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Posts Tagged ‘Muscle building nutrition’

Maybe you have experienced this before whereby you have decided to improve your health and fitness and in the first instance you feel really motivated. Perhaps you saw an inspirational movie that caused you to take action, maybe a friend of yours you hadn’t seen for a long time showed up having lost a heap of weight or having piled on muscle mass or maybe you are just sick of feeling lethargic and overweight. Whatever the initial stimulus was, you began exercising and then continued to exercise for a while.

However after a while your motivation decreased, you got busy at work, you got tired of making the effort or the results weren’t as good as you’d hoped for and you unconsciously quit your healthy exercise lifestyle. If that all sounds familiar then here are a few easy ways to help regain and sustain your motivation for a healthier lifestyle: 

Try setting an enjoyable goal. For example,what about planning out a mountain biking/kayaking/hiking holiday in an exotic tough part of the world such as the Himalayas,The Alps or The Candadian Rockies. With this trip in mind you really have a goal to aim for. You will need to be in good physical health in order to enjoy your trip to the fullest. If your trip is in 5 montsh time then you can plan a realistic schedule with your fitness goals in mind.

Optin to take part in a local area event. I bet there are plenty of local events that you can get involved with simply have a look on line. Choose one of these events as a target to shoot for. Inform a close friend of yours about your future intentions so they can act as a buddy and provide encouragement to you and come to support you on the day. 

Take up a sport or hobby, this doesn’t have to be an ultra serious thing just a light hearted game of soccer or hockey at the weekends but it gives you an easy and enjoyable way to monitor your fitness levels. Of course the initial couple of sessions may be very taxing but you will soon notice an improvement and start to look and feel better.

Visualise. Ok this might sound a bit odd at first but try and find a bit of time each day to sit and visualise in your minds eye exactly how you wish to feel and look. Carrying this out trigger powerful signals to be sent to your sub conscious mind that are about your everyday decisions and day to day actions. Repeat this daily and continuously and your behaviour will naturally alter itself and begin to take you towards your goals automatically. This works by the way, nearly all top sportsmen use this in some form or other.

Try to involve both your friends family and even your pet dog if you like. You are much less likely to lose interest and quit the more people that are involved. You are much less likely to not go and exercise if your friend is on the other end of the phone asking where you are.

Educate yourself. Be curious find out about how to build muscle up, find out how to get a 6 pack, find out how to shed pounds, find out what muscle building nutrition you need for no nonsense muscle building and so on. By improvingyour knowledge you are more than likely to increase the rate of your improvement and therefore maintain motivation levels.

Don’t compare yourself to others. I don’t care who exactly you are there is aways going to be people fitter, sexier, more muscular or whatever than you are. Accept this fact and realise that you all go through this process of life from your own differing perspectives. Pay more attention to how you feel than to anything else, if you feel good then you are likely getting healthier.

So, with those tips in mind go hit the gym and do whatever it is that you enjoy doing to keep fit, build lean muscle mass or whatever else you want to do, you can do it, just keep it fun. The following is highly recommended for lean muslc growth burn the fat build the muscle book.

Muscle building nutrition is actually very simple and is a major factor in your bodybuilding success. However many people seem to get confused when they are putting together a muscle building diet. For that reason here is a simple and easy to understand and implement set of rules that anyone can use to pack on muscle mass. Here they are:

1) Eat 5-7 small meals each day. This ensure your muscle have a continual supply of energy and decreases the chances of the body storing food as fat. Scrap your three meals per day mindset. This is definitly one of the most important weight gain tips going.

2) Every meal needs to contain at least 30 grams of protein and also a lot of quality carbohydrate. carbohydrates are widely available from rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. Great protein sources are tuna, red meats, egg whites and milk.

3) Use supplements. The most basic supplement required is a protein supplement that ought to be consumed immediately after training and before sleeping.

