Muscle Building

Body Building Tips–Sculpt Your Body The Right Way

Body building has become popular either as a past time or a sport mainly because of the benefits one gets from it. Aside from improving physique and physical strength, it also generally results to a healthier body. Body building also builds discipline and subsequently, confidence.

However, to get the most out of your body building program, you need to be faithful to it. As much as possible, you should follow every instruction to the dot. It may sound restrictive but as with anything else, there is always that right way to do it.

It might prove daunting at first to see other people’s progress and achievements and make it yours. But with the right amount of diligence and perseverance, you too can achieve the results that you aim for. To help you, presented here are some body building tips that can aid you as you go through your body building program. Take some time to read and absorb as much as you can.

• Set goals – a mission always has a goal, and body building is sort of a mission. Different results take different degrees of dedication and amount of time. You can choose whether you do it for competition or merely for its physical benefits. The important thing is to have a target that will keep you focused and dedicated.

• Consult those who know – body building also involves risks. These risks can be minimized by taking advice from people who know a good deal about body building. Some people can even plan a good body building program that will work best for you.

• Balance your workout – a superb body builder looks good all-around. Work to develop your whole body other than specific areas like arms and chest. Proportion also counts, not just size.

• Be conscious of what you eat – your body building program must go hand in hand with a well planned body building diet. Nutrition is of utmost performance for people who want to get a great body. Focus on proteins to build those muscles. Complex carbohydrates can provide energy without risking too much weight gain.

• Wear appropriate Gear – while working out, use the proper body building gear. They are designed to maximize safety and comfort during your routine.

• Get some rest – as much as you want to train longer to get faster results, body building isn’t all about working out. Rest is also an integral part of your program since most of that muscle growth and repair happens when you are at rest.

• Stay focused – always keep in mind that you have goals to achieve. It is best to keep your eye on the goal for you to gauge how much more you need to go. This can help you improve your program to get your desired results.

• Don’t overdo it – a very important reminder. Be aware of your limits and never push your body to exhaustion. Injury is a very big risk for people who push themselves to the limit.

Most of all, remember that body building is supposed to be fun. Enjoying what you do is the primary factor that will keep you in the program. It is a thing that you love to do, never a thing you must do.

Our team of fitness and body building experts have reviewed the many books and e-books that are available and claim to help anyone in body building. Based on our thorough review, we have identified the best e-books, based on the following criteria:

- The programs are written by educated and experienced exports in the body building industry.
- The programs are based on sound medical, nutrition and fitness principles.
- The programs can definitely help you to build muscle, get fit and get healthy.

“Top Pick” Muscle Building Guides
1. The Truth About Six Pack Abs
2. Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
3. Vince del Monte Fitness: The No Nonsense Muscle Building & Your Six Pack Quest
4. Muscle Gaining Secrets

Body Building Diet Essentials

Body building isn’t all about going to the gym and working out those muscles to surrender. It is also about proper nutrition. Weight training basically breaks down the cells in the muscles causing the need for the body to repair it. As the body replenishes the health of muscles, it also makes it stronger. This muscle growth is what body builders are after to better their physique.

However, these repairs will be minimal if the right nutrition is neglected. There is that need for body builders to focus on foods which help in this process and those which can further enhance the body. Body building nutrition, though, isn’t as varied as one might think. It generally consists of:

• Protein – the building blocks of life; this makes up the muscles. A high protein diet, therefore, ensures adequate repair and growth among muscle cells. Aside from muscle repair and growth, protein also increases the metabolism being a hard food to break down. It also assists in the efficient release of energy from carbohydrates. Protein-rich foods include lean red meat. Meats approximately contain 7 grams of protein per ounce. Leaner meats are better choice since they contain less fat per serving. Chicken meat and fish meat are good sources of protein. Eggs and dairy products also contain a good amount of protein. For vegetarians, beans, especially soy, is a great source of protein, as do nuts and seeds.

