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Six Ways A Flat Stomach Could Improve Your Life
Six Keys to Successful Bodybuilding
Gaining Mass - A different kind of weight problem
What is overtraining and how to avoid it
Nutrient needs for muscle building
Muscle Soreness and What You Can Do About It
30 of Bodybuilding's biggest lies!
The best time to burn calories
Discover how a fitness failure totally transformed his body and how you can, too.
The best way to train for size
Not to much (Are you working out to often)
Body Building Revealed
Guide and Bodybuilding Supplements Review
Build serious lean muscle in record time with a proven Body Building Revealed plan and discover exactly which bodybuilding supplements work and
which are no more than pure marketing hype, by sports nutrition and supplements
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Six Ways a Flat Stomach Could Improve Your Life
In gyms, playing fields, beaches, and bedrooms across the country, our bodies
are constantly being measured. And in dressing room mirrors and on bathroom
scales, we're constantly measuring ourselves. But let's set aside those vanity
measurements and concentrate on measuring ourselves by a different set of
criteria-the number of fat cells we're carrying.
The average American has about 30 billion fat cells; each of them is filled with
greasy substances called lipids. When you pump doughnuts, corn chips, and fried
Snickers bars into your system, those fat cells can expand-up to 1,000 times
their original size. But a fat cell can get only so big; once it reaches its
physical limit, it starts to behave like a long-running sitcom. It creates
spin-offs, leaving you with two or more fat cells for the price of one. Only
problem: Fat cells have a no-return policy. Once you have a fat cell, you're
stuck with it. So as you grow fatter and double the number of fat cells in your
body, you also double the difficulty you'll have losing the lipids inside them.
Many of us tend to store fat in our bellies, and that's where the health dangers
of excess weight begin. Abdominal fat doesn't just sit there and do nothing;
it's active. It functions like a separate organ, releasing substances that can
be harmful to your body. For instance, it releases free fatty acids that impair
your ability to break down the hormone insulin (too much insulin in your system
can lead to diabetes). Fat also secretes substances that increase your risk of
heart attacks and strokes, as well as the stress hormone cortisol (high levels
of cortisol are also associated with diabetes and obesity as well as with high
blood pressure). Abdominal fat bears the blame for many health problems because
it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other
organs-pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily
function.
Now take the person with a six-pack. He's the icon of strength and good health.
He's lean; he's strong; he looks good in clothes; he looks good without clothes.
Defined abs, in many ways, have defined fitness. But they define something else:
They're the hallmark of a person who's in control of his body and, as such, in
control of his health.
While some people may think that working toward abs of armor is shallower than a
kiddy pool, there's nothing wrong with striving for a six-pack. Of course,
defined abs make you look good-and make others feel good about the way you look,
too. (Take heed, men: In one survey, 32 percent of women said that abs are the
muscles most likely to make them melt; the next closest was biceps at 17
percent.) And for good reason: When you have abs, you're telling the world that
you're a disciplined, motivated, confident, and healthy person-and hence a
desirable partner. And sometimes a little vanity can be good for your health: In
a recent Canadian study of more than 8,000 people, researchers found that over
13 years, those with the weakest abdominal muscles had a death rate more than
twice as high of those with the strongest midsections. Such research upholds the
notion that strong abs do more than turn heads at the beach. In fact, your
abdominal muscles control more of your body than you may even realize-and have
just as much substance as show. In short, here are my top five reasons why
striving for a six-pack is going to make your life better.
Abs Will Help You Live Longer
Study after study shows that the people with the largest waist sizes have the
most risk of life-threatening disease. The evidence couldn't be more convincing.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a waistline larger than 40
inches for men signals significant risk of heart disease and diabetes. The
Canadian Heart Health Surveys, published in 2001, looked at 9,913 people ages 18
to 74 and concluded that for maximum health, a guy needs to keep his waist size
at no more than 35 inches (a little less for younger guys, a little more for
older ones). When your waist grows larger than 35 inches, you're at higher risk
of developing two or more risk factors for heart disease. And when researchers
examined data from the Physicians' Health Study that has tracked 22,701 male
physicians since 1982, they found that men whose waists measured more than 36.8
inches had a significantly elevated risk for myocardial infarction, or heart
attack, in which an area of the heart muscle dies or is permanently damaged by a
lack of bloodflow. Men with the biggest bellies were at 60 percent higher risk.
Now the real scary part: The average American man's waist size is a ponderous
38.8 inches, up from 37.5 in 1988, according to the journal Obesity Research.
The same sad truth holds for women, too: A woman with a flabby midsection is at
increased risk for the same health problems. And American women have seen their
weight rise just as men have.
Of course, abs don't guarantee you a get-out-of-the-hospital-free card, but
studies show that by developing a strong abdominal section, you'll reduce body
fat and significantly cut the risk factors associated with many diseases, not
just heart disease. For example, the incidence of cancer among obese patients is
33 percent higher than among lean ones, according to a Swedish study. The World
Health Organization estimates that up to one-third of cancers of the colon,
kidney, and digestive tract are caused by being overweight and inactive. And
having an excess of fat around your gut is especially dangerous. See, cancer is
caused by mutations that occur in cells as they divide. Fat tissue in your
abdomen spurs your body to produce hormones that prompt your cells to divide.
More cell division means more opportunities for cell mutations, which means more
cancer risk.
A lean waistline also heads off another of our most pressing health
problems-diabetes. Currently, 13 million Americans have been diagnosed with
adult-onset diabetes, and many more go undiagnosed. Fat, especially belly fat,
bears the blame. There's a misconception that diabetes comes only from eating
too much refined sugar, like the kind in chocolate and ice cream. But people
contract diabetes after years of eating high-carbohydrate foods that are easily
converted into sugar-foods like white bread, pasta, and mashed potatoes.
Scarfing down a basket of bread and a bowl of pasta can do the same thing to
your body that a carton of ice cream does: flood it with sugar calories. The
calories you can't burn are what converts into fat cells that pad your gut and
leaves you with a disease that, if untreated, can lead to impotence, blindness,
heart attacks, strokes, amputation, and death. And that, my friend, can really
ruin your day.
Upper-body obesity is also the most significant risk factor for obstructive
sleep apnea, a condition in which the soft tissue in the back of your throat
collapses during sleep, blocking your airway. When that happens, your brain
signals you to wake up and to start breathing again. As you nod off once more,
the same thing happens, and it can continue hundreds of times during the
night-making you chronically groggy and unable to get the rest your body needs.
(You won't remember waking up over and over again; you'll just wonder why 8
hours of sleep left you dragging.) Fat's role is that it can impede muscles that
inflate and ventilate the lungs, forcing you to work harder to get enough air.
When Australian researchers studied 313 patients with severe obesity, they found
that 62 percent of them with a waist circumference of 49 inches or more had a
serious sleep disturbance and that 28 percent of obese patients with smaller
waists (35 to 49 inches) had sleep problems. Being overweight also puts you at
risk for a lot of other conditions that rob you of a good night's rest,
including asthma and gastroesophageal reflux. When Dutch researchers studied
nearly 6,000 men, they found that even those whose waistlines measured a
relatively modest 37 to 40 inches had a significantly increased risk of
respiratory problems, such as wheezing, chronic coughing, and shortness of
breath. All of this can create an ugly cycle: Abdominal fat leads to poor sleep.
