Vertical Jump Exercises - Explosive Weight Lifting Will Train Your Fast Twitch Fibers to Jump Higher

Using the Principle of Fast Twitch Fibers

With the principles of fast twitch muscle fiber in mind, what I recommend you do: (and please don't be afraid to alter your current jump training program. Don't be afraid to alter it, if this makes sense to you. If it doesn't make sense to you, keep doing what you're doing). But I recommend you do your heavy lifting with five sets. The first three sets should be very heavy weight. Keep your reps below ten, and do them very explosively. If you do it explosively, that's what you're trying to train: your explosion. So you're going to be following the pattern of doing explosion to gain more explosion. And so the first three sets, reps below ten, and then high explosion.

Vertical Jump Exercises: Squats

If you're doing squats, you're doing it like you're exploding. If you don't approach each exercise like this (you're going to do it with more intensity than you've ever done), then you may be lacking results because you're not pushing yourself to a higher explosion. You're just pushing yourself at a lower level of explosion. So you've got to get fired up during the training, if you've got to play some music in your head, or whatever you've got to do, you need to be exploding.

If you change your workouts to doing five sets, the first three  should be explosive, and you've got to get fired up, and you've got to explode like you've never exploded before.  Do make sure you're warmed up so you don't have any muscle injury, and that you're well-stretched.

But those first three-explosion. The fourth one, slowly but thoroughly straining the muscle. The last one slowly but surely straining the muscle and then taking off and then going to failure again; and then one more time going to failure and having someone help you do two to four more repetitions. That's the way to completely train your muscles to get stronger and focus on the explosion that's going to help you jump higher.

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Jacob Hiller is the creator of an ESPN-featured jump program and is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on vertical jump training.

Is a Workout Meal Prior to Weight Lifting Beneficial in Boosting Muscle Building Results?

Nutrition is one of the most confusing muscle building subjects, and many bodybuilders achieve terrible results specifically due to serious diet errors. Those who wish to gain muscle mass are often wondering exactly when they should consume meals, especially in relation to the weight training workout itself, with some aiming for a complete meal prior to performing a workout, and others avoiding food before a grueling bodybuilding session, with a feeling that more fat burning will occur when food is restricted prior to an exercise period.

Obviously, these wide range of opinions create much frustration for the bodybuilder who is seeking maximum muscle gain, but there is a clear answer pertaining to eating before weight lifting, in that doing so is extremely beneficial for muscle building. In fact, intensity must remain extremely high for a workout to consistently enhance muscle mass, and this becomes difficult if not impossible for most when attempting to perform a bodybuilding session on an empty stomach. For those who plan early morning workouts, this becomes especially problematic, as energy levels are low due to the evening fast, and even though performing a weight training workout in such a scenario is clearly possible, intensity will greatly decline, which leads to disappointing muscle gain.

The best method is to fuel the body with a correctly balanced protein and carbohydrate meal prior to a bodybuilding session, as protein is always used by the body for recovery and to build new muscle mass, while carbohydrates are the chosen energy source for intense workouts, and designing a meal with ample carbohydrates preceding a bodybuilding workout will allow energy levels to significantly improve intensity, propelling muscle growth to new heights. Some tend to experience feelings of sickness when consuming a meal in proximity to weight lifting, but this does not necessitate performing a workout on an empty stomach, as the spacing between the workout meal and training can expand to the minimum necessary for a bodybuilder to train without experiencing feelings of nausea, which will greatly improve results.

There are bodybuilders who must perform their bodybuilding sessions prior to work, otherwise they will either not have sufficient time for a workout, or are likely to become busy later in the day and neglect their weight lifting obligations, therefore, in such scenarios, it's far better to perform a workout in the morning without the benefit of a meal preceding such a session than to become inconsistent, but if there is any possible way to consume a meal at minimum 30 minutes prior to a weight lifting workout (60-90 minutes is best), then doing so will greatly assist in improving long term muscle growth.

Bodybuilding is not the most enjoyable activity, but the progress achieved when following a potent training and diet plan are motivational, extremely worthwhile, but many experience a sense of negativity towards their workouts that encourages inconsistency specifically due to poor nutrition, as the absence of an energizing meal prior to a bodybuilding session can eliminate all motivation to train. Even those who seek fat loss benefit from consuming food before their workout, as a properly structured meal will not interfere with fat reduction, and in fact, avoiding food can slow metabolism and increase the risk of muscle loss, which harms physical appearance, and will adversely impact the overall speed of fat loss. Since many accept incorrect muscle gain or fat reduction diet advice found on Internet fitness sites, they believe that certain methods, such as skipping food before a bodybuilding workout, is beneficial to progress, when in fact, such methods are the very reason why numerous bodybuilders gain muscle mass at a slower than expected pace, and those seeking fat loss burn muscle at an alarming rate, or find that fat reduction is far less visible and captivating than they had hoped.

Do not allow hunger to become the barometer for whether you consume food prior to a bodybuilding session, as even those with tiny appetites are in need of nutrition before a workout, and there are a wide range of convenient, easy to consume and quick to prepare protein and carbohydrate sources that will make a feeding prior to weight lifting enjoyable to consume, and simple to digest.

Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a workout plan for muscle gain without supplements or drugs. He also owns FatVanish.com, teaching exactly how to lose fat without supplements.

Weight Lifting - Build Muscle by Varying Your Workouts

Weight lifting to build muscle is not as simple as throwing on several forty five pound weights and doing a bunch of bench presses. Rather, getting your body to respond properly to weight training and muscle building is actually a complex process. Your body will actually resist building certain muscles if you do not train your body correctly to accept the added muscle mass. There are some great ways you can reduce the likelihood of hitting such a plateau by varying your workout routines.

