Here is a bicep workout for you that we found very useful!

 

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5697576

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2596051

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6319381

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4346748

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5277324

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7678598

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4158542

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

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

Should I Do Cardio When Trying To Build Muscle? - A Short Guide On When To Use It

Many folks wonder whether they should do cardio when trying to build muscle...after all, cardio consists of fat loss exercises used to burn calories and we want to increase our calories when we build muscle not decrease them, right?

In this article I'm going to go over some important points so you can decide for yourself whether cardio should become a bigger factor in your workouts or not.

What Is Your Body Type?

The key to understanding what your cardio needs are and whether you should include it in your muscle building routines, is in identifying your body type. Each body type will respond differently to cardio and affect how you build muscle.

Are you an:

• ectomorph - naturally skinny, finds it difficult to gain any kind of muscle or weight
• endomorph - gains weight and fat easily
• mesomorph - gains muscle quickly but is able to burn fat quickly too.

Depending on which body type you are you will need to approach your cardio differently.

Ectomorphs can probably get away with very little to no cardio when trying to build muscle, while endomorphs and mesomorphs will need to make it a part of their workout routines, since endomorphs will no doubt find that the increase in calories needed for gaining muscle may often create new fat deposits.

What Is Your Priority At This Stage?

Importantly, it is necessary to assess what your current goals are at this stage and what you want to achieve in your workouts.

If your goal is to "bulk up" and you're not too concerned about a little fat gain, since you can burn it off later, then you may want to eliminate or significantly reduce your cardio training until you reach the "cutting" stage.

If you're after a small increase in muscle but more concerned with additional body fat gains, then performing some cardio in your sessions will keep you on track.

For skinny guys and girls I would recommend that you focus on bulking and gaining muscle first (reduce your cardio) and then look to "cut" later. It is easier to focus on one goal at a time than try to do everything at once. Plus the additional muscle gains make will increase your metabolism and make the cutting easier later on anyway.

What Too Much Cardio Can Do

Lack of sufficient rest can prevent your body building muscle tissue,and this can obviously be aggravated by performing a lot of cardio in your workouts, particularly on your "off" days - when you're not lifting weights.

Too much cardio will also eat into your calorie allowance, meaning you have to be ultra careful about how much cardio you do and how this may be affecting your calorie needs.

If your goal is to burn excess body fat while building muscle, the best results from your cardio will be when it is performed at high intensity - incidentally, this can also lead to additional muscle gains.

How Much Cardio Should You Do?

Studies have shown that as little as 15-20 minutes can be enough to burn excess body fat. Ectomorphs can probably get away with less than that.

As mentioned earlier though, the key to success is in the intensity of the cardio that you perform. Make sure you include it into your weight training workouts to avoid having to train on your rest days - it can make a great warm-up before lifting.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5163935

How to Increase Your Bench Press and Build Muscle Mass Fast

Everyone knows to build muscle mass one of the best exercises for the upper body is the bench press. One of the first questions you are likely to be asked by another bodybuilder is 'how much can you bench press?' Whilst it may not be the best measure of overall strength it does have a certain macho feel to it and a big bench press is certainly very impressive. So lets cut to the chase and find out how we can get a bigger bench press:

Grow your triceps. Your triceps are a crucial muscle in performing the bench press and make up two thirds of the muscle mass on your arm. It may well be that under-developed triceps are restricting your bench press progress. The best exercises to build muscle mass on your triceps are using barbells and dumbells: close grip bench-presses and skull crushers. Isolation exercises like tricep press-downs are less effective. They should definitely help notch up your bench press.

Try training your triceps separately. More often than not muscle building programs will suggest that you train the triceps along with the chest. Try training them on their own for a change. Doing this allows you to attack them when they are fresh and really concentrate and focus on hammering them to stimulate growth. Do this for a number of weeks and see how much more poundage you can press.

Variety. have you been following the same routine for a number of weeks or months? time to mix it up then. After your muscles have done the same workout a few times, they have already adapted to it and therefore the need to grow has been removed. Keep changing things, they can be subtle changes like altering the grip width or reversing the order of your routine or they can be larger changes like doing super sets, compound sets and so on, these will give you a real pump by the way.

Make sure you are not doing too much! While with most things in life more is better, in muscle building this is not quite true. If you do too much and overtrain your chest then it can struggle to recover and find it hard to grow more. Instead of focussing on quantity, focus on technique and intensity. A short intense workout is much more effective than a long drawn out one.

Quality rest. Your muscles do not grow on the weight bench! They grow when they are at rest. If you don't allow then enough time to recover they ain't going to get bigger. Of course, never train when your muscles are sore and a good guideline is only do 6-9 sets each session for the chest, more than this risks over training.

Take some time-off. if you have hit a chest muscle mass building plateau then have a break. let your body fully recover, get rid of all the niggles aches and pains and then comeback fresh a week or two later with renewed energy and motivation.

