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Weight training can be both incredibly fulfilling and sometimes frustrating. A great deal of mystery surrounds effective weight training methods, but it’s key to try to decipher truly effective tips amongst all the information on this topic. Additionally, you need to be open to change and create specific goals for yourself to better understand how to approach your own fitness program.
Throughout 24 years of training experience, I have observed people’s resistance to change. Every Monday in most health clubs and home gyms, hundreds of people are performing the same routine, exercises and repetitions. Change is one of the best tactics to stimulate a loss in body fat, increase strength and endurance, and enjoy your routine. Think of the body from "the inside out." When you lift weights, the body senses stress and its job is to adapt as quickly as possible. When it begins to adapt, you stop seeing results. However, once the training parameters change, the body must re-adapt, thereby accelerating your progress.
Strategic, well thought out change in your weight-training and overall fitness routine is pivotal to ongoing progress and consistency. There are several essentials to weight training. The following tips will help you get started by simplifying key essentials and have you on your way to physical change, increased strength and, ultimately, a more enjoyable fitness regimen.
1. DEVELOP A SPECIFIC GOAL This is where you truly begin. Knowing what you are working toward and creating a mental picture of your goal will determine your weight training parameters and program, as well as increase your focus and dedication. Is your goal to reduce body fat, increase muscle "tone," train for a competitive event, or increase energy? Different training parameters apply for a person who wants to just "tone up" versus someone who is training for a marathon.
The more specific your goal, the more effective your program. Write them down! Make them measurable and realistic (ie. lose five pounds; increase the weight of an exercise by 5 percent etc.) This is where your eDiets journal becomes invaluable.
2. CHANGE YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE EVERY 3-4 WEEKS Periodically change the order of your routine. For example, instead of performing lunges at the start of every leg exercise routine; begin with leg presses, or possibly dumbbell squats. There are many ways to restructure a training session, but switching the order in which you perform your exercises is one.
3. VARY THE VOLUME AND REPETITIONS OF YOUR SETS Stop performing the same amount of sets and reps each workout. Vary the volume of your sets and reps for three weeks. For example, if your legs and butt are a visually weaker muscle group, perform three additional sets of leg exercises for 15-20 reps. Another example: For the next three weeks reduce the number of sets for legs and butt exercises. However, increase your weights by 5 percent and attempt to get 12 repetitions per set. Your muscles will recognize the change and you will see the results. You need not fear "bulking up" if your nutrition program has you in a slight caloric deficit (slightly less than maintenance).
4. VARY THE TEMPO OF YOUR REPS When it comes to tempo, slow repetitions are a popular method, but incorporating various tempos in your routine, from slow to medium speed, can enhance your body. For example, when working toward a goal of shapely shoulders, perform seated dumbbell presses and work at a moderate tempo (one second pushing the weight up and two seconds on the lowering). Then, for your next shoulder exercise, take a pair of dumbbells and perform lateral raises with a four count on the eccentric part of the movement (the downward movement). This provides different rates of tension on the muscle, leading to further progress.
5. VARY THE TIME BETWEEN SETS For muscle and strength gains, many individuals wait anywhere from one to three minutes between sets. A more efficient way is to vary rest time between exercises. If you’re working on your chest, perform a dumbbell incline chest press with a weight that allows you to lift 12 reps per set, taking one minute between sets. Then, go to a dumbbell chest press and use a rep scheme of 12-15 reps, waiting 45 seconds between sets. If you are advanced and add a third chest exercise, perform a dumbbell fly for 15 reps waiting only 30 seconds between sets. You’ll experience a great burn in your chest muscles at this point, as you are stimulating as many muscle fibers as possible. This will also help to stimulate an increase in body-fat loss.
Whether you’re inexperienced or highly experienced, these points will guide you toward effective change and will ultimately keep you enthusiastic, stimulated and most importantly -- consistent.
1. Warm up before a strength training session – Warming up increases blood flow to muscles by about 55 percent, giving you better muscle contraction. Just five minutes of walking or cycling will meet this requirement. Warming your body up also lowers your body's perceived exertion of how hard your exercise session is.
2. Vary your cardio exercises – Alternate between at least two or more cardiovascular activities like walking/cycling, kickboxing/step aerobics or running/swimming. This will optimally develop your cardiovascular fitness, keep your exercising fun and help you avoid over-training and injuries.