4) Steer clear of simple (sugary) carbohydrates. Even though your energy will rise quickly it will drop down leaving you deflated soon enough. It may also produce problems with your insulin metabolism and trigger the storage of excess fat.

5) Avoid fats and too much salt. Good fats from olive oil, peanut butter and fish are good for you and should be in your diet but bad fast from vegetable oil butter and animal fats need to be avoided like the plague, that rules out junk food too!

6) Eat a pre workout meal. This should consist of a decent amount of complex carbs and also protein about an hour before your training session. this will make sure that protein is immediately available to your muscles and also give them plenty of energy for your training session.

7) Be sure to get post workout nutrition. Carbs and protein are essential at this time due to that fact that the muscle have just been broken down. Superb for this is a whey protein shake. Make sure you get at least 40-50 grams at this time.

Remain well hydrated. This is undoubtedly the most crucial part of your diet. Your muscle tissue quality is reliant upon this and it is also critical for all reactions that take place within the body.

And lastly be sure to consume lots of quality calories. You have to consume more calories than you burn off in order to build muscle. You are not likely to add any muscle if you simply do not take on board enough calories. So now you know how to get bigger muscles know excuses go do it!

As we are all aware a good muscle building diet is critical to build muscle up. What is also important is the timing of your meals. I suggest that you have a good solid meal about two hours before your gym session. This should give enough time to mean that you don’t hit the gym when you are bloated or still feeling full and sluggish.

In an ideal world this preworkout snack ought to be something that you are used to and that you know won’t make you feel heavy and bloated as you want to be feeling your best to give your all in the gym. You should try to include some slow burning energy such as oatmeal but make sure that you have some protein first. You risk making yourself lethargic if you consume the protein after the carbohydrate. This happens because both the protein and carbohydrate cause the body to release certain chemicals that affect the brain. Protein stimulates the release of tyrosine which signals your brain to be alert and energetic as opposed to the carbohydrate which stimulates the release of tryptophan and instructs the brain to make you feel tired. Therefore always eat the protein first.

If you really want to know how to build muscles quickly then great advice is to drink a protein and carbohydrate shake about half an hour before you workout. This will give you a good boost of ebergy for your session. Ingredients should include whey protein, maltodextrin, wxymaize or dextrose. Try to aim for 25 grams of protein and around 40 grams of carbohydrate. Doing this will boost your insulin levels which is one of the bodies most powerful muscle building hormones. Furthermore it will also cut down the amount of cortisol that is produced by your body which has a negative impact on muscle building.

Remember that spending time in the gym when you start your session already hungry and lethargic is not likely to make it a productive session. Always try to keep fruit or meal replacement powders or bars to hand should you ever not have time for a proper solid pre-workout meal.

If you are a regular coffee drinker then try and switch your coffee for a green tea which contains less caffeine but has lots more health benefits. Finally, don’t forget to keep taking on board the water, this is critical too. Ok bear those things in mind and you’ll be hitting the gym in peak mode for an awesome muscle stimulating workout which you will be able to grow from because you will have had the correct muscle building nutrition.

Is it your parents fault your fat or is there other contributing factors…

As we get older we tend to naturally slow down our physical activity and while with a metabolism that is starting to go on vacation by slowing down to a snails pace we will begin to see a weight gain if we don’t work on preventing it. Hereditary means still has some role to play in how your body response to weight loss, muscle building and the jelly belly you may be gaining without an adequate diet and exercise routine. You can fight the masses and losing belly fatwith a little extra effort by eating more healthy and increasing your exercise. You can use a natural muscle building nutrition and muscle building routine of exercises to fight the hereditary onset of weight gain and the natural aging process. Persistence and strength builds character!                                                      

But the scale says you aren’t really overweight…

Even though you may be a slim woman with a decent exercise and nutrition regimen you may notice a widening in your waist as your body weight begins to shift. Your abdomen will begin to get contributions of fat shifting from your hips, legs, arms and basically all over your body. So don’t let a thinner body fool you as any fat increasing in your belly will over time cause the same health issues.

