Building Forearms Muscles

Bodybuilding - Building Forearms Muscles

Upper Forearms
Hammer curls, reverse wrist curls, one-arm cable reverse curls (Ex - Shown with two arms), and every other kind of reverse curls really hit this area of the forearms not to mention the biceps.

Inner Forearms
One-arm wrist curls, barbell wrist curls, and behind-the-back curls are excellent inner forearm builders.

"Many bodybuilders end up with a weakness in forearm development simply because they don't train forearms right from the beginning. Another reason for forearms lagging behind, aside from the obvious one of bone structure, is failing to execute the exercises correctly and in a strict enough manner. The more you isolate the forearms and force them to do the movements without any help from the upper arms, the more they will respond. This means being very, very strict in your execution.

"It is important to work the forearms through a long range of motion. You need to lower the weight as far as possible, getting the maximum stretch, then come all the way back up to get a total contraction of the muscles. Working through only three-quarters of the range of motion is not that beneficial because you already use this part of the muscle in a variety of other exercises.

"If you want to drastically increase your forearm development, you can use the Priority Principle in a special way: train forearms by themselves when you are rested and strong, or train your forearms on leg days when your arms are rested. You can also keep a barbell or dumbbells at home and do a couple of sets of Wrist Curls and Reverse Wrist Curls as often as you like, even once an hour every hour." by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Increase your Arm Size Shortest Time Possible

Bodybuilding - Increase your Arm Size Shortest Time Possible

To increase your arm size in the shortest time possible it is important that you stick to the basics. By basics, I mean the lifts that will give you the most return on your investment. Don't waste your time on non-productive movements like 90 percent of the other people in the gym. 

These are the same people who have little or no gains to show for the time that they spend there. Then, when they see how well you are doing they will accuse you of being on steroids. Just accept it as a complement and keep lifting. 

The first basic lift that you will need to focus on is the standing barbell curl. This can be preformed with either an easy-curl bar or a straight bar. While the easy-curl bar has angled grips to emphasize bicep peak, either bar is fine. 

Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grab the bar with a grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. Begin with a weight that you can comfortably move for 12 to 15 repetitions. Start with the weight lowered nearly to your legs but do not let your arms hang straight down. To fully lock out the arms will create too much stress on your joints. 

Now, with a steady and controlled motion, bring the weight up until your biceps are in a fully contracted position. Do not swing the weight or arch your back. While swinging the weight is a form of cheating that will allow you to lift heavier weights, it will only increase the size of your ego, not your arms. Therefore, use proper form at all times. 

Now, lower the weight in a controlled motion until your arms are nearly down to your hips but not fully locked out. Repeat this movement for the required 12 to 15 repetitions. If this is too difficult to do, reduce the amount of weight so that you can complete the entire number of reps. If it is too easy, don't cheat yourself, increase the weight. While this is a warm up set, the last few reps should still be challenging. 

After you have completed this set, rack the weight and get a drink of water. Actually, you should have a bottle of water with you. You need to take about a minute to a minute and a half to rest before beginning your next set. This allows time for your muscles to replenish their glycogen reserves in order to have energy for the next set. Use this time to load more weights on the bar. 

For this next set, you want an amount of weight that you can perform for 8 to 12 repetitions. Once again, form is critical. You will build muscle faster and have fewer injuries while using proper form. This is true for any exercise. Get to know your limits. For this set you will use a closer grip on the bar with your hands approximately 6 inches apart. 

As above, adjust the amount of weight as necessary to make this a truly challenging set. After you have completed your 8 to 12 reps, rack the weight, take a sip of water if desired and begin to set the bar up for your third set. 

This next set will be heavier than the last using an amount of weight that you can lift for only 5 to 8 repetitions. For this set, you will return to the shoulder width grip. Are you serious about getting massive arms? Then be sure that you are reaching positive failure before you rack the weight. Positive failure means that you simply cannot perform another repetition of the exercise with good form without assistance.

Many people give up on a set long before they have reached failure and wonder why they cannot make gains. Read this carefully and understand it. Few things of value come without effort. 

You have to work for this. The important thing is that when you do this correctly, you will be making gains while others around you are simply going through the motions. Now, after you have completed the third set, rack the weight and reduce the amount of weight on the bar by approximately 40%. 

On this last set, return to the close grip with your hands about 6" apart. With this new, lighter weight, perform one last set to absolute failure. Move the weight somewhat faster than before while deliberately flexing the bicep as much as possible during every rep. 

