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By Dan On February 22, 2009
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One of the hardest things facing bodybuilders these days is how can they be absolutly sure that your recruiting all three groups of muscle fibers and exhausting them during any given exercise. It’s only by achieving this that muscle gains can be maximised.
The simple answer to this question? You have work beyond failure and work at a higher level of training intensity then your previous workout . Doing this also guarantees that your workouts remain challenging and continue to engender progress over time effectively reducing the likelihood of regression.
But how do intensify your training? It’s easire then you may think. Fortunately there is a tried and true path to follow:
1. Increase the resistance - increasing the weight or the amount of repititions in meaningful increments ensures the muscle is pushed beyond its previous point of failure.Which make sure your progressing the muscle building process. Aim to increase the weight when you hit six to eight reps and failure does not occur.
2. Change up the movement - to achieve the most gains all the muscle fibre in a body part must be trained. Changing the angle of a movement (e.g to incline bench press) or a completley different variation of any exercise will stimulate growth.
3. Reduce your rest intervals - giving the muscles less time to recover before exposing them to further work has the effect of increasing intensity. This strategy also creats an oxygen debt and keeps fat burning hormone levels high in the blood stream.
4. Pre-exhaustion - when an exercise involves two or more muscles groups the weakest one will prevent you from working the primary muscle to failure. The answer is isolation. First isolate and tire out the primary muscle group before moving on to an exercise that works the second group of muscles to failure.
5. Introducing super sets - this involves performing two exercises for the same muscle group without a rest interval or atleast a small one. This means you have to utilize every possible muscle fiber, stimulating greater growth.
6. Use partial reps - at the point of failure you won’t be capable of completing the entire range of movement for any given exercise. So completing a partial rep with a small range of motion will still work your muscles beyond failure. This technique is especially useful for advanced bodybuilders because it allows them to increase the intensity without adding extra routines that could cause overtraining.
7. Isometric contractions - involves holding the weight perfectly still at the point of failure to stimulate a static muscle contraction.
8. Utilize forced reps - completing one or more final reps after the point of failure is reached. You’ll need some assistance from an experienced helper to for this.
Once you’ve added these techniques to your training you’ll know you’ve done your best to maximize muscle growth.
By Dan On February 21, 2009
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Everywhere you turn, someone’s promising the next secret to getting 6 pack abs. Some of these so called ’secrets’ have some degree of accuracy, while others, not so much. Deciphering which are the best methods to getting 6 pack abs is going to be critical to your having success with this goal.
The biggest area you need to focus on when trying to obtain 6 pack abs is going to be on your diet. Like it or not, the old saying that ‘abs are made in the kitchen’, is probably one of the most truthful statements in the fitness industry. If your diet isn’t in line, your stomach is going to show it.
So, what should you be doing with your diet?
First, ensure you are getting enough protein. Not only is protein going to form the key building blocks you need to build muscle tissue, but it’s also going to provide you with a better feeling of fullness than eating just carbohydrates alone would for example. Protein is more “expensive” than any other macronutrient meaning that your body will burn more calories breaking down protein compared to carbs and fats.
Next, don’t be afraid of dietary fat that comes from primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oils, fish oils, a mix of nuts, natural peanut butter and avocado. While it’s true that eating fat will increase your calories fast, as long as you keep it between 20-30% it can be one of the best things to get 6 pack abs fast. The important point here is that dietary fat helps keep your insulin level stable, which, when high enough can actually cause fat gain itself.
Furthermore, dietary fat will keep you feeling the fullest for the longest duration in time; longer than both protein or carbohydrates would. Interestingly, some diets high in fat can get you 6 pack abs fast because your body learn to metabolize fat for energy.
So, while you do need to watch it, be sure you are getting some in your diet.
Finally, when it comes to carbohydrate intake and getting 6 pack abs, you want to focus most of your carbohydrate intake around the post workout period.
Why?
The biggest reason for this is because this is when your body is going to need those carbohydrates the most and will really suck them up into the muscle tissue. When you eat them at this time, it is least likely that they will turn into body fat.
Additionally, consuming carbohydrates during this period will also help to aid with muscle recovery and repair, so that means less down time from the gym for you.
If getting 6 pack abs fast is your goal than each meal you should consist of 1-2 cups of raw vegetables to control insulin levels, improve absorption of your protein and flood your body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
So, if you are aiming to get 6 pack abs in the coming months, have a good hard look at your diet. That is the big secret that must not be overlooked if you are to succeed.
By Dan Miller
By Dan On October 8, 2008
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Repetition is one of the most basic elements of bodybuilding. Aside from being the number of how much you endured weight lifts or executions of routine movements, there’s a lot more than plain numbers to repetition. It actually determines the effectiveness of every set of exercise. The progress of any muscle building program depends on how consistently a person follows the recommended repetition of every single exercise.
