ss_blog_claim=b18a47aa613b398d94180b01bb82cfcf
Thursday, July 29, 2010

Benefits of a 3 Day Workout Routine

Model Released: Man''s torso (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)

Have you ever wondered why the 3 day workout routine is rated as one of the best bodybuilding workouts? Do you want to know why 3 day workout routines are regarded as the bodybuilding routines that work? Too often we go into the gym and just start following a program in the hope that within a short while we will look like a fitness model. We blindly assume that opening a muscle magazine and picking their best bodybuilding workouts will lead us to the body of our dreams. In order to really find bodybuilding routines that work we need to understand what goes on behind the scenes. In particular the hidden advantage of the 3 day workout routine.
Let us assume you train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The little known trick of the 3 day workout routine that makes it one of the best bodybuilding workouts and probably one of the few bodybuilding routines that work is what happens on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Recovery! The main ingredient in a 3day workout routine. That is right! What happens outside the gym is much more important than what happens inside. Muscles grow when they rest, not when they train.

Next time you open the latest muscle magazine and check out their brand new super routine that is promised to be the best bodybuilding workouts you have ever seen. Take a careful look at their recovery times. The beauty of a 3 day workout routine is it forces you to rest. Think about it. If training with more reps and more sets would guarantee us bodybuilding routines that work, then why not just do hundreds of sets of bench press and expect to be Hercules? The reason is quite simple. In order to maximize the benefit of a 3 day workout routine you need to balance your recovery with your intensity.

When you train your muscles and you actually want a bodybuilding routines that work, then use a 3 day workout routine and pound your muscles when you train them. Let me clarify that. I don't mean train a hundred sets and get tired, I mean stress your muscles out with heavy weight and heavy reps so that they panic! Hit your muscles with intense training during your workout routine and you have found the two real secrets of the best bodybuilding workouts. Now your 3 day routine will make absolute sense because your muscles will recruit serious growth on your off day to compensate for the intensity you are training with. Rest and Intensity in a workout gives you bodybuilding routines that work.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vincent_Jeffries
Continue Entry»

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Gain Weight with a Fast Metabolism - Hardgainer program

Are you finding it nearly impossible to gain weight due to fast metabolism? If you’re anything like I was, you perhaps think that because of your “skinny genes”, gaining weight is not possible, period. I had the same mind set, but only until i was introduced to a simple and effective way to pack on pounds for skinny guys like myself. I wont delay any further, here are a few simple tips that helped me on my journey to gain weight with fast metabolism.
Proper caloric intake: Due to a fast metabolism, we burn through calories than we are actually eating. Without eating the correct number of calories, you hard work and effort will make no difference. With a fast metabolism, you should be eating about 20-22 times your body weight in calories. Any amount less than that will simply get burned and any amount more will just end up in the wrong places. Just think, the types of foods you eat will show in your appearance.

Keep a workout log: If you are in the gym doing the same routines, with the same amount of stress (weight), your body will no longer feel the need to grow because it has adapted. You see, your body creates muscle after exhausting activity by repairing the muscle and making it bigger and stronger. My point is, it is crucial that you add strain every session and push your body to where it HAS to create new muscle.

Additional Reps
Add weight without decreasing reps
Rest less between sets
Add an extra set

Anabolism: Anabolism is the state your body is in when it’s growing and catabolism is the state in which your body does the opposite. Following a tough workout session, your body will start to feed off of your muscle tissue in order to create more fuel. This is a catabolic state where cortisol is released and creates muscle wastage, at this point you should focus on getting your body back into a growing state. Now most of you may know the importance of protein intake following your workout, but more important is the consumption of simple carbohydrates. Now I understand that in most cases these types of carbs are bad, immediately following a workout they can yield incredible muscle gains. "Why?" You ask, because they are fast acting and spike your insulin sending your body into anabolism.