Your body will create muscle memory over time, and this memory will eventually be the single biggest obstacle to your ability to use weight lifting to build muscle. As you repeat the same, tired workout three or four times a week, your body will adapt to the environment and will start to slow down the muscle building process. This is why you will see huge gains early on in your training, but those gains will diminish rapidly over time if you continually train the same way.

The key to getting the muscle mass you want is to really vary your workouts. I am not talking about rotating arms, back, legs and chest through the week - rather - I am talking about completely switching workout routines for each muscle group. Get creative each time you go to workout your legs. Target different movements and muscle mass areas with each workout. Think about how you can incorporate various resistance training techniques so your body does not get bored with the same old weight lifting to build muscle routine.

To really make gains, start to chart your muscle growth and strength growth over time, and record what workout technique seems to bring the best results. Then, do not do that routine for at least one full week before going back to it. This will allow your muscle memory to virtually reset, and you can start to make massive gains each time you change up your exercise and weight lifting plan.

Weight lifting to build muscle can work fast if you study and learn the proper way to do it.

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Weight Lifting Exercises Guaranteed To Make Women Lose Weight Fast

Before, weight lifting exercises are activities commonly associated with men to achieve muscular bodies but with rise in the number of people who want to practice a healthy lifestyle, a lot of women have found their way to fitness gyms to do weight exercise. Weight lifting exercises are great for toning and shaping up muscles for a slimmer look as well as for the overall health of the body.

Any kind of exercise is great for losing weight but this kind of exercise helps you lose weight fast because as you exercise there is an increase in metabolism replacing fatty tissues with muscle tissues. This is the reason why along with proper diet and cardio exercises, you need to do weight lifting exercises to have shapely arms and legs.

Some women think that engaging in this kind of exercise would give them a very muscular body that they would look more on the masculine side, but there is no need to worry about that since men and women have different mechanisms in building the muscles.

Aside from having a slimmer look, weight exercises also improves your posture as it strengthens your upper back muscles. Also, it improves bone and joint health for better stability, coordination and strength.

To get started with your weight lifting exercises there are some things that you need to do first, the most important of which is to consult your doctor to make sure that there are no contraindications to doing weight exercises. Another is to buy dumbbells as your exercise equipment, but if you do not have dumbbells you can improvise in the mean time by using a water bottle filled with water.

For beginners it is advised to start with lightweight dumbbells since you still have to get yourself accustomed to the exercise routines, otherwise you might get too sore and thus may discourage you from continuing with the exercise. Furthermore, always do warm up exercise at the beginning of every session.

There are a lot of exercises using weights that you can do that targets specific muscle group in your body such as the muscles of the back, arms and legs. An example of weight exercise you can do that works out the arms and shoulders is the dumbbell press.

This exercise is easy. With your legs apart, position your hands close to your shoulders. Then slowly raise either your left or right arm up then return to the starting position; do the same with the other hand for 2 sets at 15 repetitions.

There is a proper way in performing the movements in weight exercises to prevent injury. There are many articles on line that teaches you how to properly do the steps, however you can also seek the help of a professional fitness trainer so that you will be guided with each routine.

Weight lifting exercises seriously puts your muscles to work and it usually takes 48 hours for your muscles to recover, thus give yourself a time to rest so that by the next session you will not feel sore. Also during your first few weeks try to focus on proper stance than on the difficulty of the routine.

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Weight Lifting for Beginners

Weight lifting for beginners can be overwhelming. There is so much to learn and there are so many resources available to get help from. Where do you begin? While it's true there is a lot to get your hands around when it comes to the world of weight lifting, I want to provide some basic tips to get you started on the right foot.

Before we discuss the basics to make weight lifting for beginners easier, let's talk about the human body for a minute. There are three main body types: endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph. Each body type has its own unique charasterics. A person with an endomorph body type is considered to be carrying around too much fat and tends to have trouble losing weight. Someone with an ectomorph frame does not have enough fat or muscle and has a tough time building muscle or gaining weight. A mesomorph is perhaps the ideal body type with a well-formed body and can gain or lose weight fairly easily.

Understanding what body type you have is important so that you can set realistic weight lifting goals. An ectomorph, for example, is going to have a tough time putting on muscle and will probably never look like Arnold schwarzenegger in his prime (who has a mesomorph body type). You can't get a sedan to perform like a sports car and the same is true of our bodies so the first thing the beginner should do is set realistic goals.

After setting realistic goals, here are some basic tips that will make weight lifting for beginners easier, safer, and more effective:

Understand the Lingo

The lingo can make Weight lifting for beginners confusing when they first get started. The two basic terms that every beginner must know are "reps" and "sets." A rep is simply one exercise, or movement. For example, doing one pull up is considered "one rep." Consecutive reps without a rest form a set. For example, "10 reps" of doing pull ups is "one set." So if a weight lifting routine that you've come across calls for you to do pulls ups of "3 sets of 10," you'll know that means you need to do 10 pull ups, three times (3 sets) - with rest in between in each set.

Consider Hiring a Personal Trainer

If you're tight on cash, don't pass by this tip so quickly because personal trainers aren't as expensive as you might think. I'm not talking about hiring a personal trainer full-time. Hiring a personal trainer for one to two sessions can go a long way in getting you off to the right foot and making weight lifting for beginners safer and more effective. A personal trainer can show you how to correctly execute your weight lifting exercises to prevent injuries and to make sure you are working the muscles properly for the best results. They can also correct any bad habits you might have developed. Weight lifting for beginners can be so simple with just one or two sessions with a personal trainer so consider it if your budget allows.

