Up Your Training Intensity With HIT

 Are you tired of your current workout routine? Does the thought of doing another chest workout this Monday kill your motivation? Have your muscle or strength gains stalled? If you answered yes to any of these questions, don't worry because you're not alone. The human body is a fickle beast that adapts to training without continual variation. If you're seeing diminished gains or need a change of pace, you should consider bumping up your intensity through the HIT method.

High Intensity Training (HIT) is a form of exercise that utilizes progressive resistance training by way of short, intense workouts that reach muscular failure. While there are many iterations of this style of training that have utilized this approach to building muscle and strength, such as DC Training, Dorian Yate's Blood and Guts system, and Mike Mentzer's HIT training, High Intensity Training was defined and popularized back in the 1970's by the founder of Nautilus, Arthur Jones.

Background:

Until Arthur Jones formulated his beliefs on muscle building, the common adage was to train with high volume made popular by fitness mogul Joe Weider. Employing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the face of bodybuilding through magazine publications and supplement/fitness equipment ads, high volume training was regarded as the superior training style. While not considered as "hardcore" as HIT, high volume training is arduous in its own right, consisting of hours, upon hours in the gym lifting with an incredible amount of volume, in order to induce muscular hypertrophy.

Jones saw a flaw in the high volume approach, as it didn't encourage progressive overloading of the muscle that he believed was necessary. After developing his program, known as the Nautilus Principles (Jones never actually named it HIT) he put his reputation and body on the line, creating the Colorado Experiment in 1973. Performed at Colorado State University, this study examined two subjects, Jones and professional bodybuilder Casey Viator, to test Jones' method and see how much muscle could be gained in under a month. Needless to say, the results were nothing short of astounding with Viator gaining 63lbs in 28 days and Jones gaining 15 in 22 days.

As incredible as these results sound, they should be taken with a grain of salt as Viator was coming off multiple injuries in which he lost substantial muscle he once had. Both men also strictly dieted for weeks leading up to the experiment to insure a perfect environment to gain weight. Regardless of any controversy or not being entirely "empirical, the experiment gave merit to Jones' claims.

The Training Philosophy:

High Intensity Training fundamentally relies on the less is more mentality because there is an inverse relationship between the amount of volume versus the intensity one can exert on a given exercise. While the high volume approach advises repeated stimulation of a muscle, Jones' HIT relies on overloading the muscle over a shorter period of time.

In a given exercise, HIT advocates recommend using the least amount of sets to achieve muscular failure, while performing each repetition in a slow and controlled motion. This all-out set hasn't been proven to be more effective than multiple sets in building more muscle or greater strength, but the theory behind only doing one set to absolute failure ensures that the workout be kept brief to limit any unnecessary movements that'll prolong the recovery period (remember that muscle is built during recovery workouts and not the actual workouts themselves).

To ensure maximum recovery to perform at one's best it's recommended to rest at least 48 hours in between workouts, while not going beyond 96 hours without training because risk of muscular atrophy increases. This works out to a three-day-a-week lifting schedule with four days of recovery. Jones argues that this schedule is beneficial not only for recovery, but also for preventing the body from becoming adjusted to a regular routine. This, along with added intensifiers, will guarantee continual progression.

The All-Out Set:

After reaching muscular failure on a lift, there are intensifiers than can be added to a set to overload the muscle even further. Say a person performs 10 repetitions on a bench press and cannot do an 11th. To add an intensifier to the set, one could perform a few more negatives (having a spotter pull the weight up during the concentric part of the movement and let you lower the weight to your chest yourself), partial reps (moving the bar from your chest to a few inches off of it, not performing a full repetition), or a drop set (after completing the ten reps, take off a certain amount of weight from the bar and instantly try to get another ten reps with the lowered weight). There are many more intensifiers that warrant their own article, but these are a few that can be added to take a muscle beyond failure.

Training Frequency:

With this style of training, frequency becomes one of the most important aspects of it. In a higher volume approach to strength training, it isn't uncommon to see people lifting anywhere from 4-6 days a week (even 7 for the crazies out there) for an hour to multiple hours at a time. If proper rest and nutrition are implemented, this isn't a big deal, as high volume training doesn't use as heavy of weights that tax the CNS system and require more rest.

When training with high volume and not using maximal effort in every set, muscular fatigue is an issue that requires rest to recover from but CNS fatigue is much less common. Often brought on by lifting too heavy, too often with inadequate rest times, CNS fatigue affects one's neurotransmitters, which send signals from the brain to the muscles. With compromised neurotransmitter function, one might feel constantly exhausted while being well-rested and have reduced cognitive abilities.

Because of the increased risk of CNS fatigue and injury, advocates of HIT believe that training should occur no more than three times a week, limiting an hour (at the absolute most) per workout. This will help ensure a proper amount of recovery time per workout and reduce the risk of injury or overtraining.

Risk and Controversy:

Arguably, these techniques this will elicit a greater increase in muscular strength and size since the body will be taken beyond muscular failure, while high volume training will not generate the intensity. This form of training has proven to be very effective, but it's also very hard on the body and requires far more precautions than a high volume training method. One's risk of injury will be reduced if proper warming up, impeccable form, and proper rest and nutrition aren't adhered to.

