All this builds up stress especially between the months of January and April when the newcomers hit the gyms and fitness centres in an attempt to lose the weight gained over the Christmas and New Year period. In trying to realise their New Years resolutions they overcrowd the aerobics area and take over the weight room leaving weights lying around and causing queues for equipment. Regulars of the gym experience these problems and tempers start to flare in a phenomenon becoming known as “Gym Rage”

During this testing time, all gym-goers, both new and experienced and the employees of the fitness clubs know that the newcomers usually only last until April and after that their good intentions run out. To help you through this stressful time have a look at and follow some of the hints below:

 Stand at the back of the aerobics class when you first start, as you will usually find the hard-core regulars will be down the front.

 Their are no rules that govern how many members a gym can sign up, causing some fitness centres to become overcrowded with everybody wanting to use them in the morning and afternoon on their way to and from work. So try to plan your visit to the gym a little earlier than usual or later in the day or evening. There is only one effective way to beat the January to April rush and that is to workout out late at night after 7.00pm

 Talking on your cell phone whilst you are working out, this will tie up a machine or piece of equipment for a long time causing problems. It’s recommended that you turn off your cell phone whilst at the gym.

 Don’t hog the machines; try not to go over the time limits set on the particular machine you are using. If there is a time limit please stick to it. The thing that annoys most people is the way people sit on a machine knocking out set after set. By performing one set to muscular failure and moving on will free up the machines for use by the next person.

 Wipe the machines down after use, try not to leave your sweat on the piece of equipment you have just used, use a towel to separate yourself from the machine while you make use of it and wipe it down thoroughly after use.

 Don’t drop the weights onto the ground and don’t clang them loudly as this is very off-putting to the other members. Make sure you return the weights to there correct place on the racks when you’re finished with them even though you might have found them lying on the floor.

 One thing you don’t want to do is constantly ask people if they’ve finished using a machine when they’re obviously still exercising on it. If anything the trainee will try to sit on it longer just to annoy you. Be patient; don’t interrupt them while they are lifting, wait until they finish their set first.

 A gym isn’t a social club don’t stand around in large groups chatting especially if you have a machine in use, do your talking in the locker room or at reception.

 Don’t leave your towel or other personal items lying around on a bench or piece of equipment if you are not using it. Leave your training space as clean as the way you found it. If the equipment is unattended for more than five minutes go ahead and use it, but be prepared to share also, let people work in with you if the difference in weight is not too large. Leave enough space around you so that other people can approach the weight rack and get the equipment they need.

 Don’t scream when you are going for that personal best lift, remember that the others around you are concentrating on their own work out to and don’t need to hear you screaming out for attention. Exhaling loudly as you contract the muscles during your set is fine.

 Don’t hog the water fountain, only take a few mouthfuls of water and then move away, don’t fill up your huge water bottle with cold water and leave warm drinking water for the rest of the members.

 Follow the gyms code of conduct usually seen on the walls of the gym or fitness centre, if trainees are not following the code report it to management don’t take it into your own hands.

Related posts:

1. Proper Etiquette when in the Gym When you go to the gym, you are there to...
2. Free Weights VS Machine exercise Something you need to keep in mind and never forget...
3. Proform Treadmills – Bargain Fitness Equipment Learn why Proform is one of the most highly regarded...

When you’ve spent weeks or even months striving and sacrificing, you don’t want to have your spirits sink as you see the scale start to go up. For most of us, regardless of our weight loss method, weight regain is a real possibility. But is it inevitable?

Follow these five sure tricks, and your scale will stay put:

If you gain a pound, lose it! People who are successful at maintaining a weight loss weigh themselves at least twice a week. Pick regular times of day, and regular days of the week, to weigh and keep a chart. If you find you’re up a pound or two, follow a healthy and structured food plan until the extra weight comes off again.

Have planned snacks instead of grazing. To combat rampant, spontaneous snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day that you can measure out and enjoy. Be sure to include some protein and complex carbohydrates in your snack. If you feed yourself a bit more frequently, you will be less likely to graze mindlessly.

Balance your treats with healthy choices. You can have an occasional treat, but you can also have an occasional healthy choice. Keep the treat small so that you don’t get a big sugar or unrefined carb rush. And if you must eat sugar or an unrefined carb, eat a little protein with it so that your blood sugar doesn’t crash and cause cravings for more of the same.

Admit your trigger foods and avoid them. All you have to do is look at certain foods and you know you’ll eat them. Don’t keep any snack foods in plain site around your house. Put them away. If you find yourself going to the cupboard or refrigerator to peruse the snack items, you’ll need to keep the trigger foods out of your house altogether.

Experiment and use the tools that work for you. Many dieters hate the act of writing down what they eat. Some dislike exercise. Others abhor weighing and measuring their food. Still others will not give up sugar and unrefined carbs. You need to be honest with yourself, though. These tools are proven to work. So, experiment with all the tools available to you and use the ones that work.

Weight regain is not inevitable, but you need to take action to avoid it. Apply these solutions to your life and you will find weight maintenance to be simple and satisfying.

Related posts:

1. Weight Loss Tips From Real Women Everyone has their favorite weight loss tips. Here’s a handful...
2. Can Women Get Bulky From Lifting Weights? SLim Chance One of the all time myths that prevents a lot...
3. Eating Carbs Actually Leads To Weight Loss And Health Carbohydrates are the single most important food you can eat....

For years we have been told to diet the excess fat from our bodies and throw in some fast walking to hasten the process. The trouble with this is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body
holding onto the fat and using precious lean muscle tissue for energy.

This would “Lower Your Metabolism” causing greater muscle loss and once the diet was broken the original fat returned, and you would have greater chance of gaining even more fat.

“A Vicious Cycle”

Eventually, your body would become used to the diet and then you will reach a point where nothing was happening.

So what do you do now?