Use negatives as a form of pushing your chest muscle harder during a bench press workout. Negatives are when two spotters (gym partners) help you press the weight up but then let you lower it under full control. We do this because you can actually lower more weight than you can lift. So if we can get the body used to lowering more weight this will help you get stronger for the lifting/effort phase. The lowering/negative phase also stimulates more muscle growth than the effort phase.

Check your diet. Are you eating 5-7 meals a day with approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight? If not then you may be restricting your progress by not following an effective muscle building diet. Each meal should be roughly 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein and the rest made-up of fats. Use supplements if you can such as whey protein, essential fatty acids and multi-vitamins.

Focus on your technique. Are you pressing correctly. Poor technique can shift the focus away from the chest muscles and can also put you at increased risk of injury. Make sure you are not lifting your feet off the ground and that your hands are not too close together, these are two very common errors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2379529

Photo to show you what weights you should be using to build muscle

 

Importance of Workout Schedule for Building Muscle

There are many tools not that talked about in the muscle building world and an important one is on having a workout schedule for building muscle. It is of great importance of having a schedule for building muscle, as it will help you stay consistent and focused throughout your muscle building journey. We will in this article go through the benefits of having a workout schedule for building muscle and what it can look like.

Why do you need a workout schedule for building muscle

The obvious reason for having a workout schedule for building muscle is that it will be harder to get side tracked. Once you have a schedule, you will know exactly when to train, how to train and on which days. Furthermore, if you have a workout schedule for building muscle and exercise the same time each day, you will create a habit in your mind and it will be a lot easier packing your bag and going to the gym.

A simple workout schedule for building muscle could look like the following:

Monday: Chest 
Tuesday: Back 
Wednesday: Rest 
Thursday: Shoulder 
Friday: Arms 
Saturday: Legs 
Sunday: Rest

Benefits of having a workout schedule to build muscle

The above schedule for muscle building is just one of the many you can find. But by having a workout schedule like the one above or any other, you won't look like a question mark when entering the gym, because you know exactly what to work on and you have probably visualized your whole session before entering the gym.

A mistake a lot of people make when starting to workout and not having a schedule for muscle building, is that they a lot of times hit the same muscle twice or more. Your muscles need rest to grow and it is actually on your rest days that your muscles grow to become muscular.

When you don't have a workout schedule for building muscle, the chance for hitting the same muscle repeatedly is increased and by working on the same muscles, your body will adapt to your routines and you will not experience the accelerated growth that you want in your muscle building journey.

However, if you have various schedules for muscle building, with different exercises to choose from, you will keep on surprising your body and surprising the body is the best way to increase your muscles.

If there is one thing I want you to get out of this article, it is the importance of having various training schedules for muscle building. This will not only help your muscles grow faster, but it will also be more exciting to work out. We as human beings like variation and having different exercises in your workout schedule for building muscle is the best way to stay consistent and ensuring yourself your dream physique.

You can either do this by gathering different workout schedule for building muscle from various sources or you can invest in a muscle building program that offers a lot of variety, both in exercises and also in nutrition, which is as important as working out. So make sure to get a workout schedule for building muscle and enjoy the results for yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6226741

The Best Supplement to Build Muscle Revealed!

Finding the best supplement to build muscle is something to cherish considering the large number of muscle building supplements in the market today. Of course, these supplements have a big role to play in gaining muscle mass, yet bearing in mind, from the outset, that the exercise and nutrition components play bigger roles in all of this, will help.

Nevertheless, among the few known effective supplements, one stands out. It is known as creatine monohydrate. Apart from helping to burn fat and boosting strength, it also helps in the development of lean muscle mass within days.

Taking creatine supplement increases the level of creatine phosphate in the muscles which can be taken to be water drawn into the muscles. This is necessary because approximately 70 percent of muscle's overall mass is contributed by water with protein taking about 20 percent while the rest is shared by mineral and high energy phosphates. So, taking Creatine supplement increases the level of water in muscle cells which eventually translates into larger muscle size. The beautiful thing about this is that with a daily dose of 20 grams of creatine monohydrate for 5 days, you can put on 9 pounds of strong lean muscles. Even after you stop using the supplement, its beneficial effects will still be conspicuous particularly when considered from a muscle building perspective.

Creatine supplement is regarded as the best for several reasons. In the first place, depleted adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) can be easily replenished by increasing the muscle stores of creatine phosphate. ATP serves as the "fuel" that facilitates muscle contraction. ATP is used up whenever muscles contract. With sufficient creatine phosphate in the muscles as replenishment for the used up ATP, training harder and consequently building muscle fast will be an easy venture.

Creatine supplement also enhances greater filament thickening by increasing the amount of water in muscle cells. This is otherwise known as greater cell volumisation. Filament thickening occurs when the myosin and actin filaments in muscle become stronger and thicker. This is one way creatine contributes to building muscle fast.

Some recently conducted researches are suggestive of the fact that production of some anabolic hormones may be increased with the help of creatine supplement. Testosterone and growth hormone, two hormones that assist in gaining muscle mass, are among these anabolic hormones.

