The simple truth to muscle definition - Getting ripped fast

I am feeling a little controversial today. There are so many common suggestions between “fitness professionals” that it is hard to recommend differently. For years now we have been taught that if you lower your weight and increase your repetitions, you will have more muscle definition. It goes hand in hand with the suggestion that the higher the weight and lower the repetitions, the larger the muscle will grow.

For example:

Lower weight with 12-15 repetitions for muscle definition or
Increase the weight and perform 5-10 repetitions for mass.

Well, I beg to differ.

First off, a muscle will only get larger, not more defined. Obviously there are a number of smaller muscles surrounding some of the larger muscles that should be targeted as well, that will take part in the muscle appearing more defined.

But for the sake of keeping things simple and straight to the point, let’s say I have 2 males with the same exact measurements as far as actual muscle. Meaning, underneath all the fats and tissues, both of these men have the same size triceps. One man happens to have 13 percent body fat and the other just 6 percent. Is it safe to say that the male with less body fat looks a lot more defined although they have the same measurements as far as muscle?

My point is

Your muscles will only grow; they can not put more definition into a specific muscle by lowering the weight and performing exercises with more repetitions. The goal to being more defined is to increase muscle size and decrease body fat.

Think of the rest of your body as you do your abs. You can increase the muscle size by doing crunches but they will not be visible until you decrease the amount of fat covering your six pack.

My suggestions

Stick to regular repetitions of 8-10 and increase your weight regularly to maximize muscle growth. Focus on fat burning cardio like power walking and body weight cardio to decrease your body fat. It really is that simple people.

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Foods That Help Repair Muscle

There is more behind eating than just the appealing taste of food. The foods that we eat play a variety of roles in our body. A healthy diet, comprising of all the major nutrients, is vital to the smooth growth and functioning of our various body organs. Different nutrients contribute to the health of the body in a number of ways.

For example, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body. These complex sugars are more easily broken down than other groups and provide a richer source of calories which the body requires to function. However, although carbs are an important part of our daily diet, they do not provide all that the body needs. They are for instance not used in the repair of muscles. This function is instead the responsibility of proteins.

If carbohydrates are the energy source of the body, then protein are the building blocks which it uses. Most of the muscles and organs in the body are largely made up of protein. In order to repair damage muscles, our body makes similarly makes use of protein towards achieving this end. Protein is required for the formation and repair of new body cells. It is also required for the creation and production of the many hormones and enzymes which our body systems rely on. The following are some important tips about using protein.

If you plan on building muscles, you will need to ensure that your diet contains a rich supply of protein. This is particularly important because during workout sessions you actually break down instead of building up your muscles. It is only after you have completed your workout routine that your body then repairs and rebuilds the affected muscle group. It is because of this that people are always encouraged not to exercise every day. This gives the body a chance to work on repairs.

Without protein in your diet however, none of this will be possible.

Unlike the calories found in carbohydrates which can be stored in your body, the human body does not retain protein deposits. If you therefore fail to include a regular source of protein in your diet your body will find it difficult to repair your damaged muscles when it needs to.

There are two major sources of protein: animals and plants. Good animal sources of protein include eggs, fish, and lean cuts of meat. Healthy plant sources include most legumes and some nuts. Dairy products can also be included as well. It is recommended that you eat a protein rich diet after a weight/resistance training session. This will ensure that your body has enough to attend to the tissue rebuilding that will need to be done. However, if you already maintain a healthy diet (one which is rich in protein) this will hardly be necessary.

Many people wrongly assume that the amount of muscle which you gain is related to the volume of protein in your diet. People thus completely ignore carbs and rely solely on proteins as their main energy source. This is risky because the amount of calories provided by proteins is hardly sufficient. Also, the body takes a much longer time to digest protein than it does carbohydrates. A diet based on this is not only ineffective but also unhealthy. Doing this can be result in many dangerous results one of which is ketosis a situation where you lose muscle amongst other symptoms.

It is recommended that people consume at least 0.36 grams of protein for every pound that they carry in body weight. You will therefore need to take about 55grams of protein daily if you weighed 150 pounds. Put in a simpler light, a healthy diet is one which accounts for 15% protein in the total daily calorie intake. In most cases this value is normally found to be between 60grams to 90 grams depending on the individual.