The key to building stronger muscles is exposing them to new and varying intensities of exercise. Keep them stimulated to ensure great exercise results. Doing exercises at specified repetition may put the body under a lot of strain and pressure but it only teaches the body to adapt and increase muscle mass to bear with the constant routines which will develop some real muscles over target areas.
To develop muscles or to increase muscle mass, you must always subject your body to varying intensities of exercises. To actually do that, you will have to do stick with the repetitions that are recommended of such exercise. This way, the gradually increasing pressure that is brought by physical exertions to the body stimulates the muscles. Hitting certain number of reps allows your body to reach its failure point, thus, allowing the body to recover by building more flexible and stronger muscles. All the trouble results to a successfully increased and developed muscle mass. So when you want to get a sculpted and well-developed body, try to outdo the repetitions that you do on your routine exercises each day.
When it comes to weight lifting, there’s actually no need for routine change. You only need to do the lifting while maintaining proper posture and form. The benefits that you receive out of this exercise greatly depend on how properly you do weights. In this exercise, repetitions do not actually matter for it is more focused on how well the lifting works out arm and shoulder muscles. As many fitness instructors advise, you must as least take a two-stroke for lifting weights, hold it for a stroke and eventually lower the weights at two strokes. Usually, the lifting is done slowly to thoroughly work all targeted muscles.
After certain period of time, you may decide changing your routine sets with another new set. Aside from that, you will have to maintain rep variations. This means that you repetition variation must coincide with the exertion of new sets of routines, as in forced repetitions and burns, to actually manage to reach positive failure every time. This applies to all exercise movements that aims to target the development of specific muscle groups.
Actually, weight lifting and training routine reps is crucial to optimizing the positive results of any muscle building program. However, the tempo of the repetition on which every exercise needs to be performed varies. Repetitions are primarily done to promote muscle tension and you can’t do that when you cheat exercise repetitions. The key is persistently sticking with the reps of every exercise that the program requires. After all, no one said that building muscles is easy. It primarily involved discipline and takes a lot of work. And when it comes to working out the muscles, repetition is more than just a number. It is a determinant of your body’s strength and power.
By Dan On October 1, 2008
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Squats are one of the most effective muscle building exercises. Together with romanian deadlifts, bench press and military press, this killer routine involves compound movements that are important to building, toning and strengthening your leg muscles. Squat exercises play very important roles in ensuring the success of any fitness program. Proper execution of these movements can put your body, particularly your leg area, under a lot of strain but it optimizes the benefits that they bring to developing the leg muscles. Having them integrated with your workout routines simply gives power and strength to your legs.
Lots of people usually shy away from squats. Just like any other forms of exercise, the squat also has its risks but its overwhelming benefits overcome the minimal risk it poses. What many people don’t know is that the fastest way of defining the muscles in the legs and the gluts is by doing squats. Integrating any of the exercises such as leg press, twisting squats, safety squats, power lifting squats and Olympic squats can achieve excellent leg muscle toning results. Because squats concentrate on your legs and gluts, they typically enhance your body’s capacity to jump, giving power to your legs. Aside from that, correct executions of squat exercises can also strengthen the back area and the muscles around the leg joints. This way, you minimize your chances of incurring injuries in your leg area.
You can actually flex many groups of muscles by simply doing some squats. Hence, it helps improve the stability and mobility of body movements. Every time you lift, you can work as much as 200 muscles. Imagine the benefits of doing squats at killer numbers of repetition. The key to enduring the pains of doing squats is by doing total effort. This form of exercise not just involves the body but the mind as well. A proper integration of metal and physical energies will ensure a successful squat routine.
Did you know that squats promote muscle growth? Since it flexes 200 muscles and involves multiple joints by doing compound movements, it helps improve coordination at which the nervous system coordinates muscle-skeletal movements. Although the body lives on a complex and interwoven systems of processes and movements, promoting the synergy of muscle-skeletal movements is very beneficial to muscle building. Since numerous muscles are tapped, the exercise stimulates more muscle fibers to promote fiber recruitment. As a result, weaker leg muscles are dramatically remodeled and developed.
One of the myths that shy away people to doing squats is that squats harm the heart. In fact, it actually benefits the heart. Although the exercise momentarily elevates blood pressure, it is never that risky. Persistently doing squats actually improve heart muscles, making it run more efficiently. To be sure, consult your doctor whether or not you are fit to do some squat routines and actually enjoy its overwhelming benefits.
The only time that squats will harm is you that when you do it without doing proper warm up exercises. It is beneficial in so many ways, given that you have done the proper warm up routine and work slowly up to the challenges of squat exercises. Stretch out properly so as to flex and not strain the leg muscles, preventing cramps from stopping you in enjoying the fastest way to getting that toned and well-developed leg muscles.