As mentioned earlier there are also some other effective muscle building supplements like testosterone boosters and protein powder. Both helps with building muscle fast but are no where near creatine monohydrate in terms of rapidity and significant gain.

By Dane C. Fletcher  

One creatine product I recommend is;

Will Lifting Heavy Weights Make You Bulky?

Many people who aspire to good health and a sleek physique, particularly women, eschew weight training because they fear it will make them big and muscular. Many others, particularly men, embrace it for precisely the same reason. So what are the facts? Does weight training, or weight lifting, make you bulky?

Genetics and gender can define the extent to which that happens, as can age. Women have far less testosterone - essential to the process of gaining lean muscle mass - than men, and the process of growth slows considerably with age, although some growth is still possible at more or less any age.

Eat Up, Rest Up and Bulk Up

The received wisdom is that performing limited repetitions with a heavy weight is best for bulking up, whilst increasing the "reps" and reducing the weight is the preferred method for "cutting", or definition. For many gym users the intention is to tone rather than to grow, and to gain strength without becoming bulky or excessively muscular.

And up to a point that is sound, but it overlooks some essential truths. First off, weight or resistance training is only part of the deal if the object of the exercise, if you'll pardon the pun, is to pack on lean mass. Over-stressing the muscle causes it to break down, but it needs to be nourished and replaced if it is to grow. This is where diet comes in or, more specifically protein. Protein is the foundation stone of muscle and without sufficient protein intake the muscle will not expand no matter how hard it is punished. This is one of the reasons why you will see guys in the gym who have been training all their lives and pump impressive weights but still look like the sand-in-the-face man from the Bullworker adverts of old.

On top of this, the recovery process is only made possible when the muscles are given sufficient time to rest. It is a well-established truism that failure to allow the body enough time in which to rest and recover will always lead to failure in the process of muscle development.

Grow With Gravity

This doesn't at all mean that there are not ways of inducing muscle growth which do not involve barbells and dumbbells and clunking slabs of heavy metal. There is increasing enthusiasm for bodyweight exercises, that is using the natural weight of our bodies and the simple force of gravity to provide the resistance needed to stimulate muscle growth. It adopts the same principle and is usually a lot cheaper, but the range of available movements can be limited.

So the answer to the question is that lifting heavy weights can make you bulky, but only if this is what you desire and you stick to the plan. By embracing proven scientific principles and adopting a regime which includes consuming the right foods in the right quantities and taking enough rest, working out with weights which are heavy and become progressively heavier will result in muscle gain.

Phil Andrews is a freelance English-language content writer specialising in articles, web content and blogging. He is the author of The Best Year Of Our Lives, a historical fiction novel set in 1976 about a group of young people growing up in a restless West London suburb beside the River Thames.

 Here is a great video I found to help build muscle, following the last post!

How to Build Muscle

Here is a list of 5 things you need to know on how to build muscle mass. I will cover exercises to build muscle, recovery methods and all the essential information you need to start building muscle as quickly as possible. Only the truth about what really works for people genetically normal like you. So let's start.

1. Gaining strength is key to develop muscles

When people ask me how to build muscle, the first thing I say is that they should add more weight to the bar before trying something else. If you want to grow, you have to gain strength. If you always use the same weight, you'll never get big. This rule applies not only to weight lifting. Some of the most effective exercises to build muscle are bodyweight exercises. You must progress to more difficult levels of any move you make.

2. Use Compound Exercises

Don't waste your time doing exercises like leg extension and Concentration Curls. Compounds exercises (multi-joint exercises that allow you to use more weight) develop muscle faster than anything.

These exercises are: • Squats
• Deadlift
• Pull-ups

• Standard Push-Up
• Military Press
• Bench Press
• Rowing with bar

3. Use free weights and body weight exercises

Your exercises should be done with free weights or body weight resistance (Pull-ups, Standard Push-Up). Those exercises lead to a higher level of neuromuscular activation and build muscle and strength faster.

4. Train at least 4 days a week

When I say "train" I do not necessarily mean lifting weights. You could do three days of strength training and one day of sled pushing or hill sprints. But forget about training three times a week for 13 minutes and then rest for the rest of the week. There are 168 hours in a week. Are you going to train only 90 minutes of those 168 hours? The human body is capable of much more than you think.

If you really want to gain muscle as fast as possible, you should do strength training at least three times a week. Also, you have to do 1-3 sessions of sled or hill sprints. Rest is very important to build muscle but don't be afraid to train hard. The body is very strong and will adapt to that training.

5. Don't let your training lasts more than 60 minutes

Frequent and shorter sessions give faster results than infrequent and longer sessions. When you start training, your body will raise your testosterone levels naturally. In the 45th minute, testosterone levels return to normal and after 60 minutes the body starts producing less testosterone and more cortisol, a hormone that eats muscle tissue and increases fat storage. So don't train more than 60 minutes, or you will not be able to build muscle and gain weight.

John Douglas.