Try weight loss supplements, creams, massage, toning tables, drugs. You should know by now that these don’t work.

There is a better way, it’s simply…

“Strength Training”

Many studies are showing that Strength Training is a superior method for weight loss.

(Ladies, you won’t bulk up by using weights, you don’t have the testosterone to get big and muscular, so don’t worry).

If you don’t incorporate Strength Training into your weight loss program then look forward to “disappointing results”.

The days of strength training three to five days a week in the gym, an hour at a time are long gone. That just doesn’t work. One short strength-training workout a week done at home or in the gym will melt away more fat than you would have ever thought possible.

Fats, Figures and Cardio Work

We’ve already found out that by increasing the functional muscle on your body, you increase your resting metabolic rate. Due to the HIGHER metabolic rate you can now eat MORE calories, which means that you won’t need to starve anymore to lose weight.

In a sense, fewer calories have to be cut back from our daily intake of food and successful dieting (provided that you eat the right foods) will become more likely.

As far as Fats are concerned, they’re burned from the body when cells oxidize to release energy in the form of exercise. When exercise is done slowly to moderately for 20 to 30 minutes, then the majority of energy is TAKEN from the fat stores.

It’s important to understand that the loss of fat comes from fat cells ALL OVER the body, NOT just from one or more specific areas. Therefore, fat reduction of a certain area is not generally possible.

The best exercise for the purpose of fat loss is fast walking either indoors on the treadmill or outdoors. Walk until you are mildly puffing and hold that rate for the allotted time.

If your cardio activities leave you panting or breathless ~ you are going too hard. Your energy will be then coming from your carbohydrate reserves and not from your fat stores.

Nutrition For Weight Loss

Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle and energy levels. Foods with vital vitamin and mineral supplements should also be taken on a daily basis.

By decreasing the amount of calories you eat per day to the weight loss amount, you should start losing weight. Don’t go any lower and check the mirror regularly to judge your progress.

If you don’t have an accurate idea of how many calories your consuming a day, how will you know whether you’re overeating or not?

Another word about diets… They’ll send the body into starvation mode; a survival mechanism from long ago when humans faced periods of famine. Cutting back on your calories too low will cause the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces
its ability to burn fat.

At the same time, hunger signals increase and we quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar. The same foods we are trying to do without.

Here are some great eating tips for you to consider:

 Reduce both obvious and hidden fats.

 Record food intake to identify problem areas.

 Be aware of times when you over eat.

 Avoid severe food restriction.

 Monitor body fat levels, not weight.

 Aim for moderate fat loss (one pound per week)

Related posts:

1. Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work Over the years there has been a surge of different...
2. Weight Loss is all to do with Calories What is a calorie? The definition of a calorie is...
3. Scientific Guidelines for Effective Weight Loss If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop!...

There is a ton of free advice seen in the media these days
and if it is taken seriously, can really set you back on your
weight loss endeavours. This can lead to the kind of frustration
that makes people think they are “destined to remain fat for life”.

This in not true, Have a look at the Weight loss myths below and
draw your own conclusions.

Exercise on an empty stomach and burn more fat.

Effective weight loss is the total amount of calories
burned during the day, not how or why they were burned.
It doesn’t matter if it is night or morning, so exercise
early in the day has no advantage to exercise later in
the day.

Studies show that increased metabolism induced by anaerobic
exercise is actually less after a large meal. Which probably
means that more energy is being used for digestion than
what is being used to repair muscle.

More exercise is better.

Every exercise session is beneficial to each individual,
however more is not always better. It depends on what is
trying to be achieved. There is a level and frequency
required to achieve results.

After this level is reached, additional exercise can
have the opposite effect, not allowing the body to
recuperate and adapt to the stress induced by the
exercise, which can be detrimental to your results.

After stopping exercise muscle will turn to fat.

This in not possible, Muscle and fat are two different
types of tissues in the body and you cannot convert one into the
other. This is like trying to turn water into milk.
If you stop training, the muscles will shrink
in size – and do not disappear. The more calories
taken in that are not burned off will be deposited as fat.

If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough.

Sweating is the body’s way of cooling itself down.
Many factors contribute to body temperature, including
room temperature, types of exercise done, body-fat levels,
clothing, and exercise intensity. The intensity for
exercise can’t be judged by the amount you sweat.

A well-trained person will often sweat a lot because
their body can more efficiently regulate heat.

Taking sugar before exercise to raise energy levels.

Ingestion of sugar will lead to a rapid rise in blood
sugar levels. This rapid rise stimulates a release of
insulin, which quickly removes the excess sugar from
the blood system, often causing your blood sugar levels
to drop, sometimes below the level that it started at,
leading to faster exhaustion.

Gaining weight is just a part of getting older.

Getting older is not an excuse for gaining weight!
As we age and begin a more sedentary lifestyle we
start to lose muscle mass.

The efficiency of your metabolism is directly linked
to how much muscle you have on your body. The most
efficient way of maintaining your body’s muscle mass
and keeping your metabolism from dropping, is by
doing a high intensity strength training workout once a week.

X is the best form of exercise.

Claims like this are usually based on marketing strategy
and personal bias. Even when claims are based on factual
information, they have little practical value to the
average exerciser. The most important thing is to choose
an activity that you like, and perform it properly and
consistently.

If it’s fat free I can have as much as I want.

Unfortunately fat free doesn’t mean calorie free.
The word fat free is misleading because if you
overeat on anything, even fat free foods and you
don’t burn off those calories, your body will
store the excess as fat.

Don’t drink water when you exercise or you will get cramps.

By drinking litres of icy cold water in one go while
exercising you will probably suffer from cramps.
This is why it is important to drink water
continuously before, during and after exercising
to replace the fluid you’ve lost and avoid any discomfort.

By not having a personal trainer I wont make gains.

