Muscle Building Workout Poundages - Are You Lifting Enough Weight?

We all know that in order to make progress

with your weight training, whether it's building muscle mass, or

slimming down and building a long, lean, athletic body, you need

to constantly challenge your body and the easiest measurable way

to do this is to lift 'heavy' and constantly increase your

workout poundages. But what's 'heavy'?
Many people wonder if the weights they are using are heavy enough.

First, it's important to realize that heavy is a relaitve concept

and many factors come into play - your overall genetic makeup being

the most important.
But even more specific factors come into play, such as rib cage size,

length of the forearms, etc.
Somebody with long arms will have a difficult time becoming a great

bench presser. But someone with shorter arms and

a natural barrel chest physique, has a great chance to be a top bench

presser.
This is why you sometimes see bigger bodybuilders who can't lift as much

as people that are smaller, muscle-wise than they are. So, whether or

not you are lifting heavy, you should only take into consideration what you

were lifting before and what you are lifting now. Your progress

is the most important thing, not where you started or where you end

up.
Of course, everyone wants a challenge and a goal to shoot for when it

comes to their workout poundages so here are some goals and poundages

you can go after. Serious bodybuilders will probably go well

beyond these numbers but for most people they are quite good.
Bench Press
Bodyweight is a good goal here, as long as it's for at least 5 or more

reps. Sets of five reps or more with 130 to 150 percent of bodyweight

is respectable for anyone involved in weight training programs.
Squats
Working out with bodyweight for sets of five or more reps is respectable

for all-round conditioning. However, if you really want to make gains a

nd build muscle, you will want to work up to 150 percent of your bodyweight

for sets of five to eight reps. If you'really serious, you'll shoot

for 175 percent.
Keep in mind, I am talking about full squats here. If you're serious

about making big muscle mass gains with your weight training, you need to

do squats.
Deadlifts
150 percent of bodyweight for sets of five to six reps. Most serious

trainees shoot for 200 percent of bodyweight as a reasonable goal on

the regular deadlift, in time.
For stiff-legged deadlifts, shoot for between bodyweight and 125 percent

of bodyweight for weightlifting sets in the 6 to 10 rep range. You

may even get up to 150 percent if this is a good exercise for you.
One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Eventually you should be using 50 percent of your bodyweight in this

movement. Your back is your strongest muscle and you'll only achieve

real results with real weights.
Seated Shoulder Presses
You'll want to work up to 65 to 70 percent of your bodyweight in this

weightlifting exercise for three to five sets of five to eight reps.

If you use dumbbells, they should total 60 to 65 percent of you bodyweight.

The lesser number is due to the fact that you have to control the dumbbells

more than a barbell.
Barbell Curls
Work up to 50 to 60 percent of you bodyweight for sets of five to eight

reps. It should be the same for dumbbells, since there is no extra balancing

neccssary.
Working up to these weights in these bodybuilging exercises will

give you quite a respectable level of strength and muscle mass(if you get

your nutrition right, as well).
Keep in mind that a weight training program is the best way to build muscle mass but

it's also the best way to lose fat, completely change the shape of your body, and

keep the fat off. Weight lifting is much more effective for fat loss than aerobics

or dieting alone.
Some of these poundages may be very easy for you, while others are

very difficult, depending on all the factors mentioned above. If you

really want to make progress in building muscle, the deadlift and

squat poundages are the one's you'll really want to hit or even

surpass. Do that, and you'll be well on your way to the muscle

mass you are looking to attain.



Gregg Gillies is the founder of Buile Lean Muscle.com [http://www.buildleanmuscle.com] His articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written two books and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. He publishes a free fitness newsletter available at his site that includes lots of weight training tips, fat loss, nutrition and exercise program information to help you build your best body as quickly as possible. See how you can get a customized nutrition plan at http://www.mynutritionjournal.com

How to Gain Weight and Muscle in 4 Weeks

There are only two things to do in order to successfully answer the question of how to gain weight and muscle. Apply these two things to a 4 week program and you are going to come out stronger, tougher, and bigger.
1. Lifting: The backbone of a how to gain weight and muscle program is weight lifting. And performing the following exercises are the key to getting bigger. These exercises are known to put on mass quickly. They not only work the major mass muscles, but performing these exercises literally put your body in a growth zone that makes it easy and quick to gain weight and muscle. Any hardcore gym will verify that the fastest growth that members have experienced were through the practice of the following weight lifting exercises:
a. Squats
b. Deadlifts
c. Dips
These are key on how to gain weight and muscle and thus should be the main animals in your stable of weight training exercise. For instance you could perform a Monday, Wednesday, Friday workout schedule which would include one of these big dog exercises above for each workout day (for instance Squats on Monday, Dips on Wednesday, and Deads on Friday). You can then add other exercises into the mix, like bicep curls, chest exercises, etc. But these three should be your main focus as they are the absolute key on how to gain weight and muscle.
2. Eat. During your 4 week how to gain weight and muscle program, you must eat like you've never eaten before. Visualize each meal contributing to your gain weight and muscle goals, and if you miss one then you are just pushing yourself backwards and not forwards.
You should consume 3 strong meals a day and then 3 minor meals in between. Your breakfast, lunch, and dinner strong meals should all consist of at least 30-50 grams of protein from primarily a meat source. Just as the 3 above exercises are your backbones, these 3 meat meals are your eating backbones. In addition to your meat, you should eat big portions of carbohydrates and some fat in the same meals. Now in between your 3 strong meals you need to consume 3 minor meals, such as a protein shake or a couple of protein bars, or essentially some snack which is going to contain another minimum of 30-50 grams of protein, but you are allowed to have this in protein shake form or other easy, convenient protein forms. And the carbohydrate amount need not be as heavy. This is the ideal eating plan for how to gain weight and muscle.
With focus, dedication, desire and a solid plan you can indeed learn how to gain weight and muscle in 4 weeks. From that point you can gauge your progress, and if you want to continue to gain weight and muscle and get even bigger, then you can take what you learned and set up another 4 week mass building program.



