Thursday 23 August 2012

3 days Splits or 5 days?


Bodybuilding

Are 5 day Splits More or Less Effective than 3 Day Splits ?


This will depend on the trainee. For some, training 5 days a week is too much while for others it's too little. But for most people whose goal is to increase mass, 5-day splits are far superior.

3-day splits are mainly used for strength training, where the trainee wants to be able to have plenty of recovery time to fully recover their muscle and nervous system because their workout consists of lifting heavy reps and high intensity training.
5-day splits, on the other hand, allow trainees to consistently work on their muscles and exert stress; therefore stimulating more muscle growth. In addition, working out five days a week will burn more calories than three days a week.

On the other hand, 3-day splits can be beneficial to someone who is new to weight training. However, that can only be made possible if those three days consist of light and total body training. That will prime the new trainee's muscle and nervous system for harder workouts. A new trainee can still benefit from 5-day splits as well. Working out 5 days a week will keep the new trainee motivated and teach them the proper dedication bodybuilding requires.

Almost all trainees whose goal is to gain mass can benefit from using this type of training. However, the 5-day splits will probably benefit a more experienced trainee than one who just started because an experienced lifter is more primed to handle the amount of workload 5-day splits impose upon the body.

Trainees who will benefit the least from this kind of training will be those whose aim is only to gain strength, such as the power lifters. Working out five days a week is calling out for overtraining for power lifters since they will not have enough time for recovery.
For those whose goal is fat loss, 5-day splits are definitely a good choice. By training five days a week (along with cardio), trainees will lose a lot calories and thus priming for fat loss.

The 5-day splits can be used for both mass gaining and fat loss training. As you can see, it is versatile as it allows many different training techniques and exercises to be chosen from. Try it out and see how it goes!

Wednesday 22 August 2012

What muscles are made off?


Bodybuilding - What are Muscles Made Off ?

Muscle is composed of bundles of muscle fibers or myofibers. Each fiber is composed of myofibrils, which, in turn, are composed of myofilaments. The myofilaments are made up of two proteins called myosin and actin. The myosin and actin act within the smallest functional unit of muscle, the sarcomere, to produce a contraction.
It is the myosin protein, however, which holds the key to the differences in muscle fiber types. In general, there are four different fiber types in skeletal muscle. These four include:
- Type I, also known as slow-twitch or slow fibers
- Type IIA
- IID
- IIB, also known collectively as fast-twitch or white fibers

Speed, Size & Endurance:
Type I are the slowest, smallest, and have the highest level of endurance of all the fibers. Next come the Type IIA, IID, and finally the Type IIB, which are the fastest, largest, and least endurance oriented in the group.
Muscle Contraction:
As you contract a muscle, you'll recruit those muscle fibers in a specific order. The smallest (lowest threshold) fibers, the Type I, are recruited first. As the speed or force of contraction is increased, you will sequentially recruit the Type IIA, IID, and IIB muscle fibers. However, to recruit the Type IIB fibers it may take over 90% of a maximal contraction!

Fiber Concentrations:
All people are born with these muscle fiber types. Most muscles contain almost an even split of slow (Type I) and fast (Type II) fibers. There are a few exceptions, however, as the soleus muscle of the calf is prominantly slow twitch, while the gastrocnemius muscle and the hamstrings are prominantly fast twitch.
Also, individuals on opposite ends of the athletic spectrum like sprinters and marathon runners for example, may possess a higher percentage of one fiber type.
Well, in order to obtain maximal muscle size we must regularly train all of our muscle fibers. A combination of bodybuilding (higher and lower rep), powerlifting, and even a little Olympic-style lifting may be best. Bodybuilding seems to stress the Type I and IIA fibers, while the IIB fibers may be best stimulated through powerlifting and Olympic lifting.
The IID fibers are perhaps stressed equally by all three forms of training. 

The key to long term progress in bodybuilding can be summed up by one important word: Variation!

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Squats


Bodybuilding - King of all Leg Exercises : Squats



 
The king of all leg exercises. This movement is the number one mass builder for legs. If you want to build massive wheels... you will have to squat. And squat with good form. When performing this exercise... check your ego at the door.

