Workout Routines | Building Muscle | Burning Fat | Weight Lifting Exercises

In the previous article, we discussed the concepts of adaptation & progressive overload, and how virtually everything about building muscle revolves around these two principles…

Today, the topics are intensity & frequency, two other “concepts” that are highly “anabolic” in nature, meaning that they can have a significant impact on muscle growth.

Intensity seems to be a very hot topic over the past few years. Proponents of low volume, high intensity training swear by raising the intensity of your workouts, while reducing overall volume. On the other side, traditionalists prefer lower intensity workouts to higher volume.

What is workout intensity?

Intensity is defined as the amount of effort you exert in a given period of time. Another term for intensity is “perceived exertion”. This simply means how you feel while working out. If you feel like you are working out very hard, then your intensity is high. If you feel like you’re having a light workout, then your intensity is light.

Intensity can be measured by the amount of work that you complete within a certain timeframe. So, if you’re lifting 200 lbs on the bench press, and you do 10 reps over a course of 30 seconds, then your intensity for that particular set is: 200 x 10 = 2000 lbs / 30 seconds = 66.7 lbs per second.

Many people argue that in order to elicit the greatest muscle building response, you should workout with 100% maximum intensity. Usually, what they mean by this is taking a set to complete failure.

Although working out at a high level of intensity is beneficial, taking a set to failure may not be. Basically, you don’t HAVE to take a set to the point of failure…

Read the rest of “Part 3: Anabolic Muscle Building Factors” Here…

Alright, so hopefully you’ve read the introductory article on the “10 Most Potent Anabolic Muscle Building Factors”…

Today, I’ll be covering the 1st anabolic factor, Adaptation & Progression.

Really, all of your muscle building efforts…infact, the entire process of building muscle revolves around the principle of adaptation & progression.

Adaptation, as a scientific definition, means a change in structure, function, or behavior by which a species or individual improves its chance of survival in a specific environment.

Survival and equilibrium is the main crutch of the human body. Our bodies are always trying to adapt to a given situation and reach a state of equilibrium in which everything’s operating at an “optimal” level.

When you hit the gym and start training with weights, the body faces a stress, a challenge that is greater than what it is used to. As an adaptive response, the body reacts by triggering the new growth of muscle, in order to keep you better prepared for the next workout.

Basically, the body has adapted to the “threat” of weight lifting. It views it as an attack, and it is then necessary to signal muscle growth as the appropriate response. Everything in your body is in a constant state of adaptation….

Read the rest of this article here…

What happens the first time you go to a gym? You may get a bit overwhelmed. To your right, there are exercise bikes, steppers, elliptical machines. You look forward and see a room full or barbells, dumbbells, and benches at assorted angles. Then, you glance to your left. There you see a huge room filled with various sizes and configurations. Now where does one begin? What should one do? And, how much should you do?

We can not cover all these answers in an article, it would take, at least, a book. We will just compare working out with free weights, with working out with machines. This will give you an idea of how old I am. The first gym I went to was in the basement of The Boy’s Club of Pittsburgh. In that basement, we had two machines. One was a rather primitive looking lat machine. It was made of some steel bars welded together. On top, there were two fairly large pulley wheels. It was held to the wooden floor with four huge bolts. Using it, you had to kneel with your knees wrapped under a steel t-shaped bar, which was also heavily bolted to the floor. The other machine was a leg press. To use it, You would lie flat back on the floor. Then you would push straight up with your legs. Your back and legs were at a 90 degree angle. But, that was old school.

Somewhere in the late 60’s or early 70’s, the new revolution came to the scene. This was the Nautilus exercise machines. They were new and shiny and pretty. Much research went into developing these new machines. Nautilus was designed for each machine to do one exercise. Each machine one covered one range of muscular movement and contraction, isolating one particular muscle. The design had less chance of someone getting injured, because of the very strict, controlled, movement.