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How to Lift Weights - in the Beginning

How to lift weights "correctly" rages as a topic of discussion, debate and firmly held opinions. Typical in the realm of firmly held opinions, agreement remains far from universal and various experts have various suggestions.
Questions and advice abound on how fast or slow should we lift. Should we mainly do high intensity / low volume workouts? Should we do supersets with a lot more reps between resting periods? Should we use the heaviest weights possible or should we use lighter weights so we can improve our form or to protect certain smaller, weaker muscle groups?
From my personal experience nearly all of the touted prescriptions work to some degree, particularly when we first start using them, and particularly when we apply them in an appropriate context. Often a change in our routine leads to new gains, the variations and the change of pace hit muscle areas we typically don't work very hard. If we get stalled on a plateau using one lifting style, sometimes we can break new ground by switching to a different technique. Some different rules about how to lift weights apply in our teens than in our forties.
For example, after reaching a strength plateau with high intensity bicep training, I achieved a jump in size and strength by switching to supersets even though I used significantly less weight and a lot more reps between rests for a couple of months. Then I went back to a high intensity low rep workout and found I had made significant progress in the amount of weight I could curl for 6 to 8 reps.
Experiment and Track Your Progress
So experiment and monitor your results. See what kinds of progress different approaches yield for your particular body and how your muscles develop once the pump from your workout is gone. Are you feeling overly sore a couple of days later? Are you gaining strength or possibly over-training? I've met some very accomplished body builders who consciously change their workout style every four to eight weeks. They claim that once they get used to a routine their body adapts to it and they stop making any progress with it. They may only juggle two or three routines they know well, but they switch them up once they feel a familiar comfort setting in.
Those who train most effectively have spent time exploring and learning about their own bodies to find out what works for them and have kept an open mind to trying something new to see what kinds of results they can get with it. "Know thyself" seems a familiar refrain in evaluating weight lifting exercises.
The Basics
Get some basic education before you start. Buy a book or hire a trainer for a few weeks or purchase a training program and learn the basics. You should have at least a basic plan and a rudimentary knowledge of the risks, dangers and mistakes you want to avoid before getting started. You should have a basic plan or goal mind for what you want to achieve and decide how long you plan to commit yourself to making it happen. Start with sound fundamentals and then you can feel fairly secure with learning how to lift weights as you go.



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Lift Weight to Lose Weight

Have you lost weight on a diet, only to regain it? Do you know which exercises will help you lose weight and keep it off?
Strength training, also called lifting weights, is one of the most effective ways to lose weight and tone up.
Why is strength training such an effective exercise for weight loss?
o You build lean muscle, which actively burns calories day and night.

o When you strength-train, your body burns more calories after you finish exercising than cardio exercise alone would.

o Your muscles stay challenged.

o Your body gets toned and curvy, the way you want it to look.
Lean muscle versus fat.
The main component of the weight loss puzzle is the first point: strength-training develops lean muscle tissue in the body.
Muscle is always working. Muscle is always burning calories. To burn more calories, you should gain lean muscle tissue.
Unlike muscle, fat is inactive tissue. It just sits on your body, parked, taking up space, looking unattractive!
Starting a Strength Training program.
If you have no experience using weights or resistance equipment, you will want to hire a personal trainer or fitness instructor. They can develop a program to meet your goals, and show you how to exercise properly.
If you do not use the equipment properly, you can injure yourself. Plus, it is unlikely you will meet your goals if you use incorrect technique.
Reps, Sets and Weight.
The amount of weight you will use per each exercise depends on the muscles you are using. Larger muscles, like thighs and back muscles, can take more weight. Smaller muscles, like triceps and rotator cuff muscles, usually require lighter weight.
Always check the weight before attempting to lift it, when you use a weight stack machine!
After your have selected your weight (your amount of resistance, i.e.), next prepare to perform 8-10 repetitions. If you are not feeling challenged by your fourth repetition, then try the next heavier weight. It should feel quite difficult by the eighth repetition.
As you practice your new routine, you will be able to use more weight and do fewer repetitions.
Perform at least 2 sets of each exercise. After a few weeks of diligent practice, you may perform 3 sets of each exercise.
If you are comfortable with the exercises, you may prefer to do 4-8 repetitions per set instead of 8-10. Again, you should be feeling challenged by the fourth repetition of each exercise. Otherwise, the weight is too light for you.
Like any new habit to improve your health, surround yourself with experts who can answer your questions, and practice!



