Keeping Fit is A Daily Battle

Muscle mass is considered significantly for the bodybuilders.

Muscle mass can be developed by following a perfect combination of balanced diet, workout and supplements. Read further to gain knowledge about the correct strategy for augmenting muscles.

Contract the Muscles – Muscle growth is directly proportional to the degree of contraction of muscles. Perform the negative technique to put excess burden on muscles and gain muscle mass.

Fish for Food – Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which increases the sensitivity of the muscles towards insulin. Insulin sensitive muscles have increased capacity to store glycogen and facilitate easy entry of amino acids in the muscles.

Enhanced Intake of Sodium – Sodium increases the storage of carbohydrate in the muscles and the amino acids are also absorbed at an increased rate in the muscles due to the presence of the optimum amount of sodium in the body.

Increase the Weights – Muscle growth is proportional to the amount of force muscles endures. Increase the weights lifted to build the muscle mass fast.

Balanced Diet – Low calorie does not support in the muscle mass building process. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are required in excess quantity to build muscle mass.

Take a Break – Continuous training puts lots of stress on the muscles. Ample rest is also required to allow muscles to recover from the strain of workout. Ample rest augments the process of anabolism and restores the glycogen.

Protein Intake in Night – Bodybuilders diet includes four to six meals in a day. Supplement the diet with the protein shake in the night to enhance the absorption of the nutrients in the body.

Powerlift – Go for six to twelve rep range as it increases, both the strength and size of the muscles.

Combination of Three – Glutamine plays an important role in muscle building. Low level of glutamine inhibits the muscle growth. Creatine is essential to produce ATP, the energy molecule. Creatine releases energy in the muscles. Branched Chain Amino Acids provides the body with nitrogen required to build muscles.

So you want to lose your belly fat quickly? Fed up of those love handles? Well the answer is to burn off a more calories than you take in. It really is as straightforward as that! One of the keys to burning fat is to speed up your metabolism. The 5 tips below are designed to ensure that your workouts maximise the calories you burn and get your metabolism going!

1. Use More Multi-Muscle Exercises

If you want to lose weight fast, forget about those isolation exercises that body builders use to define certain muscle groups. Choose exercises that allow the most load. Lifting heavier weights will build muscle quicker, and muscle burns fat! So choose a range of lifting exercises that cover your largest muscle sets and that allow you to lift the most weight. Lifts like the bench press for chest and arms, or squats for the legs are good examples. By performing all over body workouts you’ll hit all of your larger muscle groups to ensure maximum calorie burning, your larger muscle groups will burn more calories than the smaller muscles and increase your metabolism.

2. Rest For Less Than 60 Seconds Between Sets.

Keeping your rest periods under 60 seconds will keep your heart rate elevated, thus burning more calories. To help, alternate between leg exercises and upper body exercises, that way you keep your heart rate up but allow different muscle groups to rest to ensure you can keep lifting heavier weights. Only do 2 to 3 sets of around 8 repetitions.

3. Eat A Balanced Diet Of Natural Products

Don’t starve yourself to lose weight. Let exercise burn the body fat. Make sure though that you eat less calories than you plan to use up each day, and stick to natural products rather than processed foods and junk foods.

4. Allow 5 Days Rest Between Your Weights Workouts

When you’re trying to lift heavy weights, you need to allow your muscles time to recover and grow. The growth burns calories and will reduce your body fat ratio. You need to allow 5 days minimum for the muscles to recover and grow after a heavy workout. If you do, you’ll be able to lift more quicker as the muscle grow stronger. Over training will vastly reduce the benefits you see from your workouts.

5. Get On The Treadmill or Out On The Roads

Forget all the fancy machines in your gym! Running burns more calories per hour than any other exercise. So get on the treadmill (or get some fresh air) three to four times per week, and try and run for longer each week. The more minutes you run for, the more calories you’ll burn. Try to run for between 40 – 60 minutes each time and the weight will drop off quickly when coupled with the weight lifting. You should look to vary your runs. For example do some 60 minute runs at a steady speed, then do some 40 minute runs where you run in intervals, which means run fast, then run slow, then run fast again. Interval training will improve your stamina and burn a lot of calories. Lifting heavy weights will tone your body, you don’t need all the fancy machines that most modern gyms offer … run for lengthy periods and lift weights, that’s really all you need to do!

If you do your cardio training on an empty stomach in the morning, you’ll burn up your blood sugar reserves quickly, and then your body will have to turn to your stored body fat for fuel. So by doing your cardio exercises early in the morning before breakfast you’ll burn more body fat than if you exercise later in the day.

Follow these five tips and your stomach fat will disappear quickly to give you the flat, toned stomach you are looking for.

Creatine monohydrate can help you build muscle, make you stronger, and get you leaner.