Avoid Spending Too Much Time in the Gym

A lot of guys make the mistake in believing that if they start seeing results with just 45-60 minutes in the gym, then more time would reap even greater results! Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, overtraining of any kind can actually hamper your results. Spending too much time exercising can wreak all kinds of havoc in the body. For example, after about an hour of rigorous exercise, levels of the hormones in your body responsible for muscle growth start to diminish. Other hormones, such as cortisol, are released instead and they can actually destroy muscles and ruin all your hard work. Instead of getting bigger, you may actually get smaller! Weight lifting for beginners should not require more than 60 minutes in the gym per session. Beginners can achieve results with as little as 30 minutes of weight lifting per session so long as the session is focused and the exercises are done correctly.

Be Focused When You're at the Gym

Nothing drives me nuts more than seeing a guy reading a newspaper in between sets. I want to smack the guy in the head and ask him if he's here to read or lift weights! Save the paper for after your workout. When you're at the gym, stay focused on the task at hand and you'll get better results and you'll spend less time in the gym. A lot of guys who say they lift for more than an hour, probably spend half the time talking with other people or reading newspapers. If you have that kind of time, then go for it. For me personally, I don't like to spend a lot of time in the gym. I like to get my work done and get out of there.

Concentrate on Large Muscle Groups

There are so many different exercises to learn that weight lifting for beginners can be down right overwhelming. The best thing the beginner can do is concentrate on exercises that will work the large muscle groups. These groups include the legs, chest, and back. You'll get more bang for your buck spending your time doing weight lifting exercises that work those muscle groups. The more muscle mass you build, the more fat you'll burn throughout the day. Since these are large muscle groups, it makes sense to make them bigger so you can burn more fat! These are also the muscle groups that will be the most noticeable to others. What woman doesn't notice a guy with a well-formed "V-shaped" back or muscular legs in the summer when you're wearing shorts? Let's not forget about the chest. The chest is one of the first muscle groups everyone notices! As a beginner, don't waste your time with small muscle groups because those muscles don't do nearly as much fat burning and they're not nearly as noticeable to others.

Eat a Balanced, Healthy Diet

Weight lifting for beginners is more than just pushing iron! A poor diet will prevent the beginner from achieving significant gains. The body you have today is the result of what you have been putting in it for the past several months. Get plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids and limit junk food, sugars, alcohol, and fast food.

Get Plenty of Rest

Again, weight lifting for beginners is about more than just pushing iron. Along with a healthy diet, you need to get adequate sleep. Believe it or not, but your muscles repair themselves and grow when you sleep - NOT when you're at the gym lifting. If you're not getting enough sleep, you're not giving your muscles enough time to repair and grow. Furthermore, if you're not fully energized when you hit the gym, how effective do you think your lifting will be? I can lift a lot more weight and I can push myself harder when I've had a good night's sleep. Aim to get eight hours of sleep every night.

These are the basics that should make weight lifting for beginners easier, safer, and more effective.

Copyright 2005, Men's Total Fitness

Travis Van Slooten is the founder and editor of http://www.mens-total-fitness.com - a site dedicated to putting together the most accurate information and proven techniques to help men lose weight and build muscle naturally. He publishes a free monthly newsletter, available at http://www.mens-total-fitness.com/newsletter.html

Basic Weight Lifting Tips

Receiving some weight lifting tips is incredibly essential for getting the most benefit from your routine. Moreover; it will decrease the chances of sustaining a significant devastating injury. The primary weight lifting tip is always to warm up prior to beginning your workout. Carry out warm ups at least for 5 to ten minutes before getting started as it is rather crucial for cardiovascular vessels to get the blood flowing.

Another weight lifting tip, which is very crucial before weight lifting, is to stretch all your muscle groups. It is always better to start out with mass that you can control and perform no less than 10 to twelve repetitions, to develop strength. Then when you progress and add extra weight, carry out six to eight repetitions whilst constantly remembering to keep good form.

Ahead of moving up to heavier weights make sure you are secure with your increase because when you go over the top with heavy weights, it might tear and harm the muscle.

A spotter is a fantastic way to keep you motivated when going to the sports center plus they also help minimize the risk of sustaining any injuries. A spotter can assist you to get those additional 1 or 2 reps which can really help create a difference. Perhaps, if you are unable to complete the total 6 to 8 reps, reduce the weight. Similarly, do not lift more weight than your maximum especially if you do not have a spotter since it can come to an end with a nasty mishap.

Remember on no account hold you breath when completing a rep, as it often leads to busted blood vessels or worse. It is very important to breathe without stinting through out the work out. While doing a one-sided exercise, each time begin using your weakest side first and afterward carry out just as many reps on your more powerful side. By no means drive too hard your strong side, just because you can complete more reps.

You should carry on performing exactly the equal reps on either side, an extra thing, at times as a result of our skeletal structure we're not 100% equal. As a result one side appears bigger and much more developed then the other side, don't be concerned, simply keep performing an identical number of reps on both the left and the right side. After you build size and muscle mass, it should level out and you won't note any difference.

Work on all of your major muscles and muscle groups particularly legs, abdominals, chest, back, shoulders as well as arms. It is important to train muscles in a very well-rounded way. Never merely exercise the upper half of your body and never your legs, it will look out of proportion!