For people who wish to exercise regularly during the week however, they will be required to eat a lot more protein than an average person. As earlier stated, exercise routines require a much higher concentration of protein in a person's diet. Instead of 0.36 grams per pound, you should therefore aim at eating at least.55grams for each pound of your body weight. Doing this will ensure that your body has enough protein for its regular daily needs as well as the extra that will be required to build up and repair the damaged muscle.

To learn about proper nutrition and ab work out techniques check out The Truth About 6-Pack Abs.

Here is an article that also covers how to exercise to lose belly fat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonnie_Blaylock

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Shock your arms into rapid growth - Developing big and defined arms

Although there are a good amount of people who genetically have the ability to develop big and defined arms with little efforts, some of us are not as fortunate. Now, there may be a few determining factors as to why your arms still aren’t as big and defined as you want them to be, check out my “top 5 reasons your arms aren’t getting bigger” for the most popular.

In the case that you ARE

-Paying sufficient attention to your triceps
-Not overtraining the arms
-Training the rest of your body enough
-Doing the right arm workouts
-Alternating the weight

and still have not seen much results, there may still be hope. With one small change in your daily workout routine, you could easily shock your arms (biceps and triceps) into rapid growth.

If you are currently performing split routines for your workouts, chances are you currently have a “chest day” that is followed by a few tricep exercises or a “back day” that is followed by some bicep exercises. Some people might have a chest routine followed by bicep exercises and follow their back routine with tricep exercises.

Don’t get me wrong, both variations are perfectly fine when building your upper body. As they say, “if its not broken, don’t fix it”.

For those who just cant seem to develop big and defined arms

So you have a “chest day” and you have a “back day” (assuming you are following split routines), you may or may not incorporate arms into these days because in a sense you are already exercising your triceps with the chest workouts and the biceps with the back workouts. Either way, I recommend adding an “arm day” in there every so often for those who have trouble building bigger arms. In case you were wondering, NO that is not my ultimate solution to shocking your arms into rapid growth.

Shock your arms into rapid growth

Before I tell you how you can start developing bigger arms within weeks, I must warn you that the routine I’m going to share should not be performed too often. I would say perform each routine once every two weeks (assuming you are working back and chest at least once a week).

Routine #1 (Back days)
As simple as the change to the routine is, it is extremely effective. On your “back days” you will simply start off with your bicep exercises and follow them with your back routine. I recommend performing 3-4 different exercises for the biceps, each exercises should consist of 4 sets each with 8-12 repetitions per set.

Routine #2 (Chest days)
If you haven’t guessed it, your chest routine should now be as follows:
3-4 different tricep exercises, each exercise will be performed in sets of 4 with 8-12 repetitions per set. These 3-4 tricep exercises will then be followed by your original chest routine.

The idea

Because your chest workouts are assisted by your triceps and your back workouts are assisted by your biceps, applying the added strain to each muscle (bicep and tricep) will shock the muscle. Working your chest with tired triceps or working your back with tired biceps will allow the chest and back routines to add necessary strain to the biceps and triceps forcing them to grow.

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Eat before bed for quick muscle gains

If you are looking for quick muscle gains, you will have to ditch all the myths and nonsense you may have heard about muscle building and opt for a strategy that is based purely on science. Did you know that one of the worst things that you can do when you are looking for quick muscle gains is to go to bed on an empty stomach.

When you sleep, your body and muscles recover from the day's activity and your workout, and you need nutrients to accomplish that. If you go to bed without these essential nutrients, you will only be selling your muscles short and not see any quick muscle gains.

Think about it. If you sleep for eight hours (as you should) on an empty stomach, you are forcing your body to starve for this entire duration. If you want to see quick muscle gains, you have to do everything you can to prevent this induced starvation from occurring.

I'm not saying that you should feast on a five-course meal just before you go to bed. Doing so will only result in poor sleep and indigestion. What we're talking about here is a small snack, eaten half an hour before your bedtime, which will help your body, especially your muscles, to be primed with adequate nutrients. The idea is to keep your body in an anabolic state for as long as possible so that you can experience quick muscle gains even in your sleep.