-Dan
Don’t forget to take our completely FREE 30 day muscle building eCourse at http://www.swiftmusclegain.com
By Dan On September 30, 2008
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Finally, you have decided to hit the gym and start a major lifestyle change. Since you have been dreaming for a beefed up sculpted body, you have embarked on a muscle building program. What you didn’t know is that it’ll put all your strength to test. Not only will it lead you in doing killer reps of exercises, it will also bring you to points where you may either give up or keep on going to achieve the body that you desire. Body building is primarily a form of discipline, not only will it touch on your diet but also to the activities that you will do to actually increase and improve your muscle mass. To actually do that, you will have to train beyond failure.
In muscle building exercises or routine, going beyond failure is actually not a bad thing. It basically means that your exercises must bring your muscles to points that are beyond what they normally handle. This teaches the body to adapt by building strong and flexible muscles. This also strengthens the muscles of the body, minimizing the injuries that body building exercises normally cause. All you have to do is endure the strain on which the exercises subject you body to. This way, you effectively develop the form of your body into the one that you have bee dreaming for.
Many fitness instructors advise of training beyond failure. When they say failure, they mean reaching the point on which you can’t do any more repetition without aid. This way, you maximize your body’s efficiency on muscle development and growth. It may also help improve the rate at which the muscle recovers from strain, which means that the body is taught to build real muscles at faster rates.
Increasing exercise repetition by 10 to 100% can reach failure point. Until you can’t do any more reps without much aid, you have not yet reached your failure point. However don’t go straining yourself just yet. Reaching failure points does not necessarily mean subjecting your body into extreme fatigue. Positive failure is the point on which you cannot execute the exercise on your own. So this means that going beyond this point is already risky for it might result to overload.
Going beyond failure point stimulates maximum muscle developments. In terms of strength and size, this is very effective in developing real muscles. With the proper set of training exercises, you can keep up the positive results of positive failure. Remember that muscles don’t build up on routines that you are easily capable of doing.
Building muscles is never easy. It takes a lot of hard work and pain to endure whatever the muscle building program entails. Every exercise will put your dedication to your goals to test. It might even bring you to points where you are all ready to give up. Just focus on your goals and keep going forward. If it will be of help, keep a training journal so you can determine how far you have gone from your program’s starting point and how much more to actually achieving your goals. Just like the way you build you muscles, you must go beyond failure, success comes with maximum effort.
By Dan On September 28, 2008
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Any form of exercise delivers best results when done correctly. The correct execution of these body movements is essential in actually working out the group of muscles on which the said exercise is designed to improve. So when you are under a muscle building program, maintaining proper posture enables you to correctly execute the exercise that comes with its routines. This is particularly true in doing shoulder shrugs.
Among other muscle building exercises, shoulder shrugs are best in strengthening and building the muscle mass right at the area of the shoulder joints. Since the shoulder joints are made up of a variety of bones, ligaments and tendons, it is where weight lifting injuries normally occur. Since lifting exercises moves the joints or the shoulder area at angles that may be beyond the range of its motion, strengthening the joints will serve best in enhancing the structure of shoulder movements by building up stronger and more flexible shoulder muscles. Dumbbells and barbells are usually used in doing shoulder shrugs. They are used in movements that flex and contract the trapezius muscles, hastening shoulder blade movements and minimizing neck strain. To properly do shoulder shrug exercises, it is advised that you lean a little slightly forward when doing such exercise. This way, it will be difficult to cheat on the exertion of the exercise.
Aside from having many joints and bones, one of the main reasons why the shoulder area is prone to injuries while doing some workouts is because of poor exercise technique. This means that many people, especially beginners, tend to cheat on exercises by slightly bending the posture, resulting to injuries on badly strained muscle groups. Since the pressure is put elsewhere, shoulder muscles will fail to develop and could possibly weaken. In a way, cheating on shoulder exercises like shoulder shrugs actually does more harm and no good.
You probably have heard your fitness instructor to maintain proper form and posture when doing exercises, particularly on shoulder shrugs. You will be only punishing yourself. For instance, it is a common rule to avoid rotating the shoulders forwards and backwards. By the time that you get out of the gym, you will surely find it hard to turn your head or neck from side to side.
The key to getting the optimum benefits of shoulder shrug exercises is maintaining proper posture and form. Don’t cheat for it will only strain the body or result to serious muscle injuries. Correct execution of exercises, although uncomfortable, optimizes the rate at which the muscle recovers and builds more muscles. Just remember that as you properly do your shoulder shrugs, you actually train the shoulder muscles to recover by building stronger muscles. And that is actually the importance of this exercise.
How can you even develop well-toned or beefy arms with a poor shoulder muscle tone? Your shoulder area is very important for it is what actually caps those well-developed arms and frames your hard-earned expansive chest. You can never have a dominating figure without strong shoulders. So don’t go cheating on those shoulder shrugs.