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Natural Bodybuilding - Ten Top Tips For Lifting Weights

Not all people who love to exercise are fond of lifting weights. There are people who engage in physical activities like running, jogging, rowing, kickboxing, taekwondo, etc. to become well built. This is probably because they have formed in their minds the idea that when you lift weight, your muscles grow big and rock hard. Or probably, they think that weight lifting is not easy.

To encourage people to lift weights, here are 10 weight lifting tips that you can follow.

Weight lifting tip # 1. Know the benefits of lifting weights.

Knowing the possible benefits that you can get will help motivate you to get into it. It is but practical and natural for anybody to desire to know what they can attain from something before they get into it. Here are some of the benefits.

* It develops toned muscles, not necessarily rock hard muscles.

* It raises ones metabolism.

* It helps reduce fat.

* It improves circulation.

* It helps lower blood pressure.

Weight lifting tip # 2. Set your goal.

When you set your goals, they have to be specific. Your goals should also be measurable. You cant just say that your goal is to lose weight or to have a smaller waist or to have bigger chest. You have to identify how much weight you want to lose like 3 lbs in 3 weeks, or how small you want your waist to be like 76 centimeters after 4 weeks or how big you want your chest to be like 91 centimeters 3 months.

Just always bear in mind that the goal that you will set should be realistic. Do not always aim for something too high that you know you cant achieve. This will just make you frustrated and will lead to you dropping your goal entirely.

Weight lifting tip # 3. Choose an environment where you will be most comfortable in.

You have to make sure that the place where you will lift weights will provide you with an encouraging or motivating environment. For example, if you are the type who gets bored easily, try to avoid gyms that are small with a small number of people working out. With many people around doing the same things that you do, you will be motivated to do your program. If you however, is the type who easily gets discouraged, avoid gyms where you will be lifting weights with people who already have well built muscles. You might get discouraged by the difference in how you are progressing compared to them.

In general, it will be more encouraging if you workout with people you know and you are comfortable with.

Weight lifting tip # 4. Warm up before lifting weights.

Warm up conditions your body to the proceeding major workouts. This also lessens possibilities of injuries to your muscles and bones.

Weight lifting tip # 5. Regularly monitor your progress.

Since you already listed your goals from the start, you will be able to check where you are at and how you are doing. This way you will have a clear idea if you are progressing well or if you will need to make some changes in your program. However, you have to remember always that you cannot achieve your goals overnight. Do not get discouraged if you are progressing slowly. This is why in tip number 2, it is said that your goal should be realistic.

Weight lifting tip # 6. Regularly change your routine.

Doing the same things over and over isn't motivating. It will make the whole process boring.

Weight lifting tip # 7. Always have somebody to watch while you lift weights.

This tip is suggested to ensure safety while you are lifting weights especially if you are lifting heavy weights. A spotters role is to prevent accidents first and foremost.

Weight lifting tip # 8. Give your body enough time to rest.

You need to rest to ensure that you are always at your optimum when you lift weights. You will just be wasting time and effort if you lift weights when your body is down. You always have to remember that tissues in our body get worn out whenever they are used so it is but proper to give your body time to repair itself.

Weight lifting tip # 9. Hydrate.

It is important to always drink lots of water when working out. You will not be able to build muscles if you are dehydrated. Other body processes also get affected by dehydration.

Weight lifting tip # 10. Reward yourself.

When you achieve your goal, give yourself a reward. You deserve that for persevering to achieve your goals.

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Should Kids Lift Weights?

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to whether or not kids should lift weights. The common theory is that the child should have at least reached puberty before they engage in a sport such as weight lifting. This will also depend on the individual child.

As a child is growing the connective ligaments and cartilage are not fully formed and can be injured or torn if too much stress is placed on the joints. This often occurs when the exercises are being done improperly and no set program is in place. With the correct program and the proper supervision I feel that a child as young as twelve or thirteen can certainly begin a weight training program providing it is done with the utmost attention to safety and proper form. The child must understand the dangers involved and the potential for injury if they don't do the exercises the correct way.

I started lifting at twelve years old and didn't have the proper instruction or supervision. I learned the hard way by injuring myself several times because I really didn't know what I was doing. All I knew is that I wanted to get big like the guys I saw in the magazines. I soon learned that it was going to take a lot of hard work and effort if I was going to get anywhere in this sport.