Take some weight off the bar and perform them correctly. That means arch your back and squat deep. The top of your thighs should be parallel with the floor (or below)! This will ensure a full range of movement - which means maximum stimulation (and maximum growth).

I see way too many people load the bar up to 405 and move the weight 4 inches up and down. What are they really trying to achieve? Perform slow, controlled reps. Do not bounce the weight back up or you will damage your knees.

Stick your butt out - as if you are sitting down into a chair. And remember to spend plenty of time warming up! Do a high rep set of 20 to 25 with very light weight before doing your working sets. I typically perform 4 to 6 sets of squats - as I like to pyramid up the weight. When performed correctly, this exercise will hit the Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes!

Monday 20 August 2012

Calf workouts

Bodybuilding - Mass Building Calf Muscles' Workouts


It is important to know that for many people the calf responds to higher reps. See what works for you but for most you need to be doing at least 15 reps per set. You want to concentrate on really feeling the calf contracting during the set and get a good stretch at the bottom of the movement and a hard contraction at the top. Do not bounce during the movement. You want to make sure that during both the concentric and eccentric part of the movement is nice and slow and controlled.

Workout #1:
Standing Barbell Calf Raises 4x15
Seated Barbell Calf Raises 4x15
Donkey Calf Raises 4x15 

Workout #2:
Standing Barbell Calf Raises 4x15
Standing One-Leg Dumbbell Calf Raises 4x15
Seated Dumbbell Calf Raises 4x15
Workout #3:
Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises 4x15
Standing One-Leg Calf Raises 4x15
Donkey Calf Raises 4x15

Workout #4:
Calf Press on Leg Press Machine 4x15
Machine Standing Calf Raises 4x15
Machine Seated Calf Raises 4x15

Workout #5:
Calf Press on Leg Press Machine 4x15
Standing Barbell Calf Raises 4x15
Machine Seated Calf Raises 4x15

Workout #6 (Smith Machine):
Smith Machine Reverse Standing Calf Raises 4x15
Smith Machine Standing Calf Raises 4x15
Smith Machine Seated Calf Raises 4x15

Workout #7 (Bodyweight):
Standing Bodyweight Calf Raises 6x15
Standing One-Leg Bodyweight Calf Raises 6x15

Sunday 19 August 2012

Overload - Force your Muscles to grow

Bodybuilding - Overload and Force your Muscles to Grow

A muscle must be subjected to a stimulus that compels it to adapt and grow. If there is no reason for a muscle to grow, no hypertrophy will occur. Muscles increase their strength and size when they are forced to contract at levels close to their maximum.

Much more weight can be lifted with compound exercises than isolation movements. More weight, more overload and in turn more muscle. A compound exercise is a movement that involves more than one major muscle group. It involves a primary muscle and one or more secondary muscles.

An example of a compound exercise would be the barbell squat. The primary muscles are the quadriceps and the secondary muscles are the gluteus and hamstring muscles.

An isolation exercise targets just one muscle. Isolating a muscle during resistance training limits overload and muscle fiber stimulation, therefore it limits growth. Dumbbell flyes are an isolation movement for the chest, removing the shoulders and triceps out of the movement.

A common reason people do flyes is to shape the muscle. This is impossible to do- you cannot change the predetermined, genetic shape of your muscles. You can, however, make them bigger which may appear to change the shape.

Isolation movements require less weight and limit overload. They have their place in any training regimen, but not to increase muscle size.

Overload is the primary objective when muscle hypertrophy is the goal. Going through the motions will not produce results, you have to push your body to new limits in order to see increased development. Since heavy weight is the most influential stimulus for muscle growth, you must continue to strive for greater overload.

Saturday 18 August 2012

Muscle Growth = Intensity

Bodybuilding - Intensity, the Key to Muscle Growth

Intensity is defined as exceptionally great concentration, power or force. It is what separates those that make modest gains over the years from the ones that make massive gains year in and year out. If you look around the gym, it is easy to spot the people that train with a lot of intensity.

Training with maximum intensity will literally force your muscles to grow, it leaves them no choice. They have to adapt - they have to grow. Intensity and overload is the key to muscle growth. Don't expect to see gains if you spend your time in the gym socializing, reading, or watching television.

