A Mass Gaining program is incomplete without the timely measurements to monitor your progress. Without it, you won’t know how exactly your body is responding to your diet and training routine. Just looking in the mirror and guessing is not acceptable. If you want to start getting great results, you must develop the habit of accurately tracking your progress. This also provides the motivation to continue with the weight gain schedule and for the further progression. So even though you have a very thin body type, and haven’t been able to gain weight no matter what you try, you will definitely succeed with a well planned weight gain programme.

References:

1) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part1eating.htm

2) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part2weights.htm

3) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part3muscle.htm

4) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part4suppl.htm

5) http://www.fastmusclegain.com/part5monitor.htm

6) http://www.skinnyguy.net/tips.html

7) Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27

Former skinny guy Anthony Ellis is the author of Gaining Mass. The most widely used weight gain program in the world. This unique program designed to help people gain weight and build muscle, is currently being used in over 90 countries. For more information on how to gain weight and build muscle, check out his website at http://www.fastmusclegain.com 117
6685 Before and After Photos in Fitness Magazines Some supplement companies will go to any lengths to prove their products’ effectiveness. But sometimes the evidence isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be. Before and after photos are the most compelling means by which to convince a person of steroid-like gains.

Often the before photos show the bodybuilder in off-season condition; fat, bloated, with pale skin. Hardly inspirational, but true to life. And photos are sometimes reversed. In one instance a supplement company presented a photo of a fitness model in top condition, declaring it the ‘after’ photo. Beside it, the apparent ‘before’ photo showed the model in her last trimester of pregnancy. Anyone who is familiar with the model’s history is aware that the before photo was, in fact, the after photo.

The same trick was used by an ex-professional bodybuilder from the 1960s. Interestingly, his jowls sagged more and his face looked older in the before photo. Apparently his supplement line not only increases muscle, it may be the proverbial fountain of youth!

Before and after photos from every day individuals sell a product best. They represent people like you and me… average weight trainees hoping to make dramatic changes in short order. But these photos are also highly dubious. In order to look as bad and as good as possible, the models employ several tricks.

The before photos nearly always have the subject slouching, frowning, pale skin, dull lighting, gut extended, and with no muscle pump. The after photos use harsh lighting with good shadow contrast, tanned skin, upright posture with lats and shoulders spread wide, muscles tensed, smiling with well-groomed facial and head hair, and a muscle pump. It also is known that duct tape has been used to pull back obliques/love handles in order to make waists appear even smaller and shoulders even wider. The same trick works under their arm pits, to make the pec line more pronounced and sharp.

And so, are you truly seeing what the person has accomplished and while on supplement ‘x’? Hardly; what you are witnessing is an illusion of posing and photography skills of the model.

One winning competitor in the EAS Physique Transformation contest in 1999 did look good if contrasting his before and after photos, losing twelve pounds of fat. He also, however, lost six pounds of lean tissue! Ignoring the fact that he won, it could be said that his program was a failure and that he did the opposite of what exercise was originally intended to do, e.g., increase lean tissue/function.

But it is to these unhealthy extremes that one sometimes experiences in order to make a dramatic difference in a contest that allows only 12 weeks. After all, 12 weeks is not a long time, particularly for advanced trainees more so than novices. For the advanced, there is not much muscle to gain and to produce good before and after photos requires extreme loss of fat - besides slouching, frowning, and no pump or tan in the before photos.

Unfortunately, many people (particularly novices) who are unaware of the benefits and application of long-term planning will burn out on such an endeavor, perhaps quitting exercise all together. After a 12-week stint of near overtraining (if they haven’t done so by the contest’s end and if not understanding how to train), they conclude they cannot tolerate another 12-weeks of further self-inflicted torture, let alone another three years.

Not everyone entering these contests understand that it is a short-term solution… to see how far the body can be pushed as quickly as possible. After that point, training must take on a more cyclic structure. This means maintaining most of what was accomplished during the physique transformation followed by ‘easier’ off-season training and peaking infrequently thereafter. Fat loss may continue after the contest, or prior to another peak, but 100% mental effort and extreme demands may only account for 8-12 weeks total throughout the year once reaching an advanced stage. Training throughout the remainder of the year can still be tough, yet tolerable and never as demanding.

I don’t believe most beginner trainees realize the importance of cycling or what needs to be done after a physique transformation challenge. Most magazines don’t talk about it, nor do bodybuilding books. They present general ideas and expect you to lift happily ever after. It is for this reason that physique transformation contests and magazines as a whole produce greater failure than success in. The thoughts of maintaining or bettering one’s physique after 12-weeks of grueling effort is enough to shatter anyone’s motivation. Believing that you must continue training in a similar manner (something to which we have all fallen victim) is the best guarantee to exercise termination.

Interestingly, can you imagine the loss in profits that supplement manufacturers (magazine owners) are encountering due to frustration of their readers and the thousands dropping out of exercise - or perhaps no longer purchasing that magazine and the supplements it endorses. If sound training information were provided, particularly long-term application, there would be more successes and supplement purchases from advanced trainees. Rather, supplement companies are hoping and expecting a new generation of customers to make up for those recently lost ? short-term solutions for a quick buck.

You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your web site, or other publications, so long as the article’s content is not altered and the resource box is included. Add byline and active link. Notification of the use of this article is appreciated, but not required.

Brian D. Johnston is the Director of Education and President of the I.A.R.T. fitness certification and education institute. He has written over 12 books and is a contributor author to the Merck Medical Manual. An international lecturer, Mr. Johnston wears many hats in the fitness and health industries, and can be reached at info@ExerciseCertification.com. Visit his site at http://www.ExerciseCertification.com for more free articles. 117
6686 What Is Strength Training? Traditional strength training consists of performing one to three (or more) sets of exercises on a specific, isolated muscle group. One rep, or repetition, equals one complete movement of the exercise from start to finish. For example, for a bicep curl you might begin with your arm extended down by your side holding the weight, say a dumbbell, curl the weight upward to your shoulder by bending your elbow, and then lower the weight back to the starting position. That’s one rep. Do that 8-12 times and you’ve completed one set of bicep curls. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds to allow your muscle to recuperate and you’re ready for the next set.

Successive sets should be progressive, meaning that each one should be performed using “progressive” or increased resistance. In the case of the aforementioned bicep curl, you might do the first set using a 10-lb weight, rest for 30 seconds, then increase the resistance to 12 lbs for the second set, rest for 30 seconds, then finish up with a third set, again increasing the resistance by using a 15-lb weight. Congratulations! You’ve just worked out your biceps in the same way bodybuilders train their biceps in the gym.

Smart Tip: Choose a starting resistance for the first set that’s challenging. Not so difficult that you can’t complete a whole set, nor so easy that you’re just going through the motions. Each set should push the muscle to near muscle fatigue. The harder you work, the faster and more dynamic the results.

Now, if you were to do just those three sets of biceps curls two times a week, in only a few weeks time you’d start to feel your biceps muscles getting firmer, tighter, and stronger. You’d also begin to see changes in the shape of the muscles as well, to a more dynamic, contoured, athletic look. That’s new muscle growing on your body right before your eyes. Muscles burn calories 24 hours a day… even while you sleep! Every pound of new muscle requires your body to burn about 50 calories more per day just to keep that muscle alive and functioning, even while you’re sleeping. So, as you continue to build more muscle, your metabolism continues to increase, which allows you to shed unwanted pounds and inches while at the same time shaping and building more muscle…which increases metabolism even more, which allows you to shed more pounds and inches, which?well, I think you get the picture.

Training all the other muscle groups in your body-chest, abs, shoulders, back, triceps, thighs, buns, calves, and hamstrings- involves the same basic principles. One to three progressive sets of 8-12 reps for each muscle group twice a week. If you’re a beginner, however, it’s highly recommended that you start with only one set for each muscle group during the first two weeks, then add a second set during weeks three and four, and, if you feel up to it, do three sets thereafter. Gradually increasing the work load on your body will help prevent undue soreness and make your workouts much more enjoyable.

Smart Tip: Never work the same muscle group on successive days. Always allow a minimum of 48 hours rest, but no more than 96 hours, between sessions that work the same muscle group. For example, if you work your legs on Monday, you wouldn’t want to work legs again until Wednesday or Thursday in the same week.

Strength training involves working your muscles beyond their normal limits by lifting progressively heavier weights. This overloading of the muscles causes micro-tears in the muscle tissue. Resting 48-96 hours between sessions allows your body the time it needs to effectively repair the micro-tears and make the muscle stronger. Remember, it’s just as vital not to over train a muscle as it is to train it in the first place.