The number of repetitions preformed here is not as important as reaching absolute positive failure. When you are done, rack the weight. By now you should have a serious burn starting in you biceps. Your vascularity should be somewhat enhanced and your muscles should be full and pumped.

Posing Tips

Bodybuilding - Posing Tips

1. Feel Confident On Stage:
When contest day arrives, you will be up on stage in your next-to-nothings in front of hundreds of people. The more you practice, the better you will be able to perform while the judges scrutinize your every muscle.

2. Look Bigger:
You've worked hard in the gym to perfect every muscle fiber, but they won't stand out unless you know how to position yourself properly. Better posing can make you look larger, highlight your muscle definition and make otherwise unseen striations visible to the judges.

3. Come In Harder & Fuller:
When you flex your muscles intensely, you draw nutrients and water into the muscle fibers, making them harder. Also, by drawing water out from under the skin into the muscles you create thinner-looking skin and fuller looking muscles.

4. Gain Excellent Endurance & Muscle Control:
Posing properly, without shaking, demands incredible endurance. The more you practice posing intensely, the more muscle control you will gain and the better you be able to last through lengthy pre-judging sessions. Having judged competitions, I can tell you that seeing competitors shaking uncontrollably or constantly re-posing on stage is very distracting and makes it difficult for the judges to get a good read on your muscularity and definition.

5. Practice Makes Perfect:
The more you practice posing, the more these demanding movements and positions will become second nature to you. So when the head judge calls for a particular pose, bang you'll hit it without a moment's hesitation. And that looks impressive! 

One word of caution: make sure you are practicing your posing correctly! If you practice with poor form, you will cause yourself more harm than good.

Posing

Bodybuilding - Six Major Stage Poses

1. Front Double Biceps:
Stand with your heels touching and your toes pointing slightly outward. Press the heels hard into the floor. Flex the calves and hamstrings and push the glutes back slightly - we muscle athletes sometimes refer to it as "sitting" on your hamstrings. Flex the abs hard. Raise your arms high in the air in a controlled manner.

Make fists and bring the elbows down until the fists are even with your ears. Raise the elbows until they are slightly above the shoulders and squeeze your biceps as hard as possible without shaking. As with all front poses, remember to keep your legs flexed and your upper quads pushed tight against your skin.

2. Side Chest:
Imagining you are on stage, turn to the side and stand with the feet together. Raise the front foot (the one that would be closest to the judges) up onto the ball, which will enable you to fully flex the calf muscles of that leg and to display both sets of hamstrings. Press the feet firmly into the ground.

Generate a better view of your hamstring by turning the front foot slightly inward. Press the thigh of the back leg tightly against the front one to blow the hamstrings outward and create a larger sweep through the whole leg. Circle the arms out to the sides and in front of your body. Clasp the back hand over the front wrist.

Forcefully pull the front elbow back and lock your arms in side-chest position. Tightly squeeze you rear bicep hard against your chest and squeeze your front elbow tight against your front lats. (It's not that difficult once you practice a few thousand times!) Rotate your body slowly toward the front. Remember to keep those legs tight!

3. Side Triceps:
Keep the feet and legs in the same position you had for your side chest pose. Rotate the upper body slightly toward the front, which will allow your chest and back shoulder to expand and will give a larger view of your entire physique. Keep the abs tight throughout the pose.

Twist the front arm slightly forward to show the triceps and then circle it back behind the glutes until it meets the back arm, which should be positioned just above the glutes, across the lower back. Lace and lock your fingers together. Lock the front elbow and rotate the front shoulder around and down, squeezing the triceps hard.

Push the triceps against the lats to create a thicker looking triceps muscle. Also, locking out the elbow and pushing forcefully downward pops out the striations in the shoulders, making you look spectacular!

4. Front Lat Spread:
This pose offers an unparalleled opportunity to display your overall symmetry and exceptional leg development. Position the feet and legs the same way you did for the front double biceps pose. Again, press the feet into the floor and flex the calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes. Hold the abs tight.

Pull both elbows back as if you were performing an intense cable row. Then place your thumbs just under the back of your rib cage and blast your elbow forward. Do not press the thumbs into your sides, which can create an unsightly bulge in the skin. Flex and flare the lats as hard as you can, as though you are trying to spread out over the entire stage.

5. Abdominals & Thigh:
Facing front, place one foot slightly in front of the other and press the ball of the front foot firmly into the ground to squeeze out the separation in your quadriceps. Maintain a slight bend in the knee and push the knees apart to bring out more muscle definition in the quads.