3. Incorporate several cardio techniques – Use a combination of continuous, interval, circuit and Fartlek (speed play) training. For example, if you have been walking the same path at the same pace every day, begin to incorporate bursts of acceleration intermittently. The underlying principle is that change is what keeps the body progressing, making improvements and burning fat.
4. Plan your workouts in phases – Organize your workouts into a cyclic structure. For example, for two to three weeks, exercise at a lower intensity for 45 to 60 minutes, and then, for the next two to three weeks, perform 20 to 30 minutes at your highest intensity. The following few, workout at a moderate intensity for 30 to 45 minutes. This cycling of workout structures will help your body become more efficient at fat burning.
5. Circuit train – Perform several strengthening exercises interspersed with a short cardio segments. For example perform a leg press, lateral pull-down and abdominal crunch followed by 3 minutes of cycling. Then repeat another 3 strength exercises followed by 3 minutes of walking. Circuit training has a lower dropout rate, is an efficient calorie burner, increases muscular strength and decreases body fat.
6. Strength train with multi-joint exercises – Choose exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time. This will give you the most mileage per exercise. Examples include squats with an overhead press, stationary lunges with bicep curls, or walking lunges with lateral raises.
7. Exercise first thing in the morning – Morning exercisers have a higher likelihood of showing up. Later in the day, the odds that you’ll skip your workout increase as interruptions arise and fatigue sets in. Morning exercise also helps regulate your hormone response, telling your body to release fat and kick start your metabolism.
8. Eat a “primer” meal prior to working out – Having a small, balanced meal prior to exercise will help you burn fat. After you eat, your blood sugar rises and exercise acts like insulin to help regulate blood glucose. Eating will also give you the energy for a more intense workout – you will therefore burn more calories.
9. Train with intensity – To get the full benefits of exercise, you must graduate from the “pink weights” and moderate walking. Do not be afraid to increase your resistance and challenge your muscles and cardiovascular system. In order to change, you have to push your physical limits beyond what you are accustomed to.
10. Stay hydrated -- In order for fat to be metabolized, it must first be released from the fat cell and then be transported by the bloodstream where it is shunted to the liver and other active tissues to be used as fuel. If you are in a dehydrated state, the liver has to come to the aid of the kidneys and can’t focus on its role of releasing fat. A general rule of thumb is to take your body weight and multiply it by .55 to estimate how many ounces of water you should consume daily. You should consume at least 8 to 16 ounces of water during your workout, especially if it's hot or humid.
11. Exercise using bursts of acceleration and recovery. Research shows that heart rate variability is the greatest predictor of health. To train for the greatest heart rate ranges, perform bursts of activity throughout the day. For example, you can sprint out to the mail box, run in place for 60 seconds or burst up 3 flights of stairs. Your metabolism will remain raised after the burst (known as the afterburn) and will remain elevated for up to an hour or more depending on how intense the burst was. 12. Journal - writing down your goals, having a mission, recording physical activity and logging food consumed are a proven way to get results. Those who commit goals to paper and write out a plan have a higher success rate. You can use a journal that is specifically developed to walk you through the fat-loss process like the one available in the Feminine, Firm & Fit program (www.KelliCalabrese.com) or use a new blank document or notebook to record your feelings, successes, obstacles and achievements.
13. Exercise with a buddy -- Your chances of sticking to an exercise program are higher when you enlist a significant other to exercise with you. Having accountability to a partner is more motivating than exercising alone. Choose a partner who is important to you, who shares in your goals and is of a similar physical ability (or slightly better).
Start by incorporating one of these 13 tips. Choose the one you are ready to tackle and do so relentlessly until it’s a natural part of your life and workout routine. When you have mastered it, choose another item on the list. As the weeks go by, you can watch your body transform before your eyes!
Abs of steel, Ab belt, Ab roller… The list goes on for gimmicks and gizmos used to sell the ultimate six-pack. No matter how we try, it seems the six-pack is reserved for the young and buff. However, if you consider combining just the right elements, you might get the results you desired. Sound too good to be true? Well, read on to discover the 5 best exercises for amazing abs.
Let it be said that 1,000 abdominal exercises a day aren’t the “secret” to chiseled abs -- it’s a combination of cardiovascular activity, diet and genetics. Yep, sorry, genetics does play a part in whether or not you can define those abdominal muscles to the point of an enviable six-pack.