Soon, Nautilus gyms began appearing. The Nautilus proponents said it was the safest and best way to build muscle. They got bodybuilders ( these bodybuilders were already muscled up on free weights ) to promote this new style of working out. But the machines were huge and very expensive. After a while, it was rare, to see a gym loaded with just Nautilus equipment.

Over the years , new machines came along. They had different manufacturers, and did not take up as much room, and cost less. Any gym has a variety of this equipment in house, nowadays.

But which is better? Machines are definitely safer. You can isolate a particular muscle or group when using it. But a machine has a limited range of motion. This range is, sometimes, not natural all the way through the movement. They do work. Free weights have worked from the beginning of this type of exercise. Working with free weights, especially dumbbells, allows for freer, natural, range of motion. This is better for strengthening all muscles in an area, rather than isolating one muscle. This also opens the lifter up to a greater chance of injury.

The best answer is to use both. Use free weights, and free weight exercises as your first source of building more muscle on your body. But do not neglect machines, if they are available to you. Augment your workouts with machines.

Written by John Markus at http://www.feelmorelife.com John had been a pharmacist for 33 years. His wife has type I diabetes. Also, his eight year old granddaughter has diabetes. He and his family have been dealing with these type of problems for a long time. Tough at times, but successfully in end. John has been studying nutrition and exercise, and their effects on the body and medical conditions. His studies have been going on for over 30 years.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Have you thought about the 1st step to achieving your dream body? What do you think it is? Do you think it has to do with working out, eating right, planning your routine?

Its none of these things…In fact, the very 1st step, above all, is to simply identify your goal. Many people don’t have a clear picture as to exactly what they want, and when. Its true, everyone wants to look great, but have you defined what that means?

For example, men want to be muscular, ripped, and strong. But, at any given moment, its much better to focus on one of these things, whether its gaining muscle, losing fat, or gaining maximum strength. Its very hard to achieve all 3 of these things simultaneously, unless you’re a complete beginner or you haven’t worked out for a very long time.

Once you define your goal, lets say, to get muscular, then you have to set a realistic timeframe with a realistic benchmark. Maybe you want to put on 10 pounds, 20 pounds, whatever it may be… The key is to identify your goal and set a realistic timeframe. This way, your plan will be much easier to execute, and it’ll be better organized. You’ll have a clear picture as to the direction you’re going, and this alone is worth a million dollars.

Lets say you want to burn fat…In this case, you shouldn’t focus on too many other things except for the fastest and most effective way to achieve this goal. Once again, set a realistic timeframe and make a well-organized plan. You’ll find that sticking to a plan is much easier if its clear, concise, and well laid-out.

Remember, the key isn’t to try every single workout routine there is so you can achieve multiple goals simultaneously. This is wishful thinking. You’re much better off identifying one goal, setting a timeframe to achieve it, and then moving on to the next thing. You’ll get better, faster results than people trying to do too much at once, because you’re focused and they’re not. You have a gameplan and they’re just working aimlessly.

Your workout routines should incorporate your goal. Now, take a few minutes to identify what it is you want to focus on and then visit the url below to choose from a variety of targeted workout routines:

Choose from the Ultimate Workout Routines…

Is building muscle really as quick & easy as the fitness models and gigantic bodybuilders make it look? I’m sorry if that question offended you…after all, you’re smart enough to know that getting serious results means putting in the time, having patience, and giving some effort…but maybe you’re confused by the overwhelming amount of information floating in magazines, forums, news stories, and websites.

Worst of all, most of the info you probably read contradicts each other…one guru swears by one technique while the other guru calls it the worst muscle building strategy ever!

So what’s the real truth about building muscle?

If you’re a complete beginner, then congratulate yourself! Because what you’re about to learn will put you light-years ahead of the boneheads in the gym…and if you’re a seasoned pro, then you’re going to appreciate the well thought out, scientifically-based, street proven advice we give you.