The amount of stimulation you are able to deliver to your muscles will effect how much they respond and develop. It is not enough to simply put in intense effort and try harder by going through the motions and using momentum. Increasing the weight without controlling the movement will not produce results.

Intensity is almost more of a psychological factor than a physiological one. It is generated from the degree of your motivation. How badly you want to see gains. When your body screams "stop!" and you ignore the ache and keep going, you force your muscles to grow and respond. Intensity will be your key to success, regardless of what muscle group you are training.

The mental intensity you are able to generate will cause physiological effects. Muscle protein accumulation and repair occurs when the rate of protein synthesis increases.

The rate of protein synthesis in the muscle depends on the rate of entry of amino acids into the muscle cells. And the intensity and duration of muscle tension directly influences amino acid transport into the muscle cells.

As the intensity and duration of muscle tension increases, amino acid uptake and the rate of protein synthesis increases. So protein synthesis is the basis of building muscle and can be increased by training with high intensity.

Time and workload are two factors that can be manipulated in order to increase intensity. Doing an increased amount of workload in the same time will surely make your workout more intense. You could also do the same amount of workload in less time.

So add more weight to the bar, take shorter rest periods or do both to increase intensity. Again, do not do this at the expense of jeopardizing your form and concentration. Remember, motions mean nothing.

Friday 17 August 2012

Squats

Bodybuilding - Squat Supplements

Squats are the main diet for the powerlifter, Olympic lifter, football player, track & field competitor and every other competitive athlete. But there are many assistant exercises that deliver that extra for squat strength and quad development. These assistant exercises offer coordination and balance to specific muscle groups to execute squat performance and quad development. So, whether that boost is strength, power, size, or a combination of them all, assistant exercises play a very important factor in the squat.

The squat is a strength and mass builder. Squat assistance exercises are done for shaping, and also strength. Let me explain. Bodybuilders are not interested in getting their squat to an all time max as a powerlifter is. Not all of them anyway. The competitive bodybuilder uses squat assistance exercises for shaping. But, the powerlifter is more interested in serious strength gains.

Assistant squat exercises give an extra boost on all strength levels. Absolute strength, limit strength, starting strength and explosive strength. For those of you who are not referenced to these terms and those of you who need "strength" defined let me explain. Strength is the ability of the muscle to exert maximal force at a specific velocity.

There are many assistant exercises that can imitate the squat itself. Like placing your legs on the leg press or a hack machine with the same feet spacing you would for squatting. Assistant exercises can be box squats or reverse-hyper extensions, famed exercises performed by Louis Simmons students, step-ups, single leg presses, and many others. This is all good, but you ask why step-ups? Well, think about it. Step-ups are in all conventional terms a one legged squat. This specific assistant exercise will benefit you in gaining leg strength, the same as the single legged press would but with the added benefit of balance. Any individual who desires a good assistant exercise for squats should give single leg presses a try.

I hope you realize that one leg can't press what both can, so, start off light increasing your weight each set until you get to a good working weight performing 6-10 reps on each leg. When doing leg presses or hack squats place your feet together and try 20-reps for each set. I recommend only 2-3 sets of those. They're pretty grueling! I am sure your legs will be ready to explode after all that. If those of you whom have access to a "Reverse Hyper" - I highly recommend whole-heartedly to do them. Do reverses about 3 times a week, 2 sets of 15-20 reps each. Remember, start out slow and light and then add on 5 to 10 lbs. a week.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Huge Legs

Bodybuilding - Building Huge Legs

The basics of developing a set of mountains for legs begins with that exercise all true bodybuilders have a love hate relationship with. That's right, the squat! The squat is the core of any leg program. Do not give me any of that pansy importance of isolation exercises, if you give a full out and intense effort, giving all you could possibly give with your human body on your squats, you don't even have to worry about any other leg exercises.
If you have a bad back or knee problems, the leg press is a good alternative to the squat, as it will allow you to add more weight, but make sure you never sacrifice form for weight.

The next foundation that needs to be incorporated into the leg workout is the lunge. Amazing, that is all I can say about lunges. The legs you will develop doing heavy lunges make all the pain worth it. Lunges work the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Lunges will take your legs to the next level, but as I said already, proper form is more important than anything. Many top bodybuilders swear by lunges, and you will also once you incorporate a set of heavy ones into your workout and watch your legs grow by the week.

