Posts tagged muscle building
Pectoral Exercises
Aug 20th
Pectoral Exercises build up the chest muscle group, the pectoralis major, which is the largest muscle group in the upper body. The chest requires a great many very specific exercises to work the upper, lower and inner pecs. A good looking chest really sets off the appearance of a physique.
One thing which every bodybuilder knows is that if you want to build new muscle, you have to do two things: get plenty of protein in your diet and use exercise start developing. As a bodybuilder, your diet needs to contain at least 25% protein and around 40% unrefined carbs from natural sources. The rest of your diet should consist of fiber-rich foods and healthy fats.
One of your workouts each week should focus on pectoral exercises. While you'll actually work other muscle groups at the same time, pectoral exercises are the goal here. You'll use body resistance exercises, dumbbells and barbells in these exercises.
The pectoral exercises should be performed in the order of descending strength of the muscle parts. In other words, begin with the exercise for which you use the heaviest poundage. Then work down the ladder from there.
For intermediate bodybuilders, these exercises should generally be done in three sets consisting of eight to ten reps. If you're more advanced in your bodybuilding, then you may want to do four or five sets of six to eight repetitions instead, using heavier weights.
Bench Press, with Barbell, Wide-grip
Lie on the bench, feet flat on the floor and your back kept flat against the bench. Grasp the bar with your hands double shoulder width apart and lower to your upper chest. Pause for a second and then return the bar to its overhead position.
Do one set as a warm up with a medium weight; the rest of the sets should be eight to ten reps with as much weight as you can handle.
Keep your back against the bench throughout and use smooth, slow movements - arching your back or lifting your buttocks off the bench can strain your neck and cause injury.
Front Barbell Raise, Incline Bench
Using an incline bench and a lighter weight barbell, begin with the barbell grasped palms down and your arms facing straight down. Raise the weight smoothly overhead, continuing until your arms are extended behind your head.
Dumbbell Flies, Flat Bench
Lie back on the bench, using medium bells on each side. Hold the bells straight up and then lower them, bending slightly at the elbow until your arms are parallel to the floor. Make sure not to hyperextend your shoulders during this one and lower the dumbbells slowly and smoothly.
Incline Press with Barbell, Wide-Grip
Start with your barbell overhead and lower to your upper chest, then repeat. For this exercise, use a weight which is heavy enough that your muscles are exhausted after 8 to 10 repetitions.
Decline Press with Barbell, Wide-Grip
Start with your arms at a 90 degree angle to the floor. Lower the barbell down to your neck slowly and repeat 8 to 10 times - remember to lower the barbell slowly as you do this one.
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Begin the move with the dumbbells straight overhead and then lower them to your chest keeping your elbows high and your upper arm nearly parallel with your shoulders. Use heavy dumbbells for eight to ten reps.
Flat Bench Dumbbell Pullover Press Lateral
Use medium heavy bells for this exercise. Rotate the dumbbells past your head and down towards the floor, then lift the weights back to your chest and over your head in a single smooth movement. Follow this movement with a lateral fly while bending your elbows at a 45 degree angle.
Push-Ups Hands Together
Push-ups are an exercise we're all familiar with. Just perform standard push-ups slowly, doing as many reps as you can.
And that completes your pectoral exercise workout. Bring on those ripped chest muscles!
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How P90X May Help Advance Your Weight Loss Efforts
Aug 16th
There are any number of weight loss systems available but the P90X offers an advantage. The one thing that makes many people lose their motivation once they have started to work at losing weight is hitting a plateau. No one wants to sacrifice their favorite sweets and snacks, workout regularly and not see results.
At the start of any program the results are what keeps a person moving from one week to the next. It is what makes any food sacrifices worth it. Just as any program starts out great, it inevitably will come to a time where it stops working. This is called the weight loss plateau. Cross training is suggested to keep it from happening but it is not enough.
The system was designed to combat that, so there is never a plateau. The creator calls it muscle confusion. The body usually gets used to a certain exercise and stops responding. With muscle confusion the muscles are consistently challenged. This system comes with 12 sets of exercises that keep the muscles working. These exercises are constantly changing never giving the muscles time to get used to them.