Hiring a personal trainer is one way you can use to
reach your goals, but you are an adult capable of
making decisions and setting your own goals once
you have the knowledge of how to go about it.
Following a good exercise program and eating
plan does not require someone standing over
you and telling you how to do it.

By exercising my abs I will lose my pot belly.

Exercising your abdominals will help to tone and
firm the abdominal region, but it will not reduce
fat deposits that are responsible for a pot belly.
Fat reduction comes from burning more calories
than you take in. Fat is reduced uniformly throughout
the body there is no such thing as spot reduction.

Related posts:

1. Weight Loss Myths and Corresponding Facts The myths about weight loss are making rounds everywhere and...
2. Weight Gain Myths The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly...
3. Weight Loss And Nutritional Myths “Myth: Becoming a Vegetarian insures weight loss and healthiness. Truth:...

Fat loss = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 12 calories (12 x lb).

Maintenance = multiply your bodyweight in pounds with 15 calories (15 x lb).

This is a very easy method to estimate your daily caloric requirements, but it has its drawbacks as it doesn’t take into account your particular activity levels or body fat levels. Despite this it will give you a good estimated figure that you can work with.
The maintenance figure that you get is the amount of calories that you need to consume to stay at your current weight. To lose weight your calorie intake must be lower than the calories you burn.
In order to lose one pound of fat per week, you must reduce your weekly calorie intake by 3,500 calories, which works out at five hundred calories per day. This can be done by reducing your calories by 500 or combining a diet with physical activity. The bottom line is to balance your caloric intake with the amount of calories that you are burning, that’s the secret to successful dieting and weight maintenance.
Becoming more conscious of counting calories in your everyday eating regime is imperative if you are trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that men and women underestimate their daily calorie consumption by 500 to almost 1000 calories. You can get a truer picture by keeping a, seven day eating plan of what you typically eat and drink during the day.

At the end of each days eating, add up the total amount of calories consumed and write them down on to the eating plan. At the end of the seven days, add the total calories for the whole week and then divide by seven, you now have your daily calorie intake.

Using a calorie calculator can make counting calories easier – you can total how many calories you will need for your daily activities to give you more control over how many calories you should include in your daily diet. Another technique for low calorie eating is to watch your fat intake as this has the most calories.
Moderation is always important when you are counting calories, severely restricting calories, causes the body to lower its metabolic rate, which reduces its ability to burn fat. At the same time, hunger signals increase and you quickly start to crave high-energy foods loaded with fats and sugar, the same foods you are trying to do without.

This is because when you return to normal eating habits, the drop in metabolic rate caused by the restriction in calories means that your old eating habits actually represent excess in calories. Not only do you regain the fat stores just lost, but also you may even gain a bit extra.

Dieting by counting calories means that all foods are allowed, nothing is forbidden as long as the calories consumed don’t go over your daily calorie allowance. Counting calories can also be flexible enough to accommodate most busy lifestyles.

Health professionals agree that healthy eating which includes counting calories and a low fat diet are essential for long-term healthy weight loss. The way to lose body fat and maintain muscle is to have a food program for life. Quality food and more energy output are the basics you’ll need to go for.

Bulk foods that fill you up and don’t fill you out, foods that are low in fat and sugar which aren’t refined should be the ideal. Small frequent meals should be consumed during the day each containing a little protein to maintain muscle mass and energy levels.

As before get the calories from high quality food but if you can’t, utilize a blender to make mixtures from skim milk with whatever nutrient additives you want to use, just as long as you keep count of the calories for your daily total.

Now use these out of the blender mixtures and solid food for your daily feedings. Spread it out over many small meals a day instead of the traditional three meals a day.

Related posts:

1. Weight Loss Success Results from Finding the Right Balance of Calories and Exercise Weight loss is not just about changing what you eat,...
2. Calorie Definition and Weight Loss The term calorie refers to a non-SI unit of energy,...
3. Weight Loss Strategies If you want any weight loss program to work you...

It has been learned that it is impossible to predict the impact on blood glucose levels by certain foods, instead people are fed carbohydrate foods and the response measured.

This response is known as the Glycemic Index (GI), it is a measure of how quickly carbohydrate foods are digested and absorbed, and ranks carbohydrate foods according to their impact on blood sugar (glucose) levels: as indicted by elevated
blood glucose.

Foods with a high GI are absorbed quickly into the blood stream and cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. While foods with a low GI are broken down more slowly over time and keep blood glucose levels more stable (Remember that low is slow!).

Some carbohydrate foods will maintain your energy levels for hours, while some may cause your blood glucose to rise and fall. Different types of carbohydrate can also affect feelings of fullness in the stomach and this can influence hunger and
your ability to control your body weight.

Why is the GI important?

When our blood glucose levels are stable we have plenty of readily available fuel for the brain and muscles. If our blood glucose levels drop too low (hypoglycaemia) we feel tired, dizzy and generally unwell. If our blood glucose levels rise too quickly a rapid drop usually follows this.

Include low glycemic index foods in meals and snacks to slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream. A low glycemic index snack a few hours before exercise will help maintain your energy levels for more effective training.

After high intensity exercise (strength training) a high glycemic index snack should be consumed within 30 minutes. This will help to replace energy and start the recovery process.

Low-GI foods take longer to digest and help delay hunger pangs that little bit more and thus promote weight loss. So please choose your carbs carefully as this will lower your insulin levels and burn more fat. The secret is to swap high GI foods with low GI foods.

Simple steps to a low GI diet.

Step No 1

Start with a healthy, well balanced and varied diet based on a good nutrition program. The diet should be low in fats, moderate in carbohydrate and protein. The program should be high in fibre and contain a varied amount of foods to provide the required amount of vitamins and minerals.

Step No 2

Look at the type of carbohydrates that you consume during the day. Look at the carbs that you eat the most, as these will have the most dramatic impact on your diet.