The final foundation that you will want in your leg workouts will be the leg extension and the leg curl, alternated every week. The reason we are alternating these exercises is because this will allow the specific areas to recover, and also for maximum stimulation by being able to use heavier than normal weights when you come back. Forget the isolation, focus on building the mass. You cannot shape a muscle, you can only build it. Why not give your quads and hams some extra rest time each week, and then come back and blast them with "isolation" exercise and watch them grow fast.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Nutrition rules

Bodybuilding - No-Nonsense Nutrition Rules


1. Take The Time To Eat Breakfast In The Morning.
Breakfast should include complex carbohydrates and clean protein. Essentially, complex carbohydrates provide energy and the protein ensures that the body has material readily available for rebuilding tissues.
Combining the complex carbohydrate with a protein stabilizes blood sugar levels and stokes the metabolism. Fail to provide your body with the energy that it requires to function properly and it will feed off of your muscle tissue and ultimately hamper your metabolism. A good combination here is a bowl of oatmeal, eggs, grapefruit and a cup of coffee.

2. Eat Five To Six Small Meals Per Day.
This one requires some planning. The "meals" referred to consist of a protein, complex carbohydrate, and a fibrous carbohydrate. Some good combinations include:
Chicken/Brown rice/Broccoli
Tuna/Medium baked potato/Green beans
Lean cuts of beef (once a week)/Sweet potato/Salad
Salmon/Quinoa/Asparagus

3. Eat Every Three Hours.
This also requires some planning. Eating every three hours keeps the blood sugar/insulin levels stable throughout the day, controls cravings, prevents binging, reduces fat storage and keeps the metabolism burning hot.
Since you hear the word "metabolism" quite frequently in conjunction with nutrition, let's take a quick look at what it means. Basically, "metabolism" is the rate at which your body burns through food. When you hear that someone has a "fast metabolism," this simply means that the person's body is efficiently using the calories derived from food whether active or at rest.
Here is the thing; eating frequently makes you burn more calories. On the contrary, missing meals immediately slows the metabolism, triggers the body's starvation response and thus sounds the death knell for fat burning.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

How to increase metabolism & enhance Fat-burning

Bodybuilding - How To Increase Metabolism, & Enhance Fat-Burning

1. Maintain A Healthy Weight In The Off-Season
The metabolism is adversely effected when one consumes a large amount of food, for a certain period of time. In fact, the term yo-yo dieting stems from many peoples attempts to lose weight, whilst reverting to bad eating habits, when they should be sticking to a sensible approach.
The body will simply adapt to maintaining a low metabolic rate if it has to continually adjust to a sharp decline in calories, for a period, followed by engorgement. This has obvious implications when it comes to losing weight when it counts (pre-competition for example). Attempting to lose fat at a rapid rate will also, inevitably, result in losses in protein, and, as discussed in detail later, a net loss of muscle protein means a decrease in metabolism.

2. Eat More Frequently, With Smaller Servings
Eating smaller servings, on a frequent basis, serves to keep the metabolic rate constantly heightened, and helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. A constantly stimulated metabolism means fat-burning over a longer period.
Stabilized blood sugar prevents the hypoglycemia that occurs when one eats a huge meal and feels tired and lethargic soon afterward, due to low glucose levels to the brain. The body is more likely to store fat when in a hypoglycemic state, due to a spike in insulin levels.

3. Train With Weights
This is an easy one given bodybuilders, and other fitness enthusiasts (for the most part), train with weights. Weight training builds muscle and muscle stimulates the metabolism to a significant degree. Bigger, more muscular, bodybuilders, ironically enough, tend to have more efficient metabolisms by virtue of muscles fat-burning effect.

4. Eat Sufficient Protein
Protein will stimulate the metabolism far more efficiently than either carbohydrates or fat, due to the energy demands of amino acid utilization.
In fact, eating a meal high in protein will stimulate the metabolism by as much as 30%, as opposed to fat or carbohydrates which increase it by around 4%. Furthermore, protein will heighten the metabolic rate for around 12-hours after eating.

