MUSCLE MASS

I wanted to show you some muscle building weightlifting exercises that can really improve the amount of muscles that you will build. When it comes to the body, there is a lot of misinformation about properly training it. Most people don't have the slightest clue because they've heard the same generic advice that probably originated from an infomercial. I've dedicated almost a decade to training and it has been over the recent years where I've actually learned what it takes to put on muscle. I'll share a little about what I've learned with you.The first point I want to make is about your diet. The diet you have for your body sets the standards of muscle growth. If your diet is of poor quality, than you're going to have poor results. It doesn't matter how good your workout is, as long as your diet is of poor quality, your muscles just won't grow. I think the most important thing you can do for your diet is cut out all the processed foods and preservatives. There are tons of chemicals in the food you eat and I believe they slow down and hamper the process of building muscle.

When it comes to the gym, you don't need a long workout. You need intensity. Intensity causes stress to the muscles forcing them to adapt and grow. Start doing compound exercises like deadlifts, squats and bench press. I have short 7 minute workouts that are intense and I just do a few exercises. I'm drenched in sweat, but that forces my muscles to grow.

EXERCISE EQUIPMENTS

A friend of mine recently changed job positions. At his previous job he belonged to a health club within a mile of his office. Now with the new position the closest one is about 5 miles away and in the opposite direction. With the high cost of gas these days he tries to avoid any extra driving if at all possible.So, because of this, he wanted to turn a portion of his basement into his own home gym. His big decision came was to decide to go with free weights using a bar to perform exercises like the bench press, shoulder press and so on, go with some nautilus equipment or just buy some dumbbells.

Since he would be working out from home in the early morning, meaning he would not have a spotter around, I told him to go with the dumbbells. I have been there where I have gone to the gym, felt really great, stronger than normal and attempt bench pressing weight I had no business trying in the first place. I think it’s a right of passage for all guys to do this, but you suddenly find yourself with a bar loaded with heavy weights stuck to your chest hoping someone will walk by to help you as opposed to make fun of you.At a fitness center or health club you can get away with this as somebody will eventually go by and help. At home, however you may not be as lucky. For this reason and a couple of others I choose dumbbells. If I ever find myself “stuck” in a movement I can just drop or lower each dumbbell individually without risk of crush my chest or other body parts.Along with safety reasons dumbbells offer a means to workout each individual arm such as doing alternating dumbbell curls or one arm bent over rows. Dumbbells give you more flexibility.Many people say that after you start increasing your weights you find yourself with a basement full of dumbbells, and that may be true. If space is a factor in your decision then look towards some incremental dumbbells such as the pro trainers or even Bowflex now offers them (although they only go up to 80 pounds per dumbbell for your stronger people).Also with dumbbells a flat bench is all your need to perform every exercise for every body part that you can think of. Dumbbells are easy to maneuver since they are so small so switching from one exercise routine to the next is a cinch.If you are looking into starting or creating your own home gym and unsure as to what kind of weights you should add, consider dumbbells. They are a good way to get started and versatile enough for you to perform any and almost every exercise that you need.

EXERCISE

Let’s face it; there is not one person in this country that at some point hasn’t said to themselves, “I need to lose a couple of pounds.” I have seen some of the “best in shape” people even say that and of course I am thinking, “where are you going to lose it from?”

Even if you have no knowledge what so ever of working out, weight loss, exercise, fitness or nutrition, you probably know that a good exercise program will help you lose weight and that it, the exercise program, is a good thing for you.
Beyond just the normal losing weight reason to motivate yourself to get off the couch and start exercising and performing weight routines along with cardiovascular activities can benefit you in many other ways as well.

Most people look at doing cardiovascular activities as a means of torture. To think about going for a jog is like asking some people to spend an entire week with their mother-in-law. For those of you who are not married yet, that joke will make more sense when you get there.

A good committed cardiovascular exercise routine brings more to the table then just losing weight, or fitting into those pair of jeans you haven’t worn since high school. A good cardiovascular exercise routine helps build a strong heart.

Think of the heart as nothing more than a muscle in your body, albeit a very important muscle. If that muscle is weak, you will feel and be weak. If you make that muscle strong you will feel and be strong. Cardiovascular exercises help strengthen your heart. Let’s say for instance your normal resting heart rate is 60bpm (beats per minute). When you do a cardiovascular exercise you are raising your heart rate above that resting rate which means your heart is pumping faster and harder to get your blood to flow throughout your body.

Over time as you continue to exercise your heart it will get stronger and reduce your resting heart rate. This means your heart has to work even less to move your blood throughout your body. This in turn can lengthen the life span of your heart.

Just like other muscles in your body when you exercise them, they will get stronger. A strong heart has been proven to reduce various types of heart related diseases such as strokes, heart attacks, blood clots and the list goes on and on.

Even if you do not lose a pound, just look at the benefits cardiovascular exercise brings to your body specifically the heart. Here is the best part. You do not need to work yourself to near death on a treadmill to receive these benefits. You should perform an exercise that you find fun and that you will stick to.

For instance I like to ride the bike. I maintain a good pace that my heart is working harder then it would be a rest. I listen to some music while I ride to keep me going and that is my routine. I will ride the bike three times each week at twenty minutes a clip. I feel better for it and I know it is doing my heart good.

Choose an exercise that will keep you motivated and that you will have fun with. If you like to walk, go ahead and walk, just pick up the pace a bit. Find what you like and as Nike says, “Just do it!”