Try to change the carbs you eat the most with at least one low GI one. (Replace potato with sweet potato, use noodles instead of rice) By substituting half of your daily carbohydrate from high GI to low GI will result in an overall reduction in the GI of your diet.

Reducing the GI in your diet reduces your insulin levels and increases the fat burning apparatus in your body. Try to reduce the high GI’s in your diet by substituting them with low GI’s.

Regular consumption of low GI foods increases the feelings of fullness and satisfaction and so prevents weight gain. Try taking in six small meals a day of healthy low fat low GI foods to prevent overeating at meal times and control appetite.

Remember, that it is also important to look at the calories in food to. Rice and bread might be low in fat but when your body is burning the carbohydrates in these foods it doesn’t burn as much fat. So if you are on a low fat diet, you wont lose as much weight if your calories are still high.

Have a look at the table below for the different GI food ratings.

Low GI ()
Grapefruit (26) Pineapple (66) Cornflakes (80)
Baked Beans (15) Raisins (64) W/M Bread (72)
Lentils (29) Sweet corn (59) Brown Rice (80)
Peanuts (13) Potato Chips (51) Carrots (92)
Soy Beans (15) All bran (51) Baked Potato (98)

Compare these two menus and try to adjust your diet accordingly.

High GI Menu

Breakfast: 40 Grams of cornflakes with milk. Two slices of whole meal toast with margarine and jam.

Snack: Two sweet biscuits with a white coffee.

Lunch: Ham and salad whole meal Roll with an apple.

Snack: Four crackers with cottage cheese and chives

Main Meal: Serving of Roast chicken with a large baked potato and peas. Small piece of cake.

Low GI Menu

Breakfast: 40 Grams of bran with low fat milk. Two slices of low GI toast (Try Burgen) with margarine and jam.

Snack: Two oatmeal biscuits with a coffee (Low fat milk).

Lunch: Ham and salad Roll (Low GI bread). Soft-serve vanilla yoghurt with toasted muesli sprinkled on top.

Snack: Two bananas.

Main Meal: Serving of Roast chicken with a small baked potato and peas. Two scoops of low fat ice cream with half a cup of canned peaches.

Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, nuts, and avocados contain very little or no carbohydrates. These foods if eaten by themselves will not have much effect on your glucose levels and are very low GI. Alcoholic beverages especially wine are also low GI so can be included in your diet but remember to count them in your daily caloric intake.

Low GI foods are ideal for losing weight due to the slow absorption from the stomach. Low GI foods also help to keep blood sugar levels more stable and this has an effect on reducing sweet cravings.

Related posts:

1. The Low Glycemic Index Diet And Its Benefits For Diabetics The popular Low Glycemic Index Diet is certainly nothing new...
2. Understanding The Glycemix Index – For Weight Loss and Better Health Whether you want to lose weight, or are simply interested...
3. Why Low Glycemic Foods? Some currently popular eating plans like The Perricone Prescription, A...

You may also have no access to a commercial gym, home gym or are on business trip, but there can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need of expensive machines.

As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight, machines or free weights, if the resistance doesn’t increase, your muscles won’t be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibres need to grow will be missing.

Exercises done correctly will build the lean muscle and increase your metabolism in the same way as performing exercises at a gymnasium, but without the time constraints and associated costs.

These exercises can be easily done in a bedroom, hotel room, a park, school yard, ceiling rafters in a garage or in a doorway and all you have to do is use your imagination. There will always be a way to add more resistance to your workouts.

Please remember: It doesn’t matter where you are working out — at home, a hotel, or a park — always warm up properly before beginning your session, and cool down and stretch when you are finished.

Leg Exercises

Squats –

They build muscle in the thighs, shape the buttocks and improve endurance. Position your feet about 13 to 17 inches apart or at shoulder width, keeping the back straight and your head up. If you want you can use something that will give you some support, i.e. a desk, bookcase, sink etc.

Now squat down to where the tops of the thighs are parallel to the floor, hold for a second and then stand up, but don’t bounce at the bottom of the movement, use a nice fluid motion. Always exhale your breath as you stand up.

Lunges –

Stand straight in correct posture; now stand with one leg forward and one leg back. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest up, lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don’t step out too far).

You should have about one to two feet between your feet at this stage, the further forward you step, and the more your gluteus and hamstring muscles will have to work.

Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down and stop where your feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) then push directly back up. Do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all your reps on the other leg.

Back Exercises

Chin-ups –

Chin-ups are a great upper body workout, particularly targeting your biceps, deltoid and lat muscles. Use a doorway chin-up bar, ceiling rafters in a garage or grab the moulding of your door frame, position your hands with an under hand grip and hang down stretching the lats, slowly raise your body until your chin reaches the bar level.

Pause a moment before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position. Don’t swing or use momentum to get your body to the top, just use the target muscles. Doorway chinning bars remove from the doorway when you are not using them and can be put up and taken down in seconds.

Bent Over Row –

Take up a position with your right hand and right knee braced on a sturdy bed or some other flat surface that will provide a good support. Now pick up a dumbbell or something heavy that you can hold onto with your left hand.

Visualize your arms as hooks and slowly bring the dumbbell or object up to the side of your chest, keeping your back straight, then lower the weight back down to arms length, no lower, on extremes, safe form only please. Concentrate on your back muscles. Reverse the whole procedure and do the exercise now with your right arm.

Chest Exercises

Push-Up –

The push up is used for building chest, shoulders and arms. Lie face down on the floor with your hands about shoulder width apart and keeping your palms turned slightly inward. Now push-up until your arms are straight, lower and repeat for repetitions.

To make it more difficult elevate your feet. Try placing the toes of your feet on a stable, elevated surface such as a bench, chair or a stair. Straightening your body, position your hands on the floor at shoulder width, lower your body until your chest touches the floor at the bottom, and then return to the starting position in a nice fluid motion.