Sample Workouts:

With one of main principles of HIT being variation, there are is an abundance of ways to set up a workout routine that adheres to the HIT philosophies. Based off the recommended three-day-a-week schedule, workouts can be set up as a three full body workouts, an upper/lower body split (two upper, one lower), or a push/pull/leg split. Exercise choice can be tailored to fit the equipment available or to personal preference, but here's an example of a week using each routine:

Full Body:

Day One: 
1. Barbell Squat 
2. Bench Press 
3. Pullup/Chinup 
4. Stiff-Legged Deadlift 
5. Seated Shoulder Press 
6. Bicep Curl 
7. Triceps Extension

Day Two: 
1. Leg Press 
2. Bent-over Row 
3. Chest Press 
4. Lying Hamstring Curl 
5. Military Press 
6. Skull-Crushers 
7. Concentration Curls

Day Three: 
1. Deadlift 
2. Bench Press 
3. Low Cable Row 
4. Lunges 
5. Upright Row 
6. Dips 
7. Barbell Shrugs 
8. Preacher Curl

Upper/Lower Split:

Day One: 
1. Bench Press 
2. Bent-over Row 
3. Shoulder Press 
4. Pullup/Chinup 
5. Dip 
6. Barbell Curl

Day Two: 
1. Barbell Squat 
2. Stiff-legged Deadlift 
3. Leg Extension 
4. Lying Leg Curl 
5. Standing/Seated Calf Raise

Day Three: 
1. Incline Barbell Press 
2. Single Arm Dumbbell Row 
3. Dumbbell Pullover 
4. Upright Row 
5. Skull-Crushers 
6. Preacher Curls

Push/Pull/Leg Split:

Day One (Push): 
1. Bench Press 
2. Shoulder Press 
3. Incline Dumbbell Fly 
4. Dip 
5. Triceps Rope Extension

Day Two (Pull): 
1. Bent-over Row 
2. Lat Pulldown 
3. Low Cable Row 
4. Barbell Shrugs 
5. Hammer Curls

Day Three (Legs): 
1. Barbell Squats 
2. Stiff-legged Deadlifts 
3. Leg Extensions 
4. Lying Leg Curls 
5. Standing/Seated Calf Raise

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Poor Sleep Habits Cause PCOS Weight Gain

One of the best, or maybe worst, kept secrets about having success at losing weight and keeping it off, revolves around issues with sleep. Many people who have problems with their weight don't understand that the quality of sleep that they have directly affects their ability to lose weight and keep it off. Poor sleep can lead to continual relentless weight gain if it is something that's not addressed. This unfortunately really penalizes women with PCOS even further with their weight loss struggles.

If you look at sleep as a broad category, women struggle with it much more typically then men do throughout our respective lifetimes. For women it is also, as a general statement, harder to lose weight then it is for men. These two things together can make for a really deep seeded problem. If a woman with PCOS has sleep problems as well as weight loss issues, she has got to get her sleep straightened out or she is not going to have success with the weight loss.

Sleep is when the body resets, the mind restores, and the spirit and psyche resolve difficulties. For one who experiences poor sleep, her metabolism as well as her ability to burn calories as fuel is affected.

Sleep problems can really mess up your underlying metabolism and your ability to lose PCOS related weight. Your body resets every time you get a good night sleep, however, when you have had a lousy night's sleep you don't get this reset effect, your metabolism essentially slows down. When your metabolism slows down, your body becomes more and more efficient at storing calories as fat instead of burning the calories you eat as fuel for your daily activities and to fuel your brain. Your metabolism is most inefficient late at night, because this is when your body expects to be resting.

Many women report that the later they stay up, the more they crave foods, especially sweets in the late hours of the night. When women give in to these cravings and eat calories late in the day, they usually wind up being stored as fat because they are not being burned off with activity. This is a fast way to turbo charge weight gain.

Typically, once you are able to establish better sleep habits, such as going to bed at a regular time and getting a full night's sleep, the weight gain will stop. After about three to four weeks you'll notice your late-night cravings starting to disappear and most women will see their weight start to slowly go down. It's important to remember that you didn't put the weight on overnight, and it will take some discipline for it to start to come off and won't happen immediately.

If poor sleep is a fact of life for you as a person with PCOS issues, please know that you must find a solution to it as a part of regaining the ability to lose that PCOS related weight and to keep it off for good. Even if you are doing everything else right, and only your sleep is a disaster, it will sabotage your best efforts for weight loss.

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Gym Routines - What Mistakes Not To Make

What are some mistakes people make in their gym routines which end up costing them muscle growth and strength gains? By looking at what mistakes people make, you can see what you should be doing instead to build a beautifully muscular body.

1. Using Isolation Exercises instead of Compound lifts.

Thanks to the bodybuilding magazine industry, people are convinced that the best way to build muscle is to focus on isolating every single muscle group, and using countless exercise to train them.

This method doesn't work for a very simple reason. Muscle growth is the result of stimulating the most muscle fibres as possible. Isolation by its very nature stimulates very few.

Also, because you are required to spend so long in the gym with isolation, as apposed to compound gym routines, you typically go over the 1 hour deadline of exercise. Once you pass this time limit, the amount of testosterone in your body begins to drop. Because testosterone is so pivotal in muscle growth, you obviously want to ensure the level within your body is at its absolute maximum!

2. Exercising too frequently.

In most activities, the more you do something, the better the results you will receive. In gym routines, this actually isn't true. You do not build muscle while you are exercising; you only build them while you are resting. Exercise is only used to stimulate the growth, you then need to give you body the rest it requires to actually build the muscle.

Anything more than 1 hour of weightlifting gym routines completed 3 times a week is counterproductive and will likely result in you over training.

3. Not getting enough rest.

This is probably the biggest mistake people make. Your gym routine is important, but a solid resting schedule is even more important. The health benefits of getting 8 hours of good quality sleep is well known. Not only is it the only time your body actually builds muscle, but your body releases very important, muscle building hormones while you sleep. You are building muscle and getting growth hormones released at the same time, don't you want to maximise the length of time your body is doing this as much as possible?