5. Begin Dieting Early
One should allow plenty of time (at least 12 weeks, depending on the type of shape they are in) to lose all visible body-fat. Doing this will ensure only a small amount of fat will need to be lost per week (about half a pound) as opposed to a significant amount in a small space of time.
Dieting too close to competition time (which logically requires dropping calories to low) will send out a signal that the body is approaching a state of starvation, which results in the body shutting down the metabolism to conserve calories for this time of famine.

Monday 13 August 2012

The importance of Water

Bodybuilding - The Importance of Water

Fat Metabolism:
Water is not only a natural appetite suppressant, but it actually helps the body metabolize stored fat. When the body does not have a good supply of water to draw from to perform required physiological tasks, it will draw water from inside the bodies cells, including fat cells, in order to perform the desired tasks.
Any fat stores in the body that are drawn on for water, are less likely to be mobilized and burned off as energy, resulting in increased fat stores over time if you were to remain in a constantly dehydrated state.

Kidneys & Liver:
In addition to this, did you know that the kidneys need a specific and plentiful water supply to function properly? If the kidneys are functioning at low capacity, they will recruit the liver to pick up the slack. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat for the body to use as energy.
It is only logical to say that if the liver is half occupied doing what the kidneys cannot do on their own due to lack of water, then it will not be able to perform its own functions, metabolizing fat being the most applicable in this case, with full effectiveness. So if it is metabolizing less fat, than it only goes to say that full fat loss cannot be achieved.

Water Retention:
In addition to hindered fat loss, one of the most common misconceptions is that drinking water cause water retention. The truth is the exact opposite. Lack of water causes water retention. The reason for this is that the body perceives the shortage when it is provided with less than it needs thus causing what is commonly referred to as "survival mode", retaining every least drop that it can.

Water & Exercise:
Water aids in enhanced muscle tone and contraction during exercise. It also helps maintain our performance and effort during exercise, and in turn our physical results.
If you are experiencing excessive hunger, excessive water retention, lack of muscle tone or fatigue during exercise, water consumption may be a huge factor in the negative effects you are experiencing.
The average active person needs far more than the standard 64oz. of water to function optimally. Perhaps you could purchase a 20 oz water bottle and focus on drinking at least 4 or 5 of them in an effort to consume 80oz - 100oz per day. This amount would be more appropriate to compensate for both bodily functions and physical activity.

Sunday 12 August 2012

Combination Training

Bodybuilding - Combination Training for the Best of Both Worlds

There is no one best program, as no program will produce results forever. Eventually, you will adapt and become immune to whatever program you are on. At this point you can either be a stimulus addict and just stick with the program you're on even though it is not producing results or you can wise up and switch to another program.

This is a hard concept to grasp when you are actually on a training program that is working extremely well. During this time it is easy to have the illusion that progress will keep coming indefinitely. Even when progress comes to a screeching halt, many trainees find it hard to "break up" with their beloved favorite program.

Similar to a bad relationship, the trainee often looks back to when the program was great and ignores the reality that it is no longer working in the present. Do not be this trainee. Do not be so attached to one training system that you cannot benefit from another training system. Do not make the mistake of being addicted to the stimulus of training that you overlook the fact that you are not making progress.
Just clocking in hours at the gym is not going to guarantee that progress is eminent. Just as clocking in hours in a business or job is not going to guarantee that you will make more money. You have to work smart not just hard. 

One option that works very well with training is to switch gears every three to four weeks. For example, do three weeks of high volume training such as 10x10 (ten sets of ten). Then switch to some moderate volume training with a higher intensity such as 5x5.
Finally, go to a low volume higher intensity program in which training with maximum weights is the goal. While the concept sounds simple enough, it requires discipline to move from one program to the next. Why? You will often be making great progress in week three as you get used to a program.
Once you switch to a new program the first week or two are uncomfortable as you adapt both mentally and physically. Once you get used to the program, it is time to switch again and that my friend is exactly the point. Rather than wait for the program to stall in week five or six, we stay one step ahead of the curve by switching gears before it is too late.