Poor sleep means you drag through your day. Sluggish and tired, your body craves
some quick energy, so you snack on some high-calorie junk food. That extra junk
food leads to more abdominal fat, which leads to . . . well, you get the
picture.
I could fill this whole book with evidence, but I'm going to boil it down to one
sentence: A smaller waist equals fewer health risks.
Keep You Safe from Harm
In school, you were taught the story of Mrs. O'Leary's cow and how, with one
awkward misstep, the lumbering bovine knocked over an oil lamp that started the
Great Chicago Fire and burned much of that toddlin' town to the ground. That
tragedy happened at a time when most urban housing was still built with wood.
Today, such a disaster is unthinkable-and not just because we don't let cows
into the living room anymore. It's unthinkable because the infrastructure of
today's cities is built with steel-steel that stands up to fire, to earthquakes,
to hurricanes.
Think of your midsection as your body's infrastructure. You don't want a core
made of dry, brittle wood or straw. You want one made of solid steel, one that
will give you a layer of protection that belly fat never could.
Consider a U.S. Army study that linked powerful abdominal muscles to injury
prevention. After giving 120 artillery soldiers the standard army fitness test
of situps, pushups, and a 2-mile run, researchers tracked their lower-body
injuries (such as lower-back pain and Achilles tendonitis) during a year of
field training. The 29 men who cranked out the most situps (73 in 2 minutes)
were five times less likely to suffer lower-body injuries than the 31 who barely
notched 50. But that's not the most striking element. The men who performed well
in the pushups and 2-mile run enjoyed no such protection-suggesting that
upper-body strength and cardiovascular endurance had little effect on keeping
bodies sound. It was abdominal strength that offered the protection. Unlike any
other muscles in your body, a strong core affects the functioning of the entire
body. Whether you ski, sail, wrestle with the kids, or fool around with a
partner, your abs are the most essential muscles for keeping you from injury.
The stronger they are, the stronger-and safer-you are.
Abs Will Strengthen Your Back
I had a friend who threw out his back maybe two or three times a year. He always
did it in the simplest way-sleeping a little awkwardly or getting out of a chair
too quickly. One time, he pulled it out reaching into the back seat of his car
to get something his young daughter had dropped. The pain once stabbed him so
badly that he collapsed to the ground while he was standing at a urinal. (Go
ahead. Imagine that.) His problem wasn't that he had a bad back; it was that he
had weak abs. If he had trained them regularly, he could've kept himself from
being one of the millions of men who suffer from back pain every year. (And yes,
he started the Abs Diet Workout a year ago, and within weeks his back pain
virtually disappeared.)
Since most back pain is related to weak muscles in your trunk, maintaining a
strong midsection can help resolve many back issues. The muscles that crisscross
your midsection don't function in isolation; they weave through your torso like
a spider web, even attaching to your spine. When your abdominal muscles are
weak, the muscles in your butt (your glutes) and along the backs of your legs
(your hamstrings) have to compensate for the work your abs should be doing. The
effect, besides promoting bad company morale for the muscles picking up the
slack, is that it destabilizes the spine and eventually leads to back pain and
strain-or even more serious back problems.
Abs Will Limit Your Aches and Pains
As you age, it's common to experience some joint pain-most likely in your knees,
but maybe around your feet and ankles, too. But the source of that pain might
not be weak joints; it might be weak abs-especially if you're any kind of
athlete, from the serious golfer to the I-pull-my-groin-every-time Thanksgiving
Day football player. When you're playing sports, your abdominal muscles help
stabilize your body during start-and-stop movements, like changing direction on
the football field or tennis court. If you have weak abdominal muscles, your
joints absorb all the force from those movements. It's kind of like trampoline
physics. Jump in the center, and the mat will absorb your weight and bounce you
back in the air. Jump toward the side of the trampoline, where the mat meets the
frame, and you'll bust the springs. Your body is sort of like a trampoline, with
your abs as the center of the mat and your joints as the supports that hold the
mat to the frame. If your abs are strong enough to absorb some shock, you'll
function well. If they're not, the force puts far more pressure on your joints
than they were built to withstand.
Similar protection benefits extend to people who aren't athletes, too. That
Dutch study of nearly 6,000 men found that those with waist circumferences above
40 inches were more likely to have a condition called Sever's disease, which
causes heel pain, and to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful hand and
wrist condition. One study even found that 70 percent of people with carpal
tunnel syndrome were either overweight or obese.
Abs Will Help You Win
If you play golf, basketball, naked Twister, or any sport that requires
movement, your essential muscle group isn't your chest, biceps, or legs. It's
your core-the muscles in your torso and hips. Developing core strength gives you
power. It fortifies the muscles around your whole midsection and trains them to
provide the right amount of support when you need it. So if you're weak off the
tee, strong abs will improve your distance. But if you also play stop-and-start
sports like tennis or basketball, abs can improve your game tremendously. Though
speed is the buzzword TV analysts like to use to differentiate between Hall of
Famers and practice-squad players, athletic success isn't really about speed.
It's really about accelerating and decelerating. How fast can you go from a
stopped position at point A to stopping at point B? Your legs don't control
that; your abs do. When researchers studied what muscles were the first to
engage in these types of sports movements, they found that the abs fired first.
The stronger they are, the faster you'll get to the ball.
By: David Zinczenko
Six Keys to Successful Bodybuilding
To make clear the simplicity of bodybuilding I've arranged a list of six basic keys to successful training. They're nothing new and read like the same stuff in any motivational book on the market today. Yet they offer valuable insight and are essential to getting started and sticking to it.
Set a realistic goal - short and long term.
Plan an orderly and thorough routine to train the entire body.
Make a commitment to stick to your routine for 4-5 weeks - - to begin to see changes and benefits, develop perseverance and create a habit.
Enthusiasm for training must be recognized as the main and driving force to perform successfully.
Ease into a training program with a wholesome, thoughtful nutritional plan - proper food, order and amount of consumption.
Be confident from the beginning that the application of these sound principles will produce the desired results.
Goal Setting
Be realistic in your goal setting. It's important from the very beginning and throughout your training to experience victory in each and every workout. Ease into your training with good energy, being careful not to overload yourself and fall victim to mental and physical burnout. Planning to look like Rambo by the end of summer will be frustrating and you may give up your training entirely.
Order in Training
Decide how much time you have to devote to your training - how many hours per day and how many days per week. Based on this schedule, design an orderly and efficient routine that includes only basic exercises. Working your mid-section first, followed by chest, back shoulders, biceps, triceps and legs is always a good rule of thumb. Choose two exercises per
bodypart, three to four sets of 8 to 12 reps with a day's rest between muscle groups if you're just getting started.
In organizing an exercise program, keep your eyes and ears open. Scan the Web, magazines and books, visit the gyms and get input from your friends and mentors. An orderly and intelligent training routine is the major tool in achieving your bodybuilding goals.
Commitment
We now come to commitment, the Big Power Switch of our mental mechanism to see if we have the juice to crank over the engine and keep it running. Commitment is your personal promise - your word of honor - to realize your challenge and is vital in aspiration. The naturally occurring ingredients of commitment are consistency, persistence and determination. These gut disciplines engaged with patience and faith set you in positive motion toward your muscular goals.
Enthusiasm
Each workout is a unique and separate experience unto itself. Events of the day, mood, energy levels and tensions effect every performance differently. Gather up as much enthusiasm as possible before each workout so you enter the gym with energy and a positive attitude. Your training must not become drudgery or a chore that has to be done. This is negative energy, producing negative results and must be willfully resisted.