4. Using supplements as a basis of diet, instead as a supplement.

Supplements by their very definition are supposed to be used after you have the basics of a good quality diet down pat. If you are not basing your diet around consuming good quality, natural foods that have the nutrients you require then all the supplementation in the world won't help you build muscle. A high quality diet coupled with great gym routines is so important!

Once you have a good quality diet, taking a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, with perhaps a good quality whey isolate shake will help you get closer to your goal of having a beautiful, muscular body.

Avoiding the above mistakes will ensure your gym routines are the most effective, and get you closer to your goal of building muscle.

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Using the Power of Elastic: 7 Ways on How You Can Train Hard and Effectively Using Resistance Bands

I've used weights to train with for many years and still use them in some instances. Nowadays, I stick with elastic resistance bands for training. There are many benefits as to why each person should be using them as part of their overall workout. One of which is that resistance is continuous throughout each movement. In a sense, it mimics functional strength and fitness movements.

Just about anything you can do with weights; you can do with resistance bands. And that's even more so with certain bands. You can take resistance bands just about anywhere, including vacation spots. Some resistance bands are constructed in such a way that enables one to do more. For example, I use the Gym in a Bag ™ system by Flexsolate™. It's a gripless system of different strengths of bands. One exercise I am able to do are jumping resistance squats, using the ankle straps. This is just one of many systems in the marketplace. Find the one that suits you.

I'm going to describe 7 ways that will enable you to train hard using bands. It's important that you know to get the most out of training. Oh, and before we begin. Make sure you use bands that are new. Using an old set make have cracks on them and may snap. You could end up hurting yourself. So, make you also check for any cracks. Replace, if necessary. It's low cost to do so.

Now on to the 7 ways...

1. Train like a powerlifter. Back in my early days of weight training, I trained using the big three. Those were squats, deadlifts and bench presses. Those three lifts worked every single muscle in my body and built massive strength as well as muscles. With resistance bands, you can emulate those lifts and be safer too. Resistance squats can be done simply by anchoring the bands to your ankles. From there, simply bring the other end around your shoulders and neck down to the other ankle. Now you have resistance. Deadlifts can be done by stepping on the bands and holding on to the grips and then lift up. Resistance pushups can be done by bringing the bands around your back to your hands. Adjust by shortening or lengthening the band(s).

2. Train like an athlete. Resistance bands can be adjusted to simulate each athletic event and make it more sports specific.

3. Train like a bodybuilder. Resistance bands can be used to isolate muscles and focus on building the size of each one. By combining this with the powerlifting training, size will happen fast. Make sure to take in enough protein and carbohydrates.

4. Train to burn fat using circuit training. By using resistance bands, one can do 5-10 different exercises in non-stop sequence to increase their heart rate. This form of high intensity interval training is very effective in burning fat. When doing 2 or more circuits, make sure to rest for 1 minute between them.

5. Train to burn fat using resistance cardio workouts. One example is to anchor one side of the resistance band to a stationary point, such as a doorjamb and the other side to your waist. Then do running in place with resistance.

6. Train like a martial artist. Using resistance bands, you can do kicks as well a punching with added resistance. Not only is this effective for the martial artist or any other fighter, it also is great at burning fat. That's especially true when doing the movements in fast, short burst with a short rest between them.

7. Train with a partner. This one is obvious. Having a good partner will keep you motivated as you both have goals and will push each other. You can use a partner in each of the previous ways discussed. Motivation and consistency are important in any fitness program. Having a partner will make each accountable to the other.

I wish you success as you venture into using resistance bands as part of your overall fitness routine. It's great for all areas and can be done anywhere. Even at your place of work or when you are on an airline. I sure did. Have fun too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6713939

Essential Tips For the Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

The incline dumbbell bench press is one of the best movements you can do for your chest development. However, there are important tips that apply to this exercise, as well as to pressing exercises in general, that you must follow to get the most out of the exercise. Here are a couple of essential tips for the incline dumbbell bench press.

1. Find Your Ideal Hand Angle

The way you position your hands around the handles is important for many exercises, but especially the incline dumbbell bench press. Depending on the angle of your hands relative to your body, you can preferentially work the triceps, front delts, or upper pecs.

Since you are probably trying to work your chest with this exercise, get your palms as close to perpendicular with your body as possible. This means that they will be in roughly the same position as if they were wrapped around a barbell.

If you want to work triceps and delts more, turn your palms inward until they are parallel or nearly parallel with the rest of your body. In this position, they will be perpendicular to the position at which they would be for a barbell.

2. Get A Strong Kick-Start To Make The First Rep Easier

One of the hardest thing about dumbbell presses, especially the incline dumbbell bench press, is simply getting the weights into position. However, there are a couple of ways to make this part of the movement go more smoothly.

First, position the dumbbells close to your knee, as opposed to higher up on your thigh, when you're getting ready to kick them up to your chest. As long as you get a strong kick, this will cause them to end up closer to the bottom starting position, rather than further down on your torso.

Second, make sure you kick them up HARD. Unless your leg strength and upper body strength are totally out of balance, you're probably not going to be able to kick your working weights up with too much speed to handle. Getting the dumbbells into position quickly will prevent you from wasting valuable energy.

3. Keep On Learning (and Pressing!)

These important tips will get you started on improving strength, but you must always keep learning more new information to keep the muscular gains coming. For pressing movements, you must work on your arch, your tightness, your speed and power, and many more essential elements.

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How To Increase Your Bench Press Max

Increasing your bench press max can seem like a difficult thing to do sometimes. Especially if you're not sure what will help you get your max up. I understand that this can be frustrating. Which is why I want to share with you how to increase your bench press max.