• Carbohydrates – these are the body’s main source of energy. And body building exercises require a huge amount of energy to perform. An important thing to note though is that not all carbohydrates are recommended. For body building, low-glycemic or complex carbohydrates are advised. This is because this type of carbohydrate allows a timed release of energy. High-glycemic, or simple carbohydrates, though is still necessary after a workout so that a body builder can replenish his/her glycogen level. Sources for complex carbohydrates include oatmeal, sweet potatoes and corn. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and green beans are also good sources of complex carbohydrates. They are also good sources of dietary fiber which aids in digestion.

• Healthy fats – it is emphasized here that the fats to be consumed must be healthy. This is because there are fats, namely saturated fats and trans fats, that are simply unhealthy and counterproductive in a body building diet. While taking a back seat to carbohydrates and even further back to proteins, fats are still important because it is involved in most chemical reactions of the body. Its use is especially seen during hormonal production. Testosterone is a hormone and is essential in muscle building. Although a body builder won’t be taking much, daily requirement still needs to be filled. Canola oil, peanut butter and flaxseed oil are good sources of healthy fats.

An efficiently designed body building diet goes well with a good body building program. Diet and nutrition must always go hand in hand with the body building workout for best results. Body building supplements can also help greatly so don’t hesitate to use one if you feel you lack in some aspects.

Body Building and Its Three Main Strategies

Body building is a process where an individual maximizes the growth of his muscles. This is usually done through strength training and consumption of high protein substances. Body building has also been a competitive sport since the late 19th century. Body builders display their physiques in front of judges who judge based on aesthetic appearance. Aside from being a competitive sport, body building is practiced by men and women simply to improve physique and esteem.

Body building requires various strategies to be able to achieve the desired results. There are three main strategies, and they are:

• Weight training – weight training in body building actually causes micro-tears in the worked muscles. These tears are called microtrauma, a fancy term given to small injuries in the body. This is evident in the pain and soreness experienced after the exercise. The body will naturally repair these damages, replacing the damaged cells with better ones, and thus promoting cell growth. As the muscles get used to the activity, soreness will eventually lessen.

• Nutrition and supplements – body building diet will consist mostly of carbohydrates and protein.

o Carbohydrates supply the huge amount of calories needed by a body builder. Slow digesting carbohydrates, the low-glycemic types, are preferred since they give a more stable release of energy than the high-glycemic variety.

o A vital part of a body building diet is protein. Mainly responsible for muscle repair and growth, body builders need high protein foods in greater amount than ordinary people. Any kind of meat is an ideal source of protein, though the exact type of meat is highly debatable. Casein and whey are also popular protein source, with whey being a common ingredient in supplements. Meals are also eaten more frequently by body builders, about five to seven times a day. This is to promote a higher metabolic rate and control consumption amount to minimal levels.

o Aside from the nutrition taken from foods, supplements are also a source for nourishment as well as a catalyst for several body enhancing processes. An example is fat burning supplements which increases the rate at which fat is burned in the body.

o While strictly controlled and less popular, body builders can also resort to substances like anabolic steroids. One needs a prescription in order to acquire steroids legally. Like all other drugs, steroids are not without side effects which often include male pattern baldness, acne, and testicular atrophy, among others.

• Rest – the repair and growth of muscles intended by a body builder occurs when he is resting. Rest and sleep gives the muscles the chance to recover from the damages incurred during an exercise. Eight hours of sleep will suffice for most people. Others may require more while others can do with less. Naps are also helpful especially during the peak anabolic phases.

In body building there is always that chance to overdo something which could prove dangerous. If ever this sport will interest you, either as a past time or a professional endeavor, it is best to work with an expert to come up with a body building program that will certainly be safe and work for you.

Tired of the Old 3 Sets of 10-12? Well, So is Your Body! Break Through Your Plateau by Training Drastically Different… a Look at Training Variables.

Everyone will inadvertently hit a frustrating plateau in their training at one time or another. You’re cruising along for a while, gaining strength, losing fat, looking better, and then all of the sudden it hits. Suddenly, you find yourself even weaker than before on your lifts, or you find that you’ve gained back a couple of pounds. It happens to everyone.

Most of the time, these plateaus occur because people rarely change their training variables over time. Many people stick to the same types of exercises for the same basic sets and reps and rest periods with the same boring cardio routine. Well, I hope to open your mind and bring some creativity to your workouts with this article!