Not only will it find it impossible to get used to, the mind will never be bored. This can lead to less mindfulness of movement and loss of proper form. One DVD is dedicated to the art of Kenpo. There is also one that uses yoga. Each exercise helps develop new and more ways to move and use the body. The Kenpo and yoga both focus on balance but Kenpo will increase endurance. Yoga increases flexibility. They both increase strength.
Plyometrics is used as well. This is also a cardio work out but it uses jumping. It may not sound like much but this requires serious muscle control. Think of not just jumping, but doing so with a soft landing on the balls of your feet. Stretching is just as important as the exercises since it helps prevent injuries and there is a segment just for stretching.
When starting it is not always possible to do all the exercises. This is especially true when they are consistently changing, never giving the user the time to become accustomed to them. Each of the routines has modified versions of the different exercises. In this way the user is still motivated to keep doing the work and can be proud of their progress.
One thing to remember is that taking on this program does not only mean weight loss. It is also about developing stronger and leaner muscles. It can mean transforming your body no matter the age. That is not to say that it will necessarily be dramatic but if the routines are followed there should be a noticeable change within the 90 days.
Along with the exercise DVDs there is a calendar showing what routines to do on what day and allowing progress tracking. A set of dumbbells will be needed as will a pull up bar. There is a nutrition guide included because the right fuel is needed for the new fitness level being gained. The guide has three steps. Each step matches a month of workouts. A well balanced diet and exercise are always the words used to describe how to lose weight. Both are included in the P90X.
Are you trying to lose weight? That can be hard to do, but p90x has been proven to work. Take a look at the p90x reviews and see what you think for yourself - but we warn you, it might make you want to get it.
Body Building As A Means For Whole Life Betterment
Jul 21st
We are all familiar the negative images people have of extreme forms of body building. Even within the fitness community, body building is looked down upon as mere body decoration. Not often appreciated are the many benefits to the mind, spirit, and body a well designed program incorporates.
But don't rush into the gym without considering carefully the approach you should take. No exercise regime is considered in isolation, there is always a motivating factor. Therefore, it is worth spending some time thinking about what your motivation is. The obvious goal of many body builders is to shape their body into a more physically powerful form. But you may want to apply yourself to improving the performance of a part of your body that needs developing for your sport. Or you may want to have improved muscle tone and leanness. Decide on what your goal is, and build your program around that goal.
The first thing that is required to be developed when you start body building is a sense of self-discipline. Achieving the tone, form and power that you aspire to in your body necessitates subjecting yourself to a regular, carefully designed and consistent regime of exercise. This can only be maintained with rigor of the mind as well as of body. Make sure your sessions are at the same time, so that attending becomes a habit. You want to avoid making your sessions a choice.
The second thing that you enhance during any body building program is metabolic response. The type and intensity of loading on you body's muscular tissue determines the energy load expectations of that tissue. Slow, intense stretching is less disruptive to cell tissues, and has been shown to improve energy efficiency in the cells Mitochondria. Yoga and Pilate's involve this sort of slow build approach to developing musculature.
If you are concerned about adding muscle mass, you may look towards weights orientated plan. If so, you will find your body responding by demanding much higher levels of protein and energy. Such and approach necessarily involves high stress to muscular tissue. It is the stimulation of muscle repair and growth that make intense gym based body building so metabolically demanding.
Weightlifting requires a plan to increase consumption of protein, and high energy foodstuffs. This extra energy burden will need to be satisfied even when you move out of the ramp up stage of your exercise cycle.
Aerobic fitness is not something typically associated with body builders, but both weight based and stretch based regimes positively stress the cardiovascular system, and raise your aerobic performance.
And finally, exercises undertaken will have massive benefits to your sense of well being- you will be less stressed, more in control, and more connected to your body than you might expect. This leads to you being a happier individual.
Body building offers so much more than just the laying down of muscular mass - it is a route to improving your mental, physical, and spiritual well being.
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