These weight lifting tips should help you get started in this great sport.

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Exercising With Weight Lifting

Weight lifters don't only have strong arms and have stronger shoulder and hip flexibility. Weight lifting can also sometimes boost your energy levels making you feel like you can do more. Weight lifting will also reduce the chances of sustaining a serious accident while doing exercise.

You should always warm up before starting your workout. You should do this for at least 15 to 25 minutes before getting started with your workout. Another thing is, which is very important before starting the workout, is to a lot of stretches before starting.

It is important to follow a weight lifting plan in order to reach your desired goal. To take things to the full advantage you should always do some changing in your grip. You can start with the curl facing your palms down, also known as the hammer grip. As you lift up rotate your hand so your palms are facing up toward you. You should feel your biceps tightening up when you do this.

Here are some other tips that you can use in your daily workout plan:

1. Always warm up before starting to lift weights. This will help get your muscles warm and help to prevent injury to yourself.

2. Always lift and lower your weights slowly. You should not need to use momentum to lift the weight. If you have to swing to get the weights up, chances are you are lifting too much at one time.

3. You should never hold your breath while lifting and make sure you use a full range of motion.

4. Make sure you are standing up straight, and pay attention to your posture.

For more tips and tricks you can visit an awesome guide site, and get some free tips from This Site. Remember, drink plenty of water when working out!

Weight Lifting Routine - Maximize Your Muscle Development

You can easily strengthen your body muscles with the help of weight lifting. It is really the best exercise through which you can obtain an attractive physique. You can also improve your stamina with the help of an efficient weight lifting routine. Well, I would like to tell you that before you select a perfect weight lifting program for yourself, you should consider your objectives. There are many youths who take the help of weight lifting routines in order to gain mass and tone their body. Some youths also try tout for the effective programs in order to become a body builder.

Below mentioned are some of the necessary tips that you should keep in your mind before you get started with your weight lifting routine.

1. Multi-Joint Exercises

You should always work on the multi joint exercises. Well, I would like to tell you that multi joint exercises refer to those workouts that work on various muscle groups at a time. You can easily improve the growth of your muscles as well as your stamina with the help of multi joint exercises. Some of them are leg squat, chest press, shoulder press and leg press. These are some of the efficient multi joint exercises that you can include in your routine if you want to obtain a better muscle development.

2. Focus on Form

You must always focus on your form before you lift a heavy weight. You should always aim at the development of a single muscle group at a time. You should never try to impress others that are present in the gym with the weights that you are lifting. You should always select the weight according to your stamina. You should also focus on the functioning of your muscles.

3. Slow and controlled repetitions

You should always eliminate your external force when you are targeting on a particular muscle group. You should always concentrate on your motions when you move your weight towards the targeted muscles. You should always keep this fact in your mind that it is weight lifting and not weight throwing.

4. Proper Rest during Workouts

You should always ensure that the workouts which you are following is well enhanced with a high intensity so that it can easily stimulate your muscles and tissues. You should also take proper rest between the workouts if they are critical enough.

These are some of the efficient tips that you should consider before you get started with the weight lifting routine.

Familiar with some of the efficient weightlifting routine. You can easily reduce the chances of injuries with the help of these routines for weight lifting

The 10 Essentials For Amazing Weight Lifting Workout Routines

Bodybuilding is a lot more than just lifting up some heavy weights. Good weight lifting workout routines consists of several different aspects. If you want to build yourself a nice body, your weight lifting workout routines need to have proper nutrition, daily cardio workouts, plenty of water throughout the day, nutrition, and a good amount of rest between each of your workout days.

Warm-up
To start off, your workout needs to have some sort of cardio warm-up and little bit of light stretching before you do any of the heavy lifting. It doesn't have to be anything intense; all you have to do is about five minutes of running on the treadmill and then about five additional minutes of stretching. This essential to get your blood flowing and to prevent any injuries from occurring when you're doing your weight lifting.

Another type of warm-up you should include in your bodybuilding program is warming up with your main exercise. After you do your cardio stretching, you need to warm up your muscle groups, and the best way to do that is by doing light versions of one of your weight lifting exercises. For example let's say you wanted to do upper body workouts for the day and your main exercise is going to be the bench press. Your first set should be 50% of your normal weight for 10 repetitions. In your next rep should be 60% for six reps. And then keep on doing something similar for about three more sets. If you look at the end of this article, you'll see a sample workout session where I'll be describing this in more detail.

Don't try to work on your muscles in the same day; spread them throughout the week
Good weight lifting workout routines need to have a certain focus on each day of the workout. You should be grouping some your larger muscle groups together on each of the days. For example, on Monday, you should do triceps, chest, and shoulders; on Wednesday you should do biceps and back; and on Friday, you should do legs and abs. By working out each year muscle groups one time per week you'll give them enough time to repair themselves and grow.

One common newbie mistake is overtraining. They workout the same muscles more than once per week, which sometimes doesn't allow the muscles to repair. Remember that muscle growth doesn't happen during the workout itself. Muscles only grow in mass when they repair themselves and have a proper amount of rest in between each your workouts. The more time you give your muscles to rest in between your workouts, the more time they will to have to repair and grow.

Workout until exhaustion for each of your days
Your muscles are only going to build if push yourself. With each new weekly should be pushing yourself by either increasing your weight slightly (2.5 or 5 pounds) or by increasing your reps by 2 to 4. For weight lifting to be effective, you have to keep on working until your muscles are exhausted. Exhaustion is defined as when your muscles can no longer do an exercise properly. Keep in mind that you should always use proper form and to use steady movements in order reduce the risks of injury.