If you are asking yourself, should kids lift weights, then you might have a child that is interested. What you need to do is educate yourself the best you can and know that your child will be relying on you for the supervision and guidance to help them get the most out of weight lifting that they can. You will have to dedicate a lot of time and energy to see that they are doing it the correct way and not at risk for injury. You will become their coach and training partner. It is a great way to bond with your child and will be remembered for years to come. I started my son out when he was thirteen and it is something we enjoy doing together and will always have that bond.

Get the right program from the start. It will help cut down on the learning curve. Just because you may have lifted in the past doesn't mean that it is the best way for your child. Remember it's the child that we are concerned about here.

I started weight lifting as a kid and I didn't have anyone to guide me or give me the right information. Needless to say that was before the internet. I did manage to learn a lot on my own and I am grateful for the vast knowledge I gained along the way. You too can benefit from this knowledge. You just have to make the decision to go for it.

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Overcome Your Exercise Plateau

Have you become frustrated with your workout program? Let me guess, you started a program, got results, and improvements stopped. There are many ways to eliminate the plateau and ensure you are always progressing.

The human body is incredibly effective at adapting to change. The inability to progress, low motivation, and fatigue are all signs of a plateau, are all usually caused by over training.

Rest

Taking at least one day off a week is vital for full recovery and allows the body to make gains or changes. After three to four months of steady exercise, evidence suggests taking a week off is beneficial for re-setting the body. Getting the appropriate amount of sleep is equally important. The body regenerates and repairs muscle tissue the fastest during sleep. The average adult should strive for seven to eight hours to ensure the body is properly rested.

Don't Over Do It. Train with intension. Technique is more effective than lifting heavy weight. Too much strain on the muscle will only cause injury and inability to rebuild.

Nutrition

As you increase your workout time, intensity and weight, you must meet your body's caloric requirement for recovery and daily needs. As your intensity in training increases, so does your metabolism.

Challenge Your Muscle

Don't try a different workout program each month. Stimulate the muscles by keeping the body guessing and preventing muscle adaptation, by focusing on changing frequency, intensity and time under tension of a muscle. The purpose of physical training is to stress the body so it improves its capacity to exercise and is beneficial only as long as it forces the body to adapt. If the stress is not sufficient to overload the body, then no adaptation occurs. If stress cannot be tolerated, injury or over-training results. Muscles must be overloaded to hypertrophy and improve strength.

Muscle can do two things: 1. Grow and/or stronger and 2. Shrink and/or weaken. To build muscle, change the frequency, intensity and time of your training to break down the muscle fibers and re-build the muscle tissue. When lifting weight, changing the rate at which you perform the different parts of the lift. Training with varying tempo and rest can help you overcome the dreaded plateau.

Tempo

Weight lifting tempo refers to the number of seconds it takes for you to complete a full range of motion of one repetition, usually called a lift. The importance of "time under tension" determines the amount of stimulus a muscle is exposed to. Let's take an olympic style lift in which we use explosive ballistic contractions. The lift here may be around 1 second up and 1 second down. If use the 10 rep range, our muscle will be under tension for a total of 20 seconds. Now, try a slow 2 second up and 4 second down lift, and we have 60 seconds time under tension. That is a big difference.

There are four numbers represented when using tempo:

The first number is the eccentric or down motion of the lift, also known as the "negative"phase. During this phase, the muscle is being stretched. When trying to build muscle, this number is usually slow and controlled to fatigue the muscle and stimulating growth.

The second number is the pause or hold before the concentric phase or upward motion (the third number). The concentric phase, or "positive" phase, contracts the muscle while carrying the weight or load. Here, use a faster momentum to return the weight to the start position.

The fourth number represents the starting point of the movement. Here you can either pause or immediately begin the next repetition.

Once the muscle has adapted to a certain tempo, change the tempo to stimulate the muscle, increase fatigue and get better results.

It is important to note that using proper form is most important element when weight lifting. When momentum is introduced, there will be less tension on the muscle, which will lessen your gains. Use slow and controlled movement with the proper form, while focusing on the muscle being worked. If these techniques are not in place, you will not sufficiently work the muscles.

Flavia Del Monte is a Registered Nurse, Certified Physical Trainer, Certified Nutritionist and the creator of Full-Body-Licious. You can read more about her training programs, nutrition advice and general fitness on her women fitness blog.

No More Excuses - Lose Weight Really Fast

If you are trying to lose weight, it can be an overwhelming task, especially if you are one of those who have busy working routine and have plenty of responsibilities. Lack of enough time to exercise in the gym or play any sports is a major cause of gaining excess body weight. However, if you are serious about losing weight, you can follow the below mentioned simple Diet and Exercise program to lose weight really fast.

Diet Program

· Healthy Diet: A good daily diet is the key to all weight loss programs. You may exercise intensely 4-5 hours a day but a bad eating habit can make your efforts void. You must complement your exercise program with a good healthy diet plan. You must eat healthy food 3-4 times a day including salad made of green vegetables, which are rich in fiber content and fruits. You can also include lean meat in your diet plan.

· Avoid junk food: A large number of people suffer from the problems of being overweight mainly because of their poor eating habits. If you are on a weight loss mission, you must give up your junk food like pizza and burgers. If you have irresistible craving for eating junk food, you can replace it with something healthy like a cup of green tea or a fruit such as apple.

