Jan 12 2010

Body Building Workouts for the Beginner

Every individual will respond differently to exercises and body building workouts. Some of the major aspects that will affect muscle growth and condition are current strength level, activity tolerance, capacity to heal or recover, body type and genetics. Beginners should keep in mind that their workouts should never be the same as an advanced body builders. If they do they may risk overtraining and quitting entirely.

Starter Tips

Beginners had better make their goals and objective for body building fair and realistic. Everyone experience body changes and improvements in their physiques during the first few weeks or months. However, development and growth will begin to decelerate as they enter the intermediate plane. Stricter diets and more consistent bodybuilding workouts are required to continue progress.

Do not copy everything that you read in magazines and books. Professional bodybuilding workouts are not suited for beginners. Take note that most of the bodybuilding workouts that advanced and pro body builders use are very lengthy and intense.

Some of the individuals get through their programs because of the assistance of illegal substances and drugs. Do not follow someone else’s bodybuilding workout because you plan to have the same physique as that person. Every body type is different and will develop uniquely even if you do the exact same workout.

Avoid overtraining at all cost. Keep your bodybuilding workout short but intense, lasting no more than 30 to 45 minutes per session. You should lift weights no more than 3 to 4 times per week as a beginner. Give your body enough time to rest and grow. Muscles that are overly stressed will most likely atrophy. Always be ready for changes in your bodybuilding workout. Listen to your body then adjust the sets or repetitions accordingly.

Focusing on Compound Movement

Compound movements are defined as exercises that focus more and target different muscle groups at the same time. These are the opposite of isolation exercises that intermediate and advanced body builders incorporate in their workouts to bring out more muscle fibers and definition.

Experts recommend that beginners practice with free weights first to gain a sense of balance and proper feel of the exercises. Dumbbells and barbells ought to be the core of your 1st bodybuilding workouts.

The squat is the most important exercise for every beginner. It is entirely safe if done correctly and can do wonders for your body. The targeted muscle groups include the core or abdominals, the traps, lower back, quads or thighs, hamstrings and parts of the calves. Do two working sets of twelve to fifteen repetitions.

The bench press another efficient compound movement which in effect hits the chest, shoulders or deltoids, triceps and some parts of the forearms and rib cage. Do 2 working sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Next is the bent-over row, which targets the entire back, rear deltoids, biceps and some parts of the forearms. Also do 2 working sets of 10 to 12 repetitions.

Some other good exercises are the military press, which acts upon all three heads of the deltoids, parts of the traps, triceps and some parts of the forearms. The barbell curl is very useful in developing quality biceps and forearms. The lying triceps extension is ideal for development of the triceps and some divisions of the forearms. For these three exercises, do 2 working sets of 8 to 10 repetitions. Beginners may want to work out arms only 1 to 2 times per week since these are passively stressed as you do the other compound movements.

Added Tips for the New Bodybuilding Workout

Do some warm-up and stretching exercises for 5 to 10 minutes before doing any lifting. A quick jog on the treadmill will suffice. You might need to do two to three sets of ab crunches for fifteen to twenty repetitions as a warm-up. Do a light warm-up set for each exercise to get a feel of the apparent motion ahead of doing every couple of working sets. End your workout with another quick jog on the treadmill and some mild stretching for 5 minutes.

Exclusively lift weights that you'll be able to adequately finish sets with correct form. Bad form can hit other muscles instead, or worse, cause injury or overtraining. Keep a coaching log to purview your advancement over a time period of weeks and months, and check if you will be able to add more weight.and months, and check if you can add more weight.

Nov 29 2009

Top 10 Bodybuilding Supplements

Many bodybuilding supplements have been monitored and tested. Some are proven to work while some are just waste of precious money. Experienced body builders and athletes have listed the top 10 effective bodybuilding supplements they use in their muscle programs and these are the results:

1. Probiotics.

Probiotics are made of acidophilus and bifidus which are both good forms of bacteria. They assist the digestive system to work properly. Manufactured probiotics products include powders, yogurts, capsules, and probiotic drinks. Probiotics are very important to body builders because they lower cholesterol level and they stimulate the body to produce alpha-interferon that regulates the immune response.

2. Meal replacement powders.

These are a great substitute for small meals that muscle builders need throughout the day. Meal replacements are great in accelerating weight loss and increasing lean muscle mass quickly. They are packed with vitamins, friendly fats, minerals, exact amount of carbohydrate and protein.

3. Muscle mass increasing formulas.

These gain powders have always played an important role in bodybuilding. These are especially created for beginners who are too skinny and having difficulty consuming sufficient amount of food to gain weight. Use a weight gain formula to super-charge your bodybuilding program to the next level

4. Maltodextrin.

Also known as multidextrose or glucose powder. A synthetic polysaccharide can be used by people who are involved in extreme sports. It is a food additive made mostly of cornstarch. It can be quickly absorbed as glucose, thus making it easier to gain weight.

5. Protein powders.

Most bodybuilders rely heavily on protein powders so that they get amount of protein they need to gain weight. Protein powder does not only help bodybuilders get the body they desire, but it also helps them build a stronger immune system and healthier skin. In addition, it also helps in developing muscle strength.

Protein powders can be made of soy, rice, egg and whey. These are purchased in powdered form that can easily turn to protein shake by just adding water or mixing it with milk or fruit juice.

6. Pre-workout drinks.

These are energy drinks that contain one or more of stimulants like ephedra, guarana, or caffeine. These help bodybuilders feel pumped about their daily workout. Drinks taken before a workout should contain carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, creatine, and amino acids.

7. Creatine monohydrate.

This leading bodybuilding supplement was scientifically researched and has been proven to improve performance. It’s all-natural and can be found in many food like salmon, tuna, herring, and beef.

