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Real Muscle Real Fast!
Adding muscle seems to be a mystery to most, yet if you pick up a copy of any fitness or bodybuilding magazine and you'll almost always see a headline like this: "Gain 15 Pounds of Muscle in 6 Weeks."
The Role Of L-Glutamine In Building Muscle
L-glutamine remains the supplement of choice for many bodybuilders. It is a free form amino acid that can be found naturally in beans, meat, fish, poultry and dairy products. It is also an important component of protein powders and is one of the twenty non-essential amino acids found in the body.
Machine Exercises That Suit Beginners
The aim for beginners to weight training must be to lay the foundations for the intensive workouts that their bodies will eventually be subjected to. Obviously successful bodybuilding involves bringing together disparate elements such as nutrition and rest but choosing the right exercises is crucial. In this article we'll outline the machine exercises that will enable new bodybuilders to develop the general strength and body conditioning needed.
The Health Risks Associated With The Use Of Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids are classed as illegal drugs and are banned by most legitimate sports organizations. There can be no disputing the fact that testosterone boosts the development of muscle mass and aids sporting performance. Equally there is no doubt that its use can adversely affect the health and wellbeing of users.
7 Surefire Strategies For Fat Loss!
1. Weight Training. Building lean body mass (muscle) will speed up your body's metablism. Muscle is "active" tissue, meaning it takes calories to maintain. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. You build muscle by doing resistance training exercises. Simple enough? Let's go on...
Questioning Proper Abdominal Training
Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons of cardio to burn
stubborn abdominal fat. Okay, I can live with that, but you've also said
that it isn't absolutely necessary to perform direct ab work either. What
gives?
Muscle-Building Exercises and Growth-Boosters
I have 'emerged' some subtle bodybuilding techniques that infuse rapid muscle-growth to any trainee. You see, the "factor of top intensity levels" in combination with "aggressive workouts that expel pure testosterone bursts", is the key to a fantastic muscular development.
Exercise The Right Way - The Seated Calf Raise
Other articles in this series looked at a number of exercises, mainly from the perspective of developing a comprehensive muscle building program. Sometimes we take things for granted, especially when it comes to performing the basic exercises that constitute the core of most bodybuiders' training regimes.
Machines VS. Free Weights II
Machines are bad, there I said it again. How many of us join health clubs or purchase expensive home exercise equipment under the notion that the machine will protect our back, make the exercise easier or guarantee your results quicker. In sports and life for that matter if you are sitting on your butt or laying flat on your back you lost! , so why do we insist on exercising that way. We spend way too much of our existence sedentary, sitting, driving, typing, talking etc..
Ab Sculpting Exercise - One Of The Most Productive Exercises For Your Abs That Is Hardly Ever Used
Before I talk about one of the most productive and forgotten Ab Development exercises ever developed, you will need to know how your abdominal muscles actually work. I know for a fact, if I don't offer some pretty convincing evidence, it will be very difficult for you to believe such a claim so here is where a little education will go a long way to prove my point.
BMI Calculator Results
BMI, Body Mass Index, is the most popular and simple way that health professionals use to determine if you are a healthy weight. This article concerns how to interpret your results.
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.
How Proper Calorie Fragmentation Improves Body Composition?
It is a well-established fact that calories control everyone's bodyweight. No matter how many meals a day you have, it is the calorie balance in the end of the day that matters. If you eat fewer calories than you are burning, you will lose weight. It won't matter if these calories come from chocolate, bagels, meat, eggs, fruit or whatever else.
The Basics Of Dumbells And Dumbbell Workouts
Dumbbells are integral to a long term fitness and personal
strengthening plan. Dumbbells are individual weights that
are best used as part of your overall fitness workout each
day.
New Bodybuilding Study on the Benefits of Deadlifts
Deadlifts are a very potential muscle-building exercise, that will rejuvenate your entire physical condition, to a whole new level -- if executed astutely.
Building a Better Home Gym
If you're looking to get fit and into shape, home gyms may provide the best option if joining a traditional gym isn't feasible.
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.
Add Intensity To Your Muscle Building Workout
One of the biggest difficulties facing bodybuilders is how can they be sure that all muscle fibers have been recruited and exhausted during a given exercise and it is only by achieving this that muscle gains can be maximised.
Muscle On The Brain
"A six-week cycle's gonna cost ya $170, lady -- you wanna know
how to use 'em?"
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. |