With pre-bedtime nutrition, your goal is to provide your body with all the necessary nutrients that can be released gradually while you are asleep to promote quick muscle gains. Keeping your body in this anabolic state for a couple of hours every night helps to ensure that less muscle is broken down, promoting quick muscle gains.

This meal should contain carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids and also be "timed-released." To achieve this, the meal should consist of slow release carbs, unsaturated fats, and a slow release protein.

One of the best sources of protein is whey protein (25-35 grams) mixed in 400-500 ml of milk. Milk contains casein that helps to slow down the release of all the nutrients, including whey protein. The protein will take about four hours to get digested by your body, and during this period, you will experience anabolic growth that will result in quick muscle gains.

For solid protein, consider cottage cheese, which is naturally high in casein and in glutamine.

You should also consume a small portion of a complex, slow release sugar before you hit the sack. This could be in the form of a small container of yogurt, a small bowl of oatmeal, or a slice of whole grain bread. All of these will slowly enter your system and will regulate your blood sugar levels, keeping your glycogen stores up for as long as possible.

By adding some fat to your pre-bedtime snack, you naturally slow down the digestive process. This is precisely what you want out of your digestive system while you are asleep.

Consume some flaxseed oil and olive oil (tablespoon amounts) to slow down the digestive process and promote quick muscle gains by keeping your body in an anabolic state.

All natural peanut butter is another good way to obtain a dosage of healthy fat before bedtime. Mix one to two teaspoons into a protein shake.

To find out more about how you can achieve quick muscle gains by proper bedtime nutrition, visit the following website…

Grab Your Free Gift: Discover the true secrets to gain more muscle with Sean Nalewanyj's famous 8-part mass building tips course.

Get even more free muscle building advice from this article: How To Gain Muscle Fast: Get Back To Basics.

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Hardgainer diet plan - Go from scrawny to brawny in weeks!

Hardgainers often have trouble putting on mass because we always feel like we are eating enough. Fact is, if you calculate your actual daily caloric intake, I can guarantee you are nowhere near the amount needed to grow. Just to give you guys an idea of how much you should be eating daily, I created this hardgainer diet plan. I say “plan” but in reality it is just an example of what one of your days should look like in order to gain mass as a hardgainer.

Hardgainer diet plan

Meal #1 – 8am

1 serving of Weight gainer mix w/ milk, oatmeal, and one scoop of peanut butter

Or

1 serving whey protein w/ milk
Oatmeal (2 packets)
3 Hard boiled eggs

Meal #2 – 10am

Peanut butter sandwich on wheat

Or

Turkey breast sandwich w/ lettuce and tomatoes on wheat
1 banana

Meal #3 – 12:30pm

1 grilled chicken breast or fish fillet (preferably salmon or tilapia)
1 cup vegetables
1 cup brown rice

Meal #4 – 3:30pm (Pre-Workout)

Peanut butter sandwich on wheat
Fruit cup, banana, or small fruit bowl

Or

Small grilled chicken salad
Fruit cup or small fruit bowl

Meal #5 – 6pm (post workout)

Whey protein shake
Oatmeal (2 packets)

Meal #6 – 8:30pm

1 grilled chicken breast or fish fillet (preferably salmon or tilapia)
1 cup brown rice
1 cup vegetables

Or

Ground turkey meat
Whole grain pasta
1 cup vegetables

Hardgainer diet plan conclusion

For those of you hardgainers trying to bulk up, nutrition is the most important step to gaining muscle mass. Eat big and be big, you will not grow without the proper amount of calories.

Following this hardgainer diet plan will allow you to pack on about 5 pounds per week with the proper workouts and rest. I have no problem with you replacing some of the meals or snacks with foods you prefer, as long as the nutritional value is similar. For a beginner it may be a little difficult to consume this many calories in a day, I recommend building up slowly. Eat a little more everyday; eventually your body will become hungry more often on its own. At this point, consuming 3000 calories plus will seem more natural.

Full body workout to build mass for hardgainers

Here is a great full body compound workout routine to build mass that will work great with your new hardgainer diet plan.

Related Articles:

Best weight gainer for hardgainers

Top 10 protein sources for hardgainers

Gain weight fast - top mass building foods

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