Supersets

One way to get more out of each set is to combine two or more different exercises for the same muscle into one continuous set, or Superset. For example, try doing a set of bicep curls, then without resting do a set of concentration curls followed by a set of cable curls. Now, you can rest! This superset replaces one regular set. The next set would consist of the same three exercises with increased resistance. Working the muscle from three different angles at three different stress levels without letting it rest is a good way to get more results fast.

Smart Tip: This is an advanced workout feature. Beginners should start more slowly, doing one regular set for each muscle group during the first few weeks and build up gradually to three regular sets and later to three supersets.

Powersets

Powersets are giant Supersets that encompass all the muscles worked on in one day’s session one after the other without resting, in a circuit training fashion. After resting a couple of minutes, increase resistance and perform the second and third round of Powersets. Supersets and Powersets can pump up your intensity level while shaving precious time off your workouts.

Split Training

Working out your entire body in one session can take a significant amount of time and energy, especially if you’re doing lots of sets at a high intensity level. One way to cut your workout down to size is to split train.

Split Training is a method whereby you split up your total body workout over two or more sessions, choosing to work only a few muscle groups each day. For example, you could train your upper body on Monday and work your lower body on Tuesday, a two-day split routine that works your entire body every two days. Or you could do the push/pull split where you “push” (train chest, shoulders, and triceps) on Monday and “pull” (train legs, back, and biceps) on Tuesday. Again, it’s a two-day split, and even though it’s not strictly all push/pull (some of the leg muscles are really “push” muscles) it serves to shorten each day’s workout, making it easier to keep up your intensity and find the time to exercise regularly. Once you get to the point of doing three sets of two or three exercises for each muscle group, you’ll most likely choose to split train.

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6687 Are You Over Training in the Gym? Every set was taken to positive failure, with three or more forced reps on top of that and if that wasn’t enough I would throw in a few negative reps to top it off. This type of training would leave me totally exhausted and render me sore for days after every session.

The constant battering to my body lowered my immune system and I would always be sick or injured. I would take time off training and then go back to it again, all the time gaining nothing in size or strength.

Can you imagine years and years of hard work like this all for nothing. The sad reality is that I still see it going on around me now? The cold hard facts are that over 80% of the regular trainees in your gym are overtraining. That’s right, 80%, disturbing isn’t it?

Traditional training techniques like volume training are ineffective and downright dangerous, having been passed down from the previous training generations and unquestionably followed at all costs.

The only people making any progress on these systems are the so called ‘bodybuilding stars’ who have superb genetics (about 2% of the general population) and are taking massive amounts of steroids (very expensive and dangerous).

So please don’t fall into the same overtraining trap as many others have, if you haven’t made any gains for a long time now and maybe suffer from one or more of the symptoms found below stop!! Stop wasting your time and effort for nothing.

· Reoccurring colds and sickness
· Sore joints and muscles
· Unwillingness to go to the gym to train
· Loss of appetite
· Insomnia
· Chronic fatigue

Put a stop to overtraining by understanding that the two main components of strength training are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise.

Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional muscle size and stop overtraining.

Have a look at some scientific principles found below and practice them in the gym and you will be on the road to greater gains in muscle size without the problem of overtraining. Limited Energy Level

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

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

What you should be aiming for is stimulating as many muscle fibres in the shortest period of time available, leaving the gym and going home to grow.

To do this, you will have to perform high intensity workouts consisting of multijoint, compound movements in the shortest amount of time so that blood sugar levels don’t deplete.

Progressive Overload

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

The three most important points are:

· Complete your exercise with perfect technique

· Push to total failure when doing a set

· Overload the weight on the bar progressively.

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

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

Training Frequency

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

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

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

Over Compensation

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

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

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

Exercise selection for intensity

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

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

By following these principles you will not only develop greater muscle size but also banish overtraining for good.

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to live in the gym.

Visit Gary’s website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/ 117
6688 Muscle and Fitness — The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals Lets discuss Muscle and Fitness — The Second Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals. But just before that, I’d like to remind you about what the previous article discussed.

In a previous article called: Muscle and Fitness — The First Key To Achieving Your Goals, you were given ten steps to follow. If you haven’t received this article, I suggest you read that before this one here, as it will make what I’m talking a little clearer.

You can access that article here: Muscle and Fitness — The First Key

In summary, that article discussed the first key — the ‘HAVE‘ key. This is where you identify your muscle and fitness goals. There are still the ‘BE‘ and ‘DO‘ keys to go.

Which brings me to the second key:

The ‘DO’ Key
This is the action key. The one that gets you to do what is necessary to make things happen.

So what you need to do is first identify what your goals are. Decide exactly what you want to achieve and then choose the necessary actionable steps to achieve those goals.

In the first key, the HAVE key, you went through a process that helped (or will help) you in deciding what you want. Maybe it was to lose weight or gain mass muscle, or whatever.

The point is that you know what you want to get out of your training routine before commencing the routine that suits your goals.

Assuming you have gone through the HAVE key, it’s time to go through the DO key and structure your bodybuilding workout routine, or fitness routine, around your goals.

So lets do that, shall we?

1. Review the work you did in the HAVE key. In other words, look at the index card (postcard) you created that identified your exact goals.

2. Read them. As you do so, feel them. Imagine performing a specific exercise that would be most beneficial for that particular goal. See it happen, as if it is actually happening. What exercise would be the most effective one in helping you achieve that specific goal?

Once you have decided which exercise to use, write it down.

3. Now move onto the next goal on that card. Go through the motions that you just did in number two above. Feel it. See it. How good do you feel?

Now, which exercise will be most effective for that specific goal? Write it down just below the first one.

4. Now move onto the next goal on your card and repeat steps two and three above. Do this until you’ve decided on your specific routine.

Again, write the exercises down.

5. How many repetitions do you need to do? How many sets should you perform?

This depends on your goals. If it’s to lose weight, then keep the weights light, but heavy enough to provide adequate resistance. If you choose to build muscle, then decide how much muscle you want to build. Then you would choose heavier weights and fewer reps.

If you’re not sure how much weight to use, reps to do or sets to perform… then seek the advice of a professional.

6. Time to choose how often you need to train. If you building bigger muscle, you may need to break your training regime into two to three parts. In other words…

You may decide to work the chest, back and legs on day 1. Then shoulders, biceps and triceps on day 2. Then rest on day 3.

Or are you looking to lose weight?

Then you may choose to perform a total body workout on day 1 and rest on day 2. You may wish to add in some aerobical workout routine as this will help burn off the excessive calories much more quickly.

Just make sure that it’s appropriate for your goal.

7. What about your diet?

Decide what foods are right for you and your goals. Are you looking to lose weight?

Then eat less, but consume more healthy food with low fat and calories. Decide how often to eat.

Looking to gain weight?

Then eat more. Also choose better foods that can help with weight gain, while they are healthy at the same time. Look for decent whole foods. Decide if supplements are necessary.

8. Make sure that you’ve written everything down. Review it and see if you’ve left anything out.

Now you have the DO key done. You are at the point where you have structured your training program to help you get your goals. In other words…

You now have two of the three keys:

‘DO - HAVE‘.

All that’s left is the ‘BE‘ key. But, that’s enough for today. Just review this article and take action on the steps above. Follow these steps until complete.

Once you follow these steps, you are set up for the final key… the BE key.

Keep an eye out for it.

Tony Farrell of provides valuable insight into the world of health, fitness and bodybuilding. Through his unique approach, he truly helps people to succeed and reach their goals. To subscribe to his ezine, just visit:
http://www.how-to-build-muscle-and-fitness.com 117
6689 Re-ignite Your Chest Training Progress Effective Chest Training, Like Everything Else, Begins With The Proper Mindset

An attitude of always wanting more, never being satisfied, is a key element in becoming successful in whatever you do. There’s always a higher level of development to achieve-if you’re constantly searching for it.

Having that mindset is essential to lasting success. It’s also the cornerstone of the habits you need to develop if you want to maximize your chest training. You’ll also need to cultivate such winning characteristics as optimism, patience, perseverance, determination and flexibility.

A number of physical factors can also affect your mental attitude, including the frequency of your chest workouts, the number of sets you use, the number of repetitions you set out to perform on every set, the amount of weight you use and the length of time you spend in the gym. When you overtrain physically it gives your mental well being a serious blow, too.

Train to Absolute Failure The ultimate goal of every single set in your chest workout must be to train to absolute failure.

