In fact, if you listen to the bad advice most “experts” are spitting out these days, you might even go backwards and actually gain fat or lose muscle! These tips you are about to read will pretty much give you some good insight on how to get started with fitness and bodybuilding quickly and avoid the mistakes I made during my teenage years and into my adult years...Don‟t worry… These answers will be detailed enough for you but not so technical and scientific to confuse you... By now, you‟re probably wondering… what‟s in this for me? FACT: You would have to search approximately 60 minutes to find all the answers to these questions. And with so many posts and so many conflicting opinions, it might not really help you in the end.
So I‟m here to take these questions and give you the facts. No hype, no sales, just answer the questions. Very unlike a political debate! My strong hunch is… that one of these questions, if not all of them, you‟ve looked for when you first started your fitness journey. Armed with this short e-Book, you can quickly start your program and reach your goals faster than ever. More important than that… You will immediately increase your knowledge of fitness and bodybuilding! There‟s nothing better than getting a head start and getting the basics down fast. The faster you understand the quicker you will be in reaching your goals. So it adds up to this… I‟ve put together these important questions so that you can take the information and put it to work today.
You‟ll reach your goals faster and you‟ll make fewer mistakes saving your countless hours of research and trial and error. When I was about 17 years old, I had a door poster that showed about 6 of the most powerful motorcycles in the world. Every single night, I‟d stare at that poster. I‟d imagine myself on those bikes riding thru Calistoga, California. I could see myself clearly hanging on turns. I swear I even felt the wind on my face. Seriously, that vision every single night seemed so real. I just looked at that poster and dreamed of myself riding a motorcycle. Needless to say, I was able somehow to save up, get a loan and buy my first motorcycle.
I enjoyed riding several bikes over the next few years. It had to happen. Everything I did lead me to that purchase. The Secret to getting the body of your dreams is to see what you want in your mind. Bob Proctor said “If you see it in your mind, you‟re going to hold it in your hand.” Visualize what you want to look like and all your actions will take you one step at a time to that goal. I think about working out even if I‟m not able to physically do it that day. You might say that I did my workout in my mind before ever picking up a single weight. Look, you might brush this last tip off as mumbo jumbo but I‟m telling you from the bottom of my heart that it‟s the ONLY thing that kept me going after making so many mistakes. Think about that for one second.
How does a person who‟s made so many years of mistakes keep going? “Our job as humans is to hold on to the thoughts of what we want, make it absolutely clear in our minds what we want, and from that we start to invoke one of the greatest laws in the Universe, and that‟s the law of attraction. You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most.” -John Assaraf That last line is the home run and it‟s exactly why I never quit working out to achieve my dreams. Even after mistake after mistake, it‟s precisely why I‟m sharing that with you right now. I saw what I wanted in my mind and I never quit. I thought a lot about bodybuilding and fitness. I dreamed of building muscle and becoming more fit.
You might say it took me a long time but the fact remains that it‟s why I didn‟t quit and it‟s exactly how you‟ll achieve what you want. No pill, powder, training program or guru will ever be able to give you the actual keys to success. That my friend is what you need to do right now with a single thought. What do you want to look like? I am telling you it‟s the secret to your success. Start right NOW visualizing and thinking of how you want to look like and all your actions will lead you to that goal little by little. With this guide it‟s not going to take you 16 years! So, without further adieu, here they are: The biggest bodybuilding tips - revealed!
How Many Calories Do I Need A Day?
Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to lose weight, maintain your weight or gain weight really isn‟t too hard. And with the formula I‟m about to give you can easily track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach your goals. There are several formulas you could use that take into account age, sex, height, weight, lean body mass, and activity level. Any formula accounts for your lean body mass (LBM) will be more accurate but for this guide, let‟s keep things simple. The estimate you are about to get will be reasonably close for most people.
This is a very easy way to calculate your calories. There are some drawbacks to a method like this because it doesn‟t take into account for body composition or activity levels. Extremely active people may require more calories than this formula indicates. People with a high amount of lean body mass will require more calories as their total daily energy expenditure (TDDE) will be higher. It‟s possible to overestimate the calorie needs in somebody who has a very high level of body fat. For example, a 50 year old man who weights 225 lbs at 38% body fat will probably not burn fat on 2925 calories per day (225 x 13 for fat loss).
How Do I Measure My Body Fat?
The truth is… there’s several ways to do this.
Underwater Weighing
Bio-Electrical Impedance Analysis
BIA Body Fat Scales and Hang Grip Tests
Infrared
Circumference & Anthropometric
Skin fold Measurements like “The Pinch Test”
Other More Complicated Methods
The simplest and cheapest method is the skin fold test. You can purchase a set of calipers for about $20 and do this test in the privacy of your own home. The accuracy of this test is almost as accurate as the methods above and it costs you nothing. For individuals in the 15-35% range it‟s deemed as accurate. For lean individuals it is probably the most accurate and for people over 35% body fat, other methods are more accurate. Another way to measure your body fat at home with just a tape measure:
Body Fat Formula For Men Factor 1 (Total body weight x 1.082) + 94.42 Factor 2 Waist measurement x 4.15 Lean Body Mass = Factor 1 - Factor 2 Body Fat Weight=Total bodyweight - Lean Body Mass Body Fat Percentage=(Body Fat Weight x 100) / total bodyweight
What it all boils down to is this… Regardless of the accuracy of the test, it‟s fast, it‟s simple and it‟s cheap. And the only reason you measure your body fat is to determine progress. A simple set of calipers will get the job done. And you can do it over and over for no cost. You can‟t say that about the other options some of which are not very accurate at all.