Pace and Attitude
Keep your workouts tight and efficient, leaving no room for boredom or idle thought. You should quickly develop a mature training attitude allowing no interruptions in the flow of exercise from start to finish. This is not to suggest that you hurry in your training. A hurried attitude produces anxiety, nervousness and agitation, resulting in negative performance and loss of concentration. Quite the opposite, here I encourage a steady lean on your training - setting a vigorous pace that reflects excitement, confidence and determination.
Become totally involved with each workout, each set and each rep. Focus on the performance of the exercise, the muscles involved and the feelings that result. Look for your particular groove and sense the burn. Training form is your priority and practice makes perfect. Learn to lift weights smoothly, sacrificing the poundage used to gain quality in your performance. Don't be anxious to overload your body and struggle to lift more than you can handle. This will create poor style and result in disappointment. These register as failures and drain your resources.
Once the basic foundation has settled, good work habits have developed and your groove has been established, you're on your way and ready to grow.
(by Dave Draper)
High Intensity Interval Training
Why Power Cardio? Because this type of training is one of the best things you can do to build power, muscle mass, speed, strength, endurance, and lose fat! Proper power cardio can give you the best of all worlds.
A brief explanation of this training is that you do just that - train in intervals, by alternating a brief period of exercise with a brief period of rest.
And the overall length of your workout are much briefer in duration than your typical aerobic sessions.
Power Cardio will -
1 - Burn more calories by elevating your metabolism so you lose fat faster
2 - Increase your power
3 - Increase your speed
4 - Increase your endurance
No matter what your fitness goals, power cardio is one of the best ways of helping you achieve them. And the variations are endless. You can vary the interval training parameters (exercise to rest ratio, number of intervals) to make the workouts harder or easier, depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
You can also use any number of exercises for your training, such as cycling, sprinting, treadmill, elliptical trainers, jump rope, rope climbing, hill sprints, and more.
Don't continue doing endless hours of aerobics that aren't helping you reach your goals anyway. Get more out of your cardio workouts by performing interval training.
If you want to build muscle, lose fat and get fit fast, you need to add power cardio to your program.
Here's a couple of great interval training programs that I like.
Luckily for me, I have a hill just down the road that is perfect for interval training. I jog over to the hill.
This takes about 4 - 5 minutes and serves perfectly as my warm up. Then I sprint up the hill to the top. This takes me about 15 - 20 seconds. I turn around and walk back down, which serves as my rest interval. I then repeat for a certain number of intervals and the jog (or walk) home serves as my cool down.
Another great interval training program is jump rope. You may need to practice a bit on this one. After a brief warm up, I will jump rope as fast as I can for about 10-20 seconds, followed by a slower cadence for about half a minute.
This form of interval training is brutal and will get your heart rate up fast! You won't last long on this program.
Always warm up before starting your intervals. If you're not in the best of shape break into it lightly, starting with more low or moderate intensity cardio. You might also want to check with your doctor. No sense in getting hurt.
Gaining Mass - A Different Kind of Weight Problem
This is for you poor souls that just can't seem to gain a pound. And on top of that, you get no sympathy from the scores of people that want to lose weight and have no idea why you'd complain about not being able to put weight on.
They think you're the lucky one, eating whatever you want without gaining weight. Little do they know that you are just as frustrated without gaining mass as they are with not being able to lose weight!
For those of you who desperately want to add muscle, you know how frustrating it can be to train hard and stay skinny. You wish your problem was losing weight instead of gaining mass.
You need to eat more calories than you burn off and use an effective trainig program designed to add pounds of muscle to your skinny frame.
Of course, there is more to it than that, but that is the bottom line. It does matter, however, what kind of calories you eat, and when you eat them.
Eating candy bars and drinking sugar laden sodas may help you in gaining mass but that mass will be fat, not muscle. And then you'll wish you were skinny again. You need to not only take in enough calories but you need to take in the right calories that will help your body achieve an anabolic (muscle building) state, and minimize fat storage.
You need to constantly feed your body high quality protein at a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Hard weight training causes your body to crave muscle building nutrients, protein being the primary nutrient that it needs.
As a naturally skinny guy myself I can tell you from experience that I have a very difficult time gaining mass unless I am taking in at least 1.5 grams of high quality
protein every day.
Make sure you eat at least six meals a day. This will help your body utilize the nutrients more efficiently, including minimizing fat storage by avoiding excessively large meals that send your body signals that there might be a famine pending, causing body fat storage to accelerate.
Most people who have trouble gaining mass aren't taking in as many quality calories as they think. Consider keeping track of your calorie intake and make adjustments as you go, shooting for a gain of 1 to 2 pounds gained per week.
If you are gaining mass at a rate of 1 pound of quality muscle per week, you will transform your appearance in a matter of a few months.
Constantly monitoring your calorie intake, body weight, and skin fold caliper measurements will help you pinpoint the number of calories you need to consume to build muscle.
For Gaining Mass - Max Out Your Mass and Strength Most of use were taugh to warm up over several sets while decreasing the number of repetitions. For example, start with a set of 15-20 reps on the bench press, add weight, do another set of 10 - 12 reps and possibly even a third set of this number.
Finally, the work begins and you add weight for a fairly hard set of 8 - 10 reps. Increase the weight for a hard set of 6 - 8 reps and possibly one last hard set of 5 - 6 reps. Here's the problem I have with routines like this (which is most routines).
You're working hard enough on the warm ups to begin wearing yourself out, yet not hard enough to have a positive impact on your progress,
i.e., strength and muscle mass gains.
Your warm up should be designed to do just enough to prevent injury and allow you to work out as hard as you can with the heaviest weight possible for your working sets. If you workout in the manner I described and you switch to warming up just enough, you'll find yourself lifting heavier weights for more reps than you were previously using.
This will increase the intensity, signaling your body that it needs to increase its muscle mass to cope with the new stress.
This may take some experimenting but here are a couple of examples to give you an idea. Let's say you want to use 225 pounds on your working set of bench presses.
Start out with a very light set of 8 - 10 reps with 100 pounds, then do 3 reps with 145 and another 2 reps with 190. Rest a minute or 2 and then do your work set with 225. Those 3 warm up sets are done without any rest, except the time it takes to change the weights on the bar.
Let's say you want to Squat with 300 lbs.
Do 8 - 10 reps with 135, followed by 3 reps with 205, 2 reps with 255 and maybe 1 rep with 275. Rest a minute or 2 and then do your work set with 300 lbs. Again, you'll need to experiment with what it takes to get you physically and mentally prepared for your work set but try using this warm up method and see if your top end
poundage's don't improve.
Sure, there are ways to gain muscle without becoming much stronger and ways to become stronger without adding muscle but all things being equal you need to become stronger to succeed in gaining mass in the form of new muscle.
To sum up, do minimal reps on the warm up sets, don't rest between warm up sets, and then go to your top weight on your work sets.
Gregg Gillies
Fast
Gains
The proverbial question: what's the fastest way to gain muscle? That question
can be answered in a number of ways, but the best way (not the easiest!) is
going to be discussed in this article. Click
Here to read article.
What is "Overtraining" and How to Avoid It
Overtraining is the trainee's number one "enemy" next to training injuries. Overtraining results from an imbalance between the amount of stress applied to your body, and your ability to adapt to it. Overtraining results in losses in size and strength and actually also increases the probability of illness.