By that I mean you must give 100 percent effort during every set. You shouldn’t have anything left in reserve at the end of the set. This is very taxing, mentally and physically, which is why you can’t withstand many sets and why you need to work on your mindset. You need to control or get rid of that litte voice in your head that is always telling you to settle.

That requirement is crucial to efficient chest training.

Obviously, you’ll need a training partner, or the proper equipment such as a power rack, a machine, or using dumbbells, if you’re going to train to absolute failure and train safely.

For now, let’s throw out any well-known, legitimate reason you could come up with that takes your training success or failure out of your own hands.

Whatever program you use, the important thing is to put all the effort you can into your training.

One thing that is very important is to go over what it is you are trying to accomplish. I briefly review in my head what I want before I do each set of my workout. What’s my goal in the set? What will accomplishing the set goal mean to my other goals?

Now, about that intensity - you probably think you know what intensity is,right? You train hard, right? But is training hard the same as training with 100% intensity of effort? If you polled the people in your gym, 99% of them would tell you they workout extremely hard.

I’m the same way. And yet when I look back on my workouts, I always realize I could’ve trained a little harder. But that’s okay, because I am constantly improving my effort every time I workout. I’m always striving for a higher level of effort and increasing the quality of each workout.

You Can Increase the htensity of Your Chest Training Now

Before we can achieve more we must constantly be raising our own standards.

Train Your Chest Less Frequently

I know, the thought of training less worries many people that they will not only stop progresssing but will lose what they have. This just isn’t so.

Use it as a powerful motivating tool. The thought of training your chest less frequently creates a feeling of uneasiness, or what I call a sense of urgency. It dramatically increases the magnitude of every workout.

The benefits have a far greater effect than just bolstering my mindset.

Training less gives you adequate time to recover from your intense workouts.

Use Fewer Sets

Knowing that you’re going to do only a few sets in your chest workout creates this same sense of urgency, allowing you to bring a lot more focus into each rep and set that you do.

Although I always change things up from time to time, a typical chest workout for me is as follows:

After warming up sufficiently and doing two heavy sets of bench presses, I complete my chest workout by doing one set each of three different chest exercises. Many lifters give themselves two, three or even four sets of a particular exercise to get it right. If you give yourself four chances at anything, you’ll have less of a sense of urgency to get it right the first time. You will pace yourself and hold back for those other sets. It’s only human nature.

Anything less than 100 percent effort is a wasted set in my opinion. Have you ever noticed that when you get yourself in the right mind-set, you can pump out more reps on the last set of an exercise than you did on the first one?

It should be just the opposite. If you were really giving your all during the first couple of sets, you wouldn’t have nearly as much energy left to meet or exceed that rep range on the last one.

If you truly train with the proper mindset, then you’ll need less training to build your chest. If your training is less than animal-like, you’ll need more sets. Be honest with yourself. Only you can determine what’s best for you.

Spend Less Time in the Gym on Chest Training

The ability to focus and put forth your best effort in chest workout after chest workout, month after month is what will bring you results.

The less time you spend in the gym, the easier it becomes to focus, and because you’re training chest less frequently, using fewer sets and fewer reps, your time in the gym will be much shorter. It will surely make it a lot easier to focus on building an awesome chest. Now, all you have to do is shut up and train!

Proper Recovery Is Critical

Recuperation is probably the most important yet most-often-neglected component of building muscle efficiently. Recuperation means to recover fully from your intense workouts. Only when your muscles have fully recuperated are they ready to grow larger and stronger. If you train again before this process is complete, you will short circuit the growth/recover mechanism and your gains will come to a screeching halt and that’s exactly what you want to avoid.

Develop your new chest routine with these steps in mind and see if you don’t ignite new growth and more strength in your chest.

Written by: Gregg Gillies, www.buildleanmuscle.com

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com where he publishes a free newsletter available. He is the author or two books, as well as being a regular contributor to Body Talk magazine. His writing has also appeared in Ironman Magazine. 117
6690 Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain It’s an unfortunate reality that throughout the years there has been a growth of strength training techniques that have no scientific proof to back them up. Have a look at the facts presented in this outline of muscle gain principles and make up your own mind.

Below you will find Scientific Guidelines for strength training that have always been around but are not followed by many training systems these days.

1. Limited Energy Level

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

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

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

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

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

2. Progressive Overload

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

The two most important points are:

· Complete your exercise with perfect technique

· Push to total failure when doing a set and overload the weight on the bar progressively. (Overload your targeted muscles to beyond what there used to)

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

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

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

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

Remember to always use GOOD TECHNIQUE. Technique must never be sacrificed for extra load.

3. Training Frequency

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

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

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

4. Over-Compensation

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

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

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

5. Exercise selection for intensity

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

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

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

6. Visualization

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

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

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

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to live in the gym.

Visit Gary’s website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/ 117
6691 Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work Over the years there has been a surge of different strength training techniques that have come onto the market and just faded away. Here we discuss the training strategies to gain the maximum amount of muscle in the shortest time possible that have stood up to the test of time.

Most of these strength-training strategies have been around for years but are not followed by many training systems these days. Lets look at a few below that actually work.

1. Training Frequency

The two main components of strength training are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional muscle size in the shortest period of time.

The latest research has repeatedly shown that muscles over-compensate (become stronger) up to a week after the previous workout, provided that the muscles are trained to failure.

Remember it’s not the training volume but the intensity and recuperation that are important when it comes to gains in strength and muscle.

2. Exercises Per Session

Tests under strict gym conditions have revealed that you’ve only got a limited amount of (readily available) energy to use for a weight training session. Blood tests on individuals have also revealed that blood sugar levels (available energy) drop dramatically after 20 to 30 minutes of high intensity training.

As you only have a short period of time to train before our blood sugar level drops, Exercise Selection is crucial. You have to use Multi-Joint or Compound movements, as these offer the most training stimulus for the available amount of time. In other words, we can train many muscles simultaneously and thus use our energy more efficiently.

Performing three to four exercises with high intensity during a session are what most people are capable of. All the main structures of the body are worked hard during this time. Working on these big compound movements has a knock-on effect throughout the whole body; there is no need for specialization techniques or isolation movements.

The fact is, the whole body is worked hard, rest and recuperation is allowed to take place and at the next exercise session we push out a few more reps than before with the same weight, then we have gotten stronger i.e. more muscle.

3. Number of Sets per Exercise

After performing one complete set a compound exercise to total failure, it should be just about impossible to generate the same force and intensity for another complete set of the same exercise.

If you’re able to generate the same force and intensity for this second set then it’ll be pretty obvious that not enough effort has been put into the first set. Thus you’ll have to raise the intensity level you put out for the first set.

If you give the first set 100% effort and work the exercise hard to total failure (eg. you cannot move the bar after the last rep) then there will be not more requirement for further muscle stimulation on that specific exercise.

If you think that volume training (multiple sets) is more effective then you’re wrong! The latest research shows that single set training is as beneficial as multiple set training. Training one set will decrease the chances of over-training. It will also allow you to save more energy for other exercises required during the workout.

4. Number of Repetitions per Set

The development of muscle and strength is interrelated, it always has been. Strength training Sessions produce increases in strength that is equal to increases in functional muscle. (You’ll become stronger and grow muscle).

Cycling intensity through changes in repetitions and weight throughout a ten-week program is an effective way to maintain progression and avoid training plateaus (slumps in strength).

Repetitions can be cycled, the higher repetition range will stimulate the slow twitch muscle fibres and promote endurance. Moving further down the scale, the lower repetition range will activate the fast twitch muscle fibres and increase strength and muscle size

Gary is the author of several ebooks, including Maximum Weight Loss in Ten Weeks - the complete ebook and time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks - easy-to-use and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth without having to live in the gym.

Visit Gary’s website at http://www.maximumfitness.com/ 117
6692 Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 5 Welcome to article number five in our 5-part series “Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts”. In this article we are going to cover some basic, yet powerful training principles that are often overlooked and are responsible for nearly all bodybuilding injuries?

If you missed any of the previous articles, you can view them using the links below.

Here’s a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article #1 - Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article #2 - Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article #3 - Targeted Stretching
4. Article #4 - Targeted Exercises
5. Article #5 - Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article #5 - Rest, Recovery and Injury Prevention

Many of the injuries that bodybuilders suffer from could be easily prevented just by allowing the body enough time to rest?

While most bodybuilders dread hearing the word “rest”, many fail to realize that there is far more to rest than just avoiding overtraining. When you perform a tough workout you not only stress that muscle or muscle group, you also place stress on the cardiovascular, neuromuscular and components of the immune system?

