Getting Ripped for a great year!

Can you see your self walking down the street at your favorite location looking and feeling great.

Or as you stroll down the beach and you notice people glance over there shoulders to admire your beautiful ripped abs that belong to you. Feeling so confident in your self that your vacation seems perfect like a dream.

You pinch yourself and realize that you have arrived.

Everyone in this green earth would love to have six pack abs and be fully healthy.  Can everyone archive this goal?  Yes. We people where created for excellence so yes, anything is possible.  Although some may find it difficult to reach personal goals, anything is possible if you have an optimistic and positive outlook on life.

“Life is not fair” We can begin our day very positive, but by the end of the day if you are not fully focused of your objective and constantly thinking of your aspirations you can be a victim of procrastination.

We as humans tend to enjoy the path of least resistance.  Justifying our excuses and having procrastinations of our objectives.  Nobody said that being discipline was easy.  As a matter of fact here are some examples of things we tell ourselves unconsciously that keeps us from hitting our goals: “I would love to workout, but I don’t want to be sore for tomorrow’s barbeque.”, “I will have a free day this weekend therefore I will stuff my face with cookies and milk.”, “I love the gym, I just don’t have time to go anymore.”

The interesting thing is that we make ourselves believe such things.  When in reality it is just bogus.

The secret to success is not overworking but being in control of your thinking and outlooks in life.  Whether you are looking to lose a few pounds or get in shape for bodybuilding competition, please under any circumstances don’t let yourselves of any excuses.

Here are some helpful mindsets that will help when you get back on track when you feel you are buying your excuses:

One:  Always tell your friends and family about your goals.  Telling your acquaintances about your goals is great.  Some will take you serious and some won’t.  But the reasoning behind this is that they can help you be on track.  When you are genuine with people they respect that, and sometimes are willing to help you out.

Two:  Setting goals with a partner or friend.  Often times having a workout partner or a dieting parter will make things better for everyone.  Besides a little competition, a little encouragement from a workout buddy makes a huge difference.  Pick someone that you enjoy being with and someone that you know will help you when you feel a bit down on your self.  Friends are incredible at picking one up and making us feel great.

Three: Writing down your aspirations and visions.  Get a notepad right this moment, and jock down all of your goals and aspirations.  On a piece of paper make a line down the middle.

In one side have your “goals” and the other have “aspirations” example. Goal #1 Lose 10 pounds this month. Aspiration  #1   Lose 10 pounds so I can buy a new pair of jeans, and so on.  Make sure they are in detail and also try to make them very personable.  Soon you wil  develop these mental changes that will change your life forever subconsciously.

Also Take note of the times you are at your lowest in energy and pull out your sheet and read those to you out loud.  Might sound kind of weird but it works.  Professional athletes do it everyday.  Why not you?

Getting in top shape is harder than it looks.  It takes discipline and full commitment. Its rewards are priceless and the amount of  confidence you get when you are watched or check out is amazing.

Or even if you simply just want to live an incredible healthy lifestyle and carrying on that mindset to your family and kids, is absolutely worth it.  Stay focused, stay in the fight and we will see you in the beaches of the world sporting your ripped abs.

Check out Crossfit Singapore @ CrossfitHub.com, their Crossfit Journal is an interesting read! I heard that the actors from the 300 movie trained with exercises that are adapted from and pretty similar to the Crossfit system!

=> What is Crossfit?
=> Crossfit box jump
=> Crossfit WOD

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2. Benefits of physical fitness
3. Trampolines for Fitness!

Rain starring in Ninja Assassin - training hard for his role

Lee Byung Hun Trains Hard for his role in G.I.Joe as the white ninja!

Do you procrastinate often, when it comes to working out?

Everyone does it, including you and me.

You have things to do, important things or mundane things, and you put off doing them until the last minute. If Procrastination were an Olympic event you might be in the running for a gold medal, you’re that good at it.

You make jokes about being a world class procrastinator with your friends, telling them that sure, you could finish that project right now if you wanted to but (yawn) you’re just going to do it tomorrow.
Procrastination is putting something off until later, either due to carelessness or habitual laziness.

It’s putting off till tomorrow what you just as easily could have finished up today.  A procrastinator postpones or needlessly delays accomplishing something –just because.

Students are notorious for engaging in this behavior.  Papers need to be researched and written, tests must be studied for but none of this is done or even started until the very last minute.

Students who procrastinate generally spend a great deal of time pulling all –nighters in order to catch up to where they need to be or to cram for the big test in the morning.

A person who is habitually late to everything, from weddings to dates, is someone who procrastinates getting ready to leave.