Here is a list of some of the symptoms of overtraining:
Decreased muscle size and strength
Longer-than-average recovery time after a workout
Elevated waking pulse rate
Elevated morning blood pressure
Increased joint and muscle aches
Headaches
Hand tremors
Tiredness
Listlessness
Insomnia
Loss or decrease in appetite
Injury
Illness
So what biochemical mechanism leads to this overtrained state?
After the onset of high-intensity training exercise the body pumps out cortisol which breaks down protein into their constituent amino acids and routes them to the liver for conversion to glucose.
The longer the workout, the more cortisol is pumped in and the more protein is destroyed.
This causes a "catabolic state" as the largest supply of protein lies in the muscles so that is where the cortisol goes first.
Research by Costill and Nieman et al., has shown that one hour of intense strength training will increase the protein stores in our immune and skeletal systems, but that any further training will only begin to deplete these stores.
Overtraining can force the body into a weakened physical state, which, at best can produce a cold or the flu and, at worst, can tear muscles ligaments, and tendons once these bodyparts lose their structural integrity protein loss.
The culprit is a built-in "survival" drug hormone called cortisol. Immediately following a high intensity effort, the body pumps out this hormone whose function is simple: It carries off the proteins to the liver, where they are converted into glucose, for energy use in the body.
Why does this weaken our defense mechanisms? Because all our immune systems are based on proteins, and the influx of control in our biological mix steals the proteins that make up our immune system.
Nieman, a researcher at Loma Linda University found that athletes who train twice as intensely as normally prescribed will wind up with twice as many colds, and viruses.
Nieman investigated the athletes for cortisol. He found that astonishingly, after only ONE grueling strength training session, their bodies revealed a 60% increase in cortisol production.
Among the first proteins to go were the T-cells that make up our front line of defense against viruses. This watchdog system was depleted by more than 30 percent. However, this shortfall lasted only 6-8 hrs.
So you're probably thinking "What's the big deal? Is putting your body at risk for only 6-8 hours such a high price to pay?"
Well, Nieman and other researchers found that after a few days of such exercising, the "at risk" time became longer and longer, until the T-cells stopped rejuvenation.
In addition, the body's first line of defense against bacteria and viruses an antibody known as
IgA, which is found in the saliva, was reduced to nearly non-protective levels.
The conclusion of the researchers was that athletes can overtrain themselves into illness.
Thus the logical conclusion would be that high intensity strength training should be limited to one hour or less to restrict the amount of protein destruction.
Other ways to reduce the risk of overtraining:
Emphasize carbohydrates: make them 60-70% of your total diet.
Take carbohydrates two hours prior to exercising and immediately following exercise. Research has shown that your fatigued muscles seem most responsive to energy storage within the first 30 minutes following your workout. There is a lesser response for the next 10 hours.
Take protein one to two hours before and immediately following exercise. Again I use regular food, but I see no problem with supplementation to save time (at the expense of more money however). Research has also shown your body to be more receptive to protein immediately following a workout.
Continue eating high carbohydrate foods every 2 hours during the first 4 to 6 hours after hard training. During the first 6 hours post-exercise, simple sugars appear to replace muscle glycogen better than complex carbohydrates.
Post-exercise muscle glycogen storage can be enhanced with a combination carbohydrate-protein supplement as a result of the interaction of carbohydrate and protein on insulin secretion. The addition of protein with carbohydrates can allow for a more rapid return recovery.
Drink a rehydration beverage during and after exercise, for example, Gatorade.
Take periodic layoffs.
Use the best "miracle supplement" there is - WATER. You can't "overdose" on water. The worst side effect you can get as mentioned previously, is a few more trips to the washroom. Your body functions optimally when it is fully hydrated. A general recommendation is to consume at least 128 ounces (one gallon) of water a day. During hot weather you should double or triple this amount.
LEAVE YOUR WORKOUT IN THE GYM. Give your undivided attention to your training when your in the gym. But when you're outside the gym, cast your attention to other things in life. Establish your other priorities, set goals, and keep busy. There are many athletes who fall into the trap of letting their mind continually dwell on training. Train hard when your in the gym, but try and relax more when your not. Stress has been shown to increase levels of CORTISOL in the body - the catabolic hormone, so try to find ways to manage stress in your life and relax, and your results will be improved.
Nutrient Needs for Muscle Building
Nutrient |
Recommended Daily Intake for Muscle Building |
|
Calories |
Men: 24-27 calories per lb Women: 20-23 calories per lb |
|
Protein |
0.6-0.8 grams per lb |
|
Carbohydrates |
4.0 grams per lb 4.5 grams per lb (if cross-training) |
|
Fat |
16%-20% of calories |
|
Fluids |
1 quart per 1,000 calories |
Overview
Aspirin except from a magical drug, can be used in bodybuilding too, as a supplement. I've heard many users, especially powerlifters, but bodybuilders as well, who swear on aspirin as a magical supplement. As in everything, here are advantages and disadvantages of using aspirin. I begin with the advantages.
The main advantage of aspirin is that, as all painkillers, do not let you feel pain. So, now you can really workout in the pain zone without feeling a lot of pain. No pain no gain they say, with aspirin that changes to no pain, good gain. Note that aspirin is used as a supplement as follows. You take one pill 1 hour before hitting the gym and that's it.
The disadvantage of aspirin is the same as the advantage. It blocks pain. Pain is used by the body so the brain can notice that something is going wrong. Except from the pain that lactic acid buildup causes, there is another source of pain in bodybuilding. Injury. Unfortunately, painkillers such as aspirin, block this kind of pain too.
Also it may be dangerous when taken in conjunction with other supplements. I know some cocktails that are not so healthy.
My opinion.
I don't use aspirin as a supplement for bodybuilding. This is because.
When I'm causing myself pain, I want to know it or else something may be wrong.
Except from exercise pain there is injury pain too. Imagine to hurt yourself and continue to exercise !.
I do not feel the working muscle, as much as I want at least. Painkiller gets in the way.
There may be ligaments pain that I'm not aware of.
Do not like to take even aspirin in an almost daily basis. After all, aspirin is a drug too.
When performing a lot of reps, pain restricts me. If it doesn't then maybe I will cause damage.
I have worked out using aspirin in the past , for three workouts. I just couldn't feel the muscle well. In the third workout I had, I was doing calf raises for 20 reps or so. I performed them with 45 pounds more than usual and when I felt pain, I said to myself, o.k. that's it you've just had a great workout. Then I got home and did everything else I had to do. The next day I couldn't even walk. In fact I couldn't walk for almost an entire week. This was the first injury I had ever had, although I was very lucky and after the 6th day I went back to gym and everything was O.K.
Outro
If you are about to start using aspirin in this way, or you already have for some time, rethink it. Actually working out in the pain zone is not that bad at all, in fact it is good to know that you can beat your pain and make progress.
If you must take aspirin in order to workout, because of previous injuries or current ones, then I'm sorry this is no solution. I see bodybuilders, usually of older age (30-40), using aspirin and other painkillers, in order to workout. In fact someone of them just tore a biceps last week, and he is quitting for good this time
People that follow my articles know I generally write about nutrition, supplements, training, and other topics that are more science based than subjective, like interviews or contest coverage.
However, what most people don't know is early in my career, interviewing pro bodybuilders and covering contests was how I started out in the bodybuilding and fitness biz. In conjunction with Big Magazine, I decided
to go back to my roots and cover the 25th Anniversary of the IFBB Night of Champions held May 30th each year in New York City.