What’s Better? Free Weights Or Machines?
Most everybody asks this question. Either the first time they walk into a gym and see the selections or at some point they wonder if the bench press machine is better than the regular flat bench press with free weights. I was a machine person for quite some time…then it hit me! Why not incorporate a little bit of both! That‟s right… there‟s not some rule that says if you use a machine you will never get the results you want. And there‟s no rule that says you must only use free weights. Fact is…. By doing a little bit of both for certain exercises, you will target various areas. Let‟s take the bicep curl as an example. There you are with the straight bar.
Working your biceps. But really, you are working a lot more. Your forearms are being stimulated. Your shoulders are taking some weight, and you‟ll notice your abs are tight as they stabilize your body. So doing a bicep free weight curl entails a little more than just a bicep workout. Compare that to the preacher curl machines. You are sitting down. There are no legs involved. Your abs really aren‟t that tense. And there‟s much more direct focus on the muscle. Truthfully, you are not alone in asking this question.
By incorporating machines and free weights you can target a muscle group and isolate it while doing some compound movements to hit the entire body. Bottom line is, there is no better than. If you only do free weights, you are missing out on a vital component of variety. If you only do machines, you are forgetting about the all important but hidden stabilizer muscles that help balance you. By combining both, you can get the best of both worlds and a super varied workout.
How Can I Get 6 Pack Abs?
What forum, what article, what supplement and what eBook doesn‟t talk about this? We all want to know how to get a 6 pack of abs for the summer. Am I right? Is it that hard? Honestly it is. It‟s not just as simple as taking a pill. But it‟s also not as grueling as doing 1000 crunches a day.
What I‟m talking about is… the less body fat you have, the more visible a muscle becomes.
This means, if you incorporate some ab work to build the muscles up a bit and then have a low enough percentage of body fat, you now have a 6 pack or 8 pack of abdominal muscles showing!
Getting a six pack is only as simple as working your abs in a normal fashion (maybe 2x a week) and having a diet that boosts your metabolism to help you burn fat. You start by losing body fat. The less fat you have, the less there is between the muscle layer and the skin. Things start to show up when the middle layer (fat) starts to disappear. This is not just my opinion. Getting a six pack of abs is more about nutrition and cardio then it is about ab exercises.
How Much Protein Do I Need Every Day?
The secret to figuring out how much protein you need is not by just taking some number you found like 30g and apply it to yourself. If everybody had the same needs we would all be the same. And we both know that just isn‟t true. Each person is slightly different. Let me explain. We‟ve all heard that a person can only digest 25-30g of protein in one sitting. B.S.! Just think about it.
Does an IFBB professional bodybuilder intake the same amount of protein as the guy who‟s 135 lbs just starting out? Even if there is a 200 lb weight difference? The answer might shock you. NO Needless to say, so many people just take some number, multiply that by their body weight and that‟s what they think they need a day. Tell me, if a person is 35% body fat, should they use their weight or their lean weight to figure out how much protein they need?
Simple. Lean weight. Your daily protein requirements are based on your lean body weight. And how do you figure out your lean body weight? Use the skin fold caliper home test. Go back to Question #2.
Step 1: Take your body weight in pounds Example: 194 lbs Step 2: Find your body fat % using one of the methods in Question #2 Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below) Step 3: Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat Example: 194 lbs – (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight Step 4: Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14 Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day Step 5: Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal. Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%.
But why use 1.14 for protein requirements? The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) is 0.8g of protein. But that‟s been shown to be too low for active athletes. Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains. 1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.
What Is A Good Basic Workout?
Here‟s a clue… it involves every major muscle group. A good basic workout should include:
Legs (squats, lunges, leg extensions, leg curls, leg press)
Shoulders (military press, dumbbell raises, side laterals)
Chest (bench press, flyes, dips)
Back (pull-ups, rows, deadlifts, lat pull-downs)
Arms (ez-bar curls, barbell curls, dumbbell curls)
Abs (hanging leg raises, incline crunches)
Cardio (for the heart)
I could go on and on with this question and post 500 routines and reps and sets and you‟d still be confused. So let me ease the confusion by saying this.
I‟ve tried several routines. Max-OT, Tom Venuto‟s supersetting, Optimum Anabolics and I‟ll tell you something. I‟ve gotten gains out of all of them and they all have various philosophies. For less than $100, I have enough programs to try for a year. Here‟s proof. Do you see the same people in your gym, doing the same things, and a year later they look the same? It‟s really quite simple. If you keep doing what you‟ve always done, you will keep getting what you‟ve always gotten. There are many variations on exercises and routines you can do. And you‟ll find out a ton of them while browsing around on forums and reading fitness sites. And while you might be tempted to stick with just one. Don‟t. Try it, evaluate it, and try another one. After about 6 months, you‟ll know your body very well and what it responds to. You will have tried many exercises and you‟ll know if you like something and if something else just doesn‟t work out.
