Monday, August 23, 2010

How You Can Have More Muscle Definition!


Why can't  I see my six pack?


How can I look like the person on the fitness magazine cover?


These two questions cause you to search everywhere for the answers.  You listen to friends, infomercials and gain answers from the wrong sources which leave you lost in the end.  Finally you come to the conclusion that...




"I do not have good genetics for muscle definition and I could never look that good!"



This is all wrong and you should never think this way.  Do not get discouraged by the myths people and your resources put in your head which make a possibility impossible.  The answer is here!  With the right fitness routine, motivation, and nutritional plan you can achieve whatever fitness goals you have!  As long as you are consistent with following a balanced fitness routine you can look better than the person on all the magazine covers.  Being on a magazine cover is a long term goal for most people.  Consistency comes with setting short-term goals, accomplishing them, and setting more after you have reached them.  Your body will get used to what you are doing most of the time.  Eventually through your constant physical activities and what you are eating, your appearance will resemble the two.








In order to distinguish one muscle from the next on your body you must work each muscle group on a consistent basis.  This would allow your muscles to have more separation and also keep you consistant mentally and physically within your weekly workout schedule.  Workout each muscle group one day out of the week.  This will not only give you muscle definition, but it will also give you a more proportionate look and improve overall strength and stability.






Examples:

3 day weekly workout

Monday                            Wednesday                            Friday
Chest                                 Back                                         Quadriceps
Biceps                               Triceps                                     Hamstrings
Shoulders                         Abnominals
Calves

4 day weekly workout

Monday             Tuesday                     Thursday                      Friday                   
Chest                 Back                            Quadriceps                    Biceps
Calves               Abdominals                 Hamstrings                    Triceps
                                                                                                        Shoulders





In both weekly routines more emphasis should be placed on the larger muscle groups like chest, back, quadriceps and hamstrings.  All other muscle groups (smaller muscle groups) assist in the contracting of muscles in the larger muscle groups so they need less attention.  You want your muscles to form evenly.  Following this routine will get you the defined look that you have always wanted.  You must remember that a balanced weight training and cardiovascular routine accompanied by a nutritional diet plan will not only give you the body you always wanted, but also prepare you for any fitness magazine cover.





While constant exercise gets you results you must be eating right also.  For that well defined chiseled look a good tip is to lower the amount of carbohydrates you consume.  Carbohydrates which consist of carbon, hydrgoen and oxygen hold alot of water.  Excess carbohydrates allow for your muscles to retain more water.  So if you cannot see your muscles you probably need to lower your carbohydrates.  Do not avoid carbohydrates completely, just eat the right carbohydrates.  Carbohydrates are a good source of energy for your overall body.  You just need to eat less starchy foods which are complex carbohydrates like:

  • White bread, flour, pasta, and rice
  • Potatoes
  • pastries
  • cakes
  • Sugary processed breakfast cereal
  • Pizza






Avoiding these and replacing them with natural simple carbohydrates can keep your muscles from holding alot of water and make your muscles more visible to you in the mirror and to others'.  Eating less complex carbohydrates will also keep you from feeling bloated and trim up your midsection.  The solution to your diet would be to eat more natural fruits and vegetables.




So you see while constantly following the right fitness routine and nutritional plan you can achieve whatever fitness goals you have!


Thursday, August 12, 2010

No Need To Spend Long Hours in the Gym!

When you say that you spend 2 to 3 hours a day in the gym, your fitness lifestyle becomes temporary instead of long-term.  Here are 6 reasons why you should shorten up your training sessions to get the best results.


1.  Overtraining can lead to you needing more time to recover.  You can train 2 to 3 hours a day for a good month or so.  Eventually you will exhaust yourself, your joints will begin to ache and you will need to take 2 to 3 weeks off.  This will become a pattern and you will never reach your goals.





2.  Normal daily exercise should be fun and exciting.  You should look forward to a workout.  Stating you spent 3 hours in the gym sounds similiar to saying you spent 12 hours at work.  Depressing!  Remember working out relieves stress, but if you overtrain it can cause a reverse effect.





3.  People who have long workout sessions may be training excessively.  Excessive training is focusing too long on any particular muscle group or range of motion.  Doing 3 to 4 sets of an exercise is good enough.  Aerobic training (cardio) should last no longer than 45 minutes.  Excessive training can cause prolonged fatigue and injury to joints.


4.  To maintain your lean mass, which is essential for increasing your metabolism, there is no need to spend over 1.5 hours working out a day.  It is essential that you lift weights, but excessive training can cause your body to lose its lean mass rather than gain.  In order to compensate the long hours you are spending in the gym you will have to increase you carbohydrates and protein intake.  Doing so will still lead to overall fatigue and cause unnecessary stress to joints.