The Night of Champions (NOC) started in 1978 and is considered one of the top shows in professional bodybuilding, second only to the Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic in its importance and prestige. It's well known as the most 'hard core' pro show on the circuit, and the notorious NY crowds make it the loudest and most enthusiastic of bodybuilding shows you will ever attend.
Combine that with the background of Manhattan itself, one of the worlds truly great cities, and you have a must see show. I myself grew up in Brooklyn NY, so this was something of a 'returning to my roots trip' for me.
Cont: Click
Here
Because of many e-mails asking on how to diet to gain mass, I updated this page. It seems that there are a lot of people who just can't gain weight, at least they think so. So here it goes.
General Information
Simply eat
more, but not too much so you can become fat. Divide your meals to small ones, eating every two- three hours one meal in order to maximize nutrients absorption and that's it. Note that muscle mass comes from training and muscle growth is a very slow process. A very good athlete, when he starts can gain up to 22 pounds of raw muscle per year. If you can gain more in one year than this, go for the
Olympia, you really can do it. But in the mean time, don't forget that you cannot view the changes on your bodyweight day after day or even week by week. 22 pounds gain means average 26 grams of muscle gain every day of the year.
Usually before you can notice a weight gain, you notice an increment of the pounds you use. That's ok. This is what happens. If you are getting stronger but don't gain mass, don't wary the gains will surely come, that's is as it should be.
Another thing to do is not eat much fat in order to gain weight. You will gain but that will be fat and not muscle. Then when you'll start to diet for a contest or for beach, in order to lose the fat you gained, you will end up with less muscle than before.
Don't eat large meals, but frequent small ones. This is because your stomach will react in a way you can't imagine. It will give your brain the order not to eat so it can process the given food. Big meal => difficulty to process => a very long time needed. All this time you won't be able to eat. If you take small meals, you stomach will quickly absorb the nutrients and give the brain the order < more >, more muscle blasting nutrients. You get the idea. Eat small meals in every way.
Another thing to have in mind is to always take a good breakfast. This will give you enough energy to start your busy day. A good idea is to eat oatmeal in breakfast. Many pro bodybuilders do that, I do too as many of my bodybuilding friends. If you skip your breakfast, you lose. The body will break down muscle tissue (and burn fat) in order to supply the needed energy.
The Plan
Here is a plan how to gain weight. It is divided in steps.
1. Take a good book about the nutritional values of the most common foods available. A good book should not only tell you how many calories a food has, but also how much protein, carbos and fat. Since we talk about gaining weight, I won't write about protein requirements,
carbos/ protein/ fat percentages etc. I will only restrict to calories. For more info please refer to other pages on this site. Also, I must add, it is not needed to buy a book, you can download the nutritional values of the food you want from USDA database for free, if you have the time to.
2. Make a nutritional journal. It is not needed to be anything special, just take some blank pages and put them together and that's it. It is very important to have one, if you don't make one, the rest of what I will right, won't work.
3
Weight yourself at the start of the week, to see how heavy you are.
4.Don't change anything in your eating, at least for start. Eat as you used to eat, but record everything down on your nutritional journal. This is very important, keep in mind that, recording it down doesn't mean only to write what you eat, but also calculate at least the calories you consume. This must be carried daily. I know it is very hard, but it is a must.
5.At the end of the week measure your weight again. If you haven't gain weight, then it means that you just don't eat enough.
So add 500 calories daily.
6.Keep recording everything you eat, in a daily basis.
7.At the end of the week, measure your bodyweight again. If you haven't gain weight, then add 500 more calories daily, and so on.
8.When you start gaining weight continue recording everything you eat at least for another week. At the end of it stop recording. By now you should be able to know how much to eat in order to grow.
I know that recording everything you eat down is very difficult, but I think is needed. Unfortunately if you just can't gain any weight, and that's lasting for a long time, then it is a must to do it. After all, big problems need radical solutions.
With this tactic it is impossible not to gain weight !. Be careful though not to gain too much fat. Unfortunately raw muscle gains come very slow. A 10 pounds of muscle gain per year of serious training is what most trainees can achieve at best.
Here are some tips on weight training in general. They are nothing special, I think that the most are already known , especially if you are an experienced lifter. Anyway here it goes, you may never know, you may find something useful.
The key to built a lot of muscle is to train with strict form, feeling the weight on the muscle and taking the working sets to temporary muscle failure.
The key to built a freaking amount of mass is knowing when to cheat. This is in fact very difficult and can be achieved after a lot of training years. When cheating we want to increase the given stress up a bit. In any way, cheating a lot will result in injury and also is counterproductive for muscle growth.
Basic exercises are the best for building mass, machines on the other hand are not in any way. I think though, that it is beneficial from time to time to switch to machines in order for the body to get a break from heavy compound movements, big weights etc. Anyway, I wouldn't overdo it with machines.
Machines are a great way to finish a muscle, get the very last rep out of the targeted area.
By doing heavy compound movements for a given body part, this results in a synergistic effect that makes all other body parts to grow as well, even if they are not participating in the movement.
In contrary to what others believe, I strongly believe that higher reps are the best way to lose fat. That doesn't happen because of a mysterious effect that higher reps have on the muscle, but because when exercising with higher reps, someone spends more energy than when training with low reps. Lets say that someone does a set of bench presses. Assuming that he can do 6 reps with 250 pounds, then he can also do 10 reps with 220 pounds. 6x250=1500 pounds total, 10x220=2200 pounds. So more work is done with higher reps, as far as energy expenditure is in mind.
Being focused on the target, that is building muscle when you are training, is the only way to go. The gym isn't a place for socialization, it is a place to sweat and pay the price in order to achieve your goals. Off course there are some bodybuilders that can go fooling around, joking with people and then proceed with full concentration on their next set. Arnold Swarzenegger and Franco Columbo is the most known examples. Unfortunately only a small percentage can do that, the rest must be fully concentrated when training, all time long. Classic examples of this school are Lee Haney, Dorian Yates and almost all the other bodybuilders.
A training partner is a must these days. You must always have someone who you trust, to help you when exercising. If someone trains correct, warm ups good, and doesn't engage in a lousy form of exercising then the only way to get injured is because of inappropriate spotters. I have been injured by such dumb people. These days, with the fitness oriented training boom, it is very difficult to find a really good and strong spotter to help you.
Avoid starring at babes when training hard, that is very risky :).
When someone comes when you perform a hard set and talks to you, ignore him, if he persists, punch him on the nose and beat him so he will never again dare speak to you while training hard.
Back muscles need lots of heavy weight and much work in order to grow.
Biceps and triceps, at least for me, need more reps and not that much weight, I stick with moderate weights. After all, it isn't wise to biceps curl a poundage appropriate for deadlifts. Surely you cheat and not only don't built muscle but increase the risk for a serious injury.
Shoulders just don't need that much work. Whenever someone hits back, the rear deltoids are getting worked out. When training chest, the front deltoids come to play. So it is very easy to over train the shoulders.
Legs need lots of work. I think higher reps are better for legs, they respond perfect to a rep range of between 10- 20.
Chest needs heavy weight and much work. I think 6- 8 reps sets are optimal for chest.
Please don't J-press on chest. It is perfect as a technique for powerlifting, but for bodybuilding purposes it doesn't do much, anyway no more than normal bodybuilding bench presses. Anyway, I do sometimes J-press but that is once every two or three months, and it is mainly for the fun of it, nothing more.
