November 20, 2009

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Build Your Chest

First of all when you’re looking to build your chest, you want to make sure that you target your body’s type-one muscle fibers, because they have the most potential to grow.

How do you do that? By diversifying your workout and emphasizing low-reps and heavier-weight in each of your sets. You can also do an explosive, fast movement on the concentric part of the movement. For instance, off the bottom of the pushup you can push hard and fast so that your hands come off the floor and you clap your hands together, then return to the down position slowly for a 2 or 3 count, then repeat.

Some people will disagree with me on this one, but it works for me. The Best Chest Exercise is the WEIGHTED DIP… hands down! Why? It’s very simple, doing dips (and pushups) is the only chest exercise in which you move your body through space, instead of moving the weight through space. .

This is a critical concept to understand, because, moving your body through space (instead of moving iron through space) is more taxing to your central nervous system, which amplifies your brain-to-muscle connections and this causes you to recruit more muscle in every exercise.

Dips work a lot of triceps and shoulders along with the chest. To hang a weight on you you’ll need a dipping belt or a strap or jump rope and you’ll need to be able to perform bodyweight dips. Start out light and do full range movements, keep them smooth and controlled. You can pick up your knees and lean your body forward to emphasize the chest even more.

Next up is the PUSH-UP, yes, that exercise that you’ve done or seen done all your life, but in reality it’s one of the few chest exercises that really demands a lot of strength and agility, because you must execute this with perfect form to get the most out of it. And it works out your abs and back (that’s where you first begin to sag and lose form).

Also, there are so many variants of the PUSHUP that are even more explosive. One of those is the MEDICINE-BALL ARCHBISHOP PUSH-UP; a long name, but this exercise works.

What you do is put 3 to 5 medicine balls in a semicircle, then get in the push-up position and put both hands on the ball to the far right; your chest should be over the ball and your feet must stay anchored throughout this exercise.

Now, move your left hand to the ball at the left and do a push-up, then bring your right hand to that ball. You want to continue moving left, doing push ups until you get to the last ball on the left. Then work your way back across the balls. That’s one rep.

The reason why you want to use the medicine ball is, when you put your hands on a ball, the inherent instability forces your core to work 20% harder than when you do a regular push-up, so this exercise trains your abs and hips to remain stable longer.

Try doing supersets of weighted push-ups with lying cable flies. Have your training partner place a weight on your back for the push-ups. When you do the flies, try holding the peak contraction for 3 seconds, and then do a 5 second eccentric contraction or lowering phase.

Keep your form strict and clean to both prevent injury and to keep from cheating. But, It is acceptable to cheat and heave ho on the last couple of reps.

You can also use resistance bands to do weighted pushups or dips. They don’t require a partner, travel easily and won’t ding the floor. For pushups, just put the band behind your back. you can put it on your lower back to work your core more or up around your shoulder blades. Now put your hands into the band loop and pin it to the floor and go to town. If it’s to loose at the bottom of the stroke, just put a loose overhand knot in the center of the band and you’re set.

For dips, drape the band around the back of your neck so it comes down the front of your shoulders and then place your hands in the band and grab on to the dip bar and have a field day.

You can also use the bands to assist in these movements if you don’t have the strength to move your bodyweight yet.

We only put the bench press last on this list because it is the first you normally think of and we wanted to give you some other ideas. And it is not as functional as the others because you are not moving your body through space. Keep variety in your workouts to keep your body growing and to keep from getting board.

However, you can forge a chiseled chest by doing the INCLINE BENCH PRESS with dumbbells as well, instead of the traditional flat bench.

November 19, 2009

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Exercise Program to Burn Fat.

If you really aim to lose a few pounds the most basic way is to watch what you eat and burn the extra fat stored in your body.

You have to take in 15% - 20% less calories than you burn, and that should be in the form of whole natural foods. If you take in more calories than you burn you will never get to your goal. No amount of calories you burn will be enough to offset a poor diet.

Workouts to lose weight should contain a blend of aerobics, weight-lifting and isometric exercises to increase your metabolism, grow your muscles and increase your strength … all of which burns fat.

If you want to lose a few pounds in the long run, then adapting a workout program to develop muscles would be the best course of action. While lean muscle does weigh more, it’s healthier, takes up less mass on your body and those muscles burn more calories when you do work them… also lean muscle mass consumes fat to power itself.

Workout programs that burn the most fat are those performed with light weight yet consistently repeated. The bane of most people who are overweight is their belly, their gut, their paunch… it is the caretaker of those last, stubborn 3 to 6 pounds.

And to eliminate it, strengthening the core muscles is a fantastic way to reduce the waistline; whether it’s Pilates, an aggressive Ab routine or a trainer-designed callisthenic series of moves and positions, the goal is stay moving as much as possible for the continued sweat.

To lose weight, a strong cardio exercise must also be employed. At least a 20 minute strenuous run (or bike ride or steps on the Stairmaster or treadmill, etc.) every other day will increase your heart rate and your metabolic rate.

During the exercise program, work your way up to a heart rate that would burn the calories and have you sweating in copious amounts.

What’s important to remember when doing workouts to lose weight, is to determine what your optimal heart rate is (which depends on your weight and age) and to maintain that optimal heart rate for at least 30 minutes 4 to 6 days a week while doing intense interval cardio work for about 20 minutes after your weight-lifting session is really a great way to burn the calories, sculpt your body and take off the weight.