With the tips that I'll share with you below, you should be able to get your bench max up and be able to put on muscle mass.

First thing that will help you increase your max is to do certain strength increasing exercises. These exercises includes doing dips (possibly with weights added), shoulder press, and close grip bench press.

Doing these three exercises will help you get your bench max up fast. Make sure you go heavy with them.

Another tip on how to increase your bench press max is to eat a lot of protein. This is how you'll be able to get stronger. Your muscles need fuel. And so consuming more protein will help give your muscles just what they need.

You should eat at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Some of the foods that you should eat that will help you are beef, eggs, chicken breast, turkey, nuts, and protein shakes.

Eat every two to three hours. This will give your muscles a constant supply of protein and amino acids.

The other thing you should do is train 4 days a week. Do a 2 day on, 1 day off, 2 day on, 2 days off. This will give you enough time to rest and recover. And will allow you to hit the weights hard every time you're in the gym.

Lift heavy when you're working out too. When doing compound lifts (shoulder press, bench press, squats, and deadlifts), do low sets and reps. Also rest about 2 minutes between each set.

This will help you lift heavy throughout your training session and will help you get stronger in squats, shoulder press, and deadlifts. Which all will help you when you're trying to increase your bench press max.

I understand that getting stronger can sometimes be a difficult thing to do. And hitting a plateau can cause you to become frustrating. So, make sure you use the tips above on how to increase your bench press max.

Make sure you use proper lifting techniques, stretch before working out, and drink plenty of water. Also, use a spotter so that you don't hurt yourself.

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Bench Press Shoulder Injury - What to Do When it Happens and How to Avoid It

Shoulders are among the top 4 most injury-prone body parts of out bodies (the other three being lower back, knees and wrists). A serious shoulder injury can mean a stop to your bench strength routine, or at least a serious slow down.

If it already happened, you need to take it slow. Very slow. If you come back to the gym too soon after your bench press injury, you may end up with a chronic pain for the rest of your life. So the number one requirement you need to fulfill is to make sure your recovery is complete. If you have a chance, go to a sports doctor, rather than a regular one. Sports doctors are very well accustomed to shoulder injuries and will be able to give you the best advise on your recovery and therapy.

If you can't see a sports doctor, make sure you see an experienced specialist and listen and follow his or her advise to the letter.

Do not be your own doctor. Chances are that you are too subjective and too eager to return back to the gym which may do you a permanent harm. You are a weight lifter, not a doctor. And your spotter or piers from the gym, despite of a well-meant advise cannot replace a professional doctor's advise.

When you are ready to start working out again, try to use machines instead of free weights. Machines have pre-defined movement, which separates the muscles better than the free weights. This is a key factor. You need to workout muscles in smaller groups. If you have been through a therapy session, you already know that these are done mostly using machines.

After a break from your bench press workouts, the goal is to make sure you are strengthening every muscle needed to perform a bench press. So rather then going back to your bench press routine, start slower. Use barbell exercises as much as you can. This way, you make sure that the muscles in the uninjured side do not do the work for the other side. This is important in order to develop both sides equally.

Of course, you need to pay a lot of attention to your shoulder exercises too. Again, use barbells if you can and work on all three deltoids parts of your shoulders.

One important thing you need to keep in mind - if your shoulder starts hurting, stop immediately. This is not a 'no pain no gain' thing. It is your body telling you, that there is still something wrong with your shoulder capacity.

Of course, better than dealing with the shoulder injury is to prevent it. The most important prevention technique is a proper warm up. Don't just do 1-2 bench presses with lighter weight. You need to warm up each muscle group that participates in bench press. And that definitely includes shoulders too.

Another very common thing that leads to bench press shoulder injury is excess bench weight. You need to know yourself well. Of course, trying a new max always require going into uncharted territory, but if you so-so do 1 rep with 225 lbs, chances are, that increase to 250 lbs is just too much.

And lastly - always use a spotter. When you see the weight going down and not be able to lift it, the pressure on your muscles and joints is just too great. You instinctively press as hard as you possibly can, even if the effort is futile. In scenario like this, something has to give.

Workout hard, but safe, warm up well and listen to your body rather than your ego, and you will enjoy a long bench press career.

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How To Go To The Weights Gym and Not Be Scared

Don't act tough, just get buff!

If the idea of going to the gym leaves you trembling at the knees you may well have avoided going despite a desire to get buff. The grunt of several large sweaty goliaths, gurning their way to big guns and the clunk of huge piles of iron hitting the floor may have stopped you making the start on those abs you have always wanted.

You will be relieved to hear that this is a common fear among men. They worry about being ridiculed if they can't lift even the smallest weight, they are scared of not knowing what to do, they are scared of bumping into a particularly large fellow and starting a fight with a man shaped bull, but above they are scared of the idea that they are destined to be flabby or weedy their whole life. With this in mind, here are some tips to help you overcome your fear and get yourself on the big gun train!

Clientele

Before you go in, remind yourself that every one of those blokes was standing where you are now at some point. No muscle, scared of going in and not sure what to do. When you enter and some turn to look at your, think of the fact that they are probably all worried that you are judging them. After all you are all obviously conscious enough of your looks to want to go to the gym. Try breaking the ice by asking some advice or by asking someone to spot you. (If you don't know what that is yet don't worry.)

Gym Buddy

A great way to help you overcome this fear is to go with a friend. Ideally someone that can help you get the hang of the machines and other equipment. But if you don't have a friend like that, any friend will do. Once you get into the swing of going to the gym and start to get competitive with yourself it will help to have a friend to bounce off and to help motivate you to keep coming back.