What Is The Best Fat Burning Supplement?
Despite what you may have heard, the banning of Ephedra did not destroy the best fat burning supplement known. And it‟s not even a supplement at all.
The answer to the best fat burning supplement is a diet that increases your metabolism combined with cardio. Those two factors alone will burn more calories than any chemical combination. And you‟ll be safer and the effects will be long term. But before we go into that… you can incorporate things like caffeine, green tea, and other herbs to give you a boost.
But nothing will be as permanent and long term and building a basic understanding of nutritional fundaments. Armed with the basics of nutrition and what foods burn fat, your meals during the day and the muscle you will gain will do far more fat burning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year than any pill you might find on the market today. And rest assured, food won‟t be banned for a very long time. It‟s a shame that people will spend countless dollars on supplement products when just eating 5-6 meals in a day that will burn more calories than any pills. And eating food is something you should do anyway so it‟s not likely to be cut from the budget if things get right. And it‟s not likely to cause any unwanted side effects if you have some reaction to some herb in some product. Not only will a good diet burn fat you‟ll also be able to build muscle. What pill burns fat and builds muscle? None.
What Do I Do If A Body Part Is Stronger or Bigger Than Another?
Should you skip it? Stop working the bigger side out? You could… Or you could let the non-dominant arm/side be the deciding factor when the set is over. You probably won't notice this with chest presses. Most people are concerned with this when it comes to arm exercises. Especially biceps. If I curl 50 lbs 8 times on my left arm and only 4 times on my right what should I do?
Do 4 reps. And quit. The idea of using a different weight has been suggested but in order for a body part to grow it must be overloaded. I'd let the non-dominate side dictate the weight.
Or have a spotter help you out. I usually start the set off with my right (being I'm left handed) so that I know when I've reached failure. If you were to use unequally weighted dumbbells, then your stronger side would need a heavier weight so that you reach failure about even. But that idea, while in theory sounds good, only serves to keep the gap growing. Why not let the weaker side catch up? I'd use the same weight. But I would let my weaker side dictate. Do you really want your stronger side growing faster? Probably not.
Why Is Working My Legs That Important?
Believe me… I hated leg workouts. Until I realize the true potential that a simple set of squats could unleash. Frankly… I see the same people on the leg press machine, leg extensions, doing lunges and doing squats week after week. But for every other muscle group, it‟s like a new day. There are the familiar faces of course, but there are always new people. It‟s like working legs is an exclusive club. And yet that is 50% of your body! Your entire lower body you will neglect because:
You don‟t like working legs
You don‟t want bigger legs
Your legs are big enough
But let‟s suppose… you do work legs. And without much weight at all. Just enough to stimulate your entire body propelling it into new levels of growth. Do you think that is possible? How can doing squats increase our bench press? If you are stuck on bicep curls, how can incorporating legs into your routine break you thru those plateaus? I‟m here to tell you right now, as you read this, that doing leg workouts is a whole lot more than just getting bigger, more toned, or stronger legs. Think about it. Testosterone is a primary ingredient of building muscle. So you do a hard set of tricep pushdowns. Your body responds by making more testosterone. Let‟s just guess at 10% more for the day. Phew. Hard workout. Good job! Do you qualify as one of those people? But… let‟s say you do a set of breathing squats at 100% intensity.
You just boosted your testosterone production 1000%. Do you think I‟m being facetious? But back to the purpose of this question. Working your legs isn‟t an option. It‟s something you do. So you don‟t want bigger legs? Fine. Don‟t pile on the weight. Don‟t overload them. Just stimulate your metabolism, and stimulate your body changing. So you don‟t like legs? Get over it. Fact is, by incorporating legs into your workout, you will see more gains in 6 weeks then most people do in 3 months. Don‟t take my word for it. Look around at your gym? The guy with a huge upper body and tiny chicken legs. Do you want to look like that? Who are the bigger guys in your gym? Who are the women that you most want to look like? I can assure you those people do legs. Any top notch physique does legs. Doing a cardio machine that uses legs is not the same. So that‟s why working your legs is so important. Please do not make excuses. You do not have to train to failure where you cannot walk. You don‟t have to squat 600 lbs. You simply must train the 50% of your body that pretty much 80% of everybody just doesn‟t do. Next time you are in the gym take a good look around. Notice the leg equipment. Notice the same people using that week after week. Become one of the individuals at your gym that trains legs and discover the secret to growth.
HERE ARE THE REASONS WHY WORKING EVERY MUSCLE - NOT JUST CERTAIN ONES - IS THE SUPERIOR METHOD OF GETTING THE RESULTS YOU WANT:
Builds lean muscle
Reduces body fat levels
Increases energy
Balances blood sugar in the body
Increases neuromuscular efficiency
Improves sexual performance
Lowers cholesterol in the body
Protects against heart disease
Improves mood
All the above reasons are by-products of increased testosterone. For men, this means better muscle gains. For women, don‟t worry you don‟t have enough testosterone to get big and bulky like a man. For everybody, working legs will help you with the above factors and assist you in reaching your goals.
Can You Lose Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?
