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