When bench pressing keep the elbows out, your hips on the bench and your legs down on the floor. Keeping the elbows out will allow you to target chest better, your hips on the bench allows you to use your strength in order to lift the weight and keep the distance as it is. Also it prevents you from getting serious injured. By having your legs on the floor, you can be stable. Having your legs off of the floor means that you are getting less stable and thus increase the chance of a serious injury.
When bench pressing please don't bounce the weight on your chest. Not only you put a lot of stress on the bones there, but you risk a serious ligament injury when performing like this.
When performing chest flyes, chose a weight that allows you to do so. Don't chose a weight that is too heavy and proceed with a weird, hybrid move, of between dumbbell bench presses and flyes. If you are to do dumbbell bench presses, please do so, else reduce the weight and do flyes.
When barbell rowing, please keep the back parallel to the ground, except if you are performing Yates style rows. Anyway, if you don't get your back parallel to the ground you get stress off of the whole back and put it on traps. If you are to hit traps, please do deadlifts and shrugs. Barbell rows are for the whole back and not only traps.
When doing pull-ups, don't bounce your feet, nor rest on the starting position (down). If you bounce your feet you use momentum in order to lift yourself, thus taking stress off of back. When finished doing as many pull- ups as you can do with strict form, by all means, cheat (bounce your legs) in order to do 1- 2 more reps that you can't with strict form. About not resting on the bottom position. If you do so you get too much stress on the shoulder joints. Especially if you use added weight, this is a very dangerous practice.
When doing squats, go to bottom position. It is most probably that you'll get hurt by doing half squats than by going all the way down. If you do halfs, knees will get a lot more stress due to the fact that you can use a lot heavier weight than if you do full squats. Except that, when doing squats you must be very careful not to bounce on the bottom position, that's why most injuries occur from doing squats. When doing half squats, the much added weight not only places more stress on the knees, but it is more likely to bounce on the bottom because of the more weight.
Deadlifts, as squats, is a must. I don't care if you are 300 pounds fat with no muscle at all, a fitness girl or a granny, the best way not to injure yourself is by doing deadlifts. Deadlifts strengthens the whole body and especially the lower back that is the most common body part to get injured. 20 years ago there weren't much skeletal problems as they are now, and the reason, beside drug abuse, is that people don't deadlift anymore as they used to.
The most easy way to injure your shoulder while hitting biceps is by doing alternate dumbbell curls. When doing them you must keep the shoulders to their position. When cheating you, lower the shoulder in order to get the arm in a better position as far as torque is in mind, so to be able to lift the weight. That is a really killer for the shoulders.
It is better not to use a belt, at least not at all, except your harder sets, that stress lower back. If you use a belt then you make the muscles in the area atrophy, thus increasing the risk of an injury. Personally I don't use a belt, except on my 8 and lower reps deadlifts, heavy barbell rows and heavy barbell biceps curls. Sometimes I'll use it on my very heavy shoulder presses as well. For many years I used to wear a belt for the whole exercise session, until a national Olympic weightlifting trainer said to me not to, and by then my lower back stopped to hurt.
It is best no to use straps when deadlifting. That is because when the arm grabs the bar the whole muscles up to the shoulder work in order to keep holding the bar. If you use straps then from a point and after the hand doesn't grab the bar, but the strap holds it. Then the arms muscles, and especially shoulders muscles, are not contracted, and thus the possibility of a serious shoulder injury is very high.
Calves need lots of sets and reps. I would go for volume training on these.
Forearms are better worked out with volume training as well.
Too much heavy singles isn't a good idea, except if you use periodization techniques and you go for singles once every one or two months.
Attaining a great pump means that you eat correct, train right, get enough sleep. You can make progress even without achieving great pumps, especially if you are on the 4- 6 reps range. Powerlifters are fully aware of it.
Running and generally aerobics do nothing in order to lose fat, the only thing you lose is weight and that is because of the SAID principle. If you run a lot then the body reduces it's weight overall so that running will be made easier. Body isn't interested if it is muscle or fat. Whatever finds in excess it burns it. Running up to 30 minutes is very good but for cardiovascular health purposes and not for fat loss, although it helps. The best way to lose fat is to diet.
Even a small gain is still a gain.
Gains don't come in a steady manner. You can train correct for 1 whole year and gain nothing, and in the following week increase by as much as 20 pounds on your bench or anything. It is not that you trained better in this week, but it is because it just happened that way, I really don't know why.
The best exercise for the whole body is deadlifts and squats.
Training frequency is unique for every person. In fact there is no best training frequency. Frequency depends on various aspects, including hormones balance and other physical things. Also it depends on the training volume. If you train with more volume then you need more time in order to recuperate and via versa. So next time someone comes and tell you that you train too much, too little or anything, and he bases his judgment on a few data, ignore him, he is surely not aware of what he is talking about, excuse his ignorance and stupidity and go on with your training.
So that's all folks, I hope you found out something interesting. Anyway, these are just my thoughts on the subject of training, I don't claim to know it all, in fact no one does know everything. See you next time.
Mar/16/99
Overview
Aspirin except from a magical drug, can be used in bodybuilding too, as a supplement. I've heard many users, especially powerlifters, but bodybuilders as well, who swear on aspirin as a magical supplement. As in everything, here are advantages and disadvantages of using aspirin. I begin with the advantages.
The main advantage of aspirin is that, as all painkillers, do not let you feel pain. So, now you can really workout in the pain zone without feeling a lot of pain. No pain no gain they say, with aspirin that changes to no pain, good gain. Note that aspirin is used as a supplement as follows. You take one pill 1 hour before hitting the gym and that's it.
The disadvantage of aspirin is the same as the advantage. It blocks pain. Pain is used by the body so the brain can notice that something is going wrong. Except from the pain that lactic acid buildup causes, there is another source of pain in bodybuilding. Injury. Unfortunately, painkillers such as aspirin, block this kind of pain too.
Also it may be dangerous when taken in conjunction with other supplements. I know some cocktails that are not so healthy.
My opinion.
I don't use aspirin as a supplement for bodybuilding. This is because.
 |
When I'm causing myself pain, I want to know it or else something may be wrong. |
|
Except from exercise pain there is injury pain too. Imagine to hurt yourself and continue to exercise !. |
|
I do not feel the working muscle, as much as I want at least. Painkiller gets in the way. |
|
There may be ligaments pain that I'm not aware of. |
|
Do not like to take even aspirin in an almost daily basis. After all, aspirin is a drug too. |
|
When performing a lot of reps, pain restricts me. If it doesn't then maybe I will cause damage. |
I have worked out using aspirin in the past (1994), for three workouts. I just couldn't feel the muscle well. In the third workout I had, I was doing calf raises for 20 reps or so. I performed them with 45 pounds more than usual and when I felt pain, I said to myself, o.k. that's it you've just had a great workout. Then I got home and did everything else I had to do. The next day I couldn't even walk. In fact I couldn't walk for almost an entire week. This was the first injury I had ever had, although I was very lucky and after the 6th day I went back to gym and everything was O.K.
Since then I have never used aspirin for bodybuilding purposes. Now that I'm writing all these, I just imagine what harm that could have done to me and feel very, but very lucky.
Outro
If you are about to start using aspirin in this way, or you already have for some time, rethink it. Actually working out in the pain zone is not that bad at all, in fact it is good to know that you can beat your pain and make progress.