Look, there‟s a great Zen story that basically answers this question. HE WHO CHASES TWO RABBITS, ENDS UP WITH NONE Please understand that while it‟s not impossible it‟s just not efficient. You might as well pick a goal and work towards it. Losing fat and building muscle are two different goals with very different paths to get there.
Do Nitric Oxide Supplements Work? (Really Do Any Supplements Work?)
Work to do what? Give you better pumps? Yes. Build more muscle? Where’s the proof. Okay, before I go on, I‟d like to point out that most of the research on NO products has been done by supplement companies that sell the products. Unlike creatine and protein which has a wealth of other information sources including credible scientific institutions, I would like to see the same for NO. Now wait. Does that mean if you took this type of product and it worked for you that we should all just say, forget science, if it worked for Bob then it must work for everybody. Who cares how, it just does? Make no mistake; NO type products are great for pumps. And there might be truth to the statement that it opens up nutrient pathways to allow you to absorb more muscle building nutrients. And maybe pumps do build muscle.
Although I personally think overloading the muscle does more for that then any pumps. More important than that…if you don‟t take NO supplements are you missing out on gains? My strong hunch is that you aren‟t missing out. Bottom line, if you take NO and you fail to eat properly you won‟t gain anything. So if you aren‟t 100% focused on nutrition and training, then all these supplements will do is pretty much make you broke. Now, listen to this very carefully: Not all supplements are worthless. Taking some supplements will help you achieve your goals. But only if you have the other 98% in check.
So let me ask you… are you positive that your nutrition and training are complete? If so, then NO might be something to try out and see for yourself. And that statement goes for every supplement (minus vitamins, protein, essential fatty acid complexes).
NO and supplements alike only account for 2%. Make sure you have the rest down solid and that 2% will be very noticeable!
What Can I Do To Gain Weight?
Now before I go on… It's not your training program that will pack on the pounds but your nutritional habits. But first let me give you an example. So many people have some idea of their calories they need in mind. Maybe you are going for 3500-4000, but you haven't got a specific goal and you aren't counting your calories.
**THIS IS A RED FLAG** That says to me: You have no idea where to start. And as many people are when they have no foundation, they are frustrated. And justly so! So here's what you do: Step 1: You need to figure out how many calories a day you need to consume. 3500-4000 might be a goal but how do you know that is what you need?
Step 2: You have to track your daily caloric intake closely or you are just guessing. It does not need to be accurate down to the last calorie but it needs to be an ACCURATE (within 10% or so) portrayal of what you have eaten during the day. Most people are greatly surprised to learn that they are consuming more calories per day than they had originally thought, sometimes THOUSANDS of calories more. This does not mean that you start skipping meals; it just means that you need to have an accurate understanding of what you are putting in your body so you can balance that against what your body needs to achieve your goals.
Step 3: No more excuses for not eating. Going to college and having to work nights means you will have to plan on making meals in advance. Eating 5-6 times a day is a must. When I went to college I didn't do this. And I didn't gain weight either. I ate my 2-3 meals a day and had fun at college. I never planned a meal. And I stayed a skinny kid. So there you have it.
You can figure out a training program all you want. You can do a very basic, somewhat heavy, 4x a week program and make more gains if you eat right then a guy who has the perfect hardcore routine and just eats to get by. By the way, many of these hardgainers train hard and too frequent. If you have a high metabolism, you will make better gains by going heavy and training less. If you can dedicate time to training at a specific time, you can prep some food, put in it Tupperware, baggies or whatever, throw it in a backpack and eat at scheduled intervals. And yes, being in college makes that very hard.
What can I do to keep motivated to work out?
Here are some tips to help you get motivated to get to the gym in the short term. This list is not all inclusive but it does have some things you can use to keep yourself going to the gym long after the New Year's crowd has quit. Photos: Pictures can be very inspirational! Regardless of what you think of those magazines, having a picture to look at is helpful in letting your mind capture an image of what you want. Once your mind has the image, you will start to take actions in life to accomplish that. I recall when I wanted my first motorcycle, I used visualization techniques. I kept looking at the pictures over and over each night. Eventually I got my motorcycle! This worked for getting a new car, a house and just about everything else. Once I could visualize what I wanted, my mind helped take actions to set my body in motion.
Set Small Goals: Sometimes it much easier to think of getting around the next corner then it is to look at the big picture. When I hiked Yosemite's Half-Dome, I used many small goals to keep me going. Rather than look at my final objective all the time, I used land markers to keep me going from one point to another. A technique you can use at the gym. Set weekly goals (1 lb a week) rather than looking at what you want to accomplish a year from now.
Music: A classic motivator. Personally it distracts me. But for many, their favorite mix jam is just what they need to get into the zone and feel amped up. If you like music and it doesn't bother you at all, then consider it for an extra boost when you don't feel like working out. Music can easily put you into the mood. Workout Partners: The best motivation is somebody else with a like goal that wants to accomplish what you want as well. When you feel down and out and not really into it, this person might pull you along. When you can't get that last rep out, they are there to give you a spot. It's so much easier to have a training partner you can trust that motivates you. If they are a little competitive that might not hurt either. You can both use each other's energy to push yourself.