A number of studies have proven that when creatine supplements are used, together with exercise, significant gains can be made in muscle, strength and endurance. It has also been shown to improve muscle strength and decrease recovery time following a work out.

Creatine monohydrate works best for activities that require rapid or intense effort. Activities such as weight lifting to build muscle and sprinting are examples of this type of activity. If you’re a marathon runner, you may not see the same type of results.

About 93% of all the creatine in your body is stored in the muscles. The reason it is stored in your muscles is that it plays a key role in providing your body with a boost of energy needed to perform work.

The normal energy cycle of the muscle requires a substance called Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP to fuel it. The muscle usually has enough ATP on board to fuel a burst of work lasting about 6 seconds.

Creatine restores the ATP to a state where it can act as fuel for the muscle and continue the burst of activity for about another 6-12 seconds. This is how it helps to build muscle.

A good analogy is to think of the muscle as if it were a high performance engine. ATP is the gas for your engine and creatine is an octane booster that allows you to get better performance from your engine.

The most common effects of creatine include bigger muscles and increased production of muscle tissue.

This translates into more repetitions, more weight lifted and/or the ability to sprint faster. More work equals more muscle and more muscle equals increased strength and endurance.

In addition to helping to build muscle, creatine has been shown to decrease muscle soreness and recovery time needed between work outs. Obviously, being sore can be a negative factor when it comes to working out.

Activities such as jogging or running may not benefit as much from creatine supplementation as weight lifting. The muscles work slower for these activities and seem to be able to restore ATP at a rate that meets the need.

Creatine occurs naturally and can be produced by the body. It is found in beef, pork, salmon, cod, herring and tuna.

But it’s impractical to eat the amount of food needed to achieve the amount of creatine supplementation you desire. Creatine supplementation also allows you to know the exact amount of creatine you are getting.

The normal dose for creatine is between 5 and 10 grams per day. For the fastest results you can “load” the muscles by taking between 15-20 grams of creatine for approximately 5 days.

Once you’ve loaded the muscles, you can maintain the creatine level by taking the normal creatine dose approximately 30-60 minutes before a work out.

Because it is excreted through the kidneys, and due to the increased risk of dehydration, creatine supplements are not recommended for people with kidney disease.

When you first start taking creatine supplements you may notice an immediate gain of weight of between 2 to 5 pounds.

Creatine causes your muscles to store more water which seems to assist in building more muscle. This is a side effect that causes many people to think that creatine is similar to anabolic steroids. Creatine is an amino acid and does not build muscle in the body the same way that steroids do.

The results of creatine supplements vary from minor to significant depending on the person using them. A number of factors come into play that affects the outcome.

Age, sex, work out intensity and frequency as well as how much creatine store you start with all play a part in the results you will achieve.

If you suffer from any chronic illness or are on prescription medications for your heart, blood pressure or other medical conditions you should always consult your medical provider before taking creatine.

If you’re looking to build muscle using only safe, effective ways, creatine may be the supplement to help you do it.

The amount of muscle you can achieve is regulated by testosterone, also known as the Holy Grail of muscle growth. Quite simply, testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body and is one of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle you can ultimately build. Here is just a small handful of the many amazing benefits that increased testosterone levels will provide you with: Increased muscle size and strength, decreased body fat levels, increased sex drive and sexual endurance, improved mood and decreased levels of “bad” cholesterol.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well it is, and in this article I’m going to outline 10 simple steps to naturally elevate your testosterone levels and achieve all of these incredible benefits. While these steps will not result in “steroid-like” muscle gains, they will definitely contribute to your overall bottomline results.

1) Utilize combination exercises as the foundation of your fitness routine. I’m talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, chin-ups, dips, lunges and military presses. Going to the gym and following the training that places your muscles under the largest quantity of pressure will compel your body to add to testosterone production.

2) Always put forth maximum exertion and intensity when preparing. You must be willing to really push your body to its physical limits if you hope to build muscle. The more stress you put on your muscles in the gym, the more testosterone your body will create.

3) Exercise your leg muscles just as hard as your exercise your upper body. You may already know that growth in the chest, back, and arms will be stimulated by intense training of the legs. The increased testosterone produced through leg training exercises is one of the reasons for this.

4) Increase your EFA consumption. Necessary fatty acids that come from origins such as peanuts, avocadoes, healthy oils such as omega 3 fish oil and flax seed. To boost testosterone levels naturally, nothing beats olive or canola oil.

5) Minimize your consumption of soy. There is a direct negative effect on testosterone levels when the estrogen levels in the body increase, which can be caused by soy protein.

6) Limit your consumption of alcohol. Alcohol has been shown to have quite a dramatic effect on testosterone levels, so try to limit your “binge drinking” nights and keep your alcohol consumption in moderation.

7) Up your dietary consumption of cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage and brussel sprouts have all been shown to dramatically reduce estrogen levels, thereby raising testosterone.