If you must take aspirin in order to workout, because of previous injuries or current ones, then I'm sorry this is no solution. I see bodybuilders, usually of older age (30-40), using aspirin and other painkillers, in order to workout. In fact someone of them just tore a biceps last week, and he is quitting for good this time.
Dec/11/98
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Strength-N-Speed
Q: Beyond the physiological reasons for doing any weight training, these exercises seem to have taken on some mythical status which raises them above all other inferior exercises. I fail to completely understand this unless you are training to be a competitive power lifter.
First off, the squat, deadlift and powerclean stress the largest amount of muscle mass out of all of the exercises. These 3 exercises have been shown by several studies to also have the biggest effect on some of the anabolic growth hormones like GH and testosterone. It is common knowledge that the growth stimulated from doing these exercises will also have a spill over effect to the bench press. Now as far as the attributes these exercises give to an athlete. I think you would have not had to look to far beyond the recent Summer Olympics to see that each year the athletes look more muscular. Weight training has not only produced better athletes, but it has also cut down drastically on the amount of injuries during competition. These facts are well documented. I did my whole thesis around this subject.
Q: So, I believe, there is no inherent magic to these exercises unless they work for a specific person under >specific conditions.
These exercises have nothing to do at all with magic. It is simply the fact that they recruit the most amount of muscles per rep. You might like to do some reading of the many research studies in this area. There is lots of data out on the benefit if doing multi-jointed like the squat, deadlift
(powerclean), and bench press. Exercises as compared to others.
Q: You say these exercises (squat, bench, deadlift) "...have been shown over and over again to be the best stimulators of growth."
It is the
deadlift, powerclean, and squat. And yes, certainly I have references for this or I wouldn't have said it. Kramer et al.(1988 & 1990), Fahey et al. (1976), Guezennec et al. (1986), Hakkinen et al. (1988), and Weiss et al. (1983). Let me know if you would like complete references, I'll be more than happy to oblige.
Q: Do you have a specific source for this, and what were these exercises compared to?
Just given, but if you really want all of these specifics, I'll let you provide the diligence. This is all pretty common knowledge among strength and conditioning professionals. There is a real good book called "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning" by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Many universities have adopted this 600 page text part of their graduate level sport science reading. This would be an excellent place for you to start learning about the science of strength and conditioning in athletics.
Q: You say that "these exercise should be done regardless of your specific goals." That is quite a broad >generalization. Do you include all athletic goals in this?
Not a generalization at all. These recommendations are based on years of research in strength and conditioning of athletes. And yes, all athletic goals would fall under these recommendations unless you are competing as a couch potato. Weight training IS used to train all different kinds of athletes (men's and women's). If you live close to a University, check their strength and conditioning program and see what they do. I, in the past worked as a strength coach with a very successful Division I athletic department. We used the same basic core lifts as well as sport specific training to strengthen every athlete in the school.
Q: The problem is that there are not enough professionals who have gone through the certification program from United States Weightlifting to learn how to properly teach Olympic lifting movements.
Come on now, teaching someone how to do the powerclean is not rocket science. Don't let people kid you. I have taught 12, 13 and 14 year old football players how to do this lift. By any means the USOC is not the only one in the world that knows how to properly perform the
powerclean. Most every strength and conditioning coach is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is very well versed in teaching the powerclean as well as any other Olympic lift.
Q: One last point. Have you ever tried the new HAMMER Strength H-Squat machine? If you have, let me know what you think of it compared to a regular squat.
Yes and it doesn't compare to the squat. It compares to the leg press or hack squat. If you have ever done a bio mechanical analysis of the muscles involved between the two, you would easily see that the balance factor has been taken out of the machine squat. Many synergist muscles are not used to do a machine squat or hack squat. The fact that your arms do not have to help support the weight that is balanced on your back and the fact that your low back and lats are not used makes a big difference in the amount of total muscle mass the is used during the exercise. The HAMMER Strength H-Squat machine is ONLY good if you can't do squats because of a low back injury. But what do you want ? Good, better or best? As for HAMMER strength, I have used all of their equipment. They do not compare to the basic core lifts they were designed to replace. Now are they bad machines? No, they are actually good machines and they have their place in training. Especially bodybuilding.
Does it not make since that if one method or machine was superior to another in maximizing strength gains, strength coaches would not immediately jump on it. We always read the current literature and most of us are members of several research oriented professional organizations, we attend conventions, and hear the latest in everything on the market. Universities are generally willing to budget anything needed to produce a quality athletic program. So why would coaches depend on myths, magic or outdated methods? Strength coaches are always in search of a better way to strengthen and condition their athletes, so far the above mentioned lifts have never been improved on.
Q: You are not the only fitness professional that firmly believes in the squat, bench press, and
deadlift. It is very common in the Northwest also, especially among high school football coaches.
If you check further you will find this common practice not only in the NW, but all over the world. However, there are lots of coaches that argue between the deadlift and the
powerclean.
Back
to Top
Next time you're at the newsstand pick up any one of the popular muscle magazines you'll find 100's of different ways to build the biceps. We are lead to believe that by attacking the biceps from many different angles, more size and strength can actually be developed. Each of these many different exercises promises to give you those big guns the pros have. With all of these many different exercises and angles of attack, biceps training can get pretty confusing. Are all of this really necessary? To answer this question first let's look at how the muscles in the arm work.
The Elbow Joint
The elbow joint is classified as a ginglymus or hinge-type joint. This type of joint works much the same way a door does. It simply opens and it closes. In the case of the elbow joint is specifically flexes or extends. Nothing else!
Because the radioulnar joint (forearm) is classified as a trochoid or pivot-type joint, we can add a little more variety to this movement: 1) flexion (curling) of the arm with the palms up; or 2) flexion of the arm with the palms down. In either of these two positions the biceps,
brachii, the brachialis, brachioradialis, and the pronator teres are still used to perform elbow flexion. So it is starting to look like all of these different angles are NOT really necessary. The elbow still flex and the same muscles are used. Perhaps biceps training is not that difficult after all. So let's take a look at each of the muscles involved in curling a weight and see what can be done to strengthen each.
The Muscles Used In Flexion
As mentioned earlier, every time we flex (curl) the arm, four muscles are used. The muscles used in flexion of the arm are: 1) the biceps
brachii; 2) the brachioradialis; 3) the brachialis; and 4) the pronator teres.
The biceps brachii (bi'seps bra'ki-i)
The biceps is a biarticular or two-joint muscle. Simply meaning it is made of the shoulder and elbow joints. The biceps is considered to be the strongest of all the elbow flexors, especially in the supinated (palm up) position. With the palms in pronation (down) position, the effectiveness of the biceps is greatly diminished because of the disadvantageous pull of the muscle in this pronated position. In any case, pronated or supinated the same muscles are used to flex the arm.
While the biceps is only one muscle, it is made up of two distinct heads-- the long head and the short head. The long head originates at the supraglenoid tubercle which is located just under the collar bone and close to the shoulder joint. It inserts or attaches to the radius (small bone or top of the forearm) just about one inch below the elbow joint. The short head originates at the coracoid process of the scapula, which is just over the shoulder joint. It inserts at the same location as the as the long head. The biceps are responsible for flexion of the elbow joint, supination of the forearm, and weak flexion of the shoulder joint.