When you are accountable for something, it's harder to back out. Classes: Many people want to workout but feel without structure, they just get lost and bored. Being in a class can really help focus in on your goals with structured objectives in mind. If you don't like working out alone, a class might be an idea option. Especially when you don't know where to being and you like the idea of instruction. Personal Trainer: A times they get a bad rap, but if you find a good one, then paying for a mentor is precisely what you need. Shelling out $70 or more for a package of training sessions can really motivate you to keep going.
They are also your paid training partner. They can help push you and adjust your program for progressive resistance and growth. Not only are you accountable (spending money) but a good personal trainer can help design you a program and nutritional plan that meets your needs. Everybody should have a personal trainer at some point. Their watchful eye on your exercise form is critical as well. Not all personal trainers are worth their weight in gold so be aware and find somebody you like and trust.
One of my favorite motivational techniques is to try something new. When your routine becomes boring and stagnant, there's nothing like trying new stuff to spice it up and keep you interested. You are engaging in fitness for life. That doesn't mean you have to do the same old boring routine for the rest of your life! Having a new plan of action can keep you mentally fresh and your body challenged. These are just some of the techniques you can use to keep yourself motivated in the short term. How to make it to the gym day in and day out no matter what the weather is like or how you feel (unless you are sick of course).
Can Bodybuilding Be Fun?
What you don‟t know is that most people go about gaining muscle or burning fat completely the wrong way. Not only in the technical aspects of it but they don‟t have any fun doing it. It‟s a stinking chore to go to the gym. They hate the food part. It‟s a nightmare and any excuse they can find not to go, they‟ll find it. This is why about April, all the New Year‟s people are gone. Fun. That‟s right. It‟s called the Romantic Stage.
You know what I‟m talking about right? The romantic stage of fitness where it‟s fun to get in shape. You pick up a weight, you did bicep curls everyday and you liked it. Nobody was coaching you telling you were doing things wrong. It was enjoyable. You were excited to just workout. You want to know why I was able to keep working out 16+ years and hardly miss a beat? Because I enjoyed fitness. I wasn‟t criticized for the way in which I worked out. If I worked biceps every day, nobody told me otherwise. If I did the wrong chest exercise, nobody said boo. It was fun. I loved it! I started out in the romantic phase of fitness and beat to the rhythm of my own drummer.
While some might call me a fool (that‟s fine), I consider it the single MOST important reason why I have made fitness part of my life. Simply because I was allowed to enjoy it until I was ready to move to the next step. Once I learned more about strength training, I started to get more into the technical phase of and then when I learned I was doing something wrong, it wasn‟t such a big deal. I wanted to get better. I didn‟t drop out and quit because I was discouraged. I had a lot of fun doing it.
Soon enough I entered the mature phase where I‟m performing at a high level. Imagine when you started learning about all this technical mumbo jumbo, using belts, straps, and nutrient ratios and maybe at that point you dropped out. It wasn‟t fun anymore. People were always saying that whatever you were doing wasn‟t the right way. Bodybuilding can be extremely fun. Being active, getting in shape should be enjoyable. Learning about it as you go along should be interesting and not the worst thing you‟ve ever done in your life.
Is It OK to Make Mistakes?
Chances are you‟ve been lied to since you started any type of sports or fitness program. Give me 2 minutes and I‟ll tell you exactly why you‟re thinking might be flawed and how it‟s holding you back from reaching the body of your dreams.
Do you ever define success like this?
How You’ve Learned To Define Success:
Results
Comparison with others
Mistakes are not OK
Results: You think in terms of your workouts as results oriented. You have a specific goal in mind with each workout. You based your workouts weekly on if you see changes. If you don‟t see significant changes quickly it‟s frustrated and discouraging. Comparison with Others: You know what I mean. Looking at photos and wishing you looked like that or wondering if that person takes drugs to have those abs. Always comparing your results with those around you or focusing on others rather than yourself. If you had a good workout, you might not even care if you don‟t feel you got the results you wanted because you are too busy comparing yourself to a fitness model.
Men are guiltier than anybody of not checking the ego at the door. “Team-Ego” takes over and more often than not, males are more concerned with the weight they can push compared to others than the effort they give. Rather than learn or worry about the effort they are giving, it‟s a numbers game. How many times have you been on a bodybuilding forum and seen these threads:
How much can you bench?
How much can you squat?
big are your arms?
Who cares? Mistakes are not OK: Ever make a mistake? Who hasn‟t? When you were a baby, did you just learn how to walk from the start? Even in nutrition people make mistakes. But they are taught that mistakes can be deadly. Derail their goals. You better get it right and fast or you‟ll be wasting years struggling to get the results you want. Making mistakes is bad! Now here‟s how a master defines success. This is a person who looks beyond the short term aspects of fitness and knows that the above will be guaranteed if they focus on the long term outcomes of their workouts. Define success like this and your entire life will change. How A Master Defines Success:
Effort
Learning
Mistakes are OK
Effort: Define your workouts based on the effort you gave or its intensity. The way you feel. Did you have a good workout because you gave it 100% effort? If you start to think in terms of the effort you are giving, the results from that effort will be guaranteed. No need to worry about results because if you put forth your best effort, they are coming no matter what you do. This is long term thinking. As long as you gave it your best effort, that‟s all that matters.