Saturday 11 August 2012

About your Heart

Bodybuilding - About your Heart

Bodybuilders train their muscles, but they often neglect the most important muscle of them all - the heart. Your heart is a great indicator of your level of fitness. Training your heart can improve all aspects of your health. Your heart can even be used as a guide to help improve your training and, more importantly, customize training to your body. When you understand how the heart works and how it can be used as an amazing tool for training, you will appreciate exactly how much the heart matters!

Your heart is between one to two times the size of your clenched fist. Contrary to popular belief, it is not located to one side of the body - it is located almost in the exact center of your chest. Due to the shape of the heart and chest cavity, the heart pounds against the chest wall on your left side, so the heart rate is stronger when felt there. Your heart is responsible for pumping about six quarts of blood throughout your body, with about the same amount of force that the average person applies when squeezing a tennis ball.

The heart is not under voluntary control. A system known as the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, is responsible for regulating your heart rate.

There are many ways to measure how healthy a heart is. A healthy heart should beat with a fairly regular rhythm that will change based on levels of exertion and oxygen requirements. A healthy heart has a high stroke volume, which refers to the amount of blood that is pumped out with each beat. A healthy heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood, so the resting heart rate of a healthy heart will be lower than average. Blood pressure is another indicator of heart health and should be in the healthy range of around 120 over 80, as determined by the national average.

Various types of training have different effects on the heart. Training that elevates the heart rate for even brief durations can increase the size of the heart. This will increase the stroke volume, and result in a lower resting heart rate. Training can also increase the rate at which the heart recovers from a bout of intense work. In other words, a trained individual will return to their resting heart rate faster than a sedentary individual. Exercise has been shown to lower blood pressure. In addition, regular cardiovascular exercise can increase the concentration of hemoglobin in blood, allowing the body to become more efficient at transporting oxygen to the cells that need it (as well as removing waste products such as carbon dioxide).

Friday 10 August 2012

Interval Training for Weight Loss

Bodybuilding - Interval Training for Weight Loss

The theory behind interval training is this: By mixing bursts of high intensity work with low intensity periods of recovery, you're overloading both the aerobic and anaerobic systems at the same time, getting the benefits of both aspects of training simultaneously. You can realistically get a complete workout in thirty minutes with interval training.

How Is It Done?
Begin as you would on any other day. Start at an easy pace and gradually increase your heart rate for at least five minutes. You can monitor this by taking your pulse for fifteen seconds and multiplying it by four or using a heart rate monitor. When you're sufficiently warmed up, you're ready for a burst of high intensity work. If you're on a treadmill, break into a jog or a sprint, depending on what "high intensity" means to you. During the high intensity periods, you're decreasing your body's ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide.

You begin to feel the "burn" as your body eliminates lactic acid (a toxic by-product) and your muscles begin to lose their ability to contract. You wouldn't physically be able to maintain this level of intensity for long.

When you begin to wear your muscles out, decrease the intensity level to something that you could maintain for a longer period. Don't slow down so much that your pulse dips too low, though, or you will lose the aerobic effect completely. Now, you're in the "active recovery period". Your body's ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide increases and it can deliver nutrients to your muscles. The burn goes away and your breathing and heart rate slow down slightly. You have completed one cycle.

Repeat this process of maxing out and recovering your anaerobic system for at least thirty minutes. The high intensity periods should be shorter than the active recovery periods, especially at first. You might walk for five minutes and then run for one when you begin to introduce your body to this type of training. As you become more adept, increase the time you spend in high intensity periods. Forcing yourself to sustain long periods of high intensity activity is dangerous, so do use caution and work yourself up gradually.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Supplements for Recovery

Bodybuilding - Supplements for Recovery

Glutamine:
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and makes up more than 60% of the amino acid pool inside muscles. Following an intense bout of exercise, it can take hours before your body is able to rebuild its supply of glutamine.
Symptoms of overtraining are associated with low levels of glutamine and this leads to a serious problem with recovery. By supplementing with glutamine you may support your body's ability to recover from strenuous training. Glutamine also helps to increase protein synthesis, aids in the health of the gastrointestinal tract, and enhance immune functioning, all of which are vital for proper recovery.
BCAA's:
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are one of the most important supplements for improving recovery. They are comprised of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The most important of these three amino acids is leucine which is used up at the highest rate of all BCAA's. It, together with the other BCAA's, can increase protein synthesis, prevent protein breakdown, and speed up recovery.
Whey Protein:
Whey protein is a vital supplement for recovery. Protein in general is used by muscles for repairing and rebuilding, but whey in particular has numerous benefits in aiding recovery that go beyond the basic benefits of protein consumption.
Whey is rapidly absorbed, easily digested, and has the highest concentration of BCAA's of any source of protein. It is best consumed immediately after a workout when it will be absorbed rapidly and used to aid the body in recovery.