Push the glutes back slightly and tighten your low back to bring out the definition in your upper quads and hip flexors. Pose the abs by inhaling deeply as you sweep the arms up and behind your head. Crunch your body slightly forward and down as you exhale all the air from your lungs to expose your abs and obliques.

Think of rolling the upper abs downward toward the pelvis. A slight lean forward allows for a full crunch, which will bring out the cuts in your abdominals. Do not to lean too far back. Keep your elbows up high above your head and hold your hands together at the base of your neck.

6. Most Muscular - Crab:
Face front and angle the feet outward, with one foot slightly in front of the other. Flex the calves, quads and hamstrings. Bend the knees slightly and push the glutes back. Press the heels forcefully into the floor and slightly lift the toes of the front foot to reveal maximum leg cuts.

Stretch both arms out to the sides at shoulder level, keeping a slight bend at the elbows. Clench your fists and circle the arms together in front of you. Squeeze the shoulders down and inward while crunching the upper body slightly downward. Hold the pose and flex the muscles hard.

Be very, very careful not to block your abdominals with your hands. Position the hands at the top of your trunks with the knuckles nearly touching. Also, be very careful not to lean too far forward, which will block the view of your chest and abs and cast a shadow over your legs.

Bulking Tips

Bodybuilding - Bulking Tips for Newbie

1. Lift Heavy!

One of the biggest factors you need to remember with your training program is that you MUST be applying an overloading stimulus. Without this, your body is not going to have any reason to turn those extra calories into muscle and you will just gain a great deal of body fat. Definitely not what you are looking for here.

2. Eat Carbohydrates Around Your Workout

During a bulk you cannot be afraid of carbohydrates. They are going to supply your body with the energy it needs for muscle building. Generating muscle tissue is a very energy consuming process so you need to be sure to meet your needs. 

If you are hoping to minimize fat gain it is best to consume the greatest portion of your carbohydrate intake around your workouts, as this is when your body needs them the most and they are least likely to end up on your body in the form of fat. You still should consume some carbohydrates during your other meals however the portion sizes can be slightly smaller.

3. Eat More... Period

This could possibly be the biggest mistake most beginners make when they are entering a bulking period. The minute they lose sight of their abs they shy off the amount of food they are consuming for fear of getting fat. This will severely short circuit their potential muscle gains and possibly even stop them altogether.

4. Limit Cardio Sessions

While you are on a bulk you should limit your cardio sessions to once or twice a week. You are going to want all of your energy to go towards adding muscle so if you are expending a great deal through cardio activity then you are defeating your goal. If you do choose to include more cardio work into your program (for example if it is necessary for a sport you participate in) then you are going to have to increase your calories even more to compensate for this.

5. Focus On Compound Exercises

When creating your workout program for bulking it is best to always first choose compound exercises. These are the ones that are going to stimulate the greatest number of muscle fibers and give you the biggest bang for your buck. Examples of such are:

Chest press 
Military press 
Squats 
Deadlifts 
Lunges 
Bent over rows

6. Ensure You Are Getting Enough Sleep

In addition to rest, sleep is also essential. Not only is it the ultimate form of rest but getting ample sleep will also help to optimize your hormonal profile.

When your body is not getting enough sleep you will tend to release more cortisol, which acts as a catabolic hormone on the body. This will make gaining muscle much more difficult as for that you are looking for anabolic processes to occur (the opposite of catabolic).

7. Don't Overdo Protein

One common myth that many people hold with regards to bulking is the notion that they must consume massive amounts of protein. While it is true you need protein since it supplies your body with the building blocks necessary for creating muscle tissue, any extra is only going to be used for energy or stored as body fat. 

After your needs are met you would be far better off consuming more carbohydrates or dietary fat. Aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Motivation

Bodybuilding - When you are short of motivation

When the motivational pool runs shallow the excuses not to exercise start to amass and take priority, so what do you do?

1) Look at your journal and re-read the reasons for why you started to work out in the first place. Did you accomplish some of your goals? Do they need to be more realistic?

2) We all go through stressful situations in our life - remember one of the best stress relievers is working out.

3) Sometimes a simple thing like a buying new workout outfit will do wonders.

4) Make friends at the gym. Your gym should be a place where you feel comfortable, a place where you have someone to say hello to - and trust me, your hard work and dedication will pay off. Fellow workout-er's are quick to realize and pay compliments.