List

If you do go on your own, take two things with you to help you stay focused and to help you forget about being scared. An MP3 player is great for keeping a rhythm when running or when lifting weights and for blocking out the room. The other thing is a small notepad. Use this to note down every exercise you do, how many repetitions you do and how heavy the weight was each time. This way when you come next time you will know what you have to do and what you are aiming to beat so your muscles get bigger.

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Ten Health Benefits Of Cold Showers

When was the last time you were under cold water? Perhaps it was when it started to rain, or your hot water was turned off, and you had no other choice. Civilization has given us comfort, and with it, the many diseases that are caused by poor lifestyle choices. In particular, our body is intolerant to coldness, and we continually strive to get warm in any way possible. But this is all in vain, because cold water is the key to health and vitality!

1. Immunity

A cold shower is an excellent way to prevent influenza and other viral and bacterial diseases. Czech researchers tested the effect of cold water on the immune system of athletes. For two months, three times a week, athletes were immersed in cold water (14 degrees Celsius). The scientists found that during the experiment, two types of immune cells (lymphocytes and monocytes) had an increased presence in the blood.

2. Increased blood circulation

One of the most effective ways to improve blood circulation is by alternating between cold and hot water during a shower. When the body gets cold, the blood vessels constrict. This phenomenon is called vasoconstriction. In this state, the lumen of blood vessels is reduced, and the blood circulates more rapidly.

Good blood circulation is necessary to prevent serious diseases such as hypertension, varicose veins, and a variety of other vascular disorders.

3. Thermotaxis

A cold shower can help people who have chronically cold extremities, or heavy sweating.

4. Weight loss, improvement of metabolism

Canadian scientists have found that exposure to cold (eg cold shower) activates the so-called brown fat. The brown color comes from the large quantity of mitochondria. Heat production from brown adipose tissue is activated when the body is cold. This contributes to the burning of calories, which leads to weight-loss.

5. Helps with depression

A cold shower can even help combat depression. Researchers from the State of Virginia show that cold water stimulates the "blue spot" of the brain, which in turn leads to the development of norepinephrine - a hormone that helps to cope with depression.

6. Improves lymphatic circulation

Since the lymphatic system does not have a heart to pump it, its upward movement depends on the motions of the muscle and joint pumps. Cold shower improves muscle contraction, which then has a positive effect on lymphatic circulation.

7. Deeper breathing

If you are regularly taking a cold shower, you will notice how your breathing becomes much deeper. This is to combat the stress of the shock, the vasoconstriction and the overall need for oxygen to respire and keep yourself warm.

8. Healthy skin and hair

It is known that hot water dries the skin and hair. While cold water makes our hair shine and makes skin healthier. This healing effect is due to exposure to cold water which shrinks pores.

9. Spirits and good health

A quick cold shower during the morning awakens and energizes you for the whole day. This is due to enhanced circulation, which gives the body a lot of energy.

10. Increased hormone levels

Studies conducted in different countries show that there is a positive effect on the testicles from swimming in cold water. Noting that regular cold shower promotes enhanced production of testosterone, which increases libido, and increases the chance of fertilization.

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Growing Your Arms With Effective Exercises For Biceps

Although there are big names from many different body parts, it seems that the biceps are endowed with many of the more popular and well-known names. For example, some people call a bicep muscle the guns, other people call them pythons and some people simply make up their own names or even give them a human name. Regardless of what you call them, however, it is important for you to make sure that you are doing effective exercises for biceps in order to see them grow. Here are a few basic principles to keep in mind that will help you to do so.

The vast majority of people that are doing regular exercises for biceps are going to do a variation of the curl. It is this curling motion that works the bicep, and isolates it quite effectively. At times, it may be beneficial for you to do preacher curls, where you're mobilizing the upper arm and using the barbell. At other times, however, you should do concentration curls or standing dumbbell curls in order to work each muscle individually and work the stabilizer muscles along with them. Getting a good mix of these various exercises will give you the most benefit.

Another thing that you should consider is that it is not always going to be necessary for you to directly work the bicep muscle by isolating it in order to see growth. As a matter of fact, using multi-joint exercises in which the bicep is a secondary muscle is going to give you almost as much benefit as isolating it with the curling motion. Some good exercises for you to consider are the bench press and lat pulldown. Not only will you be able to work out the chest and back whenever you are doing these exercises, the biceps will be right along for the ride.

Something else that may surprise you is the fact that it is not necessary for you to work out the biceps in order for you to see growth. As a matter of fact, working the larger muscles of the body, the legs, can help you to build muscle in all areas of the body. The reason why this is the case, is because whenever you are working these muscles using squats, the seated leg press or deadlifts, you're going to be releasing chemicals into the body that signal it to grow. These chemicals do not confine themselves to the area of the core and the legs that you're working, they are spread throughout the body so you will see growth in your biceps as well. This is something that many people don't realize.

Regardless of whether you work out using multi-joint exercises, working the legs or if you exercise the biceps directly, it is a muscle group that should not be ignored. When you work out the biceps and triceps, you can really enjoy some nice-looking arms that will look good, regardless of what it is that you decide to wear.

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Gym Basics - What Are Straps, Chalk and Weightlifting Belts For?

There are many different types of lifting aids used within the gym environment. You may have seen various muscle bound gym-goers using Figure 6's, Figure 8's and chalk to assist in lifting heavy weights? Have you ever wondered what each one is designed for? What do they do and which ones would suit you and your type of training?

Straps: 
The 2 most common straps used in the gym are the figure 6's and figure 8's.