Heavy exercise is not necessary to lose weight although this will help develop muscle mass which burns fat faster, eventually leading to a dense but thin physique. When you do hit the weights, you want to do high reps with lighter weights, this increases your caloric use. You could do about 4 sets with 20 repetitions each for a squat exercise involving at least one-fourth of your own weight. You’ll feel the burn the next day and the day after, and the pounds will melt off. (Provided you’re not rewarding your great workout with a pizza.)

Not as quick as if you were taking some questionable supplement, but losing weight, keeping it off and remaining sexy, supple and smooth is a matter of adjusting your diet and maintaining a rigorous workout schedule, just ask Kim Kardashian.

November 19, 2009

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How To Build Lean Muscle Mass

As you start lifting weights and begin to add muscle remember your goal should be to build lean muscle mass. It is one thing to want to get big and strong, it is another to get big just for the sake of getting big. Anybody can get bigger by increasing fat but that goes against what we are really trying to do. What sense does it make to get big if, when you look in the mirror you can’t see your abs or any noticeable definition. To build lean muscle mass you must learn more about nutrition and also add some cardio and strength training to your program.

Four things we must include when we are thinking about building lean muscle

Muscle Confusion
You can build lean muscle mass by cutting down on the rest period and increasing the weight you use for each exercise. 30 seconds rest in between each set is enough time to allow your heat rate and lactic acid build up to decrease. Keep your muscles confused by changing your rest times in between sets and they will respond by getting bigger. This type of confusion training will also help to burn unnecessary calories and help you to gain more lean muscle mass.

Strength Training
There is no way to truly build lean muscle mass without including a strength building routine to your existing routine. Strength training and fat burning go hand in hand and should be included in your overall weight lifting program. When strength training to build lean muscle mass you must workout the larger muscle groups. Increasing your core strength is the goal of strength training and building lean muscle mass. It is essential to work out the Legs, Back and Chest muscles by using compound exercises that target a big area and not only an individual muscle group.
This type of training will release a larger amount of hormones and utilize a larger portion of muscle fiber than just working out the smaller individual muscles and will also allow you to continue to burn calories long after the workout is done. It really is all about building lean muscle and using the best strength training program to bring you to the next level.

Cardio Training
When building lean muscle mass you must include cardio training: stationary bike, walking and using the treadmill will help you attain your goals. Cardio, although at times seems unnecessary, must be done to help our overall physical condition and give us the energy we need to fuel our workouts. While you are building muscle you want to be able to see that muscle but how can you see that muscle if you have a layer of fat hiding it? It’s the cardio training that will let you lose that layer of fat just below the skin. Start cardio training now!

Nutrition And Protein
Nutrition plays a major role in building lean muscle mass and eating the right foods will get you that much closer to reaching your goals. When we talk about bodybuilding nutrition we must talk about protein and consuming the right amount every day. The rule of thumb is to take in approximately 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean muscle mass. This is different than one gram of protein for each pound of body weight but if you are a beginner weight lifter than it will be ok to calculate your protein intake based on total weight. As you gain experience and are looking to really refine your protein supplement then you can use the newer more precise method of calculating protein intake.

If your goals are to build lean muscle mass then keeping these four things in mind will provide a great foundation to get you started and keep you on track.

Start to increase muscle size today or keep complaining about how you look. It is up to you how you look and feel.

November 17, 2009

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The Best Exercise for Lower Abdominals

You’re probably wondering what the best exercise for lower abdominals is. Let me tell you, the secret doesn’t lie on the “what.” Try this for a change: “HOW can I maximize my lower abdominals workout so I could have six pack abs fast?”

Physical fitness is a big industry. Why? Because people like you and me will do almost anything we can to look good, and that includes spending money on gym memberships, dietary supplements, workout tools, and exercise equipment.

It’s great that you want to get toned abs, but you must consider other parts as well. Any successful fitness goal – whether it’s building biceps or, in this case, toning the abdominal muscles – requires you to work your ENTIRE body. That’s why some abs exercise machines don’t give the best results when used alone.

For the best exercise for lower abdominals to work, you need to get in a full body workout. To ensure well-rounded development, you need to integrate all three aspects:

1. Low-fat diet;

2. Regular cardiovascular exercise; and

3. Targeted abdominal workout.

“You are what you eat” – I happen to think that’s true. If you exercise but eat fatty foods and leave out the essential nutrients your body needs to build muscle, you’re only setting yourself up for failure. This is why a low-fat, healthy diet is crucial

Cut down on bad carbs and fats from your diet; eliminate them if you can. Load up on whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, and fruits instead. Stop obsessing about the best exercise for lower abdominals for a minute and think about eating frequent yet small and healthy meals.

It is a fact that following a low-fat, low-carb diet alone is also not enough. You need to work out thrice a week for about 45 minutes to an hour for you to increase your metabolism and, ultimately, develop muscle.

Cardiovascular workouts, such as jogging and swimming, are vital to a complete fitness plan. Following fitness videos are just as effective as exercising outdoors, mind you.

After considering your diet and your cardio workout, you are now ready to put those abdominal muscles to work. What then is the best exercise for lower abdominals?

Leg raises have been tried and tested by people from all walks of life. It’s very simple to do AND you can get so much out of it; it’s unbelievable.

All you need to do is lie flat on the floor, place your hands on each side, and raise both legs gradually until you reach a 45 degree angle. Then, ease your legs back to their original position. Don’t forget to keep those ab muscles nice and tight the whole time.

To add a little variation, you can push upward with your hips when your legs are completely perpendicular to the floor.

Surely, reinforcing the best exercise for lower abdominals with a healthy diet and cardio is a sure-fire way to get ripped six pack abs and a rocking body.

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