When all the smoke clears, there are basically 10 anabolic factors, or 10 factors that influence muscle growth. Every single thing you need to know fits into one of these 10 areas, and today, we’re gonna reveal these anabolic factors. Excited? You should be…today you begin your journey for faster muscle growth, increased strength, and ripped definition.

Below is an overview of the 10 anabolic factors. In later issues, we’ll focus on each point and cover it in detail:

1) Adaptation & Progression - Everything pretty much boils down to this principle. Muscle growth is a function of your body adapting to stress, and it only continues to adapt (grow) as long as their’s progression, or an increase in intensity/load.

2) Intensity & Frequency - Tied to the concept of progression…

Read the rest of this article here…

Everyone pays attention to the “latest” and “greatest” workout techniques, but hardly anyone talks much about nutrition…

Are you falling into this trap? If so, this could be the missing key in your quest for building muscle…fast.

In fact, we don’t think there’s a faster, more effective way to bulk up than to increase the amount of quality nutrition you eat. As long as your workout is stimulating some muscle growth, you can benefit a lot by eating right, eating often, and eating enough.

But, its not as simple as it sounds, there’s a lot that goes behind the muscle building diet…and the last thing you want is to eat a whole lot and gain a lot of bodyfat.

In order to minimize bodyfat while maximizing muscle gains, you basically have to do these three things:

1) Eat the correct ratios of protein-fats-carbohydrates

2) Watch the quality of food sources

3) Eat at the right times

Lets take a look at each of these three things…

1) Eat the correct ratios of protein-fats-carbohydrates

If your muscle building diet is going to be successful, you have to get enough lean protein in your diet, plain and simple. This is because your muscles require amino acids to grow (the building blocks of protein), and food protein sources contain plenty of amino acids.

Now, there are essential and non-essential amino acids…

Muscle Building Diet - Read the rest of this article here…

By Tammy Foster

The benefits of Pilates are well known and wide spread. Have you tried the Pilates craze yet? Have you personally seen the benefits of Pilates?

Pilates is designed so that you perform a sequence of exercises that focus on the movement itself and not on the amount of repetitions that you perform. Pilates is comprised of over 500 different types of exercises, many based on the principles of yoga and dance.

So what is so beneficial about the trendy exercise? Well, to start with, consistent practice of Pilates will help you to improve flexibility, lengthen your muscles, enhances your ease of movement, improve the general tone of your muscles, help you to develop a better posture and body alignment, and establish an improved overall sense of well being.

Pilates helps you to develop a more aware sense of the movements of your body and your breathing. With the focus on concentration on your breathing and the precise movements in the exercise taught in the method of Pilates, you will also begin to develop a better sense of relaxation and improved sense of physical and mental well being.

Pilates has been used for years in many rehab and preventative medicine venues. Dancers, athletes, and even those recovering from a variety of injury find Pilates to be a gentle form of exercise that can typically be managed by the majority of folks. It can help those injured to get back in the saddle again and on the road to recovery. Pilates is even used by expectant moms and even those new moms recovering from delivery.

Again, because of the slow, gentle and methodical movements of Pilates, moms find it useful as they begin to regain control of their body. It also helps to keep the joints flexible and the muscles strong.

Another benefit of Pilates is the fact that it can help you develop a great balance in between flexibility and strength. Without a good balance between the two then your body simply is not in the most harmonious relationship.

A favorite Pilates’ benefit is that it is a known stress reducer. If you passionately follow the breathing methods and the slow structured exercises of Pilates, then you can’t help but to begin to slow your breathing and subsequently your mind as you engage in the practice of Pilates. Watch the stress melt away as you give your mind over to the concentration of the Pilates’ method.

There are many who already recognize the benefits of Pilates. Men, women, teens and even senior citizens can find the benefits of Pilates to be helpful in improving their general health. So perhaps if you give it the old college try, then you too can jump on the band wagon and enjoy the benefits of Pilates.