In addition to diet and exercise, great abdominal exercises completed on a regular basis can help you achieve your goal of abs of steel, or at least come close to it. All you need is a fitball, 15 minutes and the eye of the tiger!
Crunches on Fitball (with or without weight) Crunches on the fitball still rate as one my favorite ab exercises. This exercise really helps define abs more than most of the other exercises. Position yourself with back on the ball making sure that it is adequately inflated. Be sure your low back is well supported. Cross your hands over your chest and slowly roll your back down over the ball then begin to lift up feeling a strong abdominal contraction and repeat. To increase difficulty, you can hold a weight across your chest. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Be sure to relax your neck if you feel your it coming in to play.
Abdominal Vacuum This exercise is the best for working your Transversus Abdominis, the muscle that holds your tummy tight. Basically, it’s a thin sheet of muscle running along the sides of the abs joining connective tissue, serving as your body’s natural corset. Every time you suck in your stomach you are using your Transversus. Interestingly enough, the Transversus is the only muscle that allows you to “suck in” your stomach.
Start by positioning yourself on all fours. Keep your back flat. Maintain this position throughout the exercise. Exhale all the air from your lungs. Relax your abdomen and let it relax without increasing the arch in your lower back. Pull your belly button toward the spine (suck your stomach in very tight).
Continue to breathe lightly through your nose, don’t hold your breath and continue to pull your navel in as tight as you can. Hold this position for 15-20 second and repeat 12 times. Work up to 25 repetitions.
The Bicycle The “bicycle” still rates by researchers as one of the best abdominal exercises and is a great one to include in to your ab arsenal.
Begin by lying on the floor with your lower back in a neutral position. Loosely place your finger tips on either side of your head by your ears. Bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle. Slowly go through a bicycle pedaling motion alternating your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Do not perform this activity if you feel any strain on your lower back. Be sure not pull on your head and neck during this exercise.
The lower to the ground your legs bicycle, the harder your abs have to work.
Reverse Ab Curl (Advanced) One of the most common requests I have from my clients is how to work the lower abdominal region, and this exercise serves as the perfect solution.
Begin by lying on your back with your hands close to the body and extended down by your hips. Contract your abs (belly button to spine) raise your legs and feet in line with the ceiling. Then, raise your hips off the floor until you can’t raise them any further. Stop when you feel a full contraction of the abdominals and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat for 12 repetitions and work towards 3 sets of 12.
Double Crunch (Advanced) I like the double crunch because if performed correctly, you can isolate the lower and upper region of the abdominals.
Lie on the floor face up and bend your knees until your legs are at a 45-degree angle with both feet on the floor. Your back should be comfortably relaxed on the floor. Place both hands crossed over your chest or place your finger tips on the side of your head.
Contracting your abdominals, raise your head and legs off the floor toward one another. Focus on the lower and upper ab region while you contract. Slowly return to the starting position stopping just short of your shoulders and feet touching the floor. The key to this exercise is pace, don’t go too fast.
Keep in mind these exercises alone are not the key to the world of great abs. You need to focus on regular cardiovascular exercise, sound nutrition void of junk food and overall strength-training program. The leaner your body becomes, the more likely you’ll be able to sport defined abs. But again, sometimes its far more important to have a strong core to support your day to day activity and avoid back pain than to try to achieve something your body just isn’t designed to do.
The fitness pros at eDiets can show you how to combine exercise and nutrition to get the best results. This is what you’ve been looking for. You will need to make the commitment, but isn’t it time to finally take care of you? Click here to get started.
Nicki Anderson is the owner of Reality Fitness Inc., a private personal training studio in Naperville, Illinois. She is an IDEA Master Trainer, author of Reality Fitness: Inspiration for Your Health and Well-being. Nicki is also the health-and-fitness columnist for Chicago Suburban Newspapers and a regular contributor to numerous health-and-fitness magazines and eDiets. For more information visit, www.realityfitness.com.
Learn how to maximize muscle gain by stimulating your body with the perfect nutrition and workout regimen. Find out what it will take for you to bust through your plateau and start making size and strength gains! Check it out...
In this episode you will learn some tips and tricks to help you gain muscle. We often hear false claims of someone gaining 10 pounds of lean muscle in one month which is humanly impossible.