Losing Belly Fat Makes A Big Difference

In scientific research they have found that fat in your stomach isn’t just sitting there it is actually active cells. Your active belly fat cells begin to produce nasty substances and hormones that will affect your health negatively. A fat cell produces hormones and then those hormones promote an environment of resistance to insulin which then brings you to potential type II diabetes. The increased risk of breast cancer can happen as you reach the onset of your menopause cycle as it increases the production of estrogen. Although they are still unsure of the detailed overall affects your belly fat and increased hormone levels cause they have nailed down that your increased visceral fat will disrupt the body’s natural and normal hormone levels creating havoc on your body’s overall health system.

Too much belly fat will increase your risk of:

·         Gallbladder issues 

·         Heart disease 

·         Stroke 

·         Colo-rectal cancer symptoms 

·         Breast cancer 

·         Metabolic syndrome 

·         High blood pressure 

·         Diabetes 

 Do you know what too much belly fat is?

You will want to measure as you are losing belly fat. When you measure your waist with a tape measure and it says over 33 inches you are at an increased risk no matter what the scale says. Your BMI can be deceiving as it reads your overall body fat mass not specific to your belly range. You must pay attention to where the weight is hanging. If your fat is coming off all your other body parts and accumulating around your waist you might as well be the fat guy next door because you are at risk too and you need to correct the problem immediately. This rings especially true if you have been through menopause.

Get rid of the belly bulge and all the unwanted fat throughout your body by starting a muscle building routine that is meant just for you today! By eating the right nutritional balanced diet you will begin to look and feel good!

Get more detailed workout routine tips and techniques click here to visit http://musclebuildingsupport.com/
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Losing Belly Fat In Woman 

Losing belly fat in woman is a challenge. Whether it’s because of heredity, hormonal changes or aging-related weight gain, belly fat in woman can tend to increase as they grow older. A great muscle building routine and muscle building diet can help reduce the amount of belly fat after menopause. Gaining weight in your in your abdomen it is one of the most dangerous body fat areas. Did you know that belly fat increases your risk of some types of cancer. Although it can be very frustrating you can in time with persistence lose belly fat. It is important to realize that all isn’t a loss even though you have stubborn belly fat, everyone can fight the battle of the bulge and losing belly fat with a little extra mid-section exercise and an improvement on what goes in their mouths. You are what you eat!

What’s the big deal with fat in your abdomen?

Losing belly fat is essential to good health. With age your bodies metabolism starts to get slower and the amount of fat stored throughout your body begins to naturally increase. Woman seem to gain more fat than men. As menopause begins the bodies distribution of fat tends to shift, no matter what you are eating or doing, to more in your belly and less everywhere else. Good diet  and exercise can help fight natures aging process including losing belly fat!

How do we understand the difference between visceral fat and just plain fat?

As you reach down and grab a-hold of that extra belly fat you might feel that’s the enemy however it’s what’s  deeper inside that is wrapping around your internal organs that is the real culprit of disease and disaster. Belly fat increases visceral fat which encases some of your vital organs. Bringing diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Then it begins to show many other health concerns including deadly diseases.

Start a muscle building routine and fat reducing lifestyle today and add years to your life and happiness and smiles to your face!

Get more detailed workout routine tips and techniques click here to visit http://musclebuildingsupport.com/
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A typical dilemma for any active sportsmen who lifts weights and wants to gain muscle mass is that they know there goal to build muscle up conflicts with the fact that they do a lot of cardio-vascular work. How can someone like this doing a muscle building routine build muscle fastest whilst still doing cardio, indeed is it even possible?

Well often you will read that in order to build muscles fastest you should keep cardio workouts to a minimum. This is often stated due to the fact that aerobic training sessions do two particular things that may restrict muscle building, namely: 1) burn an abundance of calories 2) speed up your metabolism. These two things both add weight to the problem of consuming enough calories. This takes us to the question of exactly what amount of calories should I therefore be taking on?