Repetitions
If you're using the correct amount of weight, you should only be doing about 8 to 12 reps per set when you're working on your muscles. 8 is a pretty good number, and if you reach 12 then you should probably grab some heavier weights. If you go any higher than 12 then you're less likely to build muscle mass and more likely to tone it.

Sets
A proper weight lifting workout routine should have about 4 to 7 sets for each exercise (this is assuming that you have approximately 4-6 different exercises for the day; if you have many more exercises, then you'll want to reduce the amount of sets per exercise so that you don't completely drain yourself before you complete the workout). It shouldn't take you hours in order to finish your weight lifting workout routines; in fact, they should only take you one hour to finish. Write down what you are able to perform so that you can keep track of your progress.

Resting period in between each set
After you finish each of your sets, you need a resting period. For the best time efficiency, your resting period should be about 60 seconds to 90 seconds. If you feel that you need to rest longer for the next set, then do so.

Water
Drinking water during a workout is essential. Need to keep your body hydrated because if your body is just even slightly dehydrated this could be a drop in your performance. If you drink enough water before during and after the workout, then you'll feel to get the most out of your weight lifting efforts.

Nutrition
Diet is another important element of your weight lifting workout routines. To give your muscles enough energy for the workout, you should be eating high glycemic carbohydrate foods right before the workout. For example, a fruit would be good before the workout. Including some protein in your workout will also help control your blood sugar levels.

After-Workout Nutrition
Within one hour immediately after your workout, you should be consuming protein and good carbohydrates. Liquid whey protein and high glycemic carbohydrates absorb quickly, so they're the best things to eat/drink right after your workout. This is also an important time to consume a lot of calories; your muscles need calories in order to repair themselves and grow.

Protein
As I said before, your body needs protein (especially after the workout) as part of its weight lifting workout routines in order to repair itself. To get the protein absorbed into the body as quickly as possible, many bodybuilders bring along protein shakes or protein powders with liquid to drink right after the workout is done.

You should try and avoid eating fatty foods during the 1 hour after your workout, because they will slow down your body's absorption of essential nutrients.

Sample Routines
Do all of your sets until your muscles fail. Write down your progress, so that you can push yourself the next week and beat the previous week's. Remember to increase your weights and/or reps each week.

Warm-Up
- 5 minutes of running/jogging
- 1st set of an exercise: 50% of normal weight, 10 reps
- 2nd set of an exercise: 60% of normal weight, 6 reps
- 3rd set of an exercise: 70% of normal weight, 4 reps
- 4th set of an exercise: 80% of normal weight, 2 reps
- 5th set of an exercise: 90% of normal weight, 1 rep

Remember, as I said before in the article, you should aim for 8-12 reps and about 4-7 sets for good weight lifting workout routines. 1 hour is enough time to work out your muscles; spending hours at the gym isn't necessary! If you feel that you can push yourself, then increase your sets!

Monday (Chest, shoulder, triceps)
- Warm up
- Flat Barbell Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Press
- Lateral Raises
- Barbell Shoulder Press
- Bench Dips
- Triceps Pull downs

Wednesday (Back and biceps)
- Warm-up
- Dead lifts
- Standing Barbell Curls
- Seated Dumbbell Curls
- Wrist Curls

Friday (Legs and abs)
- Warm-up
- Squats
- Leg Curls
- Calf Raises
- Abdominal Crunches

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Weight Lifting - Being Smart With Your Goals

Please pay close attention to this because it's very important. Setting goals is not only a part of weight training but it's also very important in life. You must periodically ask yourself why doing what you're doing is important. Take for example, if you are borderline obese, working out will provide you with the needed exercise to increase your heart strength, your stamina and decrease your weight. Deep down you know that completing an exercise routine on a regular basis will make your life much much better, that you will be more active and that you will get more enjoyment from yourself and those around you. The goals that you set are different for every individual and they must be important to you and your life.

These goals make sure that you continue with your training. You must continually remind yourself of the end results that you're looking for. You must continually remind yourself of the benefits you will reap once you reach your goals. Before you start your exercise routine post your goals where they are easily viewable, such as your computer, on the dashboard of your car, or your refrigerator. You must remind yourself on a daily basis why you're doing what you're doing. You must remind yourself of the benefits and pitfalls if you don't complete what your set out to do.

You must set smart goals if you use a smart system you increase the probability of reaching your goals. In order to change your habits gradually you must take small steps toward your goals.

When writing down your goals make sure they meet the following criteria:

Goal must be specific: You must detail exactly what must be accomplished in order to achieve your goals. Don't go overboard, start off with something that you know you can achieve like making sure you work out at lease one time per week. You can increase this as time goes on and your confidence builds.

Your goal must be measurable: This is pretty self-explanatory but your goals must be ones which you can measure which can determine by the output whether or not you're achieving your goals. An measurable goal can be determining whether or not you've met your once worked schedule. You'll find that you'll be able to more workouts in the better organized you are.

Achievable: if you don't have an hour to spare each day then don't plan on doing your work out. Split your time up into smaller workout sessions

Your goal must be reasonable: As stated previously don't set the bar too high. If there is actually no expectation that you're going to work out every day for an hour then don't set it as a goal. Find the time to do your routine once a week and then build on it.

Time: Set time frame in which you must achieve your goals. Most people who start a workout program will quit within the first 4-6 weeks. It takes at least eight weeks in order to create habits. Once you get past the first eight weeks of doing your training you are definitely on your way to achieving your goals in a smart way.

