Archive for the ‘Workout Routine To Gain Muscle Fast’ Category

Six Small Meals a Day

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

I know that when one is thinking about healthy ways to gain weight high school wrestling is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind. Ironically, though I learned several ways to lose weight, it was wrestling that helped me stumble upon a smart way to build muscle mass. Several of my buddies had been cutting weight by what some would call controlled anorexia. Seeing how weak this made them during practice, I set out for a way to lose weight and still maintain my strength.

I began to read books, magazines, and internet articles that would help me develop a way I could metaphorically have my cake and eat it to. I found the “six small meals a day “diet while in my research. When I began the diet not only did I find that I was losing a substantial amount of weight healthily, I was also gaining muscle mass much faster than I had before. I was really pleased with the results of this diet and would suggest it to anyone who has a healthy work out program.

Placebos Can Give False Credibility To Muscle Building Supps

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

According to a recent research column in Muscular Development magazine, and I quote, “Bud Winter, the legendary track coach of Olympic athletes such as John Powell, Lee Evans, Tommy Smith, and John Carlos, used to to give his athletes “Bud Winter super pills” to improve performance. Winter claimed the pills helped his athletes run faster, even though they were made from sugar. They were nothing more than placebos that worked by the power of suggestion…..Placebos show the importance of positive thinking for success in bodybuilding and sports”.

As I’ve always written, many, of not most supplements aimed at muscle building and gaining weight, such as shakes, pills, powders, and bars, are not what will help you build and gain muscular weight. The big factors in accomplishing this will always be having the right workout routine and eating the correct amount of calories, week in and week out. How many people do you yourself know that takes every bodybuilding supplement known to man, yet don’t ever seem to gain any weight, or build any more muscle mass? What about prisoners? They don’t take any of those nutritional supplements, yet they’re bigger than your average gym rat? Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Pilates: Good For Building Muscle Mass?

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Many popular workout routines and programs have been taking mainstream gyms and exercise enthusiasts by storm. But when it comes to pure muscle building or gaining weight, are certain regimens efficient, such as Pilates? Sure, Pilates may enhance your stretching capacity or your range of motion, aka ROM. However, just because you can stretch further or hold a position for longer periods of time doesn’t necessarily mean that it will stimulate muscular growth and development.

In order to cause hypertrophy in your muscles you have to cause certain things to happen during your workout program. Things such as tension, time under tension, intensity, muscle flow, lactic acid accumulation, etc.,must all take place to cause your muscles to become physically bigger. Does your current Pilates routine cause these mechanisms to go into motion to help you with your muscle building / weight gain goals?

Parent And Child Exercising Together

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Are you sick and tired of begging your child to get off the couch and get some exercise? Take comfort, because you are not alone. You must set the example first and hope your child will follow. Be assertive and take away your child’s video games and anything else that keeps them stuck in the house.

You should look into taking some healthy exercise classes with your child. Kickboxing and karate classes are a great workout. Moms and daughters may enjoy a dance class or another type of exercise class. Other great options that a lot of communities offer for groups of people are volleyball, swimming, and tennis matches. Use your imagination and do not forget to ask your child what they would enjoy.

Use this time with your child as a time to get to know them better. You may be surprised how comfortable your child is talking to you when you are both participating alongside each other. Not only are these affordable ways to get out of the house, they are extremely important to your child’s health and your relationship with your child.

Gain Muscle Weight To Lose Fat

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

If you want to get fit and lose weight there are several things you need to start doing. You need to do cardio exercises, eat right, and also gain muscle weight by doing strength training. A pound of lean muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. The more muscle you have the more calories your body burns on it‘s own.

If you’ve been working out and you just haven’t lost and weight, consider that you’ve lost fat but gained muscle. Weight gain of lean muscle is a very healthy weight gain. Many people do cardio exercises three times a week and muscle toning exercise three times a week also. These people do this because they know that your muscle mass makes a difference in your overall health, and also in weight loss.

So if losing weight is your goal, you need to gain some muscle weight. You’ll be a stronger, healthier person, and losing weight will become easier. Your body will become more toned and defined than ever before. You might even have a better healthier body than you did back in high school.

Choosing the Ideal Ab Workout Location

Monday, August 25th, 2008

When considering where you want to work out, when you are going to be focusing on your abdominal area, there are some important factors to consider. Just like in real estate, location, location, location could mean the difference between motivating yourself to do your ab workout time and time again, or giving up because you are so uninspired by your surroundings.