You don‟t care about the weight compared to anybody else. The only person you are in competition with is yourself. You can use other people as motivation but you aren‟t comparing yourself to them. If it helps you to raise the intensity so that you can give more effort, that‟s great. But it‟s all about the effort you gave in the gym. Learning: Rather than focus on why you don‟t have that six pack of abs or why your friend is more lean, concentrate on learning how they got that way. Learning is beyond the short term mentality of comparing yourself to other people. The more you learn, the easier it will be to reach your goals.
Forget other people. All that matters is YOU! When it comes to health and fitness you can be self-centered. After all, it‟s your health we‟re talking about. Mistakes are OK: If you aren‟t allowed to make mistakes, how can you learn from them? When you learned to walk, you first learned to crawl. You fell over. The same thing is true for riding a bike, driving a car, learning how to scuba dive. Make those mistakes with nutrition. Screw up in the gym and learn from them. Instead of beating yourself down for making a simple nutritional error in judgment, learn from that mistake.
Ask yourself how did it happen?
Were you in a position where you didn‟t have the best food choices?
Maybe you didn‟t know which options would have been best?
Could you have prepared better?
All too often we are taught that mistakes are not ok. People who achieve great success often make several hundred if not thousands of mistakes. They are ok to make and they learn from them. They keep giving 100% effort. The conclusion is that if you think in terms of effort, learning and mistakes are okay, you will achieve the results you want. It‟s when you think in the short term that you put limitations on yourself. Change your definitions and you will be guaranteed success!
What’s The Best Way to Lose Stubborn Belly Fat?
Everyone wants to know how to lose fat around their abs, well, here's how I do it... The #1 question that is asked on all fitness sites, bodybuilding forums, magazines and late night TV infomercials sounds a lot like these: How to I lose the stubborn belly fat? How do I lose abdominal fat? How to do I get great abs? How do I lose the stomach pouch off the lower abs? These are all too common question and they are so popular that it's the reason the weight reduction arena is a multi- billion dollar (yes billion) industry.
You are about to read the real secret to great abs and how to lose the abdominal fat without spending money on supplements or following some diet-of-the-month and it's going to be a very simple formula that you can follow. Remember... Your abdominal muscle is like the rest of the muscles in your body. They require training if you want them to be larger and stronger. A common misconception is that you must train your abs several times a week. This will only lead to overtraining. Your abs are a muscle.
Train it like everything else. No need to focus and go overboard. Two to three times a week of focused ab work or core strength is generally the rule for 6 pack abs. An Easy 3-Step System For Ripped Abdominals: Step 1 Training: 1% of your overall ab development will actually come from training. Consider the fact that most people think 90% of your results come from training, you can see this isn't the popular consensus. Needless to say, that‟s where most focus their efforts. They don't get their nutrition in order, they don't use cardio effectively so the masses just do more ab training and more crunches. Ultimately for your abs to show you must have abs to show and a low percentage of body fat for them to appear. More training does nothing to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering them. This is commonly known as spot reduction. Training an area for the sole purpose of eliminating fat in that area.
Tip - Do not make training the #1 priority to show off those abs. Train them like any other muscle. More ab work will not make your abs appear. Focus on lowering your body fat levels and not spot reduction. Step 2: Cardio: 9% of your effort can be directed as using cardio as a fat burning tool. High intensity interval training is by far the fastest and most efficient method you can use to shed the pounds. You'll want to keep in mind, using cardio is a tool. Not a foundation. This simply means that doing marathon sessions will not be to your advantage. Learn to use cardio effectively and you can enhance and boost your metabolism beyond what even eating the right foods can do. Some competitive bodybuilders use cardio up to twice a day for 30 days to just chisel off that last remaining layer of fat that's cover up the abdominal region.
Tip - Cardio can be done twice a day for a full body shock! Just keep in mind this method is a short term tool and not a routine you would use for any length of time. Step 3: Nutrition: 90% of your efforts will be based upon your diet. In order to show off the abs, you must get rid of the layer of fat that is covering them up. It is that simple. Many people will train their abs and do all kinds of cardio and they still forget that nutrition plays such a massive role in getting rid of belly fat. You must know how many calories a day you need to eat and what to eat in order to get your nutrition on track and working for you. Going to the gym more often, doing more cardio and more hanging crunches will do you no good if you fail 90% of the test.
Tip - Use nutritional fundamentals to turn your body into a fat burning furnace. Wait just a second... Before you rush off to check your nutrition, cardio and training, take this next concept into consideration. Loose Skin: Skin is very elastic and over time (age) or with a large amount of weight reduction it may not just spring back like it did. In this case, surgery may be the only option once you have reached a very low level of overall body fat. -Many women may experience this because of pregnancy. -Many men and women may experience this because of a large amount of weight reduction. For example, if a man was under 10% body fat and had loose skin; this is a prime example where skin may need to be taken away because of other circumstances.
While this is pretty rare it does happen and if the skin cannot bounce back, there are little options a person has except to have it removed. What this means is... If you have a low enough (12-15% or less body fat for a woman in this example) and you still have a lot of loose skin from slimming down or pregnancy, you may want to explore the option of having that excess skin removed. With that said...
The secret to ripped abs is nothing more then 3-steps in this order of importance:
1. Nutrition
2. Cardio
3. Training
You see, all of the programs you'll find will adhere to these 3 concepts. Once you have the abs, you need to show them. In order to show them, you will need to get rid of the layer of fat that is covering them up. It's easy to lose the belly fat when you know how.