Dips –

This exercise can be done between two sturdy chairs or other surfaces that provide stability. The dip is another great upper body exercise. It’s a compound movement as well and involves working all the muscles that the push up works.

Keep your head up and body as vertical as possible. For the beginning of the movement, start at the top (arms fully extended) and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel to the seat of the chairs, hold and then push up to the top of the movement until your arms are fully extended again. Keep looking straight ahead and don’t bounce at the bottom of the movement.

Adding Weight

Although the simple weight of your own body is enough resistance to provide an effective workout we need progressive overload (added resistance) to become stronger.

So all we need to do is add some weight wherever we can find some. Because there are no metal plates and fancy machines to use it doesn’t matter because the body doesn’t care where it is as long as it’s receiving resistance of some kind.

You can use heavy books clasped in your hands. You can buy some cheap weighted dumbbells or ankle weights. A weighted vest will also allow you to add resistance for both chin-ups and push-ups. Try to buy one that will let you remove and add weight as you see fit. Also a backpack filled with books can be perfect for most of the exercises and is a cheap alternative.

How about a couple of buckets and fill them with a certain level of water? As you get stronger fill them with more water. This is perfect because depending on the exercise, all you need to do is to increase or decrease the amount of water in the buckets for the required amount of resistance.

To wrap things up…

We know that using free weights and machines are the fastest and most efficient way there is to gain lean muscle and strength, but by performing the exercises in this article you’ll find that they will provide you with the same benefits as going to a gymnasium but without the ongoing costs and time constraints.

Related posts:

1. Use A Deck Of Cards For An Aerobic Workout Hints and tips gathered in over 30 years pumping iron....
2. The 3 Core Muscle Building Exercises You Should Be Doing When it comes to building muscle I like to keep...
3. An exercise routine you can do at the office Ok, so your one of those people who just has...

Myths that lead to wasted time, frustration and if are taken blindly as truth, can really set back your progress in the gym. Don’t believe everything you hear in the gym when it comes to exercise and weight gain, do the research yourself.

Simple, basic principles apply to all weight and muscle gain such as progressive overload, variable frequency of reps and high intensity workouts. Lets take a look at some of the most common weight gain myths.

High repetitions burn fat while low repetitions build muscle.

Progressive overload is needed to make muscles bigger. Meaning that you need to perform more reps than you did for your last workout for that particular exercise. If you perform the same amount of reps at each workout nothing will change on you, also if the weight doesn’t changes on the bar nothing will change on you. You need to become stronger.

Definition has two characteristics, muscle size and a low incidence of body fat. To reduce body fat you will have to reduce your calories; the high repetition exercise will burn some calories, but wouldn’t it be better to fast walk to burn these off? Better still; use the low reps to build muscle, which will elevate your metabolism and burn more calories (less fat).

Vegetarians can’t build muscle.

Yes they can! Strength training with supplementation of soy Protein Isolate has shown to increase solid bodyweight. Studies have shown that athletic performance is not impaired by following a meat free diet, and people strength training and consuming only soy protein isolate as a protein source were able to gain lean muscle mass.

Strength Training will make you look masculine.

If it is not you’re intention to bulk up from strength training you won’t. Putting on muscle is a long hard slow process. Your strength-training regime coupled with quality food will determine how much you will bulk up. To bulk up you also require more food. Women don’t produce enough testosterone to allow for muscular growth as large as men.

By working out you can eat what ever you want to.

Of course you can eat whatever you want, if you don’t care how you want to look. Working out does not give you an open license to consume as many calories as you want. Although you will burn more calories if you workout than someone who doesn’t, you still need to balance your energy intake with you energy expenditure.

If you take a week off you will lose most of your gains.

Taking one or two weeks off occasionally will not harm your training. By taking this time off every eight to ten weeks
in between strength training cycles it has the habit of refreshing you and to heal those small niggling injuries. By having longer layoffs you do not actually lose muscle fibres, just volume through not training, any size loss will be quickly re-gained.

By eating more protein I can build bigger muscles.

Building muscle mass involves two things, progressive overload to stimulate muscles beyond their normal levels of resistance and eating more calories than you can burn off. With all the hype about high protein diets lately and because muscle is made of protein, it’s easy to believe that protein is the best fuel for building muscle, however muscles work on calories which should predominately be derived from carbohydrates.

If I’m not sore after a workout, I didn’t work out hard enough.

Post workout soreness is not an indication of how good the exercise or strength training session was for you. The fitter you are at a certain activity, the less soreness you will experience after. As soon as you change an exercise, use a heavier weight or do a few more reps you place extra stress on that body part and this will cause soreness.

Resistance training doesn’t burn fat.

Nothing could not be further from the truth. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue and has a role in increasing the metabolism. The faster metabolism we have the quicker we can burn fat. Cardio exercise enables us to burn calories whilst exercising but does little else for fat loss afterwards.

Weight training enables us to burn calories whilst exercising but also helps us to burn calories whilst at rest. Weight training encourages muscle growth and the more lean muscle mass we possess, the more fat we burn though an increased and elevated metabolism.

No pain no gain.

This is one myth that hangs on and on. Pain is your body signalling that something is wrong. If you feel real pain during a workout, stop your workout and rest. To develop muscle and increase endurance you may need to have a slight level of discomfort, but that’s not actual pain.

Taking steroids will make me huge.

Not true, strength training and correct nutrition will grow muscle. Taking steroids without training will not make you muscular.

Most steroids allow faster muscle growth through greater recovery, while others help increase strength which allows for greater stress to be put onto a muscle. Without food to build the muscle or training to stimulate it nothing will happen. Most of the weight gain seen with the use of some steroids is due to water retention and is not actual muscle.

Strength training won’t work your heart.

Wrong!! Strength training with short rest periods will increase your heartbeat well over a hundred beats per minute. For example, performing a set of breathing squats and you can be guaranteed that your heart will be working overtime and that your entire cardiovascular system will be given a great overall body workout.