Workout Program

· Combine cardio and weight-lifting: A good exercise program is as important as a good diet program for you to achieve your weight loss goal. You must exercise at least twice a day, this is will help you stay active through the day and also enable you to lose weight really fast.

You can include a variety for exercise routines in your workout program. For instance, it is recommended that you combine both weight lifting and cardio exercises in your exercise regime. This is will not only provide complete workout to your body and improve your overall health but will also make your exercise program more interesting.

You need to develop a habit of working out everyday - either in the mornings, or in the evening before you have your dinner. You can do weight lifting for about 20-30 minutes and combine with cardio exercise for about 4-5 days in a week.

· Natural training: Try to keep your exercise routine natural by including natural activities such as outdoor running, swimming, boxing or skipping. This way also you can make your workout session interesting and workout on different muscles of the body.

While you workout you may lose weight and accomplish your goals of losing belly fat, however, that doesn't mean you can be complacent about building muscles in your upper body. You can use weight lifting exercises such as bench press or free weights to improve the upper body.

No matter what exercise program you follow, you must remember that sufficient body rest is the key to success of your weight loss program. Also, you must remember that you should push your body to its extreme limits. You must set small target for yourself and try to achieve that first. It would make your target more achievable.

Now that you are aware of the weight loss tips that can help you lose weight really fast, make no more excuses and jump start your weight loss program to get the body you always dreamed of.

Go to the Lose Weight Really Fast Blog and get various effective weight loss tips that can help you achieve your weight targets today.

Standard or Olympic Weights - What's the Difference?

Weight lifting is one of the best ways to develop muscles so it's no wonder why this is such a popular workout. Are you someone who decided to start a weight lifting workout, yet you're not sure what weights you should buy? Basically, there are two types of weight plates- standard or regular plates and Olympic size plates. Here are the differences and the pros and cons of using each.

Bar diameter

The entire bar of a standard weight is 1 in diameter. It is often used at home and is designed to take standard weight plates with 1 holes. Though they can also take Olympic plates, the plates will not fit properly since their holes are larger. So if you want to use Olympic plates on a standard bar, it is recommended that an Olympic adapter sleeve should be purchased for the plates to fit tightly on the standard bar.

On the other hand, Olympic size bars are 2 diameter on the ends. With this, they will only take Olympic weight plates which also have 2 diameter holes. You can't mix and match these two weight plates because the bar diameter varies on the sleeves onto which the weights are being slid and secured.

Competition rank

Olympic size bars are usually the ones being used in competition, while the standard or regular type is often chosen by beginners because of the idea that Olympic bars are just for pro athletes and power lifters.

Strength and stability

Standard weight bars are not as thick and heavy as compared to Olympic weight bars. Thus, a standard lifting bar will start to bend when loading somewhere over 200 pounds. On the other hand, the Olympic bar is sturdier and can handle several hundred pounds safely without bending or bowing.

Price

Typically, the regular bars are cheaper since they are lighter and require fewer raw materials when manufactured.

Grip

The middle portions of these two types of bars differ slightly. In Olympic bars, it is 1/16 or 1/8 thicker than the usual size of standard bars with just 1. As a result, bars that are larger in diameter are easier to use for dead lifts. The grip is more stable and secure so you can maximize your weight lift workout.

Beginner's choice

Standard dumbbell handles are 14 inches long while Olympic dumbbell handles are 18 inches. And it is common for people, beginners to be specific, to prefer the shorter ones for their weight lifting exercise.

Protective coating

Most standard weight plates have plastic coatings. If you're planning to use these dumbbells in an intensive workout for a long time, then plastic coated plates may not be a good choice for you. Over time, the plastic will peel off and it could make them unstable or even unsafe to use. Your grip and your routine will surely be affected. However, rubber encased plates will be more durable.

Equipment choices vary according to the goals of the user and of course, budget. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Evaluate and compare thoroughly before starting a weight lifting program because not all bodies are the same. What works for others is not a guarantee that it will also work for you. Do some research and try out the different types of weights at the gym or store to help you decide which exercise equipment would be most beneficial to you.

Learn more about weight training equipment.
Get fit for less at Exercise Equipment Express.
Laura Schneider is a website developer who is also a health and fitness enthusiast.

The Importance of Regular Aerobic and Weight Training Exercises

It is no secret that exercise is a key component to leading a healthy and vital life. There are basically two kinds of exercises that one can do and they are aerobics or cardiovascular training and weight training. Both are very important in order to stay strong and healthy. Aerobic exercise can be done in many different ways.

In fact, if you work at a job where you are on your feet and moving around a lot then you may not even need to do any additional exercise since your job provides you with the aerobic benefit. It is important to not exercise too much, even though this is not a common problem, exercise does put a certain level of stress on your body and if you overdo it you can easily become over trained which can lead to a depressed immune system which can lead to you becoming more likely to get sick.

It is not necessary to sweat significantly during your aerobic exercise sessions. A simple one hour walk outside if the weather permits or on a treadmill indoors can be sufficient. Running too much can put a lot of stress on your joints such as the knees and can lead to future joint problems so if you have to run do it only for short periods and take appropriate rest levels. Aerobic exercise helps to stimulate the lymphatic system which is partly responsible for the removal of toxins from inside your body thus this kind of exercise has is a great way to internally cleanse your body naturally.

If you find doing aerobic exercise to be very physically difficult then consider something like a recumbent exercise bike which is probably the most comfortable piece of aerobic exercise equipment you can purchase. It has very good back support and is gentle on the knees so you can start slow and work your way up as you get fitter and stronger. Also try to keep your heart rate around the 120 beats per minute range during your aerobic sessions.

Weight training is also a very important aspect of exercise that both males and females should perform regularly. Many females are concerned that if they train with weights they will become bulky and unattractive which is not true as long as you stick with lighter weights and do not take growth hormones. In fact, adding a little muscle will make you look firmer, sculpted and more attractive instead of being flabby. Weight training stimulates the growth and maintenance of muscle tissue which is critical for maintaining strength. Weight lifting also promotes greater bone density which can help to fight osteoporosis and it can also make you look and feel younger.

If you have never trained with weights before then it is a good idea to join a local gym and take a few personal training sessions to learn the basic exercises. The bench press is a great exercise for the upper body and the squat or leg press is ideal to train the lower body. If your time is really limited then just doing these two exercises once a week or even once every month depending on how much weight you lift (the more weight you lift the more rest you need) can be sufficient. Become stronger and healthier by doing these exercises regularly.

Joseph is an online researcher, author and a regular contributor to a health and fitness site. Learn how to lose weight fast and also be sure to stop by and read our Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review for a possible weight loss solution.

The Reasons Why Weight Lifting is a Workout That Will Deliver Major Rewards

Would you train me on the way to obtain muscle swiftly? Could you instruct me how to pack on an added ten to fifteen pounds of muscle tissue before my next holiday? Could you aid me to prepare for my primary bodybuilding or fitness model competition? Might you assist me to appear like someone who really lifts weights? Would you assist me to produce a body that turns heads and demands esteem?

As a lanky guy muscle building professional, I am approached with these types of issues on a daily basis in my business. Each and every hard gainer I talk to wishes to discover how to acquire muscle quick and how to do so properly in addition to correctly.

Hard gainers, make sure you pay attention! There may be hope for you. I'm happy to declare that finding out the way to achieve muscle mass swiftly isn't as difficult as a number of you would have you imagine. But it is also not really as quick you may imagine. You must be ready to practice smarter and not harder. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not referring to wimping out throughout your training. I am speaking about the big picture of training knowledgeably.

The following is some of the most well-liked guidance I share with the hard gainer any time he wishes to achieve muscle rapidly.

1. For No Reason Execute In Excess Of Ten Repetitions.

For anyone who is lifting weights past ten repetitions than you're emphasizing your slow-twitch muscle fibers that have the tiniest opportunity for muscle mass development. You're a hard gainer and you also need to recruit the maximum volume of muscle mass fibers in each set. Continually opt for your weights knowing that a 11th rep will be not allowed and trespassing into 'skinny territory.'

Even though some people are purely serious about receiving lean muscle for appearance, for most people, this is not a pursuit. Rather, you are keen on understanding what rewards strength training will present for you...

Too many individuals forget the several health and fitness gains that body building has to offer, in addition to this, experience troubles down the road with their body, for example reduced density of bone, a slowed metabolism, increased stress ranges along with other detrimental penalties which might be connected to consistent stress.

Increased Bone Mineral Density

Resistance training, becoming probably the greatest weight bearing exercise you can apply, increases your density of bone and helps defend against osteoporosis or stress fractures later on.

Lots of people feel jogging is the greatest exercise for improving bone density, but this may not be specifically legitimate. If the simple truth is advised, jogging truly advances muscle mass breakdown in the body, when lifting weights, as an anabolic process, helps you to promote the constructing of tissues.

Hence, resistance training is actually usually superior at protecting your bone mass, let alone it's far less influence compared to taking 1 hour run.

Diminished Rate Of Accidental Injuries

Once you strength train, not only are your muscles likely to get more powerful, but you'll also work the ligaments and tendons which are connecting bones, muscles, along with other tissues, as a result decreasing the risk they turn out to be damaged whenever participating in additional physical routines.

If you have ever been hurt, you recognize exactly how irritating this really is. Within approximately 80% of all injury situations, the damage is a direct result of a tendon, ligament, or muscle not becoming strong enough every time a demanding force is applied.

Because body building will certainly truly hit all those deep tendons and ligaments, it's the ideal damage reduction around.

Reduction Of Health Related Hazards

A lot of studies have demonstrated that regular weight training exercise can have an optimistic impact on health and fitness by simply displaying reductions within the rate of insulin resistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.

If you ever pair a good weight lifting program then using a well-thought out diet regime, you will end up positioning your very best foot forward at preventing these kinds of serious difficulties.