For example, many bodybuilders will train their chest 2-3 times a week and spend an hour or more performing dozens of exercises just for the pecs?

While this may sound ok to some, when you add in the stress of other workouts it can quickly add up to too much stress in one or more ways. I hear bodybuilders all the time say “I let my body rest by splitting up my workouts” and “I worked chest yesterday so today I’ll train my back”? that’s NOT rest!

When you train your back, your chest still gets worked, stressed and it also slows down your bodies ability to recover from stress and repair damage from previous workouts?

So don’t kid yourself and think that you can train this way over the long term? it may take years or just a few weeks, but sooner or later your body will break down!

Let me give you a real life example from my experience?

I, like nearly every single bodybuilder out there, created muscle imbalance unknowingly by following the workouts recommended in all the books, magazines, etc?

I trained 4,5 and sometimes even 6 days a week and thought that I was resting enough by splitting my workouts? to make a long story short, after just a few years I had tendonitis in both triceps because I worked chest, tri’s and shoulder too often, too intensely and didn’t balance out my training?

I also had lower and middle back pain, knee problems and IT band tendonitis because my lower body workouts weren’t balanced? I spent too much time doing heavy squatting, too often and neglected important muscles?

These injuries stayed with me for months, years and I still can have an occasional flare up if I don’t stay consistent with a balanced training program. I was able to create all this damage by the age of 22? I am now 28 and will have to spend the rest of my life trying to prevent these old injuries from coming back and causing more pain and problems?

Don’t do what I did! And if you already have, you better act fast and take a serious look at your training and your goals because if you don’t, you will spend the rest of your life in pain and frustrated by all the injuries, big and small.

So here’s my?

5-Step Formula for Quickly Eliminating and Preventing Aches, Pains and Injuries

Step 1. Rest and Recovery

The first thing you need to do is REST! And no, I don’t mean take a day or two off? I mean no workouts for at least a week or more? you need to give your body a chance to reduce the inflammation before you can begin work on eliminating or correcting the cause of the problem. You may also want to use things like a heating pad, hot tub or massage to help reduce the inflammation and speed up the healing and recovery?

Step 2. Identify Muscle Imbalances

The next thing you need to do is find out which muscle imbalances have created your injury or are causing your pain and work towards correcting them? you can do this quickly and easily by performing physical assessments in which you are looking for strength and flexibility imbalances in all opposing muscle groups.

You can do these assessments yourself and they are covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video http://www.losethebackpain.com

Step 3. Increase Flexibility in Tight Muscles with Targeted Stretching

In order to correct a muscle imbalance, you need to increase the flexibility and range of motion in the muscles that are too tight and causing a problem.

As we discussed in the previous articles, you have got to know what muscles NEED to be stretched before you start stretching. General stretching may or may not help? it may even make things worse! You have got to target the right areas and the only way to ensure that you are, is to do assessments and find out.

Step 4. Strengthen Weak Muscles with Targeted Strength Exercises

The other major step in correcting muscle imbalances is to strength the weak muscles that are being overpowered by the strong and tight opposing muscle(s).

The same is also true for strengthening? you have to make sure that you choose the right exercises and the only way to know for sure is thru assessments? don’t use guesswork when choosing exercises!

Step 5. Monitor and Modify Your Program

The key to long term pain relief and injury prevention is to consistently monitor your progress and adjust your program? for example, as you work on correcting and preventing muscle imbalances the strength and flexibility of your muscles will change and therefore, you must then re-assess and change your program and workouts accordingly.

You will typically see changes in your strength, flexibility and bio-mechanics in as little as 2-4 weeks so I recommend that you re-assess yourself at least every 4-6 weeks.

So there you have it? 5 simple steps that you can take right now to work on eliminating any pain or injuries you currently have AND make sure you never create any new ones to deal with in the future.

Following these steps will not only help you eliminate aches, pains and injuries and it will also allow you to train more intensely and productively to get you the results you want.

Hope you enjoyed and benefited from this article series and we look forward to hearing of your success.

Article courtesy of Jesse Cannone of http://www.losethebackpain.com. Find out exactly what’s causing your back pain and injuries and the steps you need to take to quickly get rid of your pain and become injury free. 117
6693 Muscle And Fitness — The Third and Final Key To Successfully Achieving Your Fitness Goals Before delving into Muscle And Fitness ? The Second Key, the final and most important key to success in your muscle and fitness routine, I’d like to remind you about what the previous article discussed.

In a previous article, you were given a number of steps to follow. In summary, Muscle And Fitness ? The Second Key is the ‘DO’ key. This is where you structure your actions to take you to your goals. You must decide which action (Exercise) is the most effective tool to help you achieve that particular goal.

Which brings me to the third and final key:

The ‘BE’ Key
This is what you must BECOME in order to ensure that you take the necessary action to DO whatever it takes to get what you want to HAVE.

You already know what your goals are - The HAVE key

You already know what you have to DO to achieve those goals - The DO key

In order to make sure that you carry out the DO key (your chosen exercises), you must BE the type of person that consistently and persistently follows the routine. You must do this without fail, so that you can have the ideal muscle mass, weight loss, fitness goal or whatever your goal is.

How do you become someone that you are not?

By not giving in!

Lets say that you have a chosen goal. Lets assume that goal is to lose 28lbs by the end of three months. What do you have to be in order to make sure that you achieve that goal of 28lbs of weight loss?

You have your goal. You have your exercise routine sorted out that is the most effective way, for you, of achieving that goal. Now it’s time to guarantee that you don’t stop after a week or so.

Your goals should be on your index card, as described in a the First Key.

As you are about to perform your training routine, go through this little scenario…

1. Read your goals aloud.

2. As you do, visualize that goal having already been achieved.

3. Feel that goal, as if you have already achieved it.

4. Then ask yourself:

* How good do I look? - I look GOOD!
* How great do I feel? - I feel GREAT!

Now say to yourself…

I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful!
I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful!
I feel Great - I look Great - I am successful!
Ok… Lets Do It.

Do this daily…

* In the morning, upon rising.
* Just before you begin your workout.
* Just before going to sleep.

When you repeat this each time, feel it with conviction and say it with conviction. Feel your blood boil with excitement. Feel your heart beat hard. Get right into it. Stir up that passion and throw yourself right slam into the middle of it.

Don’t give in. Persist and be consistent with your efforts… no matter whether you feel like it or not.

I have often found that the thoughts of having to do something are horrible at times. But, once I throw myself into it I feel absolutely fantastic and so happy that I didn’t give in.

Have you ever found that?

If you have, remember that feeling. Feel it every time you are about to begin your training. Stir it up. Love that feeling and then get stuck in. BEcome what you need to become so that you can DO whatever it takes to achieve the goals that you said you want to HAVE.

That is the final key to successfully achieving your Muscle and Fitness goals.

Tony Farrell of provides valuable insight into the world of health, fitness and bodybuilding. Through his unique approach, he truly helps people to succeed and reach their goals. To subscribe to his ezine, just visit:
http://www.how-to-build-muscle-and-fitness.com 117
6694 The Seven Pillars Of Success Vision

Envisioning the end-result is enough to put the wheels in motion.

Possessing a vision of what you wish to accomplish, and the way you would like to present yourself to the world of bodybuilding is one of the first steps required to ensure a high level of success. By being aware of what it is you wish to achieve and the reasons along why this is important to you will enable you to posses a higher level of understanding, which will lead you to see the opportunities that exist to make your vision successful.

Chosen Empowering Personal Identity

You are whom you choose to be.

Attaining a high level of success is often reflected by the chosen personal identity that through that you choose to present yourself to the world of bodybuilding. It’s wise to reasons that defining an identity, which is empowering will become your catalyst and allow you to achieve your desired level of success.

What You Can Offer To The World Of Bodybuilding

In order to receive, often one should be the first to take the step of giving.

In order to achieve your desired success in the world of bodybuilding, it’s crucial to be aware of your unique knowledge, talents, and specialty that can serve others with great benefits. Identifying those elements will create a spiral of creation for new products and services that you will be able to contribute to the world of bodybuilding.

Being Your Best

No one ever regretted giving his best.

Making the decision to be the best at the specialty and dedicated vision that you choose to achieve can allow you to reach and have the ability to touch the lives of many with a positive impact.

If we literally did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. ? Albert Einstein

Giving your best will also allow you to become aware of your true abilities, that in result will boost your confidence and abilities to rise to a higher level of success.

Faith

Faith and Action go hand in hand.