Any intensive weightlifting routine that lasts for20 minutes or more is a great workout for your heart and the muscles involved.

I can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Wrong. Only a few gifted people with superb genetics can increase muscle size while not putting on body fat. But for the average hard gainer, they have to increase their muscle mass to its maximum potential and then cut down their body fat percentage to achieve the desired shape.

Related posts:

1. Quick Tips to Gain Muscle Mass Packing on size is easy, as long as proper techniques...
2. Learn To Gain Weight And Build Muscle If you want to increase muscle mass and gain weight,...
3. Build Big Muscles Fast. Gain Muscle Mass Guide So you want to build big muscles? Simple isn’t it?...

Most of these strength-training strategies have been around for years but are not followed by many training systems these days. Lets look at a few below that actually work.

1. Training Frequency

The two main components of strength training are the intensity of the exercise and the recovery after the exercise. Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is what is needed to increase functional muscle size in the shortest period of time.

The latest research has repeatedly shown that muscles over-compensate (become stronger) up to a week after the previous workout, provided that the muscles are trained to failure.

Remember it’s not the training volume but the intensity and recuperation that are important when it comes to gains in strength and muscle.

2. Exercises Per Session

Tests under strict gym conditions have revealed that you’ve only got a limited amount of (readily available) energy to use for a weight training session. Blood tests on individuals have also revealed that blood sugar levels (available energy) drop dramatically after 20 to 30 minutes of high intensity training.

As you only have a short period of time to train before our blood sugar level drops, “Exercise Selection” is crucial. You have to use Multi-Joint or Compound movements, as these offer the most training stimulus for the available amount of time. In other words, we can train many muscles simultaneously and thus use our energy more efficiently.

Performing three to four exercises with high intensity during a session are what most people are capable of. All the main structures of the body are worked hard during this time. Working on these big compound movements has a knock-on effect throughout the whole body; there is no need for specialization techniques or isolation movements.

The fact is, the whole body is worked hard, rest and recuperation is allowed to take place and at the next exercise session we push out a few more reps than before with the same weight, then we have gotten stronger i.e. more muscle.

3. Number of Sets per Exercise

After performing one complete set a compound exercise to total failure, it should be just about impossible to generate the same force and intensity for another complete set of the same exercise.

If you’re able to generate the same force and intensity for this second set then it’ll be pretty obvious that not enough effort has been put into the first set. Thus you’ll have to raise the intensity level you put out for the first set.

If you give the first set 100% effort and work the exercise hard to total failure (eg. you cannot move the bar after the last rep) then there will be not more requirement for further muscle stimulation on that specific exercise.

If you think that volume training (multiple sets) is more effective then you’re wrong! The latest research shows that single set training is as beneficial as multiple set training. Training one set will decrease the chances of over-training. It will also allow you to save more energy for other exercises required during the workout.

4. Number of Repetitions per Set

The development of muscle and strength is interrelated, it always has been. Strength training Sessions produce increases in strength that is equal to increases in functional muscle. (You’ll become stronger and grow muscle).

Cycling intensity through changes in repetitions and weight throughout a ten-week program is an effective way to maintain progression and avoid training plateaus (slumps in strength).

Repetitions can be cycled, the higher repetition range will stimulate the slow twitch muscle fibres and promote endurance. Moving further down the scale, the lower repetition range will activate the fast twitch muscle fibres and increase strength and muscle size.

Related posts:

1. Benefits of Strength Training The benefits of a good strength training program are almost...
2. Increase Your Training Intensity – Training To Failure You can only build muscle tissue if you can generate...
3. Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain It’s an unfortunate reality that throughout the years there has...

Below you will find Scientific Guidelines for strength training that have always been around but are not followed by many training systems these days.

1. Limited Energy Level

A strength-training program should be short and simple as you only have a limited amount of energy per training session.

Scientific studies reveal that blood sugar levels (energy) start to deplete after 30 mins, so exercise selection and the time taken to perform them is crucial.

What you should be aiming for is stimulating as many muscle fibres in the shortest period of time available.

Your blood sugar levels deplete after high intensity training (usually between 20 – 30 minutes) and remember that you need energy to recuperate after the workout.

The trick is to give yourself a high intensity workout before your blood sugar level depletes, and then you will have given your body the exercise that it requires to gain the maximum amount of muscle possible.

2. Progressive Overload

Progressive Overload is the main exercise principle you need to be aware of in order to get the results that you’re after with strength training.

The two most important points are:

 Complete your exercise with perfect technique
 Push to total failure when doing a set and overload the weight on the bar progressively. (Overload your targeted muscles to beyond what there used to)

Basically this means that when the body is stressed by high intensity training beyond its normal demands, the body will adapt to these new demands of improved strength.

When I say “normal demands,” I mean what level of stress/strength your body is used to now.

An example: The set that you performed last week using the same technique and weight, your body will now have adapted to. If you stay at this level your muscles will not become stronger or bigger, so this is where the Progressive Overload plays a major part.

Once your muscles have adapted to a particular weight then it’ll be time to overload them further (add more weight, speed, repetitions). You’ll need to keep on repeating this process of overload if you want to become stronger.

Remember to always use GOOD TECHNIQUE. Technique must never be sacrificed for extra load.

3. Training Frequency

The sad reality is that the popular high volume type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) is irrelevant to the majority of the population and has a shocking failure rate.

What is good for Joe Star is probably not good for you. Everybody has different genetics; most of us have poor genetics and are not taking steroids like the stars.

The only way the majority of us can make any gains at all is to perform short intense workouts followed by long periods of rest so that we don’t overtrain.

4. Over-Compensation

Many studies conducted around the world have shown clearly that recuperation from strength training requires far more rest time than previously thought.

Infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger is necessary for you to increase your functional muscle.