Well, to keep at the same weight every day you would be required to consume enough calories to cover the energy usage of your body as if it were resting (basal metabolic rate), then eat enough extra calories to provide energy for your workouts. If you want to add muscle mass on top of this then you have to add an extra 500 calories every day.

Can I work this number out?

Yes, certainly one method of doing so is by using the Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight). Here it is:

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wght in kgs) + (1.8 X hght in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

Once you have gotten this figure you should then multiply it by one of the following to allow for your daily activity levels:

Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (1-3 days/wk sports/light exercise )
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (sports 6-7 days/hard exercise/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.{9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i}.e marathon, competition etc).

So, if you are doing cardio and weights frequently then you should multiply this by at least 1.725. This will give you the figure that will cover your daily energy needs. This figure needs to then be adjusted according to your goals. A further 500 calories a day need to be added if your goal is indeed to gain muscle mass.

So, let’s say your final number is 3000 calories then you ought to be trying to eat 6 meals/day of 500 calories. To follow this strategy one snack or meal would be based around 11 gram coming from fat, 62 grams coming from carbohydrate and 37 grams coming from protein. This is figured out as so due to the fact that one gram of protein or carbohydrate is worth 4 gram whereas one gram of fat equals 9 calories.

Correct muscle building nutrition and working out your calorie needs like this is what is going to ensure you build muscles fastest, not any miracle new exercise!

Bodybuilders are always looking for ways to blast through muscle building plateaus, mix up their routines, discover new ways to stimulate muscle growth and increase strength. Discovering new variations is critical for bodybuilding success as your body soon adjusts to new demands of new exercises and will not continue to grow unless new ways to stimulate muscle growth are found.

There are a great deal of ways in which to trigger growth including the regular progressive overload principle of using certain amounts of sets and reps and doing as many repetitions as you can until your muscles fail. Other useful exercises and variations include: compound sets, drop sets, partials, supersets, 21s and such like. However here we shall take a look at how to use negatives when stimulating muscle growth.

So, what are negatives? And how can you build muscle fast using negatives and are they the answer to how to build muscle quickly and even how to build shoulders quickly?

Well, negatives are done as follows. Using bench pressing as an example, lets say your usual bench-press is to do 110kg for 8 reps. You have gotten stale and found muscle building progress difficult to make and got stuck at this weight. Add to the bar a further 20 kilograms and ask your friends to help you push the bar upwards. Now from the top position get your spotters to let go of the bar so that you can steadily under control lower the bar. Then again your friends can help you press this weight up again. Repeat this as many times as you can until you can no longer lower the weight safely and under control.

Exactly why should I make use of negatives? And will I build muscle fast using negatives?

Well your muscles are actually stronger in the lowering phase so when you do regular reps you are only placing stress on the muscle fibers in the lifting phase which are not as strong. So, you can actually force your muscles to handle more weight than they are used to using negatives. Do a few workouts such as this and you can trigger muscle mass growth and therefore improve your training sessions efforts for your normal workout routine and increase your overall musculature.

Are there any downsides to this?

due to the fact that your muscles will probably not be used to performing this type of work and also for physiological reasons you will more than likely be very sore on the next few days after your training session. Obviously do not return to the gym until you have totally recuperated and keep high your protein intake and be completely sure to take a very good protein shake straight after your training session.

Negatives can be made use of for any exercise but work best for the classic mass builders such as the major compound multi-joint exercises like: squats, shoulder presses, dead lifts, pull ups, and so on. However do these type of sets sparingly and use them as a way to bust through training plateaus and to stimulate muscle growth on an infrequent basis.

With those points in mind keep taking on good solid muscle building nutrition, rest plenty and workout vigorously and regularly and you will likely have no problems stacking on muscle mass. Now go ahead and combine your weight gain programs guidelines with negatives.