Faith is a crucial element in any type of success. Developing faith in your abilities is achieved through self-belief. Applying that belief with result-producing action enables a person to attain a confirmation that what he beliefs are indeed possible.

Having A Marketing Strategy

Each possesses unique knowledge that can cater to the needs of others.

Becoming aware of what you can offer the to the world of bodybuilding is the first step to becoming a member of the bodybuilding world and a contributor. Yet developing a marketing strategy is vital in order have a means through which you desire to offer your products and services.

Multiple Streams Of Income

Invest your eggs over few baskets. Should one fail, you can always rely on the others.

Facilitating the positive environment that promotes the growth of your goals requires an important resource, which is financial stability. It’s important to realize at the very beginning that possessing several sources of income can ensure the ability to facilitate positive environment for the growth of your goals. Taking the time to create a multiple streams of income strategy will ensure a greater level of success in your bodybuilding endeavors.

Mike Vainshtein, a bodybuilder and motivational speaker shares his power mental and motivational strategies to allow you to achieve your goals and dreams, and lead the life that you desire.

Mike Vainshtein is currently offering personal one-on-one consultation to allow you to create your own marketing plan and earn from your passion for bodybuilding.

You can also contact Mike at Mike@Repsofpain.com

And visit his website http://www.repsofpain.com 117
6695 Planting And Nurturing Your Contacts And Resources The success level of your bodybuilding endeavors is highly determined by the contacts and resources that you posses and have access to, as well as these that you can offer to the world of bodybuilding.

Success is achieved through desire dedication, effort, simplicity, and consistency.

As any type of success, it is achieved through consistent care, dedication, interest, and effort.

It is important to note that in order to succeed in your bodybuilding endeavors, it is vital to constantly be aware of what you can offer to the world of bodybuilding and the contacts through which it will be achieved.

It’s simple to follow that focusing on planting seeds that will enable you to create contacts and create resources that you will offer to the world of bodybuilding is a vital procedure to the overall level of success.

Each possesses his unique truth. Plant it, nurture it, and create from it a masterpiece.

Metaphorically speaking, each person possess a farm yard in which he plants various types of seeds with the desire for these seeds to grow and blossom into successful results.

You get out exactly what you put in.

It’s vital to realize that in order to achieve your desired level of success, it essential to create a habit of creating contacts and resources by constantly planting new seeds, and further, dedicating the time and effort to nurture them and allow them to blossom.

Build it, and it will come.

With the creation of such a habit, your mind will begin on it’s own to seek ways to create new relationships, nurture the current ones through constant interest and concern, and build ways to offer your resources to the world of your goals and endeavors, attaining higher levels of success on a consistent basis.

Mike Vainshtein, a bodybuilder and motivational speaker shares his power mental and motivational strategies to allow you to achieve your goals and dreams, and lead the life that you desire.

Mike Vainshtein is currently offering personal one-on-one consultation to allow you to create your own marketing plan and earn from your passion for bodybuilding.

You can also contact Mike at Mike@Repsofpain.com

And visit his website http://www.repsofpain.com 117
6696 Build More Muscle Mass And Strength Without Supplements Who should use this method to build muscle quickly?

If you’re serious about your fitness or weight loss, you hate the idea that you’re not making the most of every workout. For those of us with long work-days and kids, there’s no time or physical energy to waste. We have to make every drop of sweat worth the work.

I’m going to show you how to build more muscle in less workout time. Keep in mind that this method is meant for people who want to build muscle mass and pure strength.

Now, what is your key to building muscle quickly? I mean, say I really want to bulk up in a week. How can I do this?

The key to more muscle mass out of every workout is to lift enough weight to cause muscle failure in only a 3-5 reps (repetitions of the movement). Rather than burning calories and creating lean muscle by doing many reps with lighter weights, you’re taking just a bit of time to literally tear your muscle fibers apart, preparing them to build mass and strength when they receive protein from your next meal.

I’ve heard that it’s good to eat directly after exercise. What do you do?

You must eat right after your workout. Not only will this quench your muscles’ thirst for proteins, but it will help maximize your metabolism. An efficient metabolism comes in handy when you do cardio exercises, since your body is already working at high speed to burn the calories you have stored.

What Foods Should I Eat In My Post-Workout Meals?

Your meal after the workout should be high in protein from foods such as lean meats, protein shakes, liquid protein supplements, and others containing minimal fat content. Don’t forget the carbs though. Make sure you include a normal, healthy source for carbohydrate such as fruit or vegetables, and even a whole-grain bread.

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Get free access to our weight loss forum today! PhenForum.com is a popular discussion forum for weight loss support, diet tips and exercise help. 117
6697 Two Major Training Mistakes You Must Dump Immediately! The number of myths about natural bodybuilding are too numerous to mention. For every guy who knows the principles of effective bodybuilding, there are countless others who don’t. Those lacking the knowledge to train properly will argue until their strides split open or until Frankie No-Gains asks them for a spot. I don’t argue anymore. I just figure they can either take it, or leave it.

Bodybuilding is not complicated. It’s simpler than your brother’s, cousin’s third husband. Plus, it allows you to completely transform yourself from a proverbial “weakling,” into a “muscle monster.” That’s if you so choose. In short, it rocks. Narrow-minded sceptics who argue otherwise, are just too damn lazy to try it themselves.

The majority of “skinny guys” you will ever meet can quickly supply an elaborate list of exercises with incredible performance detail. However, the same losers can’t seem to identify the most effective ones. Failing to understanding the “fundamental” science of muscle growth, is truly criminal. But to be fair, just this once, most beginners will always experience some form of ignorance, at least initially. However, by learning what you have here, you are already ahead of ninety-nine percent of everyone you will ever meet.

Although some training methods produce reasonable results, it doesn’t mean that you should be using them. Training with this routine will achieve far better muscle gains in much less time. This routine consists of only the most effective exercises available. Always strive for the greatest return on time and energy invested. Anything less is unnecessary, pointless, and not worth your time. Got it.

I don’t need to disprove alternate methods of training. Boring you with the evidence that supports the methods advised in this routine is just sucking wind. Addressing two of the more dangerous myths, however, is a valuable warning. Stay focused, stay alert. You need to hear this.

The strategy of “intuitive” or “instinctive” training is a myth in its finest form. This theory promotes the utilization of personal intuition and instincts to guide your training program. Supporters of this method claim, that eventually, you will develop a “feel” for a suitable training program which includes a selection of the most suitable exercises.

This strategy is a farce. If achieving optimum muscle gains from your training is your goal, working in direct opposition to your instincts is critical. Following your instincts exclusively, will results in next no gains at all. Remember, you gotta be smarter than that.

During any given workout you will need to overcome your persuasive, primitive instincts. You need to approach muscle growth in a more scientific manner. The satisfaction, not to mention the muscle growth, you will gain from proper training is truly incredible. Turning your goal of bigger stronger muscles into a reality is the aim here. In this equation, instinct factors nowhere.

Exactly what would happen if pandering to your instincts was an option? During an exercise set, you would stop performing well before you stimulated any muscle growth. The human body is a homeostatic organism. It will do everything in its power to maintain the status quo. For example, instinctive hunger pains precede your body’s actual need for food by several hours.

In the case of intense exercise, the body is quick to recognize the onset of a challenging workload. It will do everything it can to prevent you from performing additional exercise. The instinctual body dreads the point of momentary exhaustion. You must be aware of this destructive self-talk, so that you can push onwards to bigger gains and better gains.

There is of course a definite limit in your training that you shouldn’t go beyond. However, this limitation only applies to the quantity of exercise performed, not the intensity of effort. Exhausting your body’s ability to recover is the only real, potentially life threatening concern. However, maximizing intensity of effort is an absolute requirement for achieving super-fast muscle gains. Using your questionable instincts to guide your training program will not produce maximum muscle gains. No gains at all, is the most likely outcome from just such actions.

Another misguided and dangerous myth involves the use of ‘growth drugs’ or anabolic steroids. Unfortunately, drug use is widespread among athletes, bodybuilders and individuals looking for a performance advantage. The health risks associated with consuming steroids are severe. Compared to the risks, the benefits just aren’t worth it.

Besides, using these types of drugs is totally unnecessary. The only exception is someone who has them prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons. Steer clear of these substances if you are healthy and wish to remain so. Essentially, the majority of ‘performance enhancing’ drugs are synthetic hormones.