When training muscles such as back or traps the forearm muscles play a vital role in being able to grip or hang onto a barbell or dumbbell. But in some cases halfway through a session the forearms become so pumped resulting in the fingers not being able hold onto a barbell or dumbbell.

When training with straps the load is reduced considerably because instead of the forearms taking all the weight it is distributed through the strap and wrist resulting in your forearms not getting fatigued as quickly.

Exercises where Figure 6's and figure 8's are needed are exercises such as farmers walk, chin ups, dead-lifts, rows and shrugs.

There are two distinct differences with the 6's and 8's.

Figure 6's are designed so that you not only use more of your forearm muscles, but if the weight is too heavy and you must drop it, the weight will slide out from the strap. On the other hand when using figure 8's you stimulate even less forearm strength and rely on the figure 8 strap to hold the weight. Not only this but if you drop the weight, the strap will remain leaving your arm connected to whatever it was you were lifting. This can become dangerous if performing some exercises.

I recommend using figure 6's for all lift but if you like using figure 8's do not use them with dead-lifts and rows, in case you drop the weight.

Chalk: 
Chalk is used mostly by powerlifters and weightlifters. A lot of gyms don't allow the use of chalk because it can cause quite a mess on the floor as well as get all over the weight plates and barbells.

Chalk is mainly used on rope climbing, deadlifts, power cleans, snatch and squats. Its main role is for the trainer to be able to grip as easily as possible while still using natural grip strength.

The benefit with using chalk is that the trainer can lift heavy weights (mostly on deadlifts) and continue to use the muscles in the fingers and forearms without having to rely on straps (which tend to take a lot of the load off the grip.)

Knee wraps: 
Knee wraps are designed to push your patella down firmly making it easier to glide up and down. Power-lifters believe by doing this they will be able to lift more weight when squatting. Knee wraps also help you at the bottom of the squat by causing a 'bounce' out of the bottom position, which to some is the hardest position.

I recommend to be careful with using knee wraps because if you use them too much they can cause slight tears beneath the kneecap on the patella tendon.

In conclusion, most trainers do not need to use lifting aides. These will help you lift a little bit more weight but this is not necessarily a good thing. Superior technique and good nutrition is the best way to not only achieve your strength and fitness goals, but also live a healthy lifestyle.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6494642

Sleep and Loss of Muscle Mass in Weight Loss

Having the ability to build muscle mass is an asset in this world of worship and beauty that is that of our society. Whether you want to have the appearance of Brad Pitt or Megan Fox, good muscle mass is essential for an impeccable appearance. Many people, not to target women, do not understand, or just do not want to understand, that more importantly in proportion is your lean mass ("muscle"), the lower your percentage of fat.

Low% fat = beautiful body composition = "Nice shape"

So muscle hypertrophy (increase) = decrease in fat% = "Nice shape"

And yes, even for women! And you will not look like HULK, do not worry.

It goes without saying that to maintain our muscle mass is excessively important. This is what raised a very interesting question in me:

Does sleep have an impact on muscle mass?

In recent years, we have seen a decrease in sleep time and an increase in obesity in North America. A link has indeed been drawn between these two variables. However, we can say that lack of sleep creates, as it were, a loss of muscle mass. Of course not. This is only a correlation link.

However, a very recent study has shown that a lack of sleep has a considerable impact on the loss of muscle mass and on the reduction of fat oxidation. This study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (October 2010) compared two groups to assess the impact of a decrease in sleep time (8.5 hours vs. 5.5 hours) on body composition.

"We examine the effect of sleep restriction, designed to approximate the short sleep times of a society, and may compromise the effect of reduced-calorie diets on excess adiposity [... ]. The combination of energy and sleep restriction in overweight adults resulted in a modified state of negative energy balance by a decreased loss of fat and considerably increased loss of fat-free body mass. Our experimental data show that sleep plays an important role in the preservation of human fat-free body mass during periods of reduced caloric intake."

The scientific community has clearly demonstrated the correlation between sleep deprivation and weight loss. A lack of sleep makes weight loss very difficult to achieve, since it has a direct impact on two hormones related to the regulation of appetite. In the occurrence leptin and ghrelin. (If you would like to have more information on the subject, please let me know in the comment section that follows the article).

What makes the study so interesting is that it demonstrates a direct link between lack of sleep and loss of lean mass in a caloric restriction situation.

Thus, it would seem that during a period of caloric restriction, a lack of sleep would cause a metabolic, neuro-endocrine and behavioral reaction that would make your attempts at weight loss excessively difficult.

In clearer terms:

A lack of sleep makes weight loss difficult.

But a lack of sleep during periods of caloric restriction makes a loss EXCESSIVELY difficult.

So keep in mind that it's not all about numbers. It is not so simple to lose weight that you spend more calories than you ingest. Several variables have a very important impact on the possibility of oxidizing as much fat as possible. That's fine weight loss, but what we're aiming for is no more a loss of fat in order to get a body composition worthy of your dreams. For this you need your MUSCLE MASS.

That's why your healthcare professionals such as your kinesiologist, nutritionist or doctor are constantly talking about having a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some factors that will have similar effects to lack of sleep:

1. Stress

2. Poor nutrition (quality)

3. Lack of recovery from your workouts

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9641601

4 Common Myths About Your Abs

Virtually everyone who starts going to the gym wants a perfect set of defined abs; however, what they don't realize is that getting a nice six pack is harder than it seems. Many people associate having great abs with fitness obsessed individuals who spend more time in the gym than they do on anything else. That's simply not true because everyone has a set of abs underneath all that fat covering them. To help you along your journey, I have complied 4 common myths that you can do away with in order to be better focused on building stronger and better abs.