There are many ways that you can strategically modify your training variables to assure that you maximize your fat loss and/or muscle building response to exercise. Most people only think about changing their sets and reps performed, if they even think about changing their routine at all.

However, other variables that can dramatically affect your results are changing the order of exercises (sequence), exercise grouping (super-setting, circuit training, tri-sets, etc.), exercise type (multi-joint or single joint, free-weight or machine based), the number of exercises per workout, the amount of resistance, the base of stability (standing, seated, on stability ball, one-legged, etc.), the volume of work (sets x reps x distance moved), rest periods between sets, repetition speed, range of motion, exercise angle (inclined, flat, declined, bent over, upright, etc), training duration per workout, and training frequency per week.

Sounds like a lot of different training aspects to consider in order to get the best results from your workouts, doesn’t it? Well, that’s where a knowledgeable personal trainer can make sense of all of this for you to make sure that your training doesn’t get stale. Below are a few examples to get your mind working to come up with more creative and result producing workouts.

Most people stick to workouts where they do something along the lines of 3 sets of 10-12 reps per exercise, with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. Booooorrrrring!!!! Here are a few examples of different methods to spice up your routine.

Try 10 sets of 3 with a medium weight, resting only 20 seconds between sets.
Try using a heavier weight and complete 6 sets of 6 reps, doing a 3 minute treadmill sprint between each weight lifting set.
Try using a near maximum weight and do 10 sets of 1 rep, with 30 seconds rest between sets.

Try using a lighter than normal weight and do 1 set of 50 reps for each exercise

Try a workout based on only one full body exercise, such as barbell clean & presses or dumbbell squat & presses, and do nothing but that exercise for an intense 20 minutes.

Try a circuit of 12 different exercises covering the entire body without any rest between exercises.

Try that same 12 exercise circuit on your subsequent workout, but do the entire circuit in the reverse order.

Try your usual exercises at a faster repetition speed on one workout and then at a super-slow speed on your next workout.

Try completing five 30 minute workouts one week, followed by three 1-hr workouts the next week.

Try doing drop sets of all of your exercises, where you drop the weight between each set and keep doing repetitions without any rest until complete muscular fatigue (usually about 5-6 sets in a row).

Want more ideas? There are many more ways to continue to change your training variables. This was just a taste of your possibilities. In order to see how to incorporate various strategies into effective routines, give the internationally best-selling ebook The Truth about Six Pack Abs a try.

Unique Lean-Body Workouts for the Time-Crunched Individual

Warning: this style of workout is WAY different than anything you’ve ever tried before and may result in a dramatically leaner, stronger body so that your friends no longer recognize you in a matter of weeks!

Alright, I exaggerated about your friends recognizing you, but this workout is still great for busy people that always use the excuse that they don’t have time to go to the gym, or even for the normal gym rat to try out for a few weeks to break out of a plateau.

Please keep an open-mind and don’t worry so much about what other people think, because this is quite different and you may get some funny looks, but you’ll get the last laugh with your new rock hard body! To be honest, most people are too self conscious to try something like this. If that’s the case for you, then that’s your loss.

Here’s how it works:

Instead of doing your traditional workouts of going to the gym 3-4 times a week and doing your normal weight training and cardio routines for an hour at a shot, with this program, you will be working out for just a couple minutes at a time, several times throughout each day, 5 days/week.

The program will consist of only bodyweight exercises done for about 2-3 minutes, 6-8 times per day, throughout each day. Now obviously if you work a normal office job, you are going to have to not be shy about doing a few exercises in your office and having your cube-mates watch you. Actually, I’ve found that some people that have tried this have actually gotten their co-workers to join them!

If you have a private office, then you don’t have to worry about anybody watching you. If you work from home, or are a stay at home mom, there’s no reason you can’t fit these in throughout the day while at home. If you end up having a busy day with meetings and so forth, and can only fit a couple of these 2-minute workouts in, then so be it, but try to get as many done each day as you can.

If you’re on a normal 9-5 office schedule, I recommend doing your 2-minute workouts every hour, on the hour, with the exception of lunch. For example, you could try 9 am, 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm, and 4 pm.