For more information on Pilates be sure to visit the-pilates-zone.com. You’ll find tips and advice on Pilates techniques, Pilates basics, Pilates and pregnancy, and much more information.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tammy_Foster

Muscle contraction refers to the “firing” of the muscle fiber through neural signals from the brain. The signal travels down your spine, and in essence, the muscle is innervated or activated to generate force.

Now, there are essentially three types of muscle contractions that are used for various purposes. These 3 types are:

1) Eccentric Contraction
2) Isometric Contraction
3) Concentric Contraction

Eccentric Contraction: Refers to the lengthening of the muscle when loaded with stress. This is basically the “lowering” portion of the lift. For example, in a bench press, the eccentric contraction occurs when you’re lowering the bar to your chest.

Isometric Contraction: The muscle is actively held at a fixed length. This occurs when force is applied but nothing is moving, such as pushing your hands against an immovable wall.

Concentric Contraction: The muscle shortens to actively lift a load. This is the popular type of contraction, and it occurs during the “lifting” phase, when you are raising the bar up during a bench press.

Majority of the bodybuilding community has placed a lot of emphasis on concentric contraction, even though the eccentric and isometric counterparts are very important.

If you’re serious about building muscle, its wise to focus on all three, because each one specializes in activating different muscle fibers and each one can raise the intensity of your workouts.

Remember, intensity + volume = muscle growth, as long as the nutrition and rest is right.

Keep lifting and training hard, and think about the different contraction types during your next workout.

Looking to put on some raw size? Want your arms to rip out of that shirt? Do you need some real muscle building tips, once and for all, and are you sick of all the hype?

Well, look no further…on this page, we’ll give you some muscle building tips to help you get started and point you to the right places to find the information you need.

Basically, muscle building is muscular hypertrophy, or the process of new muscle fiber growth. Your muscles are made up of tiny little fibers that you destroy in the gym, and then grow back when you eat, rest, and sleep. Another term frequently used to refer to muscle building is “anabolic” or “anabolism”.

Okay, so lets get started with some tips:

1) Be well rested for your workout - Thats right, if you haven’t had enough rest, you won’t achieve the type of intensity you need to build some serious muscle.

2) Have enough nutrition in your body before your workout - Studies have shown that consuming a protein shake before your workout has increased strength and muscle mass.

3) Have a journal - You need to be able to record everything you’re doing, so you can tell whether you’re improving in your lifts or not.

Read the rest of the muscle building tips here…

If you have many things to do at the office, many reports to finish, and many accounts and deals to close, you can find it more and more difficult to keep healthy and live right. You may have time to control your diet, and you can have time to relax and sleep during the weekends, but can you spare a few hours for a workout?

Going to the gym is understandably a hassle: you need to pay high gym joining fees, engage in workouts that strain your muscles more than tone them, and spend hours on boring machines that make exercise more a trial than an enjoyment.

A fitness ball workout, on the other hand, can put more verve in your workout. You need not even go to the gym to engage in a fitness ball workout: all you need to buy is a stability ball, a fitness ball workout manual, and a few hours off your day, and you can do your fitness ball workout right at your office or in your living room.

A fitness ball workout, moreover, allows you to do away with the hard wooden or concrete floor of the gym, which can wear out the soles of your gym shoes and strain your back with the impact of the floor on it.

If you are interested in engaging in a fitness ball workout, you may need to consult with your chiropractor or orthopedist first. A fitness ball workout lessens floor impact by allowing you to concentrate on flexing and moving your muscles more; this same fitness ball workout can stretch your muscles and make you over exert them without the proper training and supervision.

An orthopedist can recommend exercises to add to your fitness ball workout that will not strain your back or exacerbate any existing diseases or medical conditions that you might have.

To reshape your body with a fitness ball workout, visit http://www.exerciseballworkout101.com for more information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Lee