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.

STOP!

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