Lee has been writing articles for over 5 years. Come visit his latest websites over at Crock Pots and Slow Cookers and Versaware Crock Pot. These sites help consumers find the best products and information they are looking for when doing product research.

Some Helpful Weight Lifting Exercises (Part 1)

Many people wanting to lose weight are reluctant to incorporate weight lifting exercises into their exercise programs. Home gym infomercials offer great promises, but usually with a significant price tag. Going to a fitness center can be a chore (it's NEVER convenient), and the newcomer can be easily intimidated by the rows of machines and the "well developed" people who use them. Many women are concerned that weight lifting exercises will cause them to "bulk up" in the neck and shoulders.

This is unfortunate because weight lifting exercises not only burn fat as you do them, but since they also increase your metabolism they continue to keep your body burning fat all day long. Besides this, they increase your lean muscle mass, which leads to even more weight loss. But you don't have to buy a gym or join a fitness center - there are some simple weight lifting exercises you can perform at home, with nobody watching, using some inexpensive equipment.

Now, if you've never lifted weights before, what I'm about to describe will probably still seem a little intimidating. So here's a "million dollar tip" - BEFORE you begin, visit a fitness center or gym and talk with the manager. Tell him/her you want to include some weight lifting exercises into your weight loss program. When you find a center and instructor you like, sign up for a 1-month membership. Learn about the weights, practice, take some instruction. Then, once you know what you're looking for, you can go to the sporting goods store and get only those things you need for your custom weight lifting exercises.

So let's get started. These weight lifting exercises involve the use of dumbbells (held in one hand). These are considered "free weights" in that, in addition to working the "power" muscles, they also work all the little muscles used for balance. So, they require extra exertion and are well-suited to weight loss.

Exercise #1 (arms): Lie down on your back (on the floor/mat, on a bench of some kind, etc.) with your feet on the floor. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, touching your chest with the back of each hand (palms away from you). Push the dumbbells straight up, hold for a second, then SLOWLY lower back to your chest. Try to do this 10 times. If you can't do ten repetitions, try using a lighter weight. Likewise, if 10 repetitions is a breeze, use a little heavier weight.

Exercise #2 (legs): Another excellent leg exercise is the standing calf raise. Find a low, slightly elevated platform such as a step or a curb (in only needs to be a few inches high). Stand on this platform with your heels hanging over the edge (balls of the feet on the step) and with your dumbbells hanging down at your side. Keeping your legs straight, slowly lower your heels below the platform - a couple inches is all it takes - and hold. You'll come to feel your calf muscles and Achilles tendons (along the back of your ankle) stretch. Count to 5, then slowly lift your heels and keep going until you're standing on your tip-toes. Hold, count to 5, then lower yourself to the starting position. Start by doing this exercise 5 times, and all additional repetitions as you're able.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article, where we'll review a couple more weight lifting exercises to help with your weight loss regimen.

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"The Butt Book: How to Build a Non Cellulite and Fat Free Butt in 9 Weeks" Personal Review

You could do a lot worse starting off with the book "The Butt Book : How to Build a Non Cellulite and Fat Free Butt in 9 Weeks" if you're looking for an introduction to exercises for your bottom and thighs.

In her book, Tosca Reno devotes much emphasis, to diet and eating habits. Reno holds a degree in science and another in education and believes wholeheartedly that clean foods build great glutes -- She says, "80% is nutrition, 10% is exercise and 10% is genetics."

She believes in eating high-quality foods such as:

lean chicken, fish, and egg whites in the protein department, fresh veggies and fruit, whole grain rice, steelcut oatmeal and loads of pure water....

I believe that coming from a bodybuilding background, Reno is biased to eating six small meals daily, instead of the norm of 3 larger meals.

As expected, Reno is no big fan of fast food. "Fast food begets fat butts," says Reno.

"Super-sized meals make for super-sized butts," she adds. "If you eat huge amounts of doughnuts, pastries and fatty foods then your rear will look like those foods." Soft and spongy!

"The Butt Book : How to Build a Non Cellulite and Fat Free Butt in 9 Weeks" also stresses the importance of exercise as well, though not enough in my opinion.

Reno stresses to her readers that Cardio alone is not enough, and that weight training should be a paramount part of your workout in order to reshape your physique.

"Lift weights and lift more weights in order to build curves and muscles in the right places,"she says.

"Exercising with weights carves curves out of fat, shapes bottoms like no other training regimen ever could."

"Giving your buns a tight squeeze each time you take a step will add beautiful definition and tone to your other end." So be sure to squeeze that butt when you walk.

Though is do recommend the book, I would rather see the exercises displayed as photographs instead of drawings, and would prefer to see the whole sequence of a routine instead of just one exercise.

We know, or should know that junk food and inactivity causes cellulite and, although some people are genetically apt to develope dimpled skin, she says the condition can be greatly reduced by eating a clean diet, exercising and getting plenty of fresh air and rest.

"In spite of your genetics, you can reshape your butt to create what is known in the fitness industry as the apple butt" -- toned, round and fat-free," adds Reno.

Therefore to summarize, I believe that if you're looking to start on the road to losing cellulite, you should definitly pick up a copy of Tosca Reno's "The Butt Book : How to Build a Non Cellulite and Fat Free Butt in 9 Weeks"!

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Being a Couch Potato Will Not Keep You Young

Are you looking for a little motivation to stick to your exercise program? How about if you knew it could help you look younger, would that help to keep you going? There are many benefits to exercising but the fact that it can slow aging and help you look younger has got to be one of the best.