Increasing testosterone levels: Testosterone is easily the most important hormone when it comes to building muscle. keeping your testosterone levels up will allow you to produce steroid like results. In order to get the best results, follow these steps to increase testosterone:

- Sleep 8 hours a night and if possible, sneak a nap into your day.
-Focus on big workouts that target more than one muscle group.
-Train your legs as much as you currently do your upper body.
-Raise your consumption of celery, bananas, and avocados.

Rest: Contrary to popular belief, our bodies do not create muscle in the gym while we lift heavy weights. You see, while lifting weights we are simply breaking down the muscle. Restoring and rebuilding muscle fibers takes place while we rest and most of all while we sleep. If your are someone who is in the gym lifting weights 5 days a week, your body is not resting long enough to rebuild new muscle. 3 to 4 days per week of exhausting weight lifting is more than enough. Not only will rest allow your muscles to grow, but it will allow you to be fully recovered for your next gym session.
Continue Entry»

Monday, July 26, 2010

Getting Lean - Quick Guide to a Ripped Beach Body


Let’s be honest, being muscular is nothing if you don’t have defined abs. Getting lean will not only give you the six pack we all want and train so hard to obtain, but it will also enhance the appearance of your muscle size. That’s right, the leaner you are, the larger your muscles will appear. I don’t care how many crunches you do, if your body fat is not in or close to single digits, your abs WILL NOT show. You see, everyone has muscle (abs), but they aren’t visible not because you’re not working them enough, but because there is a layer of fat covering them up. Make sense? On that note, here are a few tips on getting lean for more defined abs and overall muscle appearance.



1. Proper diet- Cut out all sugars, dairy, white flour, or simple carbohydrates in general. This will prevent the usual bloating and “thick skin” look that we are trying to avoid. Follow a very clean diet consisting of only complex carbohydrates, clean proteins, and natural fats.


2. Fat Burning Activity- With a clean diet, burning fat becomes much easier and more efficient. The goal when burning fat is simply to burn calories. There is no secret heart rate that magically burns fat, forget that old story. The type of fat burning activity you take part in is completely optional, here are a few options:

Traditional cardio: This type of cardio is just your standard jogging or walking on the treadmill. Typically this approach is effective for getting lean when performed for at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you are following a strenuous workout routine with traditional cardio, I’d recommend about 30 minutes.

Circuit Training: This technique is a little more intense and is usually performed for about half the time of traditional cardio. I recommend about 15-20 minutes of circuit training for best results. Unlike traditional cardio, I do not recommend this type of approach directly following an intense workout. Here is a link to a great circuit training routine you can follow.


Jog, run, jog: This is my personal favorite; it’s the best of both worlds, it can be done in little time similar to circuit training but at the same time can easily be performed directly following a high intensity workout.

How to perform jog, run, jog:
1.Start off with a jog for 1 minute.
2.At the minute mark, increase the speed to a run.
3.Run for 1 minute and decrease to a jog for the next.
4. Then repeat starting at step 2.
Try to perform about 6-10 sets of this.

3. Keep your metabolism up- It is very important that you break up your meals into 6 per day. Eating every 2.5 to 3 hours will keep your metabolism working and eventually turn your body into a fat burning machine. Not only will this aid in getting lean, but will also help to keep muscle mass by fueling your body with the proper amount of nutrients throughout the day.

A few more advanced tips to getting lean:
- Drink one gallon of water per day to avoid water retention.
- Perform your cardio in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Get the majority of your carbohydrates from vegetables.