8. Creatine formulas.

These usually come in powdered form that contains pure creatine monohydrate, carbohydrate dextrose, and sodium. Studies show that most bodybuilders choose this supplement because they get amazing result in no time.

9. Health bars.

These are useful for athletes who cannot find time to eat. Different types of health bars are high protein bars, energy bars, and slimming bars. These are not recommended for bodybuilders because they contain high levels of fats and additives. They are also very expensive.

10. Glutamine.

This is important because it increases your ability to secrete growth hormones which supports muscle growth and metabolizes body fat. Bodybuilders use glutamine to lose weight without sacrificing the size of their muscles.

Supplements are a key component to a strong bodybuilding program. Use this information to choose the best supplement for you and get your money’s worth.

Nov 27 2009

Beef Up With Proper Bodybuilding Workouts

When people start to perform bodybuilding workouts and their bodies are lax and totally undefined, the first thing they do is to overdo the exercises. This results in aching muscles and even torn muscle tissue that renders them useless for a while, as far as bodybuilding is concerned. You need to rest enough so that you can return to proper bodybuilding workouts that create muscles, help lose fat and sculpt the body slowly.
Growing amazing musculature is not always the entire aim of proper bodubuilding workouts either. The goal is to be a showcase of bodybuilding standards that also show a balanced physique. This is why it’s important to exercise all the muscles in your body when doing proper proper bodybuilding workouts.

“Cutting” periods, which refer to the times when bodybuilding workouts emphasise the loss of weight, are referred to as such because that’s when the body tightens up and “cuts” around the musculature.Professional bodybuilders have a plethora of “tricks” involving bodybuilding workouts used to make the appearance of their muscles bigger as well as emphasizing vein standouts and the like. Those who are not into such exhibitions use proper bodybuilding workouts in order to feel healthier and have good-looking bodies.
To get the most out of your bodybuilding efforts you need to mix your routines up a bit so your body doesn’t plateau. Not only is this great for developing your muscles consistently, it also takes the tediousness out of exercising and makes it more interesting.

Effective workouts include splitting in your workout regime. This means that on one day, you may work almost entirely on the lower half of your body, but the next time you train, the proper bodybuilding workouts will work on the upper half of your body. Professional bodybuilders go into this even deeper, keeping up with a schedule that may include, for example, a day when all they work on is perhaps only their chest muscles.
In terms of when to increase the amount of weight you lift this is a personal matter. You are the only one who knows your body and you will know when you need to add more weight in order to maintain muscle growth.

Deciding which type of workouts you will follow is also a personal matter. Everybody’s body reacts differently  to different routines. It can happen that bodybuilding workouts that have been perfect for you in the last three months may have completely stalled, as far as results are concerned, and you will need to switch plans to keep getting good results.

Whatever you do, find bodybuilding workouts that fit where you are as far as fitness goes, and start out slowly with beginner’s programs. Once you begin to see changes, move on to different bodybuilding workouts that fit your body. Understand though, changes won’t happen overnight.

Nov 19 2009

Increase Metabolism While Adding Muscle

Before deciding to follow any set muscle or bodybuilding programs, it is essential to understand the impact of what foods you choose to put into your body.

Meatbolism plays a key role in fat loss and muscle development.  Metabolism is the rate at which your body turns food into energy. This energy is then stored in the form of fats and glucose. The more your body increases its percentage of utilizing energy, the more your muscle gains mass. Your body must adjust to the stress put upon it in order to gain firm muscles.

These instructions are of the moderate type. Folloow these guidelines to boost your metabolism and at the same time gain the muscle that you want.

1. A ten minute warm up is suggested. You can do a brisk walk in order to get blood pumping. This kind of warm up exercise can increase the amount of circulating blood inside your body. Muscles need a constant flow of blood to maintain a strong bodybuilding state. Your muscles will also become more receptive to any kinds of resistance.

2. Be sure that you target larger muscle groups in order to boost the level of your metabolism and provide the needed resistance your body needs to build the muscles. You have to maintain consistency in order for you to capture results in just a couple of months.

3. Start on your hips, buttocks and thighs. Doing lunges will raise your body’s metabolic rate. You should first hold on to something hard to be able to attain balance. By building muscles, you can better support your lower body and hold the dumbbells which will raise muscle resistance and your metabolism.

4. Stand straight, then use the dumbbell which has the heaviest weight that you can lift comfortably over the head. Grasp it at shoulder level with the palm of your hand facing forward. Then push it overhead until your arm has reached its full extension before returning to the starting position. Do this for 10 reps, slowly, so you don’t strain your arms. Then switch the dumbbell to the other arm. Using each hand, repeat at least three times. You have to be sure that your body and arms can tolerate the repetitions otherwise you are prone to muscle wasting as well as injury.

5. Alternate exercises. For the last one, you can try the dumbbells, and after several reps, go down with a push-up. This is very efficient because of the evident use in military training. Push-ups, in general, provides resistance to weight that is needed to build muscles and at the same time increasing the rate of metabolism. If you are having difficulties with push-ups, you can start with simpler ones like knee push-ups.

6. For other upper-body exercises, you can use the dumbbells so that you can target the shoulders, upper muscles of the chest, forearms and muscles of your deltoids. Dumbbells have a greater chance of increasing the rate of your metabolism faster that other equipment does.

7. Lastly, consider altering certain areas of your lifestyle. Bodybuilding programs will be a waste of time if you are eating the wrong kinds of foods. If you consumed a lot of fat before, then try toning it down to limited amounts. Instead, focus on consuming high protien meals which are high in calories and nutrients, yet low in fat.

It is also good that you consume vegetables, whole grains and citrus fruits. This will give you more of an advantage for your muscle building program.