Even though the two heads of the biceps are one muscle they both seem to have specific functions in flexion. Brown et al. (1993) using surface electromyograms
(EMG) recorded from the long and short heads of biceps brachii, found that the long head produced more EMG activity at the beginning phase of the lift when the muscle was at it's longest. Furthermore, it was found that the short head seemed to produce the most EMG activity at the top phase of the lift when the muscle was at it's shortest. While both heads are used to complete a full range of flexion, partial movements may be used either at the top or bottom of the lift to further stress the two heads of the biceps.
Now, because both the long head and the short head originate at the shoulder, rotation of the shoulder joint must have some effect on bicep training. So by changing the grip from wide to narrow we should be able to target different heads of the biceps. Right? Well, we already know that the long head works best when it is fully stretched. So obviously by rotating the shoulder laterally, the long head is
stretched even more. Brown (1993) and Kapandji (1982) both agreed that when the shoulder is laterally rotated, activation of the long head of the bicep is indeed increased. Furthermore, the same researchers added that when the shoulder is rotated medially, activation of the short head of the bicep increased. This simply means that a wider grip will hit the long head and a narrow grip will hit the short head.
Once again I would like to remind you that the biceps are strongest with the forearm supinated (palm up). So any curling type exercise done in this position, with a full range of movement would easily strengthen the biceps. Dumbbell curl, barbell curls, or cable curls would all be excellent exercises.
The brachioradialis (bra'ki-o-ra'di-a'lis)
The next muscle involved in flexion of the arm is the brachioradialis. The brachioradialis originates at the lower two-thirds or the humerous (upper arm) and inserts on the radius, just above the thumb and wrist. This muscle is not only responsible for flexion of the arm, but it also prontates the forearm from a supinated position to a more neutral position and also supinates the forearm from a pronated position to the neutral position. The brachioradialis acts best as a flexor or the arm when the forearm is in the mid or neutral position between pronation and
supination.
Therefore, the brachioradialis is best targeted by performing curls with the forearm is in a neutral position. Dumbbell hammer curls with a full range of movement, not only strengthen the biceps, but really blast the
brachioradialis. Just remember that the key is keeping the forearm in a neutral position.
The brachialis (bra'ki-a'lis)
The brachialis muscle is used in combination with the other elbow flexors everytime elbow flexion is performed. However, this muscle is the only elbow muscle that is only responsible for flexion. The brachialis originates on the top portion of the humerous under the biceps. It inserts on the ulna (large bone of the forearm) just past the bend of the arm. The brachialis performs flexion by contracting and pulling on the ulna.
The brachialis is used any time the arm flexes, however when the forearm is in the pronated (palm down) position, the biceps are less effective and the brachialis has to do much more of the work. Therefore, by doing any type of curling exercise with the forearm in a pronated position, the brachialis will be stressed even more.
The pronator teres (pro-na'tor te'rez)
The pronator teres muscle is mainly used to pronate the forearm. However, it also functions as an elbow flexor by assisting the biceps and brachialis in movement of the arm. The pronator teres originates at inside of the lower part of the arm and attaches to the upper part of the radius.
The best exercise to hit the pronator teres is any exercise that would add resistance to the action of forearm pronation and
supination. A small dumbbell or large hammer can be held while you twist the forearm from the palm down position to the palm up position and back.
While all of the many different exercises and angles of attack may not really be necessary to build those big guns, a few slight variations in grip width, range of motion, and palm position may be just what it takes to really make those arms to grow.
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Muscle Soreness and What You Can Do About It
Muscle soreness can be produced by many types of muscular activities. It is most frequently caused by:
Movements that resist gravity or forward momentum, such as downhill running, lowering heavy barbells, and the downward phase of push-ups or sit-ups; and
Movements that resist forces exerted by stronger opponents, such as a pin or hold in wrestling and a block in football.
These movements produce tension as the involved muscles are forced to lengthen. The muscle actions needed for these movements are known as "eccentric" or "negative" actions. While all activities involve some eccentric actions, such actions are most prominent in the aforementioned sports movements.
WHAT CAUSES SORENESS?
Popular explanations for muscle soreness include lactic acid accumulation, muscle spasms, or muscle damage. Lactic acid and muscle spasms have been largely discredited as reasons, but the muscle damage explanation has a sound scientific basis.
Movements that cause muscle soreness have been shown to produce localized damage to the muscle fiber membranes and contractile elements. Chemical irritants such as histamine are released from damaged muscles and can irritate pain receptors in the muscle.
Muscle damage often causes a swelling of the muscle tissue, which creates enough pressure to stimulate pain receptors. How- ever, it has been shown that severe swelling often persists long after the muscle soreness has disappeared. Thus, the pain receptors either gradually adapt to the swelling or to some other factors present.
Whatever the precise mechanisms, current scientific thought points toward muscle damage as the culprit in muscle soreness.
TREATMENT OF SORENESS
Typical recommendations for treatment of muscle soreness include stretching, topical application of athletic balms, creams, and/or ice, submersion in hot baths, and exposure to a sauna. Each of these treatments may provide temporary relief, but none is effective for long. The use of aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs may provide some relief but scientific studies of these effects have been equivocal.
Since no effective treatment has been identified, training programs should be designed to minimize or prevent soreness.
MINIMIZING SORENESS
Athletes who have sore, stiff muscles will not be able to practice or perform to their full potential. One reason for this is that damaged muscles can result in a loss of strength. The new training program, therefore, should be gradually and progressively increased in intensity and duration over several weeks to prevent or minimize soreness, weakness, and injury.
Furthermore, the early phase of the training program should minimize unnecessary movements that have a large eccentric component such as downhill running and plyometric jumping. When training for cross-country running and other activities in which eccentric actions cannot be avoided, coaches should allow ample time for muscles to recuperate.
Sore muscles are usually damaged muscles. As with any damaged tissue, damaged muscles must be given time to heal. This may require adding a few easy days of training following a training day that causes marked muscle soreness.
Priscilla M. Clarkson, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts 1996
30 of Bodybuildings biggest lies!
1 -- You can get as big as a pro bodybuilder...
2 -- In order to get really big...
3 -- If you eat a low-fat diet...
4 -- The more you work out, the more you'll grow.
5 -- The longer you work out, the better.
6 -- You don't have to be strong to be big
7 -- The training programs that work best...
8 -- You can't build muscle...
9 -- You can't grow if...
10 -- You can't make gains if...
11 -- You should only rest 45 seconds in between sets.
12 -- You have to use fancy weightlifting equipment...
13 -- Weight training makes you big; aerobic exercise cuts you up.
14 -- You can completely reshape a muscle...
15 -- If you get a pump...
16 -- If you do hundreds of sit-ups a day...
17 -- Training like a powerlifter...
18 -- High repetitions make your muscles harder and more cut up.
19 -- Instinctive training is the best way to promote gains.
20 -- Women need to train differently than men.
21 -- There are food supplements available that...
22 -- Professional bodybuilders represent the epitome of health and fitness.
23 -- Training with weights causes...
24 -- Loading up on carbohydrates...
25 -- Consuming foods high in sugar...
26 -- All anabolic steroids are extremely toxic and dangerous.
27 -- If you stop working out, your muscle will turn into fat.
28 -- Ingesting MCT...
29 -- If everyone took the same amount of steroids...
30 -- Someone with a well-built body must be knowledgeable about fitness and physique development.
1 -- You can get as big as a pro bodybuilder. without taking steroids; it just takes longer.
Despite what many of the magazines say, all professional bodybuilders use either steroids or steroids in combination with other growth-enhancing drugs. Without manipulati