‘Why am I not getting bigger?’ is one of the most common question from bodybuilders around the world. After all you are training hard, with good muscle building nutrition in your diet, yet your gains are still minimal. The frustration can be a huge blow to your motivation after so many months of hardwork. So, what exactly is the answer? Well, there are a few likely causes, see if any of these ring a bell with you, together they show you how to build muscle up:

1) Are you eating enough? Under eaters could be the real name for many hardgainers. As this is frequently the reason for small muscle gains. Consuming frequent high calorie meals is the key to build muscle mass! Eating every two hours is a good guideline and will enable you to take on board as many calories as possible. Make sure you snack lots on food such as: dried fruit and nuts, yoghurt, cottage cheese,  cereal and milk, protein bars, fresh fruit, and protein shakes, etc

2) Are you getting enough protein? To build muscle mass fast you should aim for 1.5 grams of protein for each pound of bodyweight per day. Great sources of protein include: chicken, fish, turkey as well as dairy products. You need the excess calories in order to grow so don’t be overly worried about purchasing the low fat type. Sure you need quality calories but make your life easier and eat everything, remember you can go through a cutting up stage in a few months time. Taking whey protein shakes  is another great way to get on board quality protein, purchase the big 5 pound tubs to get the most for your money.

3) Have your routines become unproductive? If you are able to say aloud your routine without thinking too much it could well be that you have been doing it for too long. Your body is not going to grow if you are not providing stimulating workouts with lots of variety. What about really mixing things up with aided lifts, negatives, partials, super sets and so on. You could try 10 sets of 10 reps for any major exercise like squats, simply reverse your workout order, do more supersets (get ready to be sore!) or just give yourself a week off from training to allow your body to fully recover. Make sure you use any of the endless variations that are possible.

4) Are you resting enough? When was the last time you saw someone go into the gym pump iron and then walk out half a stone heavier? Never. Obviously, your muscles grow when you are at home resting, not when you are pounding iron in the gym. If you do not get enough rest than you are limiting the time available for your muscles to grow. If anything over compensate and give your body more than enough time to grow. Try decreasing your session to just one workout per muscle group per week. Also decreasing the amount of sets done for each body part, try just 3-5 intense sets per bodypart per workout. Give them a go and the results will be the validation of them!

5) Are you drinking enough water? Your progress will suffer dramatically if you aren’t drinking enough. A lot of water is required in order for your to build muscle mass. Carry a bottle with you in the car and never stop drinking from it.

So the initial question: “Why am I not growing faster?’as you now know has potentially many answers. After viewing the guidelines above don’t forget them, try and make the necessary changes today. If you are not hitting just one of the above guidelines then you may possibly have found the probelm underlying your limited growth. Some alterations are required if any of these guidelines are not being properly followed. Of course there may well be other reasons why you might aren’t growing but they are are the usual suspects. Now go hit the gym and gain some weight!

Just before I tackle the main purpose of this article which is to show how to build muscle vegetarian style I will briefly outline the different types of vegetarians. Vegans won’t eat dairy products or any other products of animals, pesco-vegetarians will cosume fish and other dairy products whereas lacto-ovo vegetarians will both consume milk and eat eggs but won’t eat meat. This is enough detail for our purposes here although bear in mind there are a few other types.

Why would anyone want to be vegetarian?

Due to the nature of the food that vegetarians avoid they are at a significantly reduced risk of the following: hypertension, cancers, coronary artery disease, and diabetes mellitus. As you can see the reasons for becoming vegetarian are quite compelling and that is before we even talk about the idealistic side of things such as saving animals, keeping food available for others, saving the rainforest, being more enviromentally friendly and so on.

Ok, so if I am vegetarian how on earth am I going to get adequate supplies of protein?

Well, suprisingly the answer is extremely simple. Soy contains all eight essential amino acids and in fact has higher levels of protein than beef. Particularly good sources of soy include: seitan, miso, soy milk, tempeh, textured soy protein and of course tofu. These can all be put in to a variety of delicous tasting dishes. Furthermore to ensure you never go short on protein beans, legumes, seeds, rice and even vegetables all supply decent amounts of amino acids.