What Are the REAL Effects of Alcohol on My Body?
If you are curious as to the effects of alcohol on the body, this could be the most eye-opening article you will ever read.
Many of us associate the effects of alcohol on the body with the heart, lungs, liver, brain, memory, etc. Furthermore, if asked about effects of drinking alcohol in terms of our fitness goals, most people will let you know about the infamous beer belly.
You know what I'm talking about right?
Drink too much and you end up storing too many calories as fat. Many people will choose low calorie alcohol drinks or low carb alcoholic beverages in an attempt to avoid the fat storage issue. They feel that by making this choice the only bad effects of alcohol - increased fat storage - will be minimized. But what you didn't know is that only about 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat! [14] Then it hit me as it should hit you right about now... The effects of alcohol on the body are far more damaging than can be predicted by the number of empty calories in some alcoholic beverage. The truth is... 1- Alcohol really affects the amount of fat your body can and will burn for energy! In a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Research [4] they concluded that just a mere 24g of alcohol consumption showed whole-body lipid oxidation ( the rate at which your body burns fat) decreased by a whopping 73%!
When alcohol goes thru the liver, the by-product is called Acetate. It would appear that acetate puts the proverbial brakes on fat burning.
Your body can use many types of fuel. Protein, carbohydrates and fat. In many cases, the fuel used is dictated by its availability. Trouble is... Your body tends to use whatever you feed it for fuel right? As your acetate levels increase, your body burns more acetate as fuel. What this means is... Fat burning takes a back seat! What it all boils down to is this... a) You consume a couple of alcoholic drinks or more. b) Your liver metabolizes that into acetate. c) Your body uses the acetate for fat as fuel. 2- It Leads To an Increase In Your Appetite In another American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, there was evidence to suggest that consumption of alcohol lead to an increase in appetite over that of any other carbohydrate type drink. [5] Researchers over in the Research Department of Human Nutrition and Center for Advanced Food Studies in Denmark [8] concluded that consumption of alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, may enhance total energy intake at a meal relative to a soft drink, when served with no restriction. 3- Decreases Testosterone and Increases Cortisol A study of 8 healthy male volunteers observed that after drinking alcohol, the effects of a significant decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol (a muscle destroying hormone) lasted up to 24 hours! [6] The only real question to ask yourself is this... If you are serious about building muscle and burning fat, you want all the free testosterone levels you can get and you want to reduce cortisol in any way you can.
That means go lite on the drinking because it does affect your hormones. What more... Is that the effects were even worse if you exercise before drinking. [1] This means that if you are going out and will be drinking more than a small amount of alcohol, you might as well skip the gym. Not shocking is a study done by the Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska Hospital, Goteborg, Sweden [2] that determined increased waist to hip ratio of alcoholics may include not only changes in adipose tissue, but also in muscle tissue distribution.
In layman's terms... that means fatter around the waist and less overall muscle mass.
4- Decreases Vitamin and Mineral Absorption When you consume large quantities of alcohol, your liver is busy converting the alcohol to acetate and any vitamins and minerals that it might process are taken up by the detoxification process. Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of most vitamins, and with the absorption of many nutrients. Alcohol stimulates both urinary calcium and magnesium excretion. [13] This just means that you'll get less of a benefit from the "healthy" meal you may be consuming.
Food in the stomach will compete with ethanol for absorption into the blood stream. It is well known that alcohol competes and influences the processing of nutrients in the body. [12] 5- Decreases Protein Synthesis of Type II Fibers This means the actual building of muscle is slowed down by 20%+ or more. This included a 35% decrease in muscle insulin-like growth factor-I (GF-I). [9] 6- It Increases Dehydration A common side effect of alcohol is dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic. Drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the recovery process. [11] Considering how important water is to muscle building and general health, it's clear that dehydration can put a damper on your progress. After alcohol consumption the first thing you might want to do is drink coffee. But that's a diuretic as well. How to avoid dehydration? Drink more water. 7- It Reduces Sleep Alcohol consumption, especially at the times when you would normally sleep, can have effects on the quality of sleep.
Clearly high quality sleep is extremely important to the rebuilding and growth process of muscle. Without proper rest and recovery, your gains will be affected. Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep. [10] 8- Makes the Next Day Not the Best Workout Day A rather obvious conclusion but if you plan on drinking on a Friday night in excess then the leg workout you thought of doing on Saturday morning won't be top notch. It takes a bit to recover, your body to detoxify and for you mentally to be prepared to workout. Not to mention you need energy for the workout ahead. Sure you can hit the weights but my point is... It's not going to be the best workout you've ever experienced. At this point you might be totally discouraged to ever drink any alcohol again. But there's some good news. Here's proof...
In the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of Obesity [7] they did a study on the effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss. Each group consumed 1500 calories. 150 calories came from white wine in one group and 150 calories from grape juice in another. Conclusion: An energy-restricted diet is effective in overweight and obese subjects used to drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. A diet with 10% of energy derived from white wine is as effective as an isocaloric diet with 10% of energy derived from grape juice. It's simple: Moderation is the key! (With first place being abstinence as you already know). In any event... The effects of alcohol on your body when it comes to building muscle and burning fat are quite clear. It is a lot more than just some extra calories stored as fat. If you consume too much, it can derail your goals a lot longer after your head has hit the pillow and you've gone to sleep.