Wednesday 8 August 2012

More on Carbs

Bodybuilding - Carbohydrates



The most abundant biological molecules, carbohydrates play a major role in energy storage and transport, structural functions, and immune system function. On the other hand, even slight excess consumption of this nutrient can lead to increased glycogen formation-which leads to fat storage. In the short run, carbohydrate manipulation is vital to achieve a striated physique rather than a smooth and undefined one.

Successful carbohydrate cycling for a peak week also varies depending on the individual and his or her respective metabolism, so what follows is a cycle that worked for me. Personally, I tend to watch my carbohydrate consumption very carefully because of a slower than average resting metabolic rate.

On the other hand, those who aim for maximum mass and metabolize carbohydrates more quickly should not bring their consumption to trace amounts. Such a practice may result in a depleted or famished physique, where the muscles are not as full as can be. It is widely recommended that an adult consumes approximately 40-55% of calories from carbs, I focus on consuming complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and oats, however, making sure to stay away from the simple carbohydrates found in sugary foods.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Cardio, who needs it?

Bodybuilding - Cardio, who needs it ?


If you look at losing bodyfat from a mathematical point of view, it's easy to see that the bulk of your caloric balance has to come from your diet. Ergo, the bulk of your caloric deficit will rest with your diet.
So of course even if you sweated yourself out doing cardio, you'd be hard pressed to lose a good amount of weight if you ate more than you burned.

Logically, that all works out. On the other hand, I don't think anyone should underestimate the power of cardio in accelerating fat loss, especially when you consider that it can be made to work in more than just one simple way.

In short, anybody looking to lose fat cannot afford to ignore cardio but instead needs to committed to do both - watch his or her diet and hit the cardiovascular exercise hard - because one is contingent upon the other.

Monday 6 August 2012

Cutting body fat

Bodybuilding - Cutting body fat


Cutting body fat is not all about cardio. Here are a couple of things you must have in check to be successful in your goals.

Tips on diet:
- Avoid sugary food.
- Eat oats, fruits, veggies and lots of salads for carbs.
- Eat a good amount of protein to keep lean tissue.
- Do not consume carbohydrates after 7PM (no need for energy).
- Consume healthy fats (such include are olive oil, nuts and fish oils).
- Drink a lot of water for a faster metabolism.
- If you want, take a fat burner and green tea to give you an extra boost on your metabolism.

Other Random Tips:
- Do not limit your activity to your daily cardio, or walk. Instead take an extra step, park farther away from the parking lot, etc.
- Keep long and short term goals that will make it easier for you not to get discouraged.
- Be consistent, it won't happen in 2 weeks, follow your routine and soon it will pay off.
- Rest. Take about 8 hours of sleep per night. That will help your body, and it's excellent for your fat burning goal.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Calf

Bodybuilding - Anatomy of the Calf Muscle

The gastrocnemius is also called the calf muscle. The muscle itself is one that is visible on the body (meaning it doesn't lie underneath any other muscles and therefore is not visible by the eye). The gastrocnemius attaches to the heel (at the Achilles Tendon) and originates on the femur (behind the knee). The calf muscle has two heads (the medial and lateral heads).

Soleus:
Unlike the gastrocnemius, this is one of those muscles that I mentioned above that are not visible because it lies underneath another muscle. It is for this reason that the muscle isn't very well known among those just starting out. The medial head originates on the posterior tibia and the lateral head on the posterior fibula. These two heads unite and insert into the calcaneal tendon.

Plantaris:
The plantaris is a very small muscle. The long tendon of the plantaris passes between the gastrocnemius and soleus and inserts into the calcaneus. It originates at the lateral epicondyle of the femur, just above the origin of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius.

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition