Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Weight Lifting Program Breakdown - A Guide to Building Muscle


Just over a year ago I weighed 110lb! I was a super skinny runt and desperately wanted to gain weight. Then I stumbled upon a weight lifting program and gained 30lb of muscle! Here's a quick overview of my diet and weight lifting program, which I used to gain over 30lb in 12 weeks:-

You need to eat a lot! You need to be cramming in 6 meals a day and 20 calories per pound of your body weight everyday. You have to eat foods like chicken, tuna, pasta, rice and protein shakes help a lot too. If you want to build muscle and not gain fat, then you can't eat any carbs within 4 hours before bed time.

To bulk up and pack on the muscle, surprisingly, your weight lifting program must consist of a lot of rest! Sleep is one of the keys if you want to build muscle because you don't actually build muscle while you're training - only while you're resting. You should aim to get at least 8 hours a night and an extra hour during the day would be a big bonus too. Growth hormone is secreted from your pituitary gland while you sleep which is a key point to remember if you want to bulk up.

Get yourself to the gym and pump it out for an hour three times a week. Don't over do it though. If you over-train you'll not gain weight in a healthy way. Your muscles will actually become weaker because they've been worked too much and you'll become run down and won't really build muscle, you'll just gain a lot of fat. Do 6 sets of 8 reps per exercise only once per week and only work each muscle group once per week. By the last rep of every exercise you should be really busting a gut.

Use this rough diet and weight lifting program and you'll build muscle in no time at all!




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Monday, March 19, 2012

Weight Lifting Safely - Important Facts You Need to Know


A most common mistake committed by those who start weightlifting is overwork. There is that inner impulse that tells you be like that muscle man next to you in the quickest way possible. So you lift more, strain your muscles more and you overwork yourself. The consequence? Torn muscles and tendons and diminished self esteem. Thus, it is important to follow safety in weightlifting to avoid such things from happening.

The concept of weight lifting is simply to increase muscle activities and speed up metabolism. This way, fat burning activity in the body is increased and lean muscles are developed. It is also very important to rest the muscles and give them time to repair themselves after an intense weightlifting activity. Doing your intensive routines twenty four/seven is not only highly dangerous, it also defeats the purpose of muscle building. Overworking your muscles does not make them bulkier but thinner.

Whenever you are not sure of what particular weight to lift or how many routines should be done in one sitting, safety in weightlifting protocol dictates that you consult a trained professional. Hire a coach that can supervise you as you do your routine. He will also teach you how to properly and safely do your exercises. If you cannot afford that, at least have a buddy or a spotter who can scrutinize your form and step in should you get caught in a bind and not be able to lift a heavier weight than you're used to. Partner with someone in the gym who can spot for you in return for you doing the same favor for him.

As you lift weights, keep on breathing. Many lifters hold their breaths as they lift weights. This is dangerous since holding your breath too long could impair the delivery of oxygen to the brain and cause you to faint. Imagine what would happen should you faint while in the middle your lift. Countless injuries would result. So maintain a regular breathing pattern as you lift the weight.

Don't forget to warm up before heading to the weights section of the gym. This is an important procedure to follow for safety in weightlifting. Warm up your muscles by running for a good five to ten minutes in the treadmill and then doing stretches to prepare your muscles for lifting the weights. Stretch your quads and glutes, your arms and back. After your strength training session, cool down by walking and stretching some more. Finally, prevent slippage of weights caused by sweaty palms by wearing weightlifting gloves. There are rubberized gloves that give secure grip to prevent yourself from sustaining an injury due to weights inadvertently slipping from your palms.

Following these safety measures will ensure that you continue to enjoy the benefits offered by strength training through the use of weights. Give your muscles a good warm up before you start your weight-lifting regimen, have someone spot you and give your muscles adequate time to repair-- all these will also let you avoid the pains sustained by those who don't follow these safety tips as they lift weights.




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Weight Lifting With Symmetry in Mind


There is nothing like watching a bodybuilding competition and seeing some 'Perfectly Proportioned' or symmetrical Bodybuilders. Or even just going to the gym or walking around school and seeing someone with a nice V-taper. Maybe they haven't even weight-trained, but their shape is excellent.

As bodybuilders, our goal is to put on as much muscle as possible while maintaining this natural, proportioned physique. What this means, is training EACH AND EVERY Muscle Group Extremely Hard EACH AND EVERY Workout. This is hard to most, as even the best of us dread working out our backs and legs. I had a particular experience that changed the way that I felt about my proportions.

During my third bodybuilding competition, I realized that I was unproportioned. I placed second to a guy that was much smaller than I.

I conversed with the judges and we decided that I had trained certain body parts sufficiently, but had neglected others. I had neglected the other body parts enough that it costed me winning the show. It was then, at that moment that I decided to lift for proportionality, rather than for what I like doing or for strength.

With the help of the judges, I decided that my strong points were my biceps, quads, abs, chest, forearms, and neck. We decided that my weak areas were everything on the backside. This kind of surprised me. I figured that it was because I couldn't watch myself in the mirror, but then I realized that I don't watch my form on the bench press. Then it suddenly struck me, my stupid high school football coaches didn't instruct us to train our back at all, or calves.

No wonder why I hadn't built a good foundation for them! I then came to a conclusion, either keep lifting how I am and lose competitions, or change my training to be proportioned and win shows. Obviously I took the second choice and have already made good progress.

I have changed my workout routine. I used to train each body part once a week. Now, I train my underdeveloped body parts twice a week, and the stronger, more developed ones once a week. I don't go all out on my strong body parts when working out, but push myself hard on the weaker parts twice a week. This unproportioned training is making me more proportioned. So, my current breakdown looks like this:

Monday: Triceps (Heavy), Biceps (Medium), Lats (Heavy), Calves (Heavy)

Tuesday: Delts (Heavy), Traps (Medium), Neck (Medium)

Wednesday: Hamstrings/Glutes (Heavy), Quads (Medium), Calves (Heavy)

Friday: Back (Heavy), Chest (Medium), Triceps (Heavy) Abs (Hard)

Saturday: Hams/Glutes (Heavy), Forearms (Heavy)

This is my workout current workout schedule and when I become proportioned to my liking, I will go back to once a week but working out Extremely hard each time. I will vary the exercises used for the weak body parts so that I am not doing the same exact exercises or weights twice a week. As I have said time and time before, Variety is the Key!

l During this time of "Double Workouts," I am eating like a wild beast, devouring every healthy morsel of food that I can clench my teeth into. Even though I am eating more, because I am working out harder, I am not gaining fat. It is awesome how the body works and it's metabolism. I have fun experimenting with how much muscle I can build at a time without gaining fat. Like many previous bodybuilders have said, gaining muscle has more to do with what you do out of the gym than just lifting hard. Proper rest, and nutrition is a must.




Mike Murphy is an expert in the fields of exercise and nutrition. He is a bodybuilder and highly sought after personal trainer and online personal trainer . You can get customized help from Mike at his Online Personal Training website.




Sunday, March 18, 2012

Weight Lifting Workout Plans: 4 Tips to Put Together the Perfect Session for Yourself?


Do you need to know more about weight lifting workout plans? You have come to the right place then.

Here you will learn exactly how to go about putting together a routine that can work for you starting today. Read on further to get the real deal on this hot topic.

Tip#1: Warm-Up Properly

You should warm-up your body before you start. This will help you to perform a better exercise session. This will also help you avoid injury during your routine.

This does not need to be a complicated matter. You can start off by doing some simple stretching at first.

This could involve reaching your arms as high as you can to the ceiling. There is also the option of reaching down as far as you can to touch your toes.

Both of these movements will help get you ready for your workout.

Tip #2: Choose a Good Time to Do It

You need to figure out what time would work best for you. It is recommended that you pick a time when you know you will have the energy to do it efficiently.

This could mean something different for each person. Some might find it best to do so at night and others might think the morning is a better time.

You should stick with it because consistency will be your best weapon for your weight lifting workout plans.

Tip #3: Get Your Proper Rest

Your body will need adequate rest in order to lift weights several times a week. It is important that you try to get seven to eight hours of rest each night.

This may require that you actually sit down and come up with a sleeping schedule. You should take this step to ensure that you will get the required amount of sleep daily.

You should remember that muscle is built while you are resting.

Tip #4: Start Off Simple

You may have noticed that there are various exercises that you can do to get in shape. You will not want to complicate this matter for yourself.

You should pick a few exercises that emphasize the main areas of your body.

It is suggested that you begin with compound exercises. These are movements that allow you work out several muscles groups at one time.

This would include deadlifts, squats, military press, bench press, and bent over rows. Once you have mastered these you can then try more advanced techniques.




While this is a good start. There is much more you should look at before taking on such a task.

You may still have various questions. What about doing more cardio? How about special pills? How should I eat and how much at each meal?

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What Type of Weight Lifting Belt Do I Need?

If you need a weight lifting belt to protect your back during long lifting sessions, you may be wondering what type of belt you should get. If you're recovering from an injury, especially a spinal injury or serious muscle strains or teacher, you should always ask a doctor before you start on any other weight lifting programs. He will be able to tell you what you should get and what type of exercises you are doing. However, if you just need one to protect your back, read on to find out what type of one you need.
The first thing that you will have to do is find a belt that actually fits. There are two parts to this. First you will need to make sure that the belt fits your waist. For belts with a quick-release system this is not too much of a problem because you can adjust the belt as you need to for a custom fit every time. However if you're using a belt with a hook and pin system you need to make sure that the belt will fit snugly around you. Sizes are not always the best guide either, because sometimes the pin holes will be a little too close or too far to give you the fit that you need making the belt nearly useless. The only way that you will know for sure what belt fits you is to try it on, so make sure that you buy one from an online retailer with a good return policy or you try it on in the store before you buy it.
The next thing you need to look for in size is the actual height of the back of the belt. This ranges from four to six inches and the taller you are, generally the bigger belt you will want. However, personal preference also plays a role here. Some taller people may feel more comfortable with a smaller belt, so once again, try on any belt that you're thinking about buying in the store or as soon as it comes in the mail, before you make a final decision on it. The belt should fit snugly and give you support.
The next thing that you will need to decide is whether you want a nylon belt or a leather belt. Leather belts are preferred by some weightlifters because they offer more support, especially for dead lifts and squats. However, they also can be rougher on your skin and constricting when you try to do compound movements like clean jerks. Nylon belts, on the other hand, have a slight amount of more give to them so they work better for power lifters. They are also gentler on the skin, which is great for people with more sensitive skin. Which type of belt you choose will depend on the type of lifting that you are doing and your personal preferences.



The type of weight lifting belts that you buy will be determined partly by the size and shape of your body and partly by your personal preferences. Always make sure that you try on any weight lifting belt you buy before you make the final purchase so you know if it will fit your body.