5) Find a workout partner that can help keep you motivated. When you may be low in motivation your partner may be high and vice versa. Also you now have an additional commitment to go to the gym. It wouldn't be fair to leave your partner hanging, would it?

6) Take a week off. Sometimes a simple re-charge of the batteries will do wonders! If you do decide to take the week off then do exactly that! Don't let the guilt of not hitting the weights pull you back into the gym early. By the time the week passes your motivational pool will probably be overflowing.

7) Get your hands on a fitness related magazine. I constantly find gallons of motivation by looking at the magazines.

8) You are not alone. We have all been there...burnt out, fed up, tired, hurt, or what ever you want to call it. There are hundreds of obstacles and set backs that lie in the wait. Keep your chin up and stay the course - you will be successful!

9) Find a role model - someone who you may be able to communicate with via e-mail or written correspondence. There are many wonderful athletes out there that fully understand what you want to accomplish and just how difficult it can be.

10) Read 1-9 again!

Grow your Arms in 3 Workouts

Bodybuilding - Grow your Arms in 3 Workouts

Biceps - Seated Biceps Curl: Sit on a bench and rest a barbell in your lap. Take a shoulder-width underhand grip on the bar and curl it upward toward your chin. Use a weight that is so heavy you can only perform eight reps. This exercise allows you to use more weight than you normally would because the seated position limits the range of motion. Try to curl 150% of your normal biceps curl weight. Perform one set of eight reps, rest 30 seconds then increase the weight 10% and perform as many reps as you can.

Triceps - Close-Grip Bench Press: Do yourself a big favor and perform this exercise in a power rack or on a smith machine. Limit the range of motion to the top third of your range. By limiting the range of motion you will be able to hoist a much heavier weight and it's that big weight - not the range of motion - that triggers new muscle growth. Grip the bar with your hands spaced about six inches apart and contract your triceps to lift the bar off the support and to full extension. Use a weight that is so heavy you can only perform eight reps. Again, with this restricted range you should be able to use at least 50% more weight than normal. Perform one set of eight reps, rest 30 seconds then increase the weight 10% and perform as many reps as you can.

Forearms - Forearms tend to be neglected in most workouts but these two exercises are fabulous at generating an awesome intensity of overload to these highly visible and impressive muscles.

Seated Wrist Curls: These are performed from the same position as the biceps exercise, above. With an underhand grip on a barbell, rest your wrists on your knees so your hands extend beyond your knees. Allow the weight of the bar to force your wrist toward the floor. Use your forearm muscles to power the weight back up. Perform one set of eight reps, rest 30 seconds then increase the weight 10% and perform as many reps as you can.

Wrist Curls Behind the Back: These are performed by holding a barbell behind your back with your palms facing backward. It helps to have the bar on a rack to start or to have a training partner place the bar in your hands. The heavy bar will naturally hang down and your wrists will be in a relaxed position. Use your forearm muscles to power the weight up by bending your wrists. You can use a lot more weight on this exercise than you think you can. Go heavy. Don't worry about getting a full range of motion. Perform one set of eight reps, rest 30 seconds then increase the weight 10% and perform as many reps as you can.

Flax Oil

Bodybuilding Supplement Review - Flax Seed Oil

Nutrient Facts for Flax Seed Oil
Flaxseed oil is rich in alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA ), ALA , as well as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), belongs to a group of substances called omega-3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA are found primarily in fish while ALA is mostly found in flaxseed oil and other vegetable oils.

Dosage for Flax Seed Oil
The general dose recommendation of flax seed oil is 1000 mg per 100 lb body weight. One tablespoon of the oil provides roughly 1000 mg. When adding oil to your diet, consider how much you already got from other sources, such as walnuts and olive oil.

Babies, Toddlers: 20-30 lbs: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
Children (30-50 lbs): 1 teaspoon.
Children (50-75 lbs): 2 teaspoons.
Kids (75-100 lbs): 1 tablespoon.

Ingredients in Flax Seed Oil
Cold-pressed unrefined organic flaxseed oil, hexane free DHA algal oil (contains soy lecithin), non- genetically engineered natural vitamin E mixed to copherols and organics rosemary extracts (to protect freshness). 97% organic ingredients contain SOY in it.