For many people it is tempting to try and take a short cut with skin creams and injections, or surgical options like face lifts and tummy tucks. But those things just change the outside of the body and it is what is happening on the inside that is responsible for how fast or how slow the aging process affects us. Being a couch potato is never going to help you stay young looking and in fact will hasten decay and degeneration as your body and all of its systems weaken.

Research has shown those adults who do enough physical activity to build and maintain their muscle tissue with proper exercise function much better and look 10 or more years younger than people who do not. Every cell and tissue becomes biologically younger with the stimulation of 'youth' hormones that challenging your muscles provides.

If you want to keep looking as young as possible it is impossible to do so without muscle tone. The strong, lean, firm, healthy, shapely body's we all admire and would love to own simply are not attainable without it.

And just how do you attain that youthful appearance and energetic condition? Loads of research tells us that the real Fountain of Youth is regular physical activity that works the muscular system of the human body. As our body is made up of 50 percent muscle tissue it is considered the engine room of the body and if left to weaken and shrivel it sets a spiral of downward health problems.

It is a shame that many people think strength training exercise is for athletes or bodybuilders. Rest assured it is for everyone that wants to remain youthful. No matter what your age or present physical condition, strength training will improve the quality and the length of your life.

Proper exercise has the capacity to make us stronger and more flexible so we can do more. Mentally and emotionally, we have much to gain from exercise. It reduces depression and anxiety, helps us manage stress and frustration and increases feelings of physical well-being and self-confidence. Our work and leisure performance is improved and our daily tasks are much easier to perform.

Do not expect these benefits from low intensity activity like walking, jogging or cycling. These are not enough to work the muscles through their ranges of movement under a load. Consider these sorts of activities as recreational and can never replace a proper exercise program of strength training exercise if you wish to enjoy the anti aging benefits that keeping your muscles and bones strong can provide.

To help you stay motivated and keep your 2-3 sessions each week going always keep in mind how it is helping you look young and be healthy along with keeping your body in top shape. It will also provide you with the energy and stamina you need to pursue all your interests and activities that make your life enjoyable. It can prolong your life, and most importantly will improve the quality of that life.

Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body, regaining lost vitality and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "I've Found the Fountain of Youth - Let Me Show You Too!" Fountain of Youth

If you are looking to lose weight permanently go to Fitness Weight Loss for a free ebook and check out the new Hot Metabolism Fitness System.

Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger. In her nearly 30 years of fitness and bodybuilding competition experience she has helped thousands of people start their journey towards being strong, fit and youthful at any age.

Caffeine Powder - A Powerful Stimulant

Caffeine powder has become more than just a drink to spice up your day. Besides being added to food and drinks with the effect of perking up consumers, it is now also being used in the skin care business for its natural properties. With its many uses being recently discovered, it is fast becoming a wonder supplement.

On its own, caffeine powder appears as just a white powder with an extremely bitter taste. It is an ingredient commonly found in several food and drinks such as chocolates, coffee, tea, a wide variety of soft drinks and many more. People choose to consume caffeinated food and beverages because it is a great stimulant. The consumption of caffeine also increases the production of dopamine in the body which makes the individual feel happy. This is the reason why most party drinks, including soft drinks commonly contain this powdered ingredient aside from the fact that it is quite addicting. There are even individuals who can not get enough of its effects, thus, they include this white powder in their everyday meals from vegetables to Jello shots.

Powdered caffeine is also commonly found in medicines. A number of cold medicines as well as wake up tablets have this as a common ingredient. It is also used as a remedy in alleviating pains due to migraines or other body pains. Individuals who are interested in shedding some pounds can achieve their goals by including caffeine powder in their diet or directly applied on the skin. It is shown in recent studies that aside from its primary role as a stimulant, caffeine is also effective in burning fats. As a matter of fact, bodybuilders consume caffeine for its diuretic effects prior to competition in order to eliminate excess water in the body.

Caffeine has also become an important ingredient in a number of skin care products. When applied on the skin, the powder brings toning and firming effects of a good astringent. In addition, the application of caffeine powder under the eyes can remove puffiness due to lack of sleep. Increased blood circulation is encouraged on the area where this has been applied.

Although there are numerous advantages in using caffeine powder, there are also significant dangers. Individuals who have high blood pressure as well as pregnant mothers are discouraged from consuming caffeine. This is because such intake will make blood flow in an increased rate going to the heart while a decreased flow rate is expected going to the brain. It can cause palpitation with added symptoms such as muscle twitching, irritability, increased urination and restlessness among others. In large doses, researchers state that it can be deadly.

Caffeine powder, whether it is consumed or used on the skin, has many amazing benefits. It has been a part of the human diet for generations because of its awesome effect as a stimulant coupled with the capability to induce a feeling of pleasure. However, consumers need to be wary as well on how much should be consumed. Too much caffeine can also lead to a series of health problems which could end up shortening a person's life instead of spicing it up.

Caffeine powder is just one of the several wonder supplements which is suggested by the author. Visit us at Purebulk.com for a comprehensive description of this amazing product.

Building Muscle

Follow this starter weightlifting program. Listen to your body and you will get good results.

I will post a starter weightlifting program for you. The program is broken up by muscle group and is three days a week, but you can modify it if you like for more or less days. You can do this for eight weeks until your body gets used to the new activity, and then you can modify it by lifting heavier. You should show up at your workouts feeling strong and refreshed. If not, you may be over training and need to leave more days in between workouts.