Maybe they don’t start getting ready until it’s nearly time to leave or they move so slowly that by the time they should leave for the event, they’re still way behind schedule.

Why do we let things slide until we’re in a time crunch and the deadline is looming and we’re not even CLOSE to being finished?

Why do we procrastinate?

The behavior of procrastination affects almost everyone at one time or another in their life.

For some it is a continuous habit, part of who they are, a not-so-endearing character trait; for others it may be a situational thing and doesn’t affect too many events in their life.

For whatever reason, people put off things they don’t want to do.

1. Because You Are Afraid.

No one likes to admit that they fear something, but fear might just be the reason you put off doing what you know you should do.  Whether it’s fear of failure or fear of success, it’s still fear.  Fear is a paralyzing emotion.

It has the ability to stop us in our tracks-literally.  Some writers fear failure so they never write that epic novel they have churning around inside of them; some fear success and the result is the same.

If you procrastinate compulsively, and who doesn’t enjoy doing that, then you may fear that once you’re successful at something you’ll suffer the compulsion to continually be successful.

This will require you to work and finish what you’ve started and that will cut into your compulsion to procrastinate.  It’s a never ending cycle.  Fear can cause us to procrastinate.

2. Because You Don’t Think it’s Important Enough.

You don’t place a high enough priority on the task at hand, it’s not vital and so it’s not worthy of you beginning it.

You know the task needs to be done and you may already have decided that you’re the one who must do it.

However, there is always something else more important on your to-do list that keeps bumping that particular job back to the bottom.

Let’s say you know that that the dishwasher needs to be unloaded.  You’ll get to it later, after you go grocery shopping.  Grocery shopping is more important because if you don’t have food you’ll starve to death.  Besides, no one can see that the dishwasher is full of clean dishes.

After grocery shopping you need to eat, because you’re hungry.  Besides, you can just take a plate out of the dishwasher and use that.  That’s sort of unloading it, isn’t it? Unloading the dishwasher isn’t a priority and that’s why you procrastinate doing it.

3. You Don’t Know Enough to do the Task.

You may procrastinate beginning a project because you simply don’t know everything you need to know in order to complete the task.  You may not have consciously admitted this to yourself, but deep down you know it and it’s coming out as an aversion to starting the project.

You need to determine whether or not this is because you haven’t collected all the data on what you have to do, or simply because you want to stall for more time.

4. Because You’re Too Busy.

Life is busy.  We have jobs and commitments and sometimes, just sometimes, we can’t get to a particular task because we’ve run out of time in our busy day to complete one more thing.

5. Because It Works.

Unfortunately, procrastination can reinforce itself. If we avoid something we don’t want to do (like cleaning out the rain gutters) by engaging in behavior that we want to engage in (like hanging out with friends) then getting to it later, we can say that putting it off wasn’t that bad after all.

And besides, we had fun while we procrastinated.

6. You Haven’t Committed To the Job.

You may think the job should belong to someone else, it’s not really your job to do and the job is a waste of time.  If this is how you’re looking at this particular task, then you need to ask yourself what will happen to you if you don’t complete the job.

7. You Just Don’t Want To Do It.

Everyone is faced with jobs in life that they simply don’t want to do.  They’re either disgusting, like having to clean toilets, or they’re dangerous, like climbing up on the roof and cleaning the leaves out from the rain gutters.

We put off doing the task at hand because we simply do not want to do it.

Period.

There is no underlying psychological reason for putting it off.  It’s that recalcitrant two-year old in us coming out to say “I don’t wanna and I’m not gonna”.

8. You Could Just Be Lazy.

Yes, that’s what I said. I know it’s not an easy thing to hear about yourself, but sometimes facing the truth about ourselves can help us overcome bad habits and succeed where we otherwise may have failed.

You need to find a way to motivate yourself out of your habit of being lazy in order to stop procrastinating.

Related posts:

1. Getting ripped for the new year!
2. Benefits of physical fitness
3. Breaking Bricks

Strength training benefits for women

Many women are concerned with how their bodies look.

Dieting and weight obsession are very real parts of life for many women.  Body building and women really fit together well when you think about it.  Focusing on healthy weight gain and muscle fitness makes a woman look and feel a lot better.

Body building is a lot more than just dieting and lifting weights.  Much of the advice given in previous chapters can apply to both men and women.  But women do need to change a few things when it comes to a workout plan that will work.

Some women have never considered body building as a sport because they are afraid that they will get big, bulky, and become masculine looking.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  A trim, solid body on a woman is extremely sexy and very healthy.