Here’s what you need to do – allow your body enough recuperation time for over compensation to take place, so that the muscles can adjust to their new strength and growth.

5. Exercise selection for intensity

I can’t stress enough of how exercise selection is absolutely crucial. There are only a few exercises that you really need to perform. These exercises consist of multi-joint movements.

These particular exercises are far superior to that of isolation exercises (working 1 muscle group at a time) because you are required to use more muscles from every muscle group.

By using these exercises your whole body will be worked hard.

6. Visualization

Over my 20 years in the industry, I’ve noticed that this area is by far the most neglected by mainstream health and fitness professionals…

Most books or courses concentrate on the physical side of muscle gain or fat loss and completely neglect the mental side of things.

By training your mental state as well as your physical body you can even further progress in muscle growth.

Related posts:

1. Strength Training Strategies that Actually Work Over the years there has been a surge of different...
2. Scientific Guidelines for Effective Weight Loss If you have been dieting and haven't lost weight, stop!...
3. Weight Gain Myths The vast majority of myths about weight gain are mostly...

Visualization can play an important part in gaining weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Gaining weight can be difficult for many people who don’t use their minds to help in the process.

Visualization is a powerful technique that can help you make lasting lifestyle changes. Just by “day dreaming”, you can significantly improve your chances in achieving your goals.

Visualization is a great weight gain tool and its as simple as visualizing your body as you want your body to look like. This mental image of yourself is then transferred to your subconscious mind, which in turn starts to work on your body, shaping it in accordance with your mental image.

This means that if you program your subconscious with a mental image of yourself as a more muscular person, through persistence your mind will accept this and aid your body to conform to this mental image.

Once your mind is programmed with the proper mental images, it will start to work in assisting you to gain weight. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to believe in your visualization goals. You have to let go of your past failures and refuse to entertain any negative images that come into your mind.

If you can visualize your body at its perfect proportions, the subconscious mind will work to make it become a reality. It will then begin to positively reinforce your body into aiding the metabolism and eating habits.

Programming your mind into believing that you can gain weight, and to visualize yourself with your perfect proportions is of the greatest importance.

Try to think of a different image of yourself, then let your subconscious do the work for you. If you think of your body as being out of shape all the time, then the subconscious mind will find ways to make it so.

The sub-conscious looks after all of all your vital functions, it is the cause of all your good and bad habits, and also regulates the muscles of the body (The muscles are controlled by the sub-conscious) and body-fat composition on the body.

Try to visualize your body as lean and as muscular as you would like, and your mind will work on that image. The mind can be a great partner in gaining weight.

Relaxation

Relaxation the best way to reach the sub-conscious and will slow down the mind, turn off the exterior world so as to tune in to one’s inner self. The best times for these sessions are in the morning and late at night right, just before going to sleep.

Perform two sessions, one in the afternoon (Primary) and the other before going to sleep (Secondary) but once a day is quite sufficient. Sessions usually last 20 minutes, which isn’t time consuming especially when taking in the benefits received.

It has been stated that one of these sessions is equivalent to 2 hours of deep sleep and upon waking you will feel revitalized and full of energy. Believe me instead of worrying about time constraints; you will be looking forward to the next session.

When you begin your relaxation sessions, make sure you won’t be disturbed – lock the door, take the phone off the hook and loosen all clothing. Now find a comfortable position, whether it is lying down or sitting in a comfortable chair.

Sitting may be preferable as you may fall asleep if you become too comfortable. You want to be conscious and not asleep in order to tap into your sub-conscious mind.

Try to exhale all the air from your lungs completely and then breathing in through the nose. Take ten seconds to fill the lungs with air (not to capacity, but comfortable) hold for ten seconds and then exhale slowly through the nose for another ten seconds.

Each one of these breathing cycles should last for 30 seconds, complete five cycles and after each cycle you will be feeling more and more relaxed.

Having reaching this calm relaxed state, start your visualizations. Put together images that power your emotions. Make them alive and colourful. Make the scenes as real as possible and imagine yourself as muscular and toned as possible.

Picture yourself ten weeks from now on the beach, walking briskly and confidently to your favourite spot, your breathing is normal and relaxed. You smile to yourself; you could keep walking like this for miles without feeling fatigued.

You lay your towel out and begin to take your clothes off revealing a muscular, toned, well conditioned body. You have just bought a brand new swimming suit which just weeks before would have been lying in your closet waiting to be used.

Glancing around you notice the beach is busy, you catch the eye of someone of the opposite sex, they smile at you and you smile back. You walk confidently to the water and swim a couple of hundred yards with no problem or fatigue.

Or try this:

Visualize your family and friends complimenting you about how good your body looks. Try to view the scene as it is happening this instant – in the present, not in the future.

Using these visualizations you can construct in your mind any scene that desire. See yourself exercising, socializing, in the company of friends. Try and hear people complimenting you about your new muscular body, and watch their admiring glances. Make the mental image as real as possible.

 Remember set a goal for your ideal weight

 You must want to gain weight

 Visualize yourself at your ideal weight

 Use positive images at every opportunity

Practice these sessions on a daily basis and over a period of ten weeks you’ll be on your way to become more fulfilled, happier and muscular.

Related posts:

1. Positive Imaging for Weight Loss Visualization can play an important part in losing weight and...
2. Scientific Principles For Effective Muscle Gain It’s an unfortunate reality that throughout the years there has...
3. Quick Tips to Gain Muscle Mass Packing on size is easy, as long as proper techniques...

Lets have a look at the basics.

There are various reasons why athletes may be interested in supplementation.

 Concern about getting adequate nutrients from our food supply.

 Suspicion of pharmaceuticals.

 Belief that diet alone will not achieve optimal nutrition

Supplements include the following:

 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Amino Acids
 Herbs

The concerning thing about supplements is that anything classified as a dietary supplement is not required to meet any FDA or other standards! Think about that! there are no regulations in place that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement.