First, consider the physical factors of your environment. Will you be more comfortable indoors or outdoors? Will the weather remain pleasant for the duration of your ab workout if you choose an outdoor location? Consider the amount of space you will need in order to move comfortably during your ab workout. Also, does the space allow for sitting, standing, and laying comfortably? It is important not to feel cramped or inhibited in your movements.

The other important factor when choosing a location for your ab workout is how the location will affect your frame of mind and whether your surroundings serve to motivate you. Does being seen motivate you to work harder, or would you rather have a private ab workout? How will noise affect you? Can you play music, or are you looking for a more serene and silent location? Lastly, consider whether you are in search of a tranquil environment, or if you would prefer a place that has more movement and energy.

The Health Benefits of Bodybuilding

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

Bodybuilding through exercises minimizes the chances of developing health issues such as muscle weakness and physical strain. Regular exercise helps to keep the body fit by enabling us to sleep better and lessen the fatigue that we may feel from our work life. A rigorous training regimen reduces stress level, anxiety etc.

Along with endurance, bodybuilding exercises improves the oxygen utilization at the muscular level. Bodybuilding increases the fitness level by improving the cardio vascular strength in our bodies. It results in higher level of activity and makes daily tasks less stressful. Bodybuilding also helps to control weight. By increasing the caloric expenditure, bodybuilding exercises reduce the body fat level.

Regular exercise provides a natural tranquilizer that helps the body to endure the physical strain that we subject it to. If you spend a minimum of half an hour everyday on a bodybuilding regimen will help to control our weight and also keep a check on our vital systems. A well balanced diet along with bodybuilding workouts helps us to prevent many diseases and maintain a healthy body.

New Exercise Bike Software Simulates Great Rides

Monday, August 18th, 2008

As the modern exercise bike becomes more and more laden with digital equipment and sensors that can more accurately simulate a ride around the neighborhood or around the world, the software being built into the equipment is working to ensure that you can bike some of the greatest roads in the world from the comfort of your own living space.

Thanks to the newest in GPS software, more and more exercise bikes are now coming preloaded with the ability to bike anywhere in the world from your machine. This new terrain mapping technology allows GPS makers to build into their devices road grade and elevation changing information, which is helping to create more accurate exercise bike simulations.

With this technology, the hope is to soon allow people to get on their exercise bikes and simulate bicycling routes around their neighborhood or from famous places and events, such as the Tour de France, allowing the average bicyclist to exercise and have the ability to endure the same trails and roads that professionals use to get their exercise and train for their cycling events.

Building Muscle Mass Through Diet

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

While many of those focused on building muscle mass concentrate on their workouts, diet is a great supplemental component to assist in reaching one’s fitness goals. In order to build muscle mass, it is best to eat several smaller meals throughout the day. This means approximately 4-6 meals, or one every 2 ½ to 3 hours. The largest meal of the day should be eaten at breakfast to ensure even calorie distribution throughout the day.

Protein should account for 35% of overall daily calories, which is about 40-60 grams for a 200 pound man. Each meal should also include vegetables, and a smaller amount of carbohydrates and fats in order to=2 0balance one’s diet and keep energy levels from sinking. Try to eat lean proteins in order to build muscle mass such as chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, egg whites, cottage cheese and yogurt. When coupled with intense muscle building workouts, this diet is ideal. While not necessary, depending on your workout intensity, this diet can be paired with muscle building supplements, but it is not recommended that supplements account for more than 40% of your daily intake. Whole foods, such as the proteins listed above, should be no less than 60% of your total diet.

More Ab Muscles Worked, But Study Doesn’t Reveal It

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

With core training being the latest and greatest fad term out there now in articles, workout programs, and infomercials, new studies that are published are looked at as being the standard in how to implement workout programs that allegedly will give you that tight midsection. This includes to types of exercises, how often, etc. Well, there are many times factors that are looked over in many of these studies, yet the average reader doesn’t pick up on that and is then mislead. Then, 6 months or a year down the line they wonder why they aren’t seeing any results for all of their effort.

Read the latest article concerning this:
Study On Core Muscle Activity Lacking

Massages To Help Muscles Recover

Friday, June 20th, 2008

In MuscleMag International, they report on how the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy says that massages immediately after exercise increases blood flow to the skin but not the muscles. This could be because blood flow to the muscles remains maximally elevated right after a workout routine and doesn’t allow room for a massage-induced increase in blood flow.

They suggest to wait at least 2 hours after you’ve finished your muscle building workout program before laying onto the massage table to have your knots flattened out to help speed up the recovery, repair, and growth process of gaining muscular weight.