Reduce your everyday stresses. When you have too much stress, your body releases the catabolic hormone “cortisol” and this makes your testosterone levels drop dramatically.

9) Have more sex. Becoming sexually aroused increases oxytocin in the sytem which increases the production of endorphins and raises levels of testosterone.

10) Make certain that you get enough sleep each night. Insufficient sleep may result in a reduction of your testosterone levels due to the production of cortisol.

To boost your muscle size and gain strength, implement these techniques regularly for a noticeable difference.

YOU PROBABLY HEAR it a lot, casually thrown around in your gym, the fact that, “Weight loss is all about revving up the metabolism”. Your body’s physical shape is very closely connected to its rate of metabolism, which simply refers to all of the body’s physical and chemical processes that use energy.

“It’s calculated as a basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body burns per day at rest,” says clinical nutritionist, Dr Nupur J Krishnan. Metabolism varies vastly from person to person, depending on factors like age, sex and weight.

If you starve yourself in the morning, the signal that your body gets is that food supplies are low and whatever meal comes in next has to be stored as fat. Fruits contain fibre that is essential for the metabolic process.

”The normal BMR range is 1,200-1,300 for women and 1,400-1,600 for men. People with a sluggish metabolism may find it difficult to lose weight,” adds Dr Krishnan.

If your doctor finds your metabolism slower than normal and you’re having a hard time losing weight, here are 10 tips from the pros on how to speed up the burner.

Build muscle
The body burns more calories in maintaining muscle tissue than it does with fat. Regular cardiovascular exercise that trims fat, and weight training that helps build muscle mass will definitely rev up your metabolism.

“Weight training is the best way to raise your metabolic rate and burn more calories. It adds to your overall weight loss – the more lean muscle tissue there is, the more calories the body burns at rest,” says fitness expert Leena Mogre.

“Weight training causes muscles to breakdown and then rebuild themselves better when you’re resting, which increases muscle mass, which in turn increases metabolic rate,” says Ritesh Patil, fitness consultant and operations manager, Sykz Gym.

Aerobic exercise
Any form of cardiovascular exercise raises the body’s BMR for over an hour or so after the workout. “People with very sluggish metabolism are often advised more cardiovascular workouts to increase their rate of burn,” says Mogre.

Small, frequent meals
You stimulate your metabolism every time you eat. So six small meals a day will actually help you burn more calories than three large ones. The body utilises multiple packets of nutrients in smaller meals much better than it does a single load of nutrients from one large meal.

“Keeping up this eating pattern will boost your BMR in the long run,” says Mogre.

Never skip breakfast
It’s the first meal of the day when you literally break your fast after eight to 10 hours of sleep, so a good breakfast provides a critical energy surge as you begin your day.

“A proper breakfast also keeps your energy levels high throughout the day,” says Anjum Shaikh, chief nutritionist, Sykz Gym.

Skipping breakfast could actually leave you piled with extra kilos of fat. “If you starve yourself in the morning, the signal that your body gets is that food supplies are low and whatever meal comes in next has to be stored as fat. Starving yourself for too long also leads to muscle breakdown,” says Mogre.

Don’t cut off carbohydrates
The first thing most of us do to lose weight is cut down on carbohydrate or starchy food.

Bread, pastries, pastas become off limits. “But drastically reducing carbohydrate intake can reduce the body’s metabolic rate. You have to eat enough carbohydrates to keep your metabolism high. And cutting carbohydrates totally is never a good idea,” says Shaikh.

Pack in the proteins Protein-rich foods like egg whites, chicken, fish, dal, and sprouts don’t directly cause your metabolism to shoot up. “But protein and calcium absorbed by the body through milk and milk products will help strengthen your bones, increase your lean body mass, and thus your BMR,” says Shaikh.

Managing thyroid trouble
Improper functioning of the thyroid gland, which manages your body’s metabolism, can slow down weight loss. “People with hypothyroidism don’t produce enough thyroid hormone, which leaves them with a slow metabolism. But it’s not impossible for them to increase their metabolism,” says Dr Krishnan.

Eating right is critical. “Avoid foods like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, turnip, broccoli, soyabeans and tofu. These are rich in goitrogens, a substance that interferes with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Those suffering from hypothyroidism should especially avoid these foods,” says Shaikh.

Drink lots of water
Water is directly involved in the metabolism process and the more you have of it, the higher your BMR. But that doesn’t mean indiscriminately gulping down 10-12 glasses per day. “It’s no longer a blanket rule applied to everyone. If you sit at a desk in an air-conditioned space, you don’t need 12 glasses of water a day, simply because there’s hardly any loss of water due to sweating.

Up to eight glasses a day is good enough to keep your metabolism running,” says Dr Krishnan.

Trim the trans fat
The reason is simple. Too much fat or oil intake increases the body’s fat percentage, which slows down metabolism. “Avoid junk food and oily snacks – they only make your system sluggish and lower your metabolism,” says Shaikh.