Don't be fooled into believing that a large percentage is muscle when most of it is due to an increase in glycogen stores, body fat and water.
We will show you the facts so you don't believe the hype and set yourself up for disappointment while trying to mimick a false transformation.
There are two different ways to gain muscle mass. There is the clean way where you monitor your calories closely and slowly gain lean muscle mass while maintaining low body fat. Or there is the dirty way, where you take in an abundance of calories in the off season hoping to rely on a cutting phase to lose body fat and retain most of the muscle gained.
Click Image To Enlarge. Lee Priest (off season), Lee Priest (contest day).
Both of these teckniques work! The question is what better fits your lifestyle.
Learn how important it is to incorporate the "big 3" mass boosting compound exercises. These 3 common exercises are often overlooked or discounted in importance while putting together a weekly workout regimen.
Make sure and alter your workout weekly with different variations of these exercises by simply changing grip width, bench angles, and alternate foot placement which will widen or narrow your stance to target different muscle groups.
Tune in and learn all you need to know to get started toward achieving your fitness goals!
LiftRite Episode #8 Muscle Gain
Stay motivated by seeing results in the way of muscle size and strength. This will help you focus on reaching your fitness goals and aspirations.
The Workout
Don't get stuck in a rut by doing the same workout every week. You will only maintain your current fitness level. Mix it up and stimulate your body to grow by increasing resistance and managing your nutrition to minimize muscle adaptation.
Here is a great mass gain workout regimen to try out if you want to see optimum gains. Remember, you won't get great results unless you manage proper recovery and nutrition outside the gym.
This program requires three workouts per week and there must be at least a day between workouts. The program focuses mainly on compound movements such as squats, bench, rows, deadlifts, dips, etc. Below is a brief overview of the program.
Monday:
Compounds:
Squats 5x5: 5th set should be the same weight as last Friday's triple
Bench 5x5: 5th set should be the same weight as last Friday's triple
Rows 5x5: 5th set should be the same weight as last Friday's triple
You should hit your current 5 rep max at week 4 of this routine. The routine calls for adding 5 pounds per week to each compound exercise. If you fail to get all 5 reps just repeat the same week over again next week. Further details on this routine can be found here.
Train heavy, but also extend some sets for longer tension times. Yes, the maximum muscular force you get from heavy poundages is a get-big stimulus, but you also need extended tension times—sets that last longer than 30 seconds—for extreme muscle size.
That helps you activate even more growth fibers and—this is important—develops the endurance components of fast-twitch fibers (mitochondria, capillary beds and so on). Those things beef up your muscles too.
Extreme muscle size doesn't only come from beefing up the fast-twitch power fibers, so don't just use low-rep straight sets. Techniques like drop sets and even higher reps (12-15) on a set or two can give you that extra layer of mass.
Do your heavy max-force sets first, then finish the muscle with longer tension times for a searing burn. (By the way, that burn also triggers growth hormone release, which is anabolic and has fierce fat-burning power! Remember, the leaner you are, the bigger your muscles look.)
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Workout Tips:
Some tips to enhance your workout are as follows:
Get A Training Partner:
Training partnersmotivate you to try your best during sets, help rack weights, spot you on certain exercises, and most importantly motivate you to not skip workouts. Having a training partner is like leaning against someone back to back, you cannot fall down if someone is leaning against you.
Sip Water During Workouts:
Water is used by your muscles to function, and is thus very important during a workout. The key is not to chug down water, but rather sip a little between each set. A glass of ice cold water is very refreshing between sets, needless to say.
Use The Mirrors:
The weight room mirrors will teach you proper form during your exercises and can be a great motivational tool, to actually see yourself lift the weight.
Keep A Workout Log:
Often we do not remember how strong we've gotten since the beginning of our workouts. A log is a great tool to use as a reference to how many gains you've made.
Even more so than weightlifting increases, we do not notice the change in our bodies from working out because we see ourselves everyday. Taking pictures every month or two is great motivation and reference guide.
Switch Up Your Workouts
If you do not have access to equipment needed in the above workout, then don't hesitate to switch up the exercises. Changing exercises every so often is great to prevent muscle adaptation too. For information on other exercises, visit this link.
Nutrition
While bulking you want to eat more calories (more than maintenance) and also eat more often. So in essence, you will be eating smaller meals than you would if you were only eating three each day (like normal humans). These meals will consist of protein, carbs, and fats.