Keep in mind that your body grows during rest days, not training days, so you need to leave it enough time to recover. You may only need two days between sessions, but you may need three or even four. Listen to your body and you will get good results.

Here's the program.

Day 1: Chest (bench press with bar or dumbbell press, flyes, pushups), triceps (bench dips, kickbacks)

Day 2: Back (bent over rows) biceps (curls, standing or seated)

Day 3: Shoulders (lateral raises, front raises), legs (squats, lunges)

Do 10-12 repetitions, 1-3 sets per exercise. That means select a weight you can lift 10-12 times to momentary fatigue with good form. When you can easily lift the weight 12 times, increase the weight.

You can experiment with different splits. For instance, you could try the following

Day 1: Chest (bench press with bar or dumbbell press, flyes, pushups), Back (bent over rows, pull downs)

Day 2: biceps (curls, standing or seated), triceps (bench dips, kickbacks)

Day 3: Shoulders (lateral raises, front raises), legs (squats, lunges)

There are dozens of exercises for both your lower and upper body. I've given you just a few. You might also want to browse some of the bodybuilding magazines for ideas on splits. Keep in mind that the people in the magazines are professionals and lift more than anyone, and you certainly don't need to lift as much they do, but you might get some ideas for splits.

Here's a brief summary of the key elements from the resistance training statement.

For development of strength:

1. Beginners: 1-3 sets, 8-12 reps

2. Intermediate: multiple sets, 6-12 reps

3. Advanced: multiple sets, 1-12 reps

For development of mass:

1. Beginners: 1-3 sets, 8-12 reps

2. Intermediate: multiple sets, 6-12 reps

3. Advanced: multiple sets, 1-12 reps with emphasis on 6-12 reps

For development of endurance (and somewhat more emphasis on tone, although you will get tone with strength and mass development too):

1. Beginners: 1-3 sets, 10-15 reps

2. Intermediate: multiple sets, 10-15 reps or more

3. Advanced: 10-25 reps or more

You might also be interested in reading about periodization, a method of training where you break your workout schedule into cycles throughout the year. For instance, the first 8-12 weeks would be a cycle where you keep the weight light enough to "prepare" the muscles and joints for heavier lifting later on. You would keep the weight lighter and reps higher during this cycle (10-15 reps), and this first cycle would also be a good time to experiment with different exercises and splits. This type of cycle might be a way for a beginner to start lifting or an athlete coming back after an injury or prior to preseason.

After the first cycle, you could start lifting heavier (6-10 reps), and focus more on mass for 6-8 weeks. Then the third cycle might be a brief cycle (2-4 weeks) where some of the sets are very heavy lifting (1-6 reps) to increase absolute strength. You can read more about periodization in two articles in the NSCA Online Fitness Journal, http://www.nsca-lift.org/perform/issues/0108.pdf and http://www.nsca-lift.org/perform/issues/0109.pdf

You might also want to measure your circumferences. The standard circumference measurements are arms (flexed and relaxed), chest (after a normal exhale), shoulders (the widest part), waist (the narrowest part below the ribs and above the belly button), abdomen (across the belly button), buttocks (at the maximum extension of the buttocks), gluteal/thigh (high on the thigh at the groove where the buttocks end), mid-thigh (halfway between the crease in the groin and the top of the knee cap), and calf (at the maximum circumference, either with leg hanging freely off a table or with legs 8 inches apart and weight distributed evenly). Keep the tape horizontal during measurements and pull the tape lightly so it indents the skin only slightly.

Article courtesy of Jason Thomas. Discover How You Can Build Muscle With Immediate Effective Results Using Proven Simple Steps

Body Building Clothing That Looks Good And Feels Comfortable

A work out involves a lot of physical movement from your part and the clothes you wear for this purpose should not be restrictive in any way. Previously, people used to work out in everyday wear like jeans and T shirts but with the passage of time they've started to understand the advantages of wearing airy and comfortable clothing while performing all those difficult maneuvers in the gym.

There is no such thing that the workout clothes should be loose and over sized. In fact materials like nylon and lycra are extensively used because they allow your skin to breathe properly and mainly because they are body hugging. This ensures that the bodybuilding clothing does not get in the way and you can complete your routine without any inhibitions.

Restrictive clothing gives rise to safety concerns while you work out because then the muscles will be overtly stretched while lifting heavy weights which might lead to serious muscle injury. If your clothing is too loose, then there is the risk of it getting caught in between weights and heavy exercise equipments again leading to fatal injuries.

Sports apparel manufacturers have become adept in bringing out outfits suitable for each sport or activity. The work out apparel they produce are aimed at absorbing maximum sweat from the body and increase the inhalation ability of the skin. These clothes help to keep various skin diseases at bay. So make sure that your workout clothes provide proper ventilation.

Not only the comfort, the' look' of the clothes is also given a lot of prominence these days when workouts are carried out in stylish and expensive gyms and health clubs. Today, there are showrooms and outlets dedicated exclusively for gym wear. You can find them in malls; factory outlets and certain gyms also sell them. People who want to look good while they exercise are not concerned about the price they pay, so branded exercise apparel has undoubtedly become a rage these days.

Some people believe that wearing the right clothes helps to increase the interest as well as motivation in doing the work outs. Well worked out and toned bodies look amazing in work out gear. In fact it is an inspiration for the 'not so fit' to work out and achieve such super figures. Gym wear is available in all sizes including plus size for men and women, so why not just get one for yourself?

Bodybuilding clothing is a must when you go to gym and do some serious body building. Click here to know more about stringer tank top