Myth 1: Avoid Crunches

Recently, a lot of people started avoiding crunches due to fitness experts and rehab professionals speaking out against the exercise. The theory is that crunches require you to flex and bend your spine which could negatively impact your spinal discs by pushing them too far out and causing herniated discs. However, the truth is that this issue is still highly debated. Others researchers state that your body position does not have any responsibility in putting pressure on your spinal discs, but the fact of how tightly you compress your muscles that impacts it. In addition, others note that a person's spinal discs can actually realign themselves during crunches instead of pushing them too far out. In the end, if you do have any spinal injuries, you should not be doing crunches. Otherwise, doing a couple of proper sets can only benefit you in the end.

Myth 2: Your Abs Serve No Purpose Outside Of Looking Good

This one I hear a lot from my various clients. However, saying that their only purpose is for looking good is ignorant. Firstly, your abs are great stabilizers. When you contract your abs it helps you stiffen you mid section and stabilize the entire body, especially when doing exercises such as deadlifts and squats. If you don't have a strong core, you will never be able to deadlift or squat a lot of weight. Secondly, the abs allows us to slow down rotations around your body and for hyperextension of the back.

Myth 3: You Have To Do Only "Abs Exercises" To Build Your Abs

Popular to contrary belief, you don't necessarily have to do abs specific exercises in order to build your abs. Exercises such as deadlifts and squats still work your abs due to them being engaged in order to stabilize the muscles during the lift. In addition to these exercises, even something as simple as a push up can force your abs to work indirectly. Think of the push ups as a plank position except made more difficult by the motion of pushing up and down and you'll get the idea. Therefore, you do not have to directly do abs exercises for your abdominal muscles to still get a solid workout.

Myth 4: You Don't Need To Do Any "Abs Exercises" To Build Your Abs

As I stated above, you don't necessarily just have to focus on doing abs exercises in order to get a nice set of six pack abs, but you still have to do abs specific exercises in order to strengthen your midsection completely. While doing deadlifts and squats will help in improving core strength and stability indirectly, doing exercises such as the Swiss - Ball Pike Rollouts can effectively and directly hit your upper abs, lower abs, and oblique's all at once.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7039041

Why You Need Creatine and Why You Need It Now

Some people look at creatine as some sort of steroid. They see it as an unnatural substance and if one uses it they look at them as cheaters. When in fact the people who are using creatine are not cheaters but smart people who want to look and be at their best. Also, Creatine as a substance is actually more natural to the human body than processed grains or sugars. Supplementation with creatine will not only increase lean muscle mass but will also increase testosterone levels as well. So take a step back and watch and learn why you need creatine and why you need it now!

What is Creatine:

Creatine is a natural substance that is present in almost all vertebrates. Creatine is a very important key component in skeletal muscle metabolism. Not to mention creatine has many scientific studies behind it meaning that it is proven to work and it is one of the most researched and respected bodybuilding supplement right after protein powder.

How Creatine Works and Why You Need It:

Creatine works immediately right after digestion. Right away it binds to a phosphate molecule to form creatine phosphate and this acts as storage reservoir for regenerating ATP. ATP is the chemical source of energy for all muscles in terms of muscle contraction and quick short bursts of energy. Creatine phosphate is an important source of ATP energy in muscle tissues and countless studies have shown that creatine works too.

If you're a bodybuilder, sprinter or any kind of athlete you will need creatine because it increases the power output of short bursts. Also, like I said in the above paragraph creatine will increase lean muscle mass and increase protein synthesis.

Creatine and Testosterone:

You will also need creatine because it is proven to increase testosterone levels. It does this by converting into dihydro-testosterone. Now, dihydro-testosterone is the strongest known androgen known to man and as a bonus it won't even convert into estrogen.

Don't believe me well check this out a recent study done in 2010 on rugby players showed that creatine increased dihydro-testosterone by a whopping 56%. Thats not to bad, and remember this, the more testosterone flowing through your veins the merrier!

Get Your Creatine Online:

- Creatine comes in two forms, it can either come as capsules that you consume once a day or you can have it as a powder that you mix with water.

- This link is the creatine capsules that we recommend

- This link in the creatine powder that we recommend 

Get your creatine online because buying creatine online is cheaper than buying from your local health store. Not to mention you will have a larger variety of different types of it online than in your local health store.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8676641

Intermittent Fasting And Bodybuilding: How to Make It Work for You

Is it just a flash in the pan or is it here to stay? Intermittent fasting seems to have come out of nowhere in the past few months. It has been popularised by the likes of Brad Pilon, Dr. John Berardi, the Hodge Twins and Martin Berkhan but in actual fact, intermittent fasting has been around a lot longer than that. Intermittent fasting which is actually a pretty fancy (sometimes off putting) phrase for what is essentially two windows - a window when to eat and a window when not to eat.

Intermittent fasting and bodybuilding can work for you if your goal is to build muscle and to get lean and here are 3 reasons why.

1. Recent studies have shown that it is in actual fact total macros and the total amount of daily calories that account for muscle growth and not the amount of meals and the timing of them. Essentially what this is saying is that as long as you get the required amount of calories in the 24 hour period it doesn't matter when you get them. So as long as you get you required amount of calories (a surplus of your TDEE is needed in combination with a progressive training routine) in your eating window you will gain muscle.

2. One facet of intermittent fasting bodybuilding that people complain about is the amount of food and calories that need to be consumed within the eaten window. Although you most likely will need to adjust if you are currently eating 6-8 small meals a day, over a period of a couple of weeks you stomach will adjust to eating larger meals. I found it very difficult to eat large meals in the beginning but with in a week or so I adjusted and now I have no problems putting away large amounts of food in one sitting. Take your time with the adjustment period and don't expect to be able to switch over night.