Uses and Benefits of Flax Seed Oil
Flax seed oil is useful for healing scars, abrasions and also has anti-inflammatory properties and so is useful for inflamed skin or skin disorders such as psoriasis and eczema. Flax seed oil is also useful for dry skin. Many skin problems today such as acne, eczema and psoriasis may also be partly due to the fact that the modern diet is lacking in omega 3 essential fatty acids. In researches it is found that flaxseed oil may have the ability to reduce blood pressure, lower levels of harmful cholesterol. Flaxseed oil exhibits some estrogen and anti-estrogen like effects which gives protection against certain types of breast and prostate cancer.

Side Effects for Flax Seed Oil
Take recommended dosage suggested by doctor to avoid side effects. No toxic effects are observed till now. If flaxseed oil is used in diet for long time without other oils then it may cause omega 6 LA deficiency symptoms.

Diet = 6 mistakes

The 6 Biggest Mistakes you can make with your Bodybuilding Diet

1. Dieting impatiently

Many bodybuilders jump from one diet to another without ever giving the initial program enough time to work. It takes at least three weeks for your body to adapt to dietary modifications. If you start a high carb, moderate protein, low fat diet with reduced calories, and your goal is to lose fat, expect to notice visible changes after approximately 21 days. Don't anticipate immediate changes in your physique.

2. Failing to Accurately track calories

Be sure to count not only calories but carbohydrates, proteins and fats as well. Because they don't keep a record of what they're eating, many bodybuilders don't lose fat at the rate they expect, while others fail to gain weight. Don't make the mistake of miscalculating your calorie intake. Successful bodybuilders keep precise records; they don't guess or estimate.

3. Depending on the scale to gauge progress

Don't depend solely on the scale to fine tune your diet. When bodybuilders try to add size, they often become discouraged when their bodyweight doesn't increase rapidly. They frequently jump the gun by adding too many calories to accelerate their progress. Similarly, precontest competitors striving to get down in size sometimes subtract too many calories. While the scale and other measuring devices like bodyfat calipers are effective tools, it's better to rely on photos and an unbiased eye to measure your progress. After all, bodybuilding is a visual sport.

4. Overeating (especially carbohydrates)

Athletes who try to add mass often go overboard and eat an excessive number of calories, which are then converted into bodyfat. Then there are bodybuilders who eat a very low fat diet but still gain too many bodyfat because of an extremely high intake of carbohydrates. Sure, carbs are required for hard training, and they aid in recovery, but once the body absorbs what it needs, the excess will be quickly deposited as fat.

5. Viewing supplements as a magic bullet

Some bodybuilders try to shed fat by taking carnitine and chromium, yet they fail to initiate the fat burning process by lowering their caloric consumption. Others use creatine, glutamine or branched chain amino acids to beef up, but fail to consume enough calories and proteins to stimulate a positive nitrogen balance. Supplements work to enhance a nutrition program, not to make up for poor planning and nutritional mistakes.

6. Eliminating all Fat

Cutting fat from your diet is helpful in controlling total caloric intake, but removing fat completely from your diet and relying exclusively on very low fat or fat free proteins like turkey, fish and protein powders can lead to a decrease in fat metabolism and/or retard growth. A low fat diet that includes essential fatty acids found in meat, chicken and fish is useful in promoting optimal recovery growth and fat metabolism.

Bigger Biceps for Beginners

Bodybuilding - Bigger Biceps for Beginners

To increase your arm size in the shortest time possible it is important that you stick to the basics. By basics, I mean the lifts that will give you the most return on your investment.

The first basic lift that you will need to focus on is the standing barbell curl. This can be preformed with either an easy-curl bar or a straight bar. While the easy-curl bar has angled grips to emphasize bicep peak, either bar is fine.

Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, grab the bar with a grip that is slightly less than shoulder width. Begin with a weight that you can comfortably move for 12-15 repetitions. Start with the weight lowered nearly to your legs but do not let your arms hang straight down. To fully lock out the arms will create too much stress on your joints.

Now, with a steady and controlled motion, bring the weight up until your biceps are in a fully contracted position. Do not swing the weight or arch your back. While swinging the weight is a form of cheating that will allow you to lift heavier weights, it will only increase the size of your ego, not your arms. Therefore, use proper form at all times.

Now, lower the weight in a controlled motion until your arms are nearly down to your hips but not fully locked out. Repeat this movement for the required 12-15 repetitions. If this is too difficult to do, reduce the amount of weight so that you can complete the entire number of reps. If it is too easy, don't cheat yourself, increase the weight. While this is a warm up set, the last few reps should still be challenging.