Getting a regular massage will help you out in this area and will reduce your need to rely off of pain medications to deal with the soreness and stiffness that can result from intense weight training.

Look Deeper Into Medical Studies

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Medical studies can help provide certain clues into many things, such as health issues that can directly affect positively or negatively our muscle building and weight gain efforts.  Case in point is a study in which 192 people with moderately high LDL cholesterol levels both raw garlic and garlic pills every day for 6 months, although their LDL cholesterol levels didn’t change.

Bravo to this study because it’s one of the few that actually demonstrates the worthless-ness of most nutritional and dietary supplements out on the market.  So many people these days want to fix everything with a pill instead of looking at their lifestyle…….including goals such as wanting to build more muscle and gain weight.

Build Muscle With Isolation Exercises

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

That’s right, even though everyone seems to make isolation exercises the “red-headed stepchild” in the muscle building / weight gain process, they build just as much muscle mass as any compound bodybuilding movement.

Don’t take my word for it: Here’s a quote from Markus Ruhl, one of the biggest IFBB professional bodybuilders ever, from a Flex interview: “The biggest mistake I see people make in chest training is assuming that flyes and cable crossovers are for definition and not mass building. Definition comes from diet and cardio; weight training is to gain mass. I never do an exercise that does not build mass, and that includes flyes and crossovers. I do them with full power….”

Markus, you have just made one of the most intelligent observations I’ve read a bodybuilder make. How refreshing!

Muscle Building Beans

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Fiber is one of those substances that, although it doesn’t provide weight gaining or muscle building calories, does have an impact on your digestive, which, as I’m sure you know, has to process any food you eat to build your body. Well, two cups of beans 26 grams of fiber, which is exactly what most people recommend everyone should be consuming daily.

Gain Weight – Knee Wraps Can Injure You

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

Knee wraps are one of the things that many weight lifters include in their gym when off to a weight gaining / muscle building workout. However, wraps can actually increase the chances of you causing some problems, as you can find out in the latest article:

Gain Weight – Problem With Knee Wraps

Muscle Building – Hot Cocoa

Monday, April 14th, 2008

Especially in freezing environments, hot cocoa is a very popular drink. Well, not only does it tastes great (if you don’t burn off your taste buds, tongue, or roof of your mouth from the lava-like temperatures), but it also is good for gaining weight and building lean muscle. Hot cocoa is full of anti-oxidants, over 500 mgs worth.

Just so you can appreciate how many mgs that actually is, green tea, which now-a-days everyone seems to be praising the skies out of, only has about 50 mgs. Red wine only has about 160 mgs (unless, of course, you’re one of those that can’t seem to stop drinking after the first glass…..lol).

Gain Weight Supplement – CLA Under Microscope

Friday, April 11th, 2008

CLA is one the more popular supplements out on the scene that claims to keep body fat levels low while you gain weight and build muscle. Well, read my latest article, Gain Weight Supplement – CLA May Not Be Worth It to read about a study conducted in Norway that shows other wise.

Muscle Building Steroid Conviction

Monday, April 7th, 2008

According to PAUL ELIAS and the Associated Press;

homas, the first figure connected to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative case to go to trial, shouted at the jury after being found guilty of three counts of perjury and a count of obstruction of justice. She was acquitted of two counts of perjury.

“I already had one career taken away from me,” she yelled, referencing her lifetime ban from cycling. “Look me in the eye. You can’t do it.”

Her father, who has sat in the front row of court during the two week trial, also raised his voice and said, “They can’t do it.”

Thomas then shouted and gestured at prosecutors: “Look me in the eye …. You like to destroy people’s lives.”

Thomas, prosecutors and jurors all had no comment.

Outside the courthouse, Thomas’ lawyer Ethan Balogh said he was disappointed.

“It is difficult for all of us who went through this trial,” Balogh said.

Legal experts said Thomas faces a prison sentence of between six months and several years. She is scheduled to be sentenced July 18.

The federal government steroids probe has ensnared a number of elite athletes, including home run king Barry Bonds, track star Marion Jones and former San Francisco 49ers player Dana Stubblefield. Investigators are also looking into whether pitcher Roger Clemens lied when he told Congress he never used performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds is charged with perjury for allegedly lying to the same grand jury about never knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

Legal experts said Thomas’ trial offered Bonds’ lawyers a preview of what kind of evidence the slugger will face if his case goes to trial as expected. Two of Bonds’ attorneys, for instance, watched the government’s lead steroids investigator testify.