Metabolism boosters Complex carbohydrates and high-fibre vegetables and cereals burn more calories than simple carbohydrates and are more likely to get your metabolism going than a large serving of French fries.

“Eat lots of colored vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, red and yellow capsicum. These are rich in anti-oxidants and phytochemicals that help the fat burning process,” says Dr Krishnan.

Muscle building like cricket is a gentleman’s game and only the apt players should go for it. Many fitness gurus are found to say in this way. Reason? The idea of muscle building is, in each and every way, a grueling task and only the adept persons can perform that. Now there is a question. You can certainly ask how we can exclude you from the list of adroit persons! Well we are not doing that. But it’s also true that many alleged competent performers fail catastrophically. If you want to have a ride, you may go but be always cautious.

However muscle building is one of the most wonderful processes that develop the self-respect within an individual. It will also build up your self-respect if you are able to go with it. Now how should you move on? This is the most important knowledge and you will realize the robustness of the processes consequently. You shall have to concentrate on three steps that include exercises, diets and rest. None of these are lesser than the other and therefore must be attended with the same vigor. There are in fact many who hail exercises above the other two. Though this notion is found among the majority of people, this is abominably wrong and the execution of it can produce adverse results.

Do you know what the ideal exercises are in this regard? If you do not know, you must have a consultation with the professional trainer at the gymnasium close at hand. He is the best person to advise you and can also bring you out from your inner squabbles. If you take my advice, you should go for the strength training. It is a proven fact that no other exercises can help you to build muscles in this way. You can discuss with the trainer and he will also advise you in the same way hopefully. In the strength training you should opt for the exercises that exert tremendous pressures on your muscles and help them to grow accordingly.

Many do practice weightlifting for this and this is considered as the best by the fitness gurus. Nonetheless, make sure that you use the dumbbells during exercises in contrast to the classy machines. The dumbbells help you to work on different muscles at the same time and there is also hardly any side effect. Eve if there is any such, it is certainly your fault.

If you have become informed of exercises substantially, you should pay heed to diets. This is highly important and should be observed systematically therefore. There is an essential need of the rich presence of proteins and carbohydrates always since they will nourish you. During exercises you undergo several losses. These diets help you to pay off those and also to develop muscle fiber. If you are an admirer of junk foods and also soft drinks, you must stop those at once. Try to have the best quality fruits, vegetables, lean meats of animals like chicken, turkey and also fishes.

Try to have good rest through sleep.

by Michael Jans

No body wants to be “fluffy.” Being muscular is not only healthy but it is also physically attractive, cool and… really sexy.

A body that features a pair of “love handles” and a nicely rounded belly isn’t very attractive or sexy anywhere or anytime… but it’s especially unattractive and definitely not sexy when you stick it in a swimsuit and take it out to the pool or beach. Like it or not, MUSCLE is more attractive than fat!

Physical fitness is based on the development of muscle and the simultaneous loss of fat. You want to KEEP the muscle that you have and build on it, while getting rid of that “fluffiness.”

These four pillars of muscle building are eternal and unchanging, no matter your age, sex, or starting weight:

1. Strength Training 2. Cardio Training 3. Diet 4. Mental Training

If you leave out any one of these four pillars of muscle building, your efforts will fail. Also you can’t build muscle on just one pillar at a time. ALL of the pillars must be used from the very beginning of any muscle building program for you to be successful.

Muscle Building Pillar #1: Strength Training

All of the muscle building programs that I’ve ever seen start with strength training… generally weight lifting. Weight lifting is a good strength training option but it isn’t the only one.

Body weight exercises can be used instead of or in conjunction with weight lifting. If you do a push up, you’ve lifted your body weight. If you do a chin-up, you’ve lifted your body weight.

Muscle Building Pillar #2: Cardio Training

Cardio training is more often than not called aerobic exercise. Walking, jogging, cycling, cardio machines, aerobic exercise classes are all cardio training options.

Muscle Building Pillar #3: Diet

The idea here is to nourish the muscle while dropping the fat, and doing it without starving the whole body. Starvation diets and “fad” diets simply don’t work over the long haul and “low carb” diets are not good for producing results when you want to build muscle.

A somewhat reduced calorie – but nutritionally balanced – diet is the one that will work. Eat healthy and depend on the additional exercise to burn the fat.

Muscle Building Pillar #4: Mental Training

Most people think that the insurance height/weight tables can tell them how physically fit they are. They also believe that a scale is the only tool needed to find out whether a physical fitness program is working. That’s just wrong.

The weight to height ratio is important, but it’s NOT the only factor. The mind must toss out old worn out fitness ideas and accept the fact that percentage of body fat is a much more important factor than a number on the scale – and the way that clothes fit and how you look is an even more important factor.