Alright so that is protein dealt with but what about vitamins and minerals, particularly zinc, vitamin D, calcium, iron and vitamin B12?

Well vegans would be wise to take a supplement for this. Vitamin B 12 is found in dairy products so other types of vegetarians ought to never go short of this. As regards the others a decent meal replacement powder will see you through to getting adequate supplies of these. Of course however many minerals and vitamins are easily available in the form of leafy green vegetables and fruit that you should not overlook if you wish to build muscle up vegetarian style. 

So, overall there are many health benefits to being a vegetarian and being a vegetarian need not prevent you from achieving your bodybuilding goals. Of course planning ahead is crucial however this is just as key for meat eating bodybuilders too. With the above guidelines in mind go ahead and build muscle vegetarian style!! 

‘Why am I not getting any bigger?’ is one of the most often questions asked globally from bodybuilders. After all you are training hard, with good muscle building nutrition in your diet, yet your gains are still minimal. Your motivation can be dramatically reduced by the sense of frustration after months of effort. So precisely what is the answer? Well, there are a few likely causes, see if any of these ring a bell with you, together they show you how to build muscle up:

1) Are you eating enough? Under eaters could be the real name for many hardgainers. As this really is a massive cause of lack of muscle mass. In bodybuilding the key to weight gain is eating, lots and often! Eating every two hours is a good guideline and will enable you to take on board as many calories as possible. Make sure you snack lots on food such as: dried fruit and nuts, yoghurt, cottage cheese,  cereal and milk, protein bars, fresh fruit, and protein shakes, etc

2) Are you getting enough protein? To build muscle mass fast you should aim for 1.Each day you should get per pound of body weight 5 grams of protein. Superb source of protein for muscle building are: chicken, fish, turkey as well as dairy products. You need the excess calories in order to grow so don’t be overly worried about purchasing the low fat type. of course you require decent quality calories but you can do a ripping stage at a later date to remove excess body fat. Taking whey protein shakes  is another great way to get on board quality protein, purchase the big 5 pound tubs to get the most for your money.

3) Have your routines become unproductive? If you can dictate out loud your session off the cuff then that likely means you have been using the same workout for a decent length of time already. Lots of variety is required in order to keep your muscles growing. Trying playing around with things like drop sets, partials, negatives, aided lifts and such like. You can even just reverse the order of your routine and see what difference that makes, how about 10 sets of 10 reps to failure on just one major exercise such as the bench press (get ready to be sore!) how about taking a week off from your session to allow your body to completely recover. As you can see there are endless variations, make sure you use them.

4) Are you managing to take enough rest? Did you ever see anyone walk into a fitness centre workout and then come out having put on half a stone of muscle? Never. Clearly then you build muscle mass when you are at home and not when you are lifting barbells. You will certainly be limiting your muscle growth if you are not getting enough rest time. If anything you ought to be giving yourself too much time to grow rather than too little. Try reducing your workouts to working out once muscle group per week. Also reducing the number of sets per body part, how about a maximum of 3-5 really intense sets per body part per workout. Why not try them yourself, you might be pleasantly suprised by your progress!

5) Is your water intake high enough? You will limit your progress if you don’t get an adequate supply of water. To build muscle mass copious amount of water is required. Carry a bottle with you in the car and never stop drinking from it.

So the initial question: ‘Why am I not getting bigger?’as you now know has potentially many answers. Answer with extreme honesty the above questions and if you need to make a few changes then do so. If you are not hitting just one of the above guidelines then you may possibly have found the probelm underlying your limited growth. If there are more than one of these points that your bodybuilding lifestyle does not meet then urgent change is required. Of course there are heaps of other reasons why you might not be growing but the above are the usual culprits. Now go pump some iron and start growing!