Even though increased dosages of these drugs can boost recovery ability, they are not required for incredible muscle gains. On the contrary, most bodybuilders who use drugs, must do so simply because they are training too often. I guess ignorance is bliss. At least until you suffer a stroke, and end up in a wheelchair.

The dangers in using ‘performance enhancing’ drugs are obvious. The benefits and damaging side effects associated with their consumption is still greatly unknown. Controlled testing has not been widespread. The jury is still out on the long term effects of these drugs. My advice, avoid steroid use completely.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6698 How To Get Incredible Gains If You Aren?t Getting Them Already… And… How To Get Them Fast! The key to rapid muscle growth, is to perform all your exercises well outside your comfort zone. If you had performed the barbell curl to the point of complete and momentary exhaustion, instead of “copping out” at the tenth. Then your bicep muscles would be forced to work harder than normal. Much harder. As a result, they would grow and build size rapidly.

What matters here is not the number of repetitions performed beyond the initial ten. What’s most important is that you understand the reason behind the need to force yourself to work at higher levels of intensity. To produce the greatest possible muscle gains in the shortest possible time frame, you must continually strive to perform at a level well beyond your comfort zone.

If you perform a set of barbell curls until you can no longer lift the bar, no matter how hard you try, or how many pair of strides you split, then you will be involving the highest possible number of muscle fibers. It may not be the total number available, but it will be enough to produce massive increases in muscle size.

Muscle gains produced by a very small amount of intense exercise, will always be much, much more, than that produced by a large amount of low intensity exercise. It is never the quantity of exercise that produces muscle gains, it is always the quality.

Most guys who exercise today are completely ignorant of the need for maximum intensity in their workouts. And as a result, most are blind to their true potential. Even when they are training six days a week, most guys make have no muscle gains to show for it. They just don’t know that they need to workout at a much higher level of intensity. But, in many cases they’re just too damn lazy to do so.

If they don’t exert the level of intensity needed, they will never achieve astounding muscle gains. So, unless you are content to train for years and have nothing to show for it like Frankie No-Gains and Jermima Got-No-Brains, you must accept and respect what is required of you. Your exercise must be brief, but it must be intense.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6699 How These 3 Basic Elements Can Be Used To Boost Your Own Muscle Gains! The foolish idea that ‘more is better’ when it comes to bodybuilding goes directly against the basics of exercise science. When is comes to increasing your rate of muscle gains, more exercise is almost never what is needed. As I have mentioned already, once you have “stimulated” muscle gains by hitting the gym hard, any additional amount of exercise, will in fact, prevent any muscle gains from happening.

You see, muscles are made up of ‘muscle fibers’. Muscles themselves work by contracting and reducing their length. In order for muscles to contract, they must move. For a muscle to produce movement, and therefore the power to move a given weight, it must do so by lengthening and contracting.

In other words, a muscle performs exercise by contracting, and by doing this it generates force and power. While a muscle uses some of it’s fibers to perform a given exercise, it almost never uses all of them at the same time.

For a muscle to contract every one of its available fibers at the same time, it must be in a totally contracted position. To increase your muscle mass in the shortest time possible, the maximum number of muscle fibers possible must be “stimulated”. The easiest way to achieve this is through multiple repetitions of a particular exercise. More often than not it is impossible to contract all of the muscle fibers in a specific part of the body, using only one repetition, without risking injury. Multiple repetitions however, allow it to be done safely.

As a general rule, it’s almost impossible to perform an exercise in a way that contracts all of the muscle fibers of the body parts involved. However, if the exercise is performed with intensity, many more muscle fibers will be stimulated, than there would have been otherwise.

As an example, when you perform a basic exercise like the barbell curl (standing upright with a barbell and curling your arms from resting against your thighs up towards your chest), you are using the fibers of the biceps muscle of the upper arm. At the beginning of the exercise, when performing the first repetition of a set of ten, your biceps muscles are at their strongest and most rested.

However, during the first repetition you can only involve a minimal number of the muscle fibers available. Most of the fibers are unable to contract unless in a totally contracted position. The bicep itself will only use the minimal number of fibers needed to perform that one repetition. Muscle fibers will only perform at full capacity, and are only “recruited” by a specific body part as they are needed.

By increasing your speed of movement you can dramatically increase the number of muscle fibers involved. However, in many cases this is extremely dangerous, leading to the muscle tearing loose from its attachment. Not fun or desirable. As well as the risk of severe injury, increasing the speed of movement will often involve extra momentum. By using overall body motion to “cheat”, the intensity shifts away from the muscles and body parts you are trying to stimulate.

So keep this in mind. In the case of the barbell curl example, the first repetition should be performed in perfect form, but at a pace that is considerably slower than is actually possible. A pace that will allow you to perform each repetition as fast as possible without risking injury.

The bottom line is this. Regardless of how you perform the first repetition of the barbell curl, you will still only be involving a very small percentage of the muscle fibers available. This is due to the following three reasons. (1) When the muscle is not in a fully contracted position, only a limited number of muscle fibers are involved. (2) During the first repetition the biceps muscle fibers are at their strongest and most rested. (3) The majority of the exercise equipment on the market provides practically no resistance to a muscle in a fully contracted position.

Zero resistance can become an issue during almost all basic exercises. For example, during the bench press, a totally contracted position is reached when the arms are completely extended. Because your arms also reach a point of total “lockout” of the elbow joints at this point, there is basically zero resistance in this position. The way this problem can be resolved is by performing all of your exercises in a series of repetitions. You can then make sure that you achieve maximum stimulation of the muscles involved.

Let’s look the barbell curl example again. If you are using a weight that allows you to perform about ten repetitions, then the first repetition will only involve about five percent of the total number of muscle fibers available. The remaining ninety-five percent of fibers are not involved at all.

When you perform the second repetition however, things start to change. And change fast! The previous five percent are no longer as strong or as rested as they were during the first repetition. The strength levels of these fibers have been challenged, and so they now need the help of additional fibers to perform the second repetition. These additional fibers are at their strongest and most rested. However, they too will only be used to the extent that they are actually needed.

As you continue to perform the exercise, more and more muscle fibers become involved. Finally, by the tenth repetition you will be using as much as twenty percent of the total muscle fibers available. By this stage of the exercise your breathing should be coming thick and be fast. And, the intensity level will be high.

In this example, the exercise is being performed with a weight that the you knew you could only perform ten repetitions with. It is at this point that most “skinny” guys stop the exercise. This is a big mistake. Doing so with result in almost no muscle gains at all.

By stopping the exercise at this point, you are not pushing through your comfort zone. You are just nudging up to it. Also, the various muscles involved are not being pushed enough to cause them to GROW. If you are “stupid” enough to train in this manner, your muscle gains will be slow and in many cases, totally non-existent. In short. If you are going to go for it. Then, make sure you go all the way… and then some!

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6700 The Secret Of The Perfect Program! Another critical factor to be aware of, is the efficient use of time. If a routine is performed in approximately one hour, the muscle gains will be much less than if the exact same routine was performed in half and hour. This aspect is a “secret” to most. Time is one of the most effective ways to increase intensity of effort.

When performing a workout, your breathing should be more rapid than normal. This should start to happen within the first minute of your workout. Ideally, your breathing should not return to a normal pace until at least ten minutes after you finish your workout. If your breathing pace has not increased, then you are not training rapidly enough. This will seriously reduce your rate of muscle gains.

I have rarely seen guys at the gym willing to train at the required pace. An unwillingness to work hard is the number one reason for lack of muscle gains. To inspire maximum results from training, you must train hard. Your breathing and heart rate must be elevated. But you know what. Such a pace only needs to be sustained for fifteen to twenty minutes. Any additional length will prove a waste of your time and effort.

When I first learned this secret, I focused on this one factor almost entirely. Doing this had a direct impact on all of the other factors involved. Training the largest muscle groups of the body at an elevated pace, until momentary exhaustion, literally forces you to workout briefly. Fifteen to twenty minutes maximum.

By forcing a time constraint on your workouts, you immediately raise your level of intensity. Simultaneously, you will have managed to reduce the amount of time spent training. The absolute opposite of this method is working out six times a week, in a vain attempt to produce greater muscle gains. This is simply not an option. If that was what natural bodybuilding really required, I’d consider it to be a bad use of my time.

The best results from your training can, and should be achieved by exercising no more than three times a week. In most cases, maximum muscle gains will be achieved from only two workouts weekly. Training time should be no more then a total of sixty minutes per week, or twenty minutes for each workout. More often than not the greatest results will be obtained by reducing your total workout time per week to thirty minutes or less.