How Much Water Do I Need to Drink Every Day?
Yes, you can actually die from drinking too much water.
As early as 1601, Tycho Brahe (an early astronomer) was thought to have died from straining his bladder. It had been said that to leave the banquet before it concluded would be the height of bad manners, and so he remained, and that his bladder, stretched to its limit, developed an infection which he later died of. Later evidence suggested this might not be the case.
There are several other notorious cases in which infants, runners and a fraternity hazing lead to deaths from water intoxication.
While this is another sad story, it's clear that for many years, Americans have been told by the media and doctors that we are dehydrated. We need to drink more water!
Many times such things lead to scare tactic websites and total confusion. Which is why I think the following chart may help you to SAFELY determine how much water you need to stay properly hydrated for your activity without over consumption.
* this chart is meant to be a guide not an absolute *
Recommended Water Intake: Step 1 Select an appropriate need factor. Need Factors
0.5 -- Sedentary no sports or training 0.6 -- Jogger or light fitness training 0.7 -- Sports participation or moderate training 3 times a week 0.8 -- Moderate daily weight training or aerobic training 0.9 -- Heavy weight training daily 1.0 -- Heavy weight training daily plus sports training or "2-a-day" training Step 2 Multiply weight (in pounds) by the appropriate need factor to arrive at the recommended water intake in ounces per day. Example 1 120 pounds x 0.6 = 72 ounces per day Example 2 200 pounds x 0.7 =140 ounces per day We recommend that you drink water eight to twelve times per day. Example 1 72 ounces per day divided by 10 glasses = 7.2 ounces per glass Example 2 140 ounces per day divided by 12 glasses = 11.7 ounces per glass
How Do I Get Rid Of Flabby Arms?
Hats off to a very brave women who stepped up and finally wanted to get rid of the flabby arms and the sooner the better. Luckily for her, this problem is quite common and the solution is quite simple and two-fold. Working to get rid of flabby arms comes with overall fitness but there are some specific exercises you can to in addition to reducing body fat that will bring those arms into super shape once again. On just another normal day, I received an email with a cry for help. "I would like to know how to build up the muscle around the humerous bones of the upper arms. I would like to know how to build up the muscle around the humerous bones of the upper arms. I want to get rid of flabby upper arms!" For starters... The muscle that is most problematic for flabby arms is called: The Tricep Most women think of these things when it comes to that area:
flabby arms
exercise for flabby arms
tone flabby arms
how to get rid of flabby arms
flabby arm help
flabby upper arms
There are really two key concepts to that particular predicament. Keep in mind that this is such a common question so you are certainly not alone in this. But just keep reading because the answer is pretty simple and may surprise you! First, get the idea out of your head that there's any such thing as 'spot reduction.' Meaning, if you do certain exercises for that area, the fat will magically disappear just from there and your arms will suddenly be taunt and tone again. Let me give you a real quick lesson on fat.
Don't worry this is going to be easy. Your body stores fat. It stores it in general areas that are common to you as a female. Most men store the most fat in their stomachs. Women tend to store it in their thighs, hips and buttocks. But with anything, you can and will store fat wherever. So the first thing you want to do is... Reduce the body fat period! Once you start to reduce fat, you'll see it disappear. Don't bother with creams and rubs and all the other gimmicks out there.
You cannot spot reduce. Your body stores fat and the only way to reduce fat in any particular area that is bothering you is to reduce fat period from your body as a whole. For all these reasons... Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, is to reduce the body fat. Second, in order for that area of your arm to become tone, you'll want to build muscle in the back of the arm. That is called the Tricep and there's several good exercise you can do to build up that area. But first, let me give you a list of some of the best exercises for flabby arms that will focus on the tricep and help you develop the area and make it stronger. This isn't all inclusive but it's some of the more common and better exercises you can do for the back of the arms.
Weighted dips
Close grip bench press
Close grip push ups
Lying barbell French press
Overhead cable extensions
Cable press downs
Reverse cable press downs
Frankly... Many people are caught up in the idea that in order for them to get rid of a problematic area they need to just work it out and do some exercises to target that area. But that's only half of the solution as you've read. By working out the area AND reducing body fat, you will progress at twice the speed and make twice the visual differences.
Let's suppose you only worked out the back of the arms. The muscle would be stronger and firmer no doubts, but it might not show IF your level of body fat is such that the muscle is still covered up. As you see, by doing both, you will tone up (build) the tricep and make it more visible when the layer of fat that covers it up is reduced. Men and women who want to reduce the 'flabby' anything simply have to realize that it's a combination of body fat in that area, maybe loose skin and a muscle that generally needs to be developed in order to be taunt.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself! This is a twofold mission. 1- Reduce body fat 2- Do specific exercises to build muscle in the back of the arm so that once the fat is gone, you‟ll have a tricep and it will appear tight and tone In a nutshell what this will do for you is make the back of your arms less flabby as the fat is lost from your body and the new muscle will bring added tone and tightness to the back of your arm.