After you have completed this set, rack the weight and get a drink of water. Actually, you should have a bottle of water with you. You need to take about a minute to a minute and a half to rest before beginning your next set. This allows time for your muscles to replenish their glycogen reserves in order to have energy for the next set. Use this time to load more weights on the bar.

For this next set, you want an amount of weight that you can perform for 8-12 repetitions. Once again, form is critical. You will build muscle faster and have fewer injuries while using proper form. This is true for any exercise. Get to know your limits. For this set you will use a closer grip on the bar with your hands approximately 6 inches apart.

As above, adjust the amount of weight as necessary to make this a truly challenging set. After you have completed your 8-12 reps, rack the weight, take a sip of water if desired and begin to set the bar up for your third set.

This next set will be heavier than the last using an amount of weight that you can lift for only 5-8 repetitions. For this set, you will return to the shoulder width grip. Are you serious about getting massive arms? Then be sure that you are reaching positive failure before you rack the weight. Positive failure means that you simply cannot perform another repetition of the exercise with good form without assistance.

You have to work for this. The important thing is that when you do this correctly, you will be making gains while others around you are simply going through the motions. Now, after you have completed the third set, rack the weight and reduce the amount of weight on the bar by approximately 40%.

On this last set, return to the close grip with your hands about 6" apart. With this new, lighter weight, perform one last set to absolute failure. Move the weight somewhat faster than before while deliberately flexing the bicep as much as possible during every rep.

The number of repetitions preformed here is not as important as reaching absolute positive failure. When you are done, rack the weight. By now you should have a serious burn starting in you biceps. Your vascularity should be somewhat enhanced and your muscles should be full and pumped.

Add Weights to All Your Lifts Immediately

Bodybuilding - Add Weights to All Your Lifts Immediately

Most people spend way too much time and energy warming up to the point that when it is time to perform their heavy, muscle-building sets, they are too wiped out from their warm-ups. This has defeated the purpose of weight training. Lighter weights lifted, less muscle stimulation. This means less muscle growth as a result.

The single biggest mistake I see people do time and time again is that they warm up with too many sets and too many reps before attempting their heavy, results-producing sets.

If the only way a muscle will grow is through increased overload (weight) why expend so much needed energy on warm-up sets? We need to save it for the productive sets, the last one or two of the set where the weight being used is the most you can handle for four to six repetitions. Here is where true muscle stimulation occurs.

Warming-up correctly means you should acclimate your muscles to be able to handle additionally heavier weights while progressing through your sets. This means doing just enough reps on a warm-up set without tiring yourself to the point where you have no juice left to finish your heavier sets. You are allowing the muscle group being trained to acclimate to a heavier resistance and more overload without unduly fatiguing.

Learn to get rid of wasted reps and wasted sets in the gym. We are striving for efficiency. This doesn't mean you are working any less; you are just working smarter at working harder. Do not waste precious energy on repetitions that will prematurely fatigue the muscle, not make it stronger. When performing a workout for a certain muscle group, like chest, most people do more than one exercise. For example, for a chest routine, you start with flat bench press, and then proceed to incline dumbbell press, and finish with dips.

On your second exercise of the same muscle group (chest), do not start at a very light weight again and re-warm up a muscle that is already warmed up. For example, if you start with the flat bench press and then move onto the incline, do not start light again on your incline. Your muscles are already warmed up from the flat bench. Just perform a set or two of acclimation sets (six to eight reps) and then immediately get into the heavy sets. So as your workout progresses, you will become more efficient by shaving needless reps off.

Stop doing too many reps and sets before getting to the heavy ones. Involve acclimation sets on all of your exercises to get your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints ready for the progressive overload that's about to come.

Think quality of sets over quantity of sets. Its not the number of reps and sets that count, it is how you perform them.

Four Diet Myths

Bodybuilding - 4 Diet Myths

Myth 1: Certain Food Groups Should Be Eliminated - Many fad diets emphasize the elimination of certain food groups or eating primarily only one or two food groups. Your body needs a balanced diet that supplies you with the diverse nutrients that will keep you healthy.

Your body needs water, vitamins, protein, fat, minerals, energy (carbohydrates), fiber, and oxygen. Eating a diet rich in fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds will help you rebuild your immune system, which will in turn help you to stay healthy.

Myth 2: You Have To Eat Meat To Get Enough Protein - Your body needs 30 grams of protein each meal. Meat and dairy products are very high in sodium and fat. Fruits and vegetables have at least one gram of protein in them.