When focusing on reducing you workout times, training must be intense and fast paced. The rest period between sets should be reduced as quickly as possible to no more than sixty seconds. Eliminating rest periods almost entirely should be your ultimate goal. Although spending less time in the gym should be considered worthy, saving time is not the motivation for this method of training. Maximizing your overall muscle gains is.

Training at a rapid pace will dramatically improve the condition of your heart, breathing, circulation, and muscle endurance. In order to produce maximum muscle growth, fast training is a critical requirement. Performing the same routine in twice the time will greatly reduce your muscle gains.

The ultimate goal is to perform your routines in the shortest time possible. A consistently fast rate promotes enormous improvement in muscular size. Reducing or eliminating rest periods is the easiest way to minimize training time. The performance of your sets however, must remain slow and deliberate. Momentum should not be used to “cheat”, as this will risk injury. When the set is completed, the rest period before the next should be really brief. Speed between sets, not during them, is the key.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6701 How To Avoid Injury From Poor Exercise Performance! Another key secret is your exercise form. Perfect form is critical when performing any specific exercise in your own routine. Look at it this way. The amount of energy you expend will be the same, regardless of your “style” of performance. However, your muscle gains will be greatly reduced. Performing a series of exercises in poor form produces dismal muscle gains.

Let’s look at an example. Performing bench presses with 200 pounds of weight for ten repetitions requires exactly the same amount of work, regardless of how you perform the movement. If you cheat by using momentum to complete the repetitions however, only a very small number of muscle fibers will have been stimulated. The same amount of energy and time was used, but the muscles being worked were not fully involved. The only thing you have dramatically increased with this technique, is the chance of injury.

I’m not implying that such “cheat” methods should never be used. They can be used at the end of a given set of repetitions, if they can be done safely. In short, all repetition should be performed in perfect form, until which point it becomes impossible to perform any more without the slight use of momentum. At this point in the set, only enough momentum to complete an additional one to two repetitions should be used. And only if it can be done so safely.

In the case of the bench press above, a weight should be selected that allows you to perform up to eight repetitions in perfect form, without momentum or cheating. After performing the first eight, attempt two additional repetitions using just enough momentum to complete each one. In other words, don’t stop the exercise just because a slight level of cheating becomes necessary. Always strive to perform two additional repetitions, using a little momentum and all the effort that can be mustered, but only if it is safe to do so.

To make sure that muscle gains are achieved safely, form is one of the most important factors. Proper form should never be sacrificed in an attempt to add weight or artificially increase repetitions. Use as much weight as possible to perform repetitions, while maintaining good form. During the first few repetitions of a given exercise, you are able to move faster due to you high levels of strength available. However, this is also when injury is most likely to occur. It is important to make sure that the first few repetitions of every set are performed in a slow and deliberate manner. Perfect form should always be the goal.

Even though a muscle can produce more power at the beginning of a set, during the first few repetitions, the muscles and tendons have not been given enough time to warm-up. Injuries can happen at any point during the performance of an exercise. But, more often than not, the majority of injuries occur during the first few repetitions. Those that don’t, occur because of a lack of proper form.

Really slow repetition speed is not required. As a general rule, lifting the weight in approximately two seconds will work just fine. Lower the weight in approximately four seconds. This may vary slightly throughout the set, which is perfectly fine, however, always try to perform each repetition at this rate of speed. This will help you maintain excellent form.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6702 How To Get The Greatest Possible Muscle Gains… And… Still Have Time Left Over To Just Goof-Off! The number one thing you need to get from this article is this. Significant increases in the muscular size of any particular muscle group, can not be achieved without similar increases throughout the entire body. Any and all exercise performed has an indirect effect on all the body’s subsystems and muscular structures.

An exercise which primarily involves the legs, produces to varying degrees, muscle growth in all other muscles throughout the body. The relative size of the muscles involved largely determines how great the indirect effect will be. The larger the muscle group, the greater the overall indirect effect on other body parts. Got it. Good

This indirect effect is the result of intensity of effort. If the intensity is low, indirect muscle growth is minimal. If the intensity is high, indirect muscle growth is absolutely incredible. But remember, these muscle gains are not stimulated through the quantity of exercise performed, but from the overall intensity of effort.

Maximizing intensity of effort requires the same style of training for absolutely everyone. That mean you and me. However, individual performance is relative. For example. while the performance of a 100 pound bench press may involve a high level of intensity for one person, a considerably stronger trainee could perform the same exercise with a much lower intensity. But as we now know beyond a shadow of doubt. High levels of intensity must be reached, before an increase in muscle size will be produced. If you train below that particular level, your muscle gains will be practically non-existent.

Although the level of intensity required to produce maximum muscle gains may actually be below maximum intensity, determining exactly when that point has been reached during your workouts is near impossible. Even if the required intensity for maximum muscle gains could be converted into a percentage, you wouldn’t be unable to determine accurately when that exact level is reached during an exercise. Working at one hundred percent, maximum intensity of effort guarantees that this level is always achieved, regardless of whether it is an actual requirement or not. Are you following me?

Look. If maximum muscle gains is your goal, working out with anything less than one hundred percent intensity of effort is not going to cut it. In fact, it’s almost a complete waste of time. Regardless of the actual intensity of effort required, working the largest of muscle groups will produce incredible muscle growth all over the entire body.

Although we may not be entirely sure why, we do know that without a doubt, it does happen. For the best possible muscular gains, the major muscular structures should be trained intensely. If the exercise is intense, brief and infrequent, maximum gains will be achieved. As no muscle can be truly isolated from the body’s subsystems and all exercises have some degree of overall effect on the body, for the best possible muscle gains, only full body workouts should be performed.

As I has explained to you here. Split-routines are in fact physiologically impossible. A training program which ’splits’ the body into muscle groups, doesn’t permit sufficient recovery time for the body overall. As a result, split training programs do not produce maximum possible muscle gains. In almost all cases, they actually prevent them. No exceptions.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6703 An Amazing Technique That Can Make Your Gains Skyrocket While Others Have Reached A Sticking Point! If you clearly understand and apply the principles involved in natural bodybuilding, you will experience very rapid muscle gains. However, over a long term, eventually a ’sticking point’ or plateau in your training may be reached. It is at this point in training that further muscle gains can sometimes appear almost impossible. Sticking points are almost always a direct result of overtraining. More often than not, this plateau can be overcome with a brief layoff.

The reasons for such a “plateau” in muscle gains can vary. Applying some of these simple strategies below should quickly produce further muscle gains. Most guys mistakenly assume, when reaching a plateau, that their maximum muscular potential has been reached. That is simply not the case. Your true potential is incredibly high. Very few guys come close to even “scratching” their limits.

Now. Taking a brief layoff, is the first recommendation when experiencing a sticking point in your training. After returning to regular training, if you are still unable to increase your muscle size, two further strategies can be applied to produce bigger and better gains.

Increasing the current resistance on the exercise you are stuck on can stimulate extra muscle growth. This increase should not exceed more than twenty percent. For example, if you are using 100 pounds in a barbell curl for ten repetitions, the weight should be increased to 120 pounds. Adjusting the weight like this, will more than likely reduce your performance ability to three or four repetitions. However, if you perform all sets with maximum intensity of effort, the number of repetitions you are able to perform will quickly increase to ten or more.

Sometimes, an increase of poundage is not safe, due to the current level of weight already being used. In such cases, adding extra weight can pose a threat to your safety. So instead. Replace the exercise with an alternative. The change of exercise need not be drastic. For example. If you have reached a plateau in the bench press, you could replace it with the incline dumbbell press. Or, parallel dips. The alternative exercise should be included in the routine for three to four weeks. After this period, the regular bench press can used once again. You should notice significant gains very quickly after doing so.

If you are still unable to increase your muscle gains after applying these strategies and taking a brief layoff, overtraining is usually the cause. Instead of having another layoff, the number of sets you perform and the frequency of your workouts should be reduced. Overtraining results from the amount of exercise performed. Level of intensity is never the cause.

To compensate for overtraining, the amount of exercise performed should be reduced by approximately thirty percent. If you are currently exercising three times a week, your frequency should be reduced to two times a week. If you are currently training with ten total sets in a workout, that number should be reduced to a total of seven. Look. I have never seen or heard of anyone who after applying these strategies failed to make further muscle gains. Any exceptions are usually due to poor nutritional habits or not training with enough intensity of effort. Period.