The investigator, IRS agent Jeff Novitzky, is expected to play a starring role for the government during Bonds’ trial, which isn’t expected to begin until next year.

Novitzky testified that Thomas’ lies hindered the federal investigation of drug maker Patrick Arnold, who prosecutors wanted to indict in 2003 but had to wait another three years to amass more evidence because of the cyclist’s perjured testimony.

The jury found Thomas guilty of falsely telling the grand jury that she had never taken steroids and had never received any performance-enhancing drugs from Arnold, who pleaded guilty in 2006 to making two undetectable steroids.

Thomas made her denials even though she was banned from cycling for life in August 2002 after the performance-enhancing drug Norbolethone was detected in her urine.

The drug, once an obscure steroid used in human tests in the 1960s, was rediscovered by Arnold, who supplied the Burlingame-based BALCO with undetectable performance-enhancing drugs.

Prosecutors also showed jurors Thomas medical records that showed she grew a full beard and underwent dramatic voice changes that a doctor diagnosed as side effects of heavy steroid use. Arnold also testified that he sent Thomas the steroids THG he invented at least once.

Thomas is the ninth BALCO figure to suffer convictions. Eight others, including Jones and BALCO founder Victor Conte, have pleaded guilty to various charges of perjury, drug and money laundering charges.

In addition, track coach Trevor Graham has pleaded not guilty to lying to federal agents about giving steroids to athletes. Graham’s trial in San Francisco federal court is scheduled to begin May 19. Graham helped spur the original BALCO investigation when he mailed a vial of Arnold’s designer drug also called “the clear” to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

MY TAKE: Once again we have another big time athlete being accused of taking steroids that are usually taken for muscle building / endurance purposes. As always, innocent until proven guilty.

Stay Away From Detoxes and Fasts If You Want To Gain Weight and Build Muscle

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008

That’s right, don’t listen to all of these new age health nuts who are recommending fasts, detoxes, and colon cleanses. Read my latest article to find out why:

Build Muscle – Avoid Fasts

Isometrics Are Just As Good….

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Isometric training, where you hold your muscle in the fully contracted, “flexed”, position, was found in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research to be just as effective on muscle performance as plyometric training, yet without the risk of injury from impact that’s often associated with plyometrics.

In my opinion, isometric holds are very effective at not only muscular performance, but also at stimulating muscle building and gains in body weight (with the addition of proper caloric intake).

Rep Speed, Muscle Building, and Gaining Weight…Which Is The Best?

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

The speed at which to perform and complete your repetitions during an intense weight lifting set is an area of much confusion….the big fast vs slow reps debate. Well, take a look at my latest article and find out what two very important studies have revealed:

Fast or Slow Reps To Build Muscle & Gain Weight?

American Gladiators will be at the LA Arena

Friday, March 21st, 2008

NBC is reporting that the second season of the hard hitting, muscle-bashing extraveganza known as American Gladiators is not only increasing in muscle-vibe, but also in venue as well. Taping are going to be at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, has about 13,000 seats around the arena.

The official list as to who the Gladiators will be has not been released, but as soon as it is made public you’ll be able to check it out here.

Salt does not cause high blood pressure

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

You’ve heard it a million times, you shouldn’t eat salt because it will raise your blood pressure. Well, large scale scientific reviews have shown that there’s no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium (salt) usage.

It’s been known for 20 years now that people with high blood pressure who don’t want to lower their salt intake can simply more potassium-containing foods, since they keep each other balanced out. Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption.

Good sources of potassium are fruits, vegetables, and legumes….such as bananas, white potatoes, spinach, and broccoli.

High fructose corn syrup is NOT more fattening than regular sugar!

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

According to a column in Men’s Health, both high fructose corn syrup and table sugar contain similar amounts of fructose. For instance, the two most commonly used types of HFCS are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, which are 42% and 55% fructose, respectively. Table sugar is almost chemically identical, containing 50% fructose.

This is why the University of California at Davis, continues to report the column, scientists determined fructose intakes from both HFCS and table sugar. The truth is, there’s no evidence to show any differences in these two types of sugar. Both will cause you to blur your muscular definition and will result in weight gain when consumed in excess, but of the bad kind.

Just watch what you drink, such as soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and prepackaged desserts (unless, of course, it’s your higher calorie days….yum).

H2O and muscular definition….

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Read the latest article I’ve written on how water can possibly give you a small help in keeping your body fat low while you go after muscle building and weight gaining:

Water Can Enhance Muscle Definition