It doesn't have to be anything big; it could be something as simple as an apple with peanut butter. But you should strive for at least 6-8 small meals a day. By eating more often you will have a constant supply of fuel throughout the day which is a constant supply of nutrients to your muscles to help them grow.
Not only will it do that, but it will also help keep your metabolism up so you don't start adding body fat. You should also be striving for 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight you have. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you want to get between 150-300 grams of protein a day. Each of these meals can be spread out 2-3 hours apart.
Eat protein at every meal - including whey protein, if possible, or BCAAsz. Most bodybuilders know that they need to maintain a positive nitrogen balance via protein intake every two to three hours to enable muscle growth and disable lean-tissue catabolism.
Catabolism Catabolism is the metabolic process that breaks down molecules into smaller units. It is made up of degradative chemical reactions in the living cell. Examples of catabolic processes include breakdown of muscle protein in order to use amino acids as substrates for gluconeogenesis and breakdown of fat in adipose to fatty acids.
Also make sure you take in the correct amount of calories. If you want to gain weight you will need to take in a little more than you expend on a daily basis. Here is a calculator to help you find out a basis of how many calories you need every day to just maintain your current fitness level and body fat to muscle ratio.
Here is a quick food guide to help you balance your meals properly. Consume the correct amount of each food group that will be utilized the best for your particular body type. There are 3 different body types so will genetically react differently to each food group.
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"> Sample Diet:
Meal # 1
2 servings of oatmeal w/ small amount of fruit and non sugar sweetener
6 egg whites
coffee (thermogenic)
multi-vitamin
Meal # 2
Protein Shake.
Another option would be 2 scoops of Micellar Matrix (or your favorite blend) with 1 cup of quick oats and 1 tablespoon Flax.
It is next to impossible to get proper nutrition through whole foods alone! Below I will show you the top 3 supplements that I use for maximizing muscle gain all year around. You will need to prioritize supplements and use them in conjunction to complete the complex formula of proper nutrition.
A recommended daily allowance for the typical bodybuilder is much higher than a moderately active person. You expend much higher amounts of vitamins and minerals while maintaining an active lifestyle and may become deficient in many essential nutrients for gaining and maintaining muscle mass.
The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) was originally developed during World War II to establish a standard of nutrition recommendations for the armed forces, civilians and for overseas population who might need food relief. There were a record amount of deaths and illness due to improper nutrition.
The final set of guidelines were accepted in 1941 which included a tentative set of allowances for energy and eight nutrients. The allowances were meant to provide superior nutrition for civilians and military personnel, so they included a "margin of safety." Because of food rationing during the war, the food guides created by government agencies to direct citizens' nutritional intake also took food availability into account.
As time goes by we learn more and more about the human body and the RDA is subsequently revised every five to ten years. In the early 1950s, USDA nutritionists made a new set of guidelines that also included the number of servings of each food group in order to make it easier for people to receive their RDAs of each nutrient.
Click Image To Enlarge. RDA Food Pyramid.
We should feel lucky that this day in age supplement companies make it easy for us by creating the perfect balance of essencial muscle building ingrediets through years of research and development.
"> Top 3 Recommended Supplements For Muscle Gain:
Multi-Vitamin
Every bodybuilder needs a good multivitamin. I can honestly say that I notice a difference in my daily function when I forget to take my morning multivitamin. My favorite is Animal Pak because it will definately be enough for my active lifestyle.
Whey protein can help speed up the recovery process. I take whey protein in the morning, after my workout, and before bed. With whey protein, no bodybuilder should ever have trouble getting enough protein in their diet. My brand of choice is 100% Optimum Whey. I have tried them all and this brand has the best taste, consistancy, and flavor options in my opinion.
NO is the latest and greatest supplement discovery. It helps recovery by allowing more blood to flow to the muscles. People also love the perpetual pumps they get while on NO. My favorite is NO-Xplode by BSN. This product has a scientifically proven pre mixed supplement stack all in one. Also, NO-Xplode won the Muscle Builder Of The Year and Nitric Oxide Of The Year award for 2005 and 2006!
Now that you have the general knowledge of nutrition and a great new workout regimen, you should be able to apply these elements and begin to see results in no time. Join us next time on LiftRite. Train Hard, eat right and live well!
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