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com 117
6704 The Amazing Benefits of Resistance Training When it comes to exercise, resistance training is often overlooked. Resistance training is an essential part of any fitness program and has many amazing benefits. Taking part in a sound resistance training program will improve the conditioning of muscle tissue and increase metabolism. Metabolism can be defined as the amount of calories the body needs each day to sustain life. An improvement in muscle conditioning and metabolism will result in the reduction of body fat and give the body healthy lean appearance.

What is resistance training?

Resistance training is a form of exercise that challenges the muscles of the body by applying resistance to a movement. Methods of resistance training include using one’s own body weight, stretch bands, free-weights, machine weights, medicine balls and anything else that will apply resistance to movement.

Who can benefit from resistance training?

People of all ages can benefit from resistance training. From teenagers to seniors the benefits of resistance training are unmatched by any other form of exercise. When starting any fitness program it is recommended that you seek the knowledge of a certified fitness profession.

Why should one apply resistance training to their fitness program?

Aside from improved muscle conditioning and an enhanced metabolism, resistance training has number of other great benefits.

Additional benefits of resistance training include:

* Enhances physical appearance/Increases lean muscle/Decreases body fat
* Increases energy
* An increase and restoration of bone density
* A decrease in coronary disease
* Increases strength, power and endurance
* Injury prevention
* Aids in rehabilitation and recovery from injury
* Increases (LDL) good cholesterol
* Slows the aging process
* Improves balance, flexibility, stability and mobility
* Lowers resting heart rate / Lowers blood pressure

Some closing tips to apply to your resistance training program:

1. Perform a 3-5 minute warm up on a piece of cardiovascular equipment before beginning you resistance training routine. This will help you avoid injury and improve the quality of your workout.

2. Stretch before (after warm up) and after your resistance training program. This also will help you avoid injury and improve the quality of your workout.

3. Perform your resistance workout before performing your aerobic workout. This will maximize the benefits of both your resistance and aerobic training workouts.

4. Perform each set of resistance training to the point of momentary muscular failure while maintaining proper form. This will maximize muscular conditioning.

5. Exercise large muscle groups before small muscle groups. (i.e. Chest before Triceps)

For additional information about this article and articles similar to this please visit http://www.lakenormanfitness.com or you can e-mail me at craig@ncprecisionfitness.com

Craig LePage, CSCS, NASM-CPT
Precision Fitness NC, Director

Craig is a well-known Fitness Professional in the Charlotte, North Carolina area and is the Director of Precision Fitness Mooresville. He has been helping people reach their fitness and wellness goals for more than 12 years. His credentials include a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Bridgeport Connecticut, CSCS credentials from the NSCA and a Personal Training Certification from the NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). Craig has written for Charlotte, NC area Newspapers, authored his own fitness & nutrition program and is a frequent guest on a Charlotte area radio show that focus’ on health and wellness. He has recently co-authoring a golf specific exercise book (Play Better, Longer ? Golf) and is also working on a book of his own that should be available sometime next year. 117
6705 Maximize The Windows of Opportunity For Explosive Muscle Growth You have two main windows of opportunity when your training. One is 30 minutes before you train (pre-workout meal) and another comes about 30-60 minutes after your workout is over (post-workout meal). The pre-workout meal should consist of a starchy carb and lean protein. The starchy carb will supply the energy you need to get through an intense workout. The protein provides the much needed fuel for your muscles, so they keep a positive nitrogen balance. A great pre-workout meal would be consumed 30 minutes before your workout and would consist of 1 cup of natural oatmeal with one scoop of protein powder. Try to stick with whey protein. Mix it with some water and microwave the dish for about 2 minutes. Stir it up and eat it with a big glass of water.

Your post-workout meal should be consumed as quickly after your workout as possible. This should consist of a simple sugar to spike your insulin levels and rush glycogen back into your muscles which are screaming for fuel by now. Try to stick with either dextrose or maltodextrin as your main source of simple sugar. These can be found in your MRP (meal replacement powder). Also, add another supply of protein to the mix. If you are using a post-workout dextrose based drink, add another scoop of whey protein to it and shake it up. If your drinking an MRP, you should be perfectly fine. Shoot for around 20-30 grams of protein before your workout and 30-50 grams of protein after your workout.

Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life! 117
6706 Make Sure To Rest For Muscle Growth One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to make sure you know that your muscles grow when your resting not training. That’s right, you don’t actually get bigger and stronger when you’re in the gym. It’s what you do after your workout that’s the real key to muscle growth. If you don’t let your muscles recover correctly, you’re body will become over trained and it will be in a state of constent catch up. This is far from the ideal state that you want your body in. What you want is to truly prime your body for your next workout and give it enough rest and recuperation to fully optimize your training.

The worst thing you can do is over train your body. This will lead to muscle atrophy (breaking down muscle) and you may experience the flu because of this. When you train, make sure to limit your resistance training sessions to 45 minutes max. Your body’s testosterone levels start decreasing after about 45 minutes, so anytime after this length and you’re really just wasting your time. Focus on hitting it with a high level of intensity for 45 minutes and get out of there. Take care of business and start your recuperation. When you get back from your workout, you might also try sitting in a jacuzzi or sauna to really relax and let your muscles recover. Rest is extremely important when training hard, so make sure to take the time to recover and grow from your training sessions.

Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life! 117
6707 Always Shock Your Muscles For Maximum Growth Always try to trick your muscles into growth. You never want to do the same exercises, reps and sets for each and every workout. You always want to shock your muscles into growing and adapting to new stimuli, so make sure to always switch up your training routines, number of sets and reps for each training session. Also, make sure to train at a high level if intensity and really push each set to positive failure (barely getting the last rep up).

You should always focus on increasing the weight lifted. If your muscles get used to lifting a specific amount of weight, then they will never want to get stronger or grow. Always try to trick your muscles with different reps/sets and keep your intensity levels up high enough so they always are forced to make changes and grow!

To gain muscle mass use a rep range of 8-12, starting out. Then, once your comfortable switch it up to lower reps like 6-8 range. There is also an total volume intensity aspect which takes the overall volume of weight lifted into muscle mass gains. Such as:

10 reps with 225 lbs = 2,250 total training volume

vs.

6 reps with 275 = 1,650 total training volume

The key is to always train to positive failure on every set (after warmup). This way, you will always be taxing your muscles and applying highest level of intensity possible.

Another great way to really shock your muscles is to train with different routines. We have included a huge database of workout routines for you to choose from. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced individual, we have the workout routines that’s just right for you! Choose from hundreds of different routines here:

http://www.shapefit.com/workout-routines.html

Kris Bierek is a fitness specialist for the health and fitness site http://www.ShapeFit.com where you can find FREE fitness tools like fitness newsletters, dieting tips, weight loss help, exercise questions and a free fitness analysis to help you get into the best shape of your life! 117
6708 Outer Triceps Workout The outer triceps is an awesome muscle. It sticks out like a slab of muscle on your outer arm and makes your arm look thick from the front. When your standing side on the outer triceps looks like a half moon sitting there on your arm and screams POWER!

So how to do you work the outer triceps? Well the best know and common outer triceps exercise is the standing triceps press down on the lat machine . . . but everyone does those already and there are not allot of great outer triceps out there, so what else works those little buggers?

First off any barbell or dumbbell movement with palms of hands facing up works the outer triceps more than the long or medial heads. Biggest point though is LOCK OUT THE ARMS!” So basically keeps the palms up, or reversed and lock out and hold. Those are the most important issues to cover when targeting the outer triceps.

If you have weak wrists and cannot target your outer triceps with the palms up, then with palms down the outer triceps can only be worked specifically in moves where the upper arms never leave the side of the body (like the lat machine press down) and are fully locked out. If the arm rotates or the elbow moves forward then the long triceps is called into contraction and extension and so no outer triceps for you!

Another beauty for the outer triceps is lying dumbbell extensions. These work the outer head of the triceps and give the shape and thickness needed for total development of the triceps as long as you lock them out and give a little twist at the top so the your palms face your head.

The last exercise that I use to work the outer triceps is Triceps Bench Dips. This is a good exercise that works all of the triceps, but it emphasizes the outer head a little more. The great thing about this exercise is that you can push it all the way to failure, get a great pump, and your totally safe and don’t need a spotter. Be careful not to let your butt drift away from the bench or you will use too much deltoid and take the outer triceps right out of the picture.

Here is an outer triceps workout

Reverse grip pushdown 4 sets of 8-10 reps

Super set:
Lying dumbbell extensions with a twist and Bench dips
4 sets of 10-12 reps or failure on the dips.

Here’s to some wicked outer triceps!

Ray Burton is a personal trainer and owner of The Fitness Site