Prevention Of Excess weight

The more an individual lift weights, the greater his metabolism will be, therefore the more food you'll be able to consume while maintaining your bodyweight. If that is just not good news for the future and fighting against excess weight, I am not sure what is.

Today, with all of this stated, one big problem most people run into is a thinking pattern that employing a muscle building plan could make a person oversized. This really is most certainly definitely not the situation. Let's consider a good analogy to gain an understanding of this.

Make-believe you've got two teams and each one are going to aim to build a house utilizing the very same building process.

One team is offered 10,000 stones to develop this home, and then the 2nd team is given merely 1,000 stones.

Who is going to build the greater home?

The selection really should be totally obvious - group 1 because they've got much more stones to develop it with.

Now, visualize those stones as being the calories you add into your body. Unless you're delivering enough calories, you are not going to develop really massive muscles. This really is just what helps make serious weightlifters resemble muscle builders.

It is not just with regards to how they practice, but much more about the way they consume (if you have ever endured a adolescent son in the growing process in your house, you very likely recognize the amount of meals needs to be consumed when developing at super fast rates).

Whether it's developing in height during puberty as well as trying to develop greater muscle mass later on, calories have to be delivered for this development process to occur.

You can't develop a home out of nothing. Likewise, you may train all you want, but when those building blocks - in the form of amino acids, carbohydrates, and dietary fats aren't there, you aren't likely to observe a lot of muscle mass growth.

So, don't get caught thinking that only because you add lifting weights to your workout routines, you're going to acquire big bulky muscle mass. If you moderate your eating routine, this simply will not come about.

So, with any luck, it really is clear now that just because you're lifting heavy weights, it does not suggest you will end up with bulky muscles due to this fact. Numerous individuals make this mistaken presumption - however this truly is the diet that makes all the difference in just how this weight training can design your physique.

Not choosing to incorporate weight training as part of your existing exercise plan is without-a-doubt the most significant miscalculation a person may possibly come up with as far as your own long-term well being as well as fitness degree is about. Do not permit this specific workout pass you by any longer.

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Weight Gain With Muscle - What You Must Know!

Weight gain is a negative problem for most Americans, but there are some people who want to gain weight because they are too skinny! Weight gain for skinny people isn't easy and unless it is done correctly it won't be effective. Trouble gaining weight is for some teens a very real problem and could negatively impact their self image.

Before you start any weight gaining program it is important to get a good diet and exercise program. There are many free ones on the web or you can hire a personal trainer to make one for you. Either way, this exercise program should include intense weight lifting opposed to other activities like running. Weight lifting, whether at a gym or just with dumb bells at home is the key to gaining the right kind of weight. Without lifting weights or strength building exercises, the average skinny guy just won't be able to put on quality mass. Make sure you check with your doctor before starting any weight training program if you have any concerns. For some people that can't afford the gym you can do some very good weight training at home. If you don't want to join a gym, follow this easy program.

Do:

100 push ups per day (do as many as you can, wait an hour and do more, repeat until you have 100)

50 deep knee bends per day

Hold a soup can in each hand and do 100 arm curls for each side

Hold a soup can in each hand and hold it out straight (burning your shoulders) for 1 minute

This is a very simple way you can get started now putting on muscle and gaining weight. This simple routine can be very effective believe it or not!

Now that your exercise program is in check you need to know what to eat to gain weight. Let's start with what you don't want! First off, you don't want to eat high calorie, low protein snack foods. This isn't about eating everything in site, it is about eating the right foods that will give you the muscle building blocks that you need.

The first thing you need is protein. Good, quality protein can come from food like meat and chicken, but it is hard to get the density of protein out of these foods. This is why most young people turn to a protein supplement. Protein shakes are the best way to get your extra calories from protein. Stay away from weight gainers, since they are mostly maltodextrin, which is a horrible sugar substitute that isn't good for much of anything.

A good protein powder mixed with milk and some additional "sugar" like chocolate syrup or fruit is perfect. You can also add in some peanut butter to make a chocolate milk smoothie. A basic recipe would look like this:

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

12 oz whole milk

1 table spoon peanut butter

This delicious protein shake tastes great and is loaded with nutrients for gaining weight. With the right protein powder this protein shake will give you 50g of extra protein along with high calories that are not filled with corn syrup and junk ingredients like refined corn flour. To get results, you can still eat your normal diet, but drink 1-2 of these shakes per day!

Once you get that incorporated into your diet the next basic thing to take is a creatine preworkout supplement. Assure your family that creatine is not a "steroid" or anything like that. In fact it is a very safe and effective supplement for helping to gain weight from muscle, not fat. Creatine is one of the most well studied supplements and it isn't only just safe, it is a very good for all ages. Even old people can benefit from creatine! It's one of the safest supplements you can take!