They are also not made to meet the similar safety requirements as prescription drugs or any other manufacturing standards. They are not required to meet product potency or purity ratings and are not required to prove the effectiveness of any health claim that is made.

Studies suggest that a number of supplements may deliver on advertising claims. However, trainees are spending large sums of money on products that have little or no proven usefulness.

Personally I find the use of supplements over rated and as with strength training, supplementation asks the same question “if a little is good then maybe more has to be better”

Supplementation and steroids started to proliferate when volume strength training became the training system of the day. Young strength trainees slaving in the gym for five to six days a week was seen as normal. All this without making any progress or putting on any size whatsoever.

They then turned to the latest supplement or steroid thinking that this is the magic bullet to put on that added muscle when all the time they were just plain “overtraining”

The cold hard facts are that the majority of the regular trainees in your gym are overtraining. The sad reality is that the type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) are irrelevant to the majority of
the population and has a high failure rate.

If more bodybuilders started using more infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger…

MOST OF THE WEIGHT GAIN SUPPLEMENTS AND STERIODS AVAILABLE TODAY WOULD NOT BE NEEDED.

The bottom line on weight gain supplements

 Before taking a supplement try to make modifications to your diet that might achieve the same goals.

 Only choose products that show the amount of active ingredients on the label that are required.

 Be aware that “natural” does not mean ‘safe’

 Some herbal supplements may have unpleasant side effects.

Listed below are some popular bodybuilding supplements available on the market today:

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine was first introduced to the market place some eight years ago and has since become the most popular bodybuilding supplement of all time.

Creatine is said to significantly increase lean muscle mass,
improve performance, increase energy levels and speed
up recovery rates. Creatine also stimulates the uptake
of amino acids in the proteins, which means that the
more that it’s used the more muscle that may be grown.

Dosage: A loading phase of 20grams a day for the first five days then a
maintenance phase of 5grams a day from then on.

Whey Protein isolate

The highest yield of protein currently available
and is extracted from milk. This is another popular supplement
for athletes and bodybuilders because of its high proportion of
amino acids. It is supposed to be high in potassium, which is essential
for muscle growth and is an antioxidant and a good
immune system builder.

Dosage: 20gms – 100gms a day.

Tibulus Terrestris

Tribulus terrestris is a plant that grows in many
tropical and moderate areas of the world and is
very rich in chemical compounds such as saponins,
flavonoids and alkaloids.

Tribulus terrestris is supposedly a testosterone enhancer.
and increases sex drives in both men and women.

Dosage as per bottle.

Glutamine

Is a non-essential amino acid, which makes up to 60% of the amino acids in the bodies muscles. Glutamine containing products are protein
shakes and good quality protein powders; it can also
be added to protein shakes for added potency.

Dosage: 5grams to 15 grams per day.

So please remember a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be used to supplement the diet and not replace it.

Related posts:

1. Choosing The Right Bodybuilding Supplement Before wasting your money on a pile of bodybuilding supplements...
2. Top 10 effective bodybuilding supplements Top 10 effective bodybuilding supplements ...
3. Using Bodybuilding Supplements To Build Muscle Mass! No supplement will help you if you are not training...

Commercial Calorie bars are not new and they are not cheap, a good bar will cost you $2-$3 dollars a bar and I personally don’t think they are worth the money… for that kind of investment I would purchase a good and proven weight gainer

But for those of us who want mass, and are always looking at the mirror to see gains I have a great solution…Make your own MUSCLE BARS.

Before I go on, I want to state some rather obvious facts: FACT NUMBER ONE – if you want to gain mass at an accelerated pace…EAT FAT! Yes don’t avoid fat, fat is essential in the mass gaining process, dietary fats play a essential role in muscle building hormone production which ARE the Keys to outstanding muscle growth.

I have never known any one to gain mass on a low fat diet, it just will
Not happen and let me tell you, if you are getting fat on a high calorie diet, I would not accuse your fat intake, no! Rather I would accuse the simple sugars in your diet. Also a low fat diet will lower your testosterone levels, something you want to avoid when you are trying to gain weight…

also you should Know that it is far easier to lose weight or fat if you first gain muscle mass(with some fat)first then try to lose the fat before trying to build muscle mass…this is true even if you are obese

my overweight clients, I first get the to build muscle before trying to lose fat…it way easier since muscle tends to increase your metabolism on a permanent basis, making you a fat burning machine. However not all fats are created equal, you want to avoid the saturated kind (as found in animals) and consume
The essential fatty acids…EFA’s fats are energy and your body will burn it if you train correctly as espoused in the fastmuscles growth system…http://www.fastmuscles.com

The recipe that follows is simple to make and it will provide you with several days’ worth of weight gain dense snacks…
The next time you are heading out to your workouts; consume one of these babies and watch the energy boost. And you will not have to resort to the use of candy bars or some unhealthy snack

1/2 cup butter
1 cup apple juice concentrates (the frozen kind)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 whole eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup raw wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pecans
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped dates

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees; blend the butter, eggs, apple juice
And vanilla together, sift together with flour, wheat germ, baking soda and baking powder then add them to mixture.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and press into an oblong glass pan than you have buttered and floured, now bake until the top is golden brown-about 30 minutes, refrigerate to keep fresh
You will get 12 bars out of these and each one gives you
561 calories 30 grams of fat, carbohydrates 51 grams, 12 grams of protein…
And cost you less than a dollar each….
If you want to increase the portion value, include two scoops of massive growth

Hope you enjoyed this article…

Related posts:

1. How To Gain Weight And Increase Muscle Mass If you want to increase muscle mass and gain weight,...
2. Learn To Gain Weight And Build Muscle If you want to increase muscle mass and gain weight,...
3. How To Gain Muscle Naturally… No Steroids Necessary! Wondering how to gain muscle? There are many fads, gimmicks...