Some of the exercises that are the best to focus on are:

bodyweight squats (and variations)
pushups (and variations)
forward, reverse, or walking lunges
up & down a staircase if one is available
floor planks (holding plank position from forearms and feet)
floor abs exercises such as lying leg thrusts, ab bicycles, etc.
one-legged bodyweight Romanian deadlifts
This list is not fully comprehensive, but I wanted to keep it relatively simple. If you know other good bodyweight exercises, you can add those to your routine also. If you want to keep it real simple and don’t want to get down on the floor for anything, you can stick to squats, lunges, and pushups and still get great results.

The good thing about these workouts is that you do enough in 2-3 minutes to get your blood pumping, heart rate up a bit, a large portion of your body’s muscles worked, and body temperature raised. However, it’s usually not enough to break a sweat in only 2 or 3 minutes, so you don’t have to worry about sweating in the office or where ever you may be. At most, you might just get a little moist on the skin.

Here’s an example routine (adjust the reps up or down based on your capabilities):

Mon/Wed/Fri
9 am – 10 pushups/15 bodyweight squats, repeat 1X for 2 sets
10 am – plank holds (hold the planks as long as you can taking short rest breaks for a total of 3 minutes)
11 am – 5 pushups/10 bodyweight squats, repeat for 4 sets
1 pm – plank holds (hold as long as possible in 3 minutes)
2 pm – 8 pushups/12 bodyweight squats, repeat for 3 sets
3 pm – plank holds (hold as long as possible in 3 minutes)
4 pm – max pushups/max bodyweight squats in one set (no repeat)

Tues/Thurs
9 am – 6 fwd lunges each leg/6 rev lunges, repeat 1X for 2 sets
10 am – one legged bw Romanian deadlifts (RDL) 6 each leg/floor abs for 20 sec, repeat 1X for 2 sets
11 am – 3 fwd lunges each leg/3 rev lunges, repeat for 4 sets
1 pm – one legged bw RDL 3 each leg/floor abs for 20 sec, repeat for 4 sets
2 pm – 5 fwd lunges each leg/5 rev lunges, repeat for 3 sets
3 pm – one legged bw RDL 10 each leg/floor abs for 30 sec (no repeat)
4 pm – max fwd lunges each leg/max rev lunges in one set (no repeat)

In order to progress on these workouts, you could either add 1 or 2 reps to each set per week, or you could progress to more difficult versions of each exercise each week (for example, close grip pushups, one leg raised pushups, squats with arms raised straight over head, etc.).

The above routines are just a couple examples of how you can use this very unique style of training. Use your creativity and come up with your own. Think about what you’ve accomplished with these “mini” workouts completed throughout each day… You’ve increased your heart rate and pumped up your muscles 6-8 different times throughout each day, burning a lot of extra calories and stimulating your metabolism.

Even though each “mini” workout was a very short duration, you’ve accumulated lots of repetitions for almost every muscle throughout your entire body, and you didn’t even have to break a sweat during any of the “mini” workouts. And there’s hardly any excuse for not being able to take a 2-minute break once per hour and do a couple of exercises.

Another benefit of this style of training is that now you don’t have to devote any time before or after work to going to the gym because you already got your workouts little by little throughout the day. You’ve now got some extra free time on your hands!

Try this type of routine out for 3-4 weeks and then go back to your normal gym routines. I think you’ll find that it was a great way to break out of a plateau and stimulate new results in your body. You can try mixing in a cycle of these “mini” workouts every couple of months to keep things fresh.

Keep in mind that this is only one method of training and doesn’t mean that you should only stick to this method for eternity. You will hit a plateau on any given training method, so I’d recommend just rotating it into your arsenal of various training methods. And by all means, don’t worry so much about what other people think…have the courage to try something a little different. In the end, you’ll be the one laughing back at all of the “blubber-bellies” that are giving you funny looks while they eat their donuts!

If you liked these training ideas, the internationally best-selling ebook The Truth about Six Pack Abs contains hundreds of more innovative training ideas to lose stubborn body fat and carve out a rock hard set of abs.

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