A creatine complex with amino acids, creatine, dextrose and cofactors is the best choice. Make sure that if your creatine complex contains caffeine, you are not sensitive to it. Creatine preworkouts have about as much caffeine as a typical energy drink or a 32oz soda but it may hit you harder. Make sure you check with your parents or a doctor before taking caffeine or any stimulant if you are under 18.

No other supplement can give you the gains in muscle mass like creatine. Creatine is the best muscle building product on the market and certainly safe and very effective. It's one of the staples of muscle gain!

Take 1-2 servings of your creatine complex before your workout and just watch the weight gain happen! Then take one of your protein shakes right after you work out for best results! There are more exotic supplements to take like testosterone boosters and andro but make sure you don't skip the basics If you are over 18 and want to push your body even further, you can try other supplements, however everyone can benefit from these two basic supplements in the diet.

Erin Raad reviews sports supplements and supplement ingredients.

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Weight Loss and Body Building - Losing Weight Through Body Building Exercises

How beneficial are body building exercises to your health? If you are trying to lose those unwanted pounds, weight lifting exercises may not be your first choice to lose unwanted pounds, because these exercises usually require a lot of hard work. It also takes a lot of determination to keep doing the same exercises over and over and not give up if you don't start seeing results right away. However, once you understand better how these exercises can complement your efforts to lose weight fast, you won't think twice about using body building exercises for weight loss.

Here are five benefits that you can get from using body building exercises for weight loss:

1. Exercises that tone your muscles can improve your metabolism. A regular weight training routine for at least three times a week using even basic free movements such as barbell curls, triceps and squats can help you burn more calories faster.

2. Doing a routine of muscle building exercises regularly can also help you gain muscular strength, flexibility and endurance that can help you in fulfilling your daily tasks better.

3. Even just a moderate body building program can help you strengthen your lower back muscles and improve your posture as well.

4. As we age, muscle loss maybe prevented through the increase in muscle mass which is encouraged through body building exercises.

5. For women, moderate weight lifting exercises can also improve their bone structure and even promote better ability to handle stress.

The ultimate benefit of body building exercises is the reduction of body fat and the increase of lean muscles which not only result to a leaner body, but a healthier one as well. There are also reported decreases in blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure levels among people who regularly perform weight lifting exercises, coupled with cardio activities like aerobics, biking, walking or swimming.

As is often said, the key to a successful weight loss program is a combination of the right physical exercises with good, nutritious, low calorie meals. Before you embark on a weight lifting or other heavy exercise program, however, make sure to consult your doctor first to rule out any other health risks.

Body building exercises for weight loss do not just make us look better, but will also give us a general sense of well being. These exercises will not only improve our physiques, but will also contribute to a longer, healthier life.

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Weight Training Equipment

Getting started in weightlifting means that you will probably need some weight lifting equipment. Hopefully you have been looking around for this but I will try to give you a good idea of the equipment that you will need.

First of all there are two kinds of equipment for weight training. There are weights and bars and there is equipment that will help you to use those weights and bars.
Weight training equipment - Weights and Bars

In looking for weights and bars it is a good idea to have weights that will work on short bars (like for one armed curls) as well as on longer bars (for two armed curls or bench press). I have always tried to have a variety of weights from 2.5 pounds to 10 pounds and I have bought metal weights instead of those crappy plastic ones as they take a lot less space.

To figure out how much weights that you need just look at how much you want to squat or bench press in the next month or so and remember that you can buy more weights after that time. I imagine that you are the same as me and can bench press more than you can curl or do one armed rows with so 150 pounds total is more than enough since you also have the weight of the bar to worry about.

There are two kinds of bars to worry about, you need a long bar for curls and bench and squats and two short bars for curls and flyes and all the arm exercises that you can think of. The bars that I bought have a type of screw on end that allows you to just spin the collars on and off to make sure that the weights stay in place.
Weight training equipment - Support equipment

As far as equipment needed for weight lifting I always thing that there is only one really needed and that is a bench. any bench is going to help you with your weight lifting but I opted for an incline bench so that I would be able to do incline bench presses. Other than this the bench is good for lots of stuff like:

* Concentration curls

* One armed rows

* Tricep kickbacks

* Flyes

* Crunches

* And tons more exercises

I think you get the idea here though. A bench is necessary and is unavoidable if you really want to get a good workout in.

The other big piece of weight training equipment is the squat rack. A squat rack will help you to stay safe by giving you something to rack your weights before your set as well as a guard at the bottom in case you go too far and can't get the weight back up. A squat rack can be very expensive so this is not something I would worry about early at home instead just do not go too havy in your squats.
Weight training equipment - All in one

One last option is something like Bowflex. I have known a few people that have gotten Bowflex machines although I have not tried one myself for more than a couple of reps and the great thing about Bowflex is that is will allow you to do dozens of different exercises. The downside though is that these things can be pretty pricey.

To get your weight lifting equipment I have always thought that second hand is best. People go and get equipment and then a year or tow later after it has picked up a lot of dust they decide to sell. Sadly there are always more people looking to get rid of weight lifting equipment than are trying to buy it so you should be able to get a pretty good deal instead of buying the weight lifting equipment new.

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