3. Remember, like everything else intermittent fasting isn't an exact science and if you need to extend our eating window from say an eight hour eating window to a nine hour window to accommodate your total calories and meal requirements, that's fine go ahead and do so. Like any program it's important to find what works for you. Intermittent fasting, bodybuilding and building muscle can work together and the beauty of it is if you find that sweet spot that works for you you'll get the benefits of intermittent fasting while maintaining or building your physique to a bodybuilding level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7514054

Side Effects of Steroids - Be in The Know!

There are so many side effects of steroid use, but some people do not understand just how serious the side effects of steroids are.

Here are some things that you have to know about the negative effects of steroid use:

The body wants to successfully maintain a hormonal balance, but when you take steroids, you are automatically sending a signal to the body to shutdown its natural production of hormones. Though, the level of hormone inhibition actually varies depending on the type of hormone taken.

Orally ingested steroids may affect the activity of the liver. Research has shown that the level of liver enzymes increases after taking oral steroids. Some professionals say that this is a symptom of possible damage to the liver.

One of the common side effects of steroids is increased levels of "bad cholesterol" in the body and decreased levels of "good cholesterol". Many so-called "safe steroids" actually increase the level of estrogen in the body which can cause female-like breast tissue in male steroid users. Female steroid users may develop masculine deep voices, enlarged clitoris and growth of body hair.

Athletes who make use of steroids may end up experiencing increased nasty oozy-puss-filled acne! Another common effects of using steroids is increased aggressiveness. Though this particular effect is more likely to affect steroid users who are known to be quite aggressive; there are even some steroids that are known to stop the growth of people who use them before they have even finished growing! The person will never grow an inch taller! This condition is irreversible!

Sterility in male and females is also a side effect of steroid use. This is because the body's hormones are altered during the use of these steroids. Although, there are Alternatives to Avoid Side Effects of Steroid use, as mentioned above, some effects are simply irreversible no matter how hard one tries.

Other effects of steroid use include high blood pressure, changes in the body's immune system, enlarged prostates, kidney problems and so on.

Alternatives to Avoid Side Effects of Steroid

1. Do not use steroids...at all!

2. Getting involved in extra curricular activities one way to avoid the effects of steroid use, this is because exercise cleanses the body of harmful toxins and keeps the body in really great shape.

3. Search for safe alternatives that will help you to enhance your performance and appearance. There are many supplements on the market that contain safe and natural ingredients to help you achieve your goal of having lean muscle.

4. Develop will power to steer clear of steroids no matter how tempted you are to use it. Remember, there is no such thing as a "good steroid". Many steroid manufacturers tell outright lies to get people to purchase their products - do not be fooled!

It is important to always keep in mind that the negative effect of steroids is no child's play. People who use steroids have experienced horrible effects, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6620824

Cranking The Intensity Up On Your Muscle Building Shoulder Workout

If you want to experience explosive muscle growth from your muscle building shoulder workout program, there's one thing that you must always be going for - intensity.

By far, one of the biggest reasons that many guys are not seeing the results that they're going for with their workout program is simply because they are not performing their workouts with enough intensity that will generate more lean muscle mass building.

Those who are just going about their workouts, doing the actions but never really putting forth that high level of drive that's necessary to take the body to a new level are going to be highly disappointed in their results. Often, what you think is an in 'intense' workout isn't even close to what you could potentially do and it's only when you really get yourself on a program that was designed with intensity in mind that you really see what this factor of your workout program is all about.

Let's take a quick look right now at a few of the methods that you can use to crank up the intensity of your shoulder workouts. If you are sure to implement one of these into your program plan, you can be certain that you're going to be on the road to size gains.

Decrease Your Rest Periods

The first method that you can use to boost up the overall level of intensity is to decrease the amount of rest you're taking. While you can make no mistake about the fact that if you want to lift heavy you need to be using more rest than if you were lifting lighter, this does not mean your rest periods need to be 3-4 minutes long.

That's a high amount of overkill and is just going to kill your results dead. Instead, keep your rest periods to about a minute. Force your muscles to recover faster and hit them again with that heavy weight. This is a very quick way to directly boost the intensity and help your body deal with fatigue.

Consider Drop Sets

Second, another great way to boost the intensity on your muscle building shoulder workout is to consider adding some drop sets to the mix. Drop sets will be where you perform one set at the weight that you would normally lift and then immediately after that set is completed, you'd drop the weight down by five or ten pounds and then crank out a second set.

Doing it in this manner is a great way to challenge the muscles and help get past any strength plateau you're experiencing.

Just do note that you should never perform every exercise in your workout with drop sets as that's far too much for the CNS to handle.

Pair Shoulder Movements With Leg Movements

Third, you may also want to consider pairing together your shoulder exercises with some lower body movements as well. This upper/lower superset fashion will keep the heart rate higher and keep you moving along without having to actually stop and take complete rest.

Your shoulder muscles will still get a chance to recover though as you do the lower body exercise, so you won't see a hindrance in how much you can lift.

Instead, you'll get a nice spike to your testosterone levels due to the ongoing nature of this protocol.

Start With Isolation and Move To Compound

Finally, the last thing to consider doing if you want to push the intensity of your muscle building shoulder workouts to a new level is to start with an isolation exercise and then move to a compound one. This is precisely opposite of what most people will do and will quickly bring about strength and size gains.

Again, don't do this every single workout, but on workouts where you need a change of pace, it's definitely something to consider.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5487402