Myth 3: Eliminate Fat From Your Diet - Your body needs 50 grams of fat each day. You don't want to eliminate fat completely from your diet because it helps your joints and muscles work smoothly.

Raw nuts, olive oil, and avocados are a rich source of nutritious and healthy fats. Look closely at the foods you buy and stay away from hydrogenated fats.

Myth 4: You Have To Go Hungry To Lose Weight - The average woman should never eat less than 1,200 calories/day and the average man should never eat less than 1,800 calories per day.

If you feed your body natural foods, then you'll have no need to go hungry. You can pretty much eat all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want, and it will not adversely affect your weight.

In order to maximize the nutritional value of your foods eat them in as natural a state as possible. Avoid chemicals, especially those found in water. Fluoride, for example, is a poison.

By getting back to nature and the foods your body was designed to run on, you can stay fit, maintain an optimal weight and build up your immune system so that you live a longer, more energetic life.

7 Reasons You Might Not Be Losing Weight

Bodybuilding - 7 Reasons You Might Not Be Losing Weight

1. You Starve Yourself Only To Compensate Later - Some people often think that by having a light breakfast and lunch they will be doing themselves a favor since their total daily calorie intake will be lower.

If anything you should reverse the meals so that breakfast is your biggest meal of the day since you will have lots of time throughout the day to utilize the energy you consume at this meal. If you must have a late night snack, simply calculate that into your day so you have planned for it. Obviously it likely cannot contain 500 calories but in most diets there is definitely room for 100-200 calories before bed.

2. You Don't Have A Set Place To Eat - It's that easy for the weight to add up if you are not careful. So choose one place in your house to eat and eat there and only there (this will likely be the table). Doing so will force you to pay more attention to what you are eating and prevent you from eating for reasons other than hunger.

3. You Aren't Getting Enough Protein - Protein is essential for proper functioning. What some people forget to realize though is that eating slightly higher protein diets can actually aid in weight loss. The reason behind this is because the body uses energy whenever it digests food.

Protein happens to require the most energy for the digestion process so your total net calories will be lower. Because of this, assuming you are eating the same amount of food, when you eat more protein over carbohydrates and fat, your body will actually be taking in fewer calories.

4. You Are Afraid Of Fat - You must get fat into your diet, not only to maintain healthy skin, hair and body functioning but also because it keeps you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Staying full means less eating later on, less calories consumed and more weight loss for you! All because you decided fat really wasn't all that evil.

5. You Can't Remember What You've Eaten - Similar to the concept about not having a designated place where you are going to eat, forgetting what you have eaten earlier that day can also lead to weight gain. Furthermore, often people do not "remember" any of the beverage calories they have consumed and in this day and age, beverages can add up.

6. You Don't Have A Set Eating Schedule - Generally speaking, most people are going to do better on a diet when they have a set schedule that they eat around. This means planning out what times of the day you are going to eat and hopefully even going as far as planning out the exact foods. If you can do that and are also able to track how many calories are in the food you are consuming, dieting is an easy game.

7. You Associate Eating With Other Activities - Breaking this connection is a very hard process once the habit is made. For some people it won't be the TV but might be surfing the Internet or reading a book. Whatever you love to do, if you associate food with this hobby, you are in for trouble. This is yet another reason why it is good to have one designated area for eating (preferably NOT your couch) and stick to it.

Differences between Male and Female

Bodybuilding - What Are the Differences between Male and Female ?

The differences between male and female bodybuilding is evident at all levels of participation. It is important to make this distinction, as bodybuilding is enjoyed at all levels and encompasses the recreational, amateur and professional/competitive level bodybuilder. Certainly there are far more recreational bodybuilders than professional.

At the competitive level, females are at a disadvantage in a direct comparison physiologically for the purposes of bodybuilding as it currently judges its competitors. Bodybuilding at the competitive level is judged by primarily by the competitors mass, definition, proportion, symmetry, stage presence and posing routine among other things.

Females can compete through the same hard work to obtain all of the ingredients that a great bodybuilder is judged by except in the area of muscle mass. Testosterone levels and fat metabolism mechanism are the major difference in the physique differences.

Women do not have nearly the same amount of testosterone as males and this translates into the finished product that one sees onstage with far less mass. All things being equal, a female will have significantly less muscle mass than the male. Furthermore, the manner in which the female body metabolizes differs from the manner in which males do.