For those of you who feel that lean is in and bulky is out, follow these few simple steps for a more ripped “fitness model” look. Getting lean is hard, but the real challenge is staying lean. Consistency is the key to success with any fitness goal you may have, every time you step out of the routine, you are only taking 2 steps backwards.
Continue Entry»

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Beginners Routine for Explosive Gains

It is very important that you have a solid routine as beginners. The reason I say this is, this is the point where your strength gains will increase most rapidly.
But what if I am not interested in strength and I am more interested in putting on size?
Let me put it to you quite simply, if you do not get stronger, your body will not grow. I don't care if you are lifting for 2 years on the best diet, if the strength doesn't increase then neither will your size. The point I am making is, as beginners you will notice the biggest increase in strength in least amount of time. So having a routine that can maximize the gains of your entire physique is extremely important. I have created a very effective full body compound workout that will not only target every muscle group, but will do so using the biggest most effective workouts.
The Beginners Routine:
The beginners routine consists of 5 different workouts and should be performed only every other day with 2 days off consecutively every two weeks.
Week 1-2
3 sets - 8 to 10 reps - 45 second between exercises.
Week 3-4
3 sets - 8 to 10 reps - 30 seconds between exercises.
Week 5-6
4 sets - 8-10 reps - 30 seconds between exercises
Week 7-8
4 sets - 8-10 reps - 15 seconds between exercises
Week 9-10
5 sets - 8-10 reps - 15 seconds between exercises
Week 10-12
5 sets - 5 reps - 15 seconds between exercises
Now, it is very important that you are lifting heavy enough weight. If you are physically capable of surpassing the amount of repetitions listed, you must increase the weight until that is not longer possible.
The beginners Routine/ The workout
1. Squats
2. Bench press
3. (Superset) Pull ups and Dips
4. Bent Over Rows
5. Military Press
Feel free to change the order of the beginners routine as you like, so long as the pull up/dip supersets remain in between the bench press and bent over rows. Also, feel free to exchange the squats with deadlifts every so often. This will keep your muscles guessing and ultimately yield greater results.
Ok, although I labeled this workout the "beginners routine", it does not mean this will only work for those who have just started weight training. This routine works great for anyone from beginners to experts and is very effective for both.
Continue Entry»

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Build Legs for a Massive Upper Body?


What if I told you that if you build legs, you would maximize the potential of increasing overall muscle size? You would probably laugh, think I’m crazy, close this article, and go back to the gym to get minimal results. Fact is, building legs is more than just keeping a proportioned lower body in comparison to your upper body. So, for those not interested in the appearance of bigger quads, hamstrings, and calves, you might still want to pay attention. If you choose not to, you could be doing yourself and your body a serious injustice. Now, are you ready to find out how building legs will help produce a massive upper body?
Compound movements
If you know anything about bodybuilding, you know that compound movements are the foundation to building bigger and stronger muscles. So what compound movements are necessary to build legs? None other than the largest, most effective muscle building workout known to man…..the mighty squat. No matter what you read, where you read it, squats will always be listed as the number one mass building workout, period.” What is the second” you ask, the deadlift, that’s right! Another leg exercise that you should never leave out of your leg routine, ever. So what do these big lower body compound movements have to do with building an upper body? It is simple, although the main focal point of these workouts is to build legs, they are compound exercises that also target some areas of the upper body in a big way.
Increasing GH levels for rapid fat burn
Still not convinced to build legs? What if I told you that building legs would increase GH levels naturally and rapidly? You see, big compound movements not only target the upper body, but they help produce certain hormones (GH) that will turn your body into a fat burning machine, keep you looking and feeling younger, increase strength and endurance, and build muscle mass.
Producing the “mother of all muscle building hormones” – Testosterone
If you weren’t convinced to build legs after the first 2 points, then surely number 3 will seal the deal. Increasing testosterone levels naturally can result is steroid like results without the negative side effects. I mean, this is a hormone that people pay hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars to increase with sketchy pills that label horrible side effects. Not only can you increase your testosterone levels naturally and without negative side effects, but you can do it free of cost. When it comes to building stronger and harder muscles, no other hormone holds a candle to the all mighty testosterone.
Now, Build legs!
By now you should no longer be reading, instead you should be up and on your way to the gym on a mission to build legs. Yes, building a big upper body without working legs is possible. But building a massive upper body at an alarming rate while burning fat, benefiting from increased muscle endurance, and explosive strength gains without working legs is impossible.
Continue Entry»