5.  Following the same routine may lead you to feeling that you must extend the duration of your workout to get results.  This is true and caused by you reaching a plateau.  A plateau is a period in your workout where your body has adapted and you must increase time and length of workout to get results.  A plateau will lead to longer and longer workouts which will lead to fatigue and prolonged rest.  Extending your length of workout may also cause a loss in lean body mass.  When fatigue sets in and you take a prolonged break your metabolism will have dropped also and your body will begin to store more fat.  This will make your goals less obtainable than when you started.



6.  Working 3 to 4 days a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour each day is recommended.  Following a Non-Linear Periodization routine will keep you from getting fatigued or causing damage to muscles and joints.  Change up your overall workout for each muscle group and your cardio routine eack week.  This will keep you excited about your workouts.  Your body has many different planes of movement and ranges of motion that need to be activated in order to achieve ultimate strength, endurance, and physique.  The most effective way to accomplish your fitness goals is to incorporate a variety of different styles of movements.  In these movements periodically shift resistance and intensity levels to utilize, combine, and breakdown different muscle fibers.  This method will shorten you workout and make your fitness lifestyle long-term! 

Remember any thing you want to accomplish is going to take time and patience.  You cannot achieve your fitness goals in one workout.  be consistent and persistent then the work you have done will show from the inside out.  Your goals will not only be met, you will be achieving even greater goals.

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

You cannot get the results you are expecting in the gym if you are not eating right!

Here are 7 nutritional tips that will guarantee you get the results and body you always wanted.

1.  Eat Atleast 5 Meals a Day.

This keeps a constant level of energy in your body at all times.  It allows your body to never have to store fat in preparation for famine or starvation.  Eating once or twice a day enables your body to store fat in your midsection as an energy source between meals since they are so far apart.






2. Drink Water With Your Meals

Carbonated drinks add extra calories to your meal which will most certainly be stored as fat.  carbonated drinks like soda, teas, kool-aid and so on contain alot of sugar that people do not normally count towards their daily calories.  If you do perfer a sweet beverage with your meal, make sure you pay attention to the serving size and subtract those calories from the carbohydrate portion of your meal.




3.  Keep Your Fat Intake to a Minimum

Avoid saturated fats and tran fats completely.  These two types of fat can lead to high cholesterol levels.  Any oil in liquid form that remains solid at room temperature should be avoided.  Prepare your own meals at home.  You must love to cook!  Eating at restaurants or eating processed foods from the frozen food section will expose you to unnecessary fats.







4.  Take Supplements

Supplements compensate for any nutrients you are lacking or also can be used as a meal replacement.  Supplements are not illegal and usually have all natural ingredients.  To get the best results and aid in recovery from your exercise routine, cardio and weight training, supplements are necessary.





5.  Eat Bigger Meals Early On and Lighter Meals in the Evening

This also depends on the amount of calories your body burns in a day.  Eat in preparation for what you will be doing in the next three hours.  Don't eat heavy before you go out to the movies.  Your body will store it as fat since you are inactive.





6.  Feed Your Muscles!

The more muscle you have the more calories you body burns a day at rest.  So the key to burning fat is increasing or exercising our muscles.  Eat alot of carbohydrates so that your muscles will have energy to function efficiently in your workout.  Eat protein so that your muscles will rebuild stronger for the next workout.






7.  Have a cheat day!

One day a week indulge in a meal of food that you have been craving.  This will give you a reward and something to look forward to after all the hard work of the previous week.  Your body adapts to what you are doing most of the time.  One meal won't hurt!


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Non Linear Periodization Is The Best Way To Build Muscle And Gain Strength!

To achieve muscular growth and strength, different amounts and patterns of motor units (muscle fibers) need to be recruited.  This cannot be achieved in one workout routine.  Doing a variety of different lifts for each muscle group and changing routines each week promote growth, recover, consistency, longevity, prevent injuries and give you a more well defined muscular look.  Working all parts of the muscle allows it to have definition.  The solution to achieving muscular growth and strength is to incorporate as many motor units possible in a periodized workout routine which consists of many different lifts for each muscle group.

In simpler terms, do not do the same thing all the time, change your sets, repetitions, and the duration to achieve your fitness goals!

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Should I lower my carbohydrates in my diet?

Carbohydrates do not have to be reduced or lowered because they are the main source of energy in your body.  When glycogen levels are low your energy levels fall also.  Your body will begin to store more fat to substitute the depleted glycogen.  The lowering of carbohydrates would cause you not to have enough energy throughout your day and your body would adapt to that.  This could result in your lean body mass decreasing and your stored body fat to increase.  It's not about the restricting of carbohydrates but rather the type of carbohydrates you are consuming.  Also taking in more carbohydrates that your body needs to perform the activities you do throughout the day can cause it to store excess carbohydrates as fat in your midsection.  If you enjoy eating the you must expend that energy through a balanced consistent fitness routine.  Let's get fit!