Females generally have higher fat percentages than males, and they store it in different areas of the body, (hips and thighs, rather then the abdomen as males do). The body can more easily metabolize fat in the abdomen area then it can the thigh and hips.

A further difference is that in many female bodybuilding competitions there are contests with titles that include words such as "fitness" in them. These contests seem to cater to the more accepted stereotype of the beauty and agility of the female body, rather than the muscular. These contests do not exist for male competitors.

Other differences include a lower number of participants at all levels, though this is particularly true at the competitive level. Part of this has to do with the difference in available money for male bodybuilders versus their female counterparts. This extends to bodybuilding magazines and endorsements (how often have you seen a female bodybuilding on the cover of a mainstream bodybuilding magazine?).

At the recreational level, in general, males engage in higher levels of bodybuilding supplement purchases, magazine purchases and bodybuilding equipment. Since the business is geared to males, it pays more to be a successful male bodybuilder, and in turn, males gravitate to the sport more than females.

Deadlift

Bodybuilding - Deadlift

If I could only choose one exercise to train, it would be the deadlift. The deadlift works just about every muscle in the body and will make you stronger and more solid than any other exercise. Executed properly it is completely safe and will ramp the strength in your lower back and legs tremendously. Here is how it is done.

Place a barbell in front of your feet and stand up straight right behind it. Bend over to pick up the bar and as you do, make sure to push your butt out as far as you can as if you are attempting to sit in a chair behind you. Bend your knees slightly and keep your eyes forward at all times. Make sure that your knees track in the same place as your feet. In other words, if your feet are turned out, make sure that you knees go in the same direction rather than letting them buckle inward.

Start the exercise from the bottom up. In other words, start the deadlift, by picking the weight off of the floor. Breathe in right before you pick up the barbell and hold your breath until you stand up completely on each rep. Make sure that you lock out on the top of each rep.

Some Tips To Maximize The Deadlift -

- Crush the barbell as hard as you can on each rep.

- Flex your triceps to ensure that your arms are locked out. Do not shrug the barbell, let the barbell pull your shoulders down.

- Keep the barbell as close to your body as possible on each rep.

- Stand up until your knees are locked out on each rep, but do not lean back at the top of each rep.

Bench Press

Bodybuilding - Bench Press

Lie on down on a bench and place your feet firmly on the floor to each side. Do not place your feet on the bench or have them in the air. Move up the bench until the barbell is at eye level. Make sure that you have a spotter whenever you bench press. Have your spotter give you a lift off to get the barbell off of the bench rack.

Lower the barbell to your sternum, pause for a second and press the barbell back to the starting position. Try to press in a straight line rather than an arc. Breathe in as you lower the barbell to your sternum and hold your breath as you press the barbell back to the starting position.

Holding your breath will allow you to get tighter and lift more weight. However, make sure to clear this breathing pattern with your doctor if you have high blood pressure or any heart problems. Holding your breath while training will cause a temporary increase in your blood pressure, so make sure to err on the side of caution.

Some More Tips For A Better Bench Press -

- Crush the barbell as hard as you can on each rep. Imagine that you are trying to rip the bar apart laterally.

- When you press the barbell away from you, imagine that you are trying to push yourself through the floor.

- Flex your legs, butt and stomach while bench-pressing for maximum stability.

Effective Arm Training

Bodybuilding - Effective Arm Training

In order to effectively recruit muscle fiber from the biceps and triceps, one must make sure to completely isolate them when using the above exercises. In any variation of barbell or dumbbell curls or extensions, make sure you use strict and proper form. With the biceps, in the starting position of an exercise keep your hands shoulder width, hanging at your sides.

Begin to curl the weight upward towards your chest in an arc at a medium pace, and slowly extend in the opposite fashion. Make sure to avoid a swinging motion, keep your back straight and upper arms motionless, only moving the forearms through the given range of motion.

Come to a complete stop before beginning each half of a rep. Maintain an effective range of motion by keeping your reps just out of full contraction and extension.

This keep the tension on the biceps, don't lock out on the top or bottom of the movement. Same goes for the triceps, with extensions make sure you perform each rep as strict as possible.

In the starting position of an extension, keep your hands generally 4 - 8 inches away. Begin to extend the weight upward in a smooth fashion, following the same guidelines. Keep your upper arms motionless.

Utilize the same concept of full effective range of motion, just as with the biceps. With close grip bench presses and dips, make sure you press in a straight line and again, don't fully lock out or extend.