By Dan On September 28, 2008
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Consistency is the very essence of commitment when it comes to muscle building and training programs. Since all muscle building and training programs expect you to follow every activity as well as its strict diet on the dot, the progress of your muscle building program greatly depends on how consistent you are on in doing everything that your program requires.
You will never build or develop any muscle if you do an everyday routine weekly and of you do 10 reps for only 5 reps. Any training program assumes that you consistently follow whatever it requires, otherwise you get farther from the form of the body that you desire. Consistency is actually a frame of mind, for only the mind can convince the body to endure and suffer so much, just for the price of having a God-like body. A great body equates to hard work. Every effort will be worthless when you stop and skip some points of the program. Keep in mind that every time you endure killer reps of squats and presses, you bring yourself closer to the form of your dream body.
To evaluate how consistent you are in following your program, keeping a workout diary is often advised. This enables you to at which point have you taken yourself so far in the program and how much more does you have to do reps to finally end up getting the body that you have been dreaming for. If the results are not yet that obvious, do not lose hope. Just keep moving forward and focus yourself on your goal. Inch by inch, pound by pound, you have to convince yourself that you are getting there, closer to your goal.
Keeping a diary is actually a form of self motivation in keeping the enthusiasm of bearing with the work-outs. If you happen to be feeling a little low and feel like giving up, just leaf through the pages on which you have dragged yourself to the gym just to do killer reps of routine exercises. With that in mind, do you think you will give up after all the hard work, after all the progress that you have done? I don’t think so.
Any muscle building program runs at a substantial period of time. How fast or how long you can achieve a sculpted body depends on your current muscle mass and greatly depends on how consistent you are in sticking with whatever the program require and how consistent do you follow all your fitness instructor’s advice. Once you reach your goal and the form that you have worked hard for, the problem now would be how long you can keep it
Before you enlist yourself into a gym program, you must understand that fitness and keeping a great body is a lifestyle. It is actually a way of life. To keep the form that you have starved and worked hard for, you have to stick with the lifestyle that that body needs. You have to do some changes and you have to take a turn, moving your life into a much healthier side. Chasing through exercise fads will only achieve short-lived results. It is not even healthy. The best way of getting and keeping a great body is by making it a part of your life, a way of life.
By Dan On September 26, 2008
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Spending hours and hours on doing your routine can be driven by your desire to achieve the body that you have been dreaming about. However, you should be aware that getting there does not mean all hard work. You have to maintain recovery time every single time you do workout. The recommended hours of recovery time is approximately 8 to 10 hours sleep each night. But when we are talking about sleep, we mean quality sleep. There are actually sleep stages that one must reach so the body achieves quality rest. Remember that sleep cannot be stored up or saved for later. The importance of keeping the body well rested amplifies when your trying to gain muscle mass for it is in this period that the muscle building hormones work at their peak.
Aside from feeling refreshed and relieved from all the workout routines, keeping the body well rested has its advantages. Did you know that when you body is at its sleeping phase, the muscles that were torn and broken while you were doing your exercise is repaired? During deep sleep, the body actually builds your muscles bigger and stronger, keeping your body up for more killer reps of workout. What’s great about this period is that it uses fat, your body’s stored fat, to repair muscles. Hence, rest periods allow your body to consume and burn fat while building some real muscles.
Since all training programs starts from light to failure points of intensities, allowing your body the privilege of rest periods improves its muscle recovery rate. This means that getting the recommended time of rest pauses at every routine helps increase the body or the muscle’s capacity to bear with the increasing load of your routine. This way, the muscle increases the rate on which it regains its energy and strength, deriving energy from muscle contraction which also happens during rest periods.
It is okay to be committed to your program. However, it does not necessarily mean that overdoing it allows you to build muscles faster. That is not exactly the case. Overtraining poses serious health risks as it subjects the body in an overwhelming load of physical activities. It is very dangerous for it causes the body to incur damage at rates faster than how it recovers. For instance, when training with weights, initiating small tears on the developed muscle tissues is good for it teaches the body to build stronger muscles. However, lack of rest affects the manner by which the body rebuilds and repairs muscle tissues. Hence, doing trainings beyond your body’s repair capabilities does more harm than good.
Building muscles takes more discipline and effort to attain. The truth is, it takes more than diet and killer routines to sculpting your body into its ripped look. When you are already convinced that building muscles is all doing routines, strict diet and routine changes, you are perhaps overlooking the most important part of the process of building muscles. That is, getting rest. Allowing your body to get sufficient rest is crucial to speeding up the rate on which you safely develop or gains muscle mass. In every impressive physique that you see in the gym is a person who knows well the important of getting enough rest. Putting so much effort into doing killer reps of training routines till failure is good, but don’t forget to take time to rest for it is at this period that the muscle breathes, relaxes and builds.
-Dan Miller
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