Women cannot naturally produce the amount of testosterone that men do, so it is impossible for women to increase their muscle size in the same ways that men do just by picking up a weight or two.  Without artificial substances, women won’t be able to get the same bulk as men do.

However, many of the same workout advice that we give to men apply to women as well:  eat 5-6 small meals per day, drink plenty of water, and get lots of rest.  The workouts are the same as well although some women may want to limit their reps initially until their strength is built up.

Many women struggle with excess fat and flabby muscle tone on their thighs and in their buttocks.  Because women are naturally curvier than men, working these areas makes for a very flattering figure.

To work these areas, you will want to do a lot of dumbbell squats, leg curls, standing calf raises, and leg presses.

Add some lunges as well as dumbbell squat dead lifts as well for maximum effectiveness.  You may want to invest in an exercise ball so that you can work your abs and make them tight and defined.

Strength Training Workouts

Change your workout every time you perform it and focus on one or two body parts each day you train.  By doing this, you are not over-exerting muscles without giving them time to heal.  Recovery is very important to the body’s muscles, so give them the time they need to heal and grow.

Many women live their lives by the numbers that they read on a scale.  When you are body building for fitness, this is a mistake.  Don’t concentrate on what the scale says you weigh, focus on your size and tone.

This can be calculated in the form of inches or body fat percentage.  You will probably not see a huge weight loss on the scale, but you should see an improvement in your overall body’s look after a period of time.

Here are some areas that women should really focus on in their body building routine:

•    Upper Back – Use pull-ups to build the muscles in your upper back which will accentuate your shoulders and make your waist look smaller.

•    Side Deltoids – Side laterals and overhead laterals will help tone these muscles making your shoulders more defined and, again, your waist look smaller.

•    Hips and Waist – These areas are mostly chiseled through diet by teaching the body to re-distribute body fat.  It is the finishing signature to the rest of your body and will make your overall appearance look much more pleasant.

•    Quads – The front muscles in your upper thighs need to be worked so that they are toned and defined.  Doing lots of squats will help in this area and will complete your overall look.  After all, what woman doesn’t want to have some killer legs!

Women are used to dieting and depriving themselves of food.  When you are body building, however, the reality is that you need to actually eat more.  The key lies in the foods that you eat.  Eat the right foods, and they will work for you instead of against you!

As a woman, you need to remember that you will not be able to build your muscle like men do; however, your approach toward body building will be much the same.  The results will be different, but you will still look incredible and be able to be proud of how you look.

Related posts:

1. Feats of strength
2. Free workout plans
3. How to build body mass

Gymwork

Barbell Squat

Rest a barbell on the upper portion of your back, not your neck. Firmly grip the bar with your hands almost twice your shoulder width apart. Position your feet about shoulder width apart and your toes should be pointing just a little outward with your knees in the same direction.

Keep your back as straight as possible and your chin up, bend your knees and slowly lower your hips straight down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Once you reach the bottom position, press the weight up back to the starting position.

Don’t lean over or curve your back forward! You can use a belt to help reduce the chance of lower back injury. You can put your heels on a 1 inch block to further work the quads. You can also use a wider stance to work the inner quads even more.

Upright Barbell Row

Stand upright and grasp a barbell with your hands about shoulder width apart. Let the bar hang straight down in front of you. Keep your body and wrists straight. Pull the bar straight up towards your chin, keeping it close to your body.

Concentrate on either pulling with your traps or the front of your shoulders, depending on what you want to work most. Lower slowly to the starting position. Don’t cheat by leaning forward or backward. Don’t swing!

Dumbbell workouts

Front Dumbbell Raise

Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing backward. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the exercise so that your arms are straight, but not quite locked.

Lift the weight in your left hand in front of you in a wide arc until it is slightly higher than shoulder height. With a smooth, controlled motion, lower the weight while simultaneously lifting the weight in your right hand, so that both arms are in motion at the same time.

Do not cheat by swinging or leaning backwards! This lift can also be done with two dumbbells at the same time or a barbell.

Stiff Leg Barbell

Place a barbell on your shoulders. Keep your head up and your back completely straight. Bend at your waist with your legs locked, until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Return slowly to the upper position. This can also be done with your knees slightly bent.

One Leg Barbell Squat

Use a 12 to 18 inch box or bench for this exercise – the higher the box, the more difficult the exercise. Place a barbell behind your head at the base of your neck. Grasp the barbell with both hands with a wider than shoulder width grip.

Stand approximately 2 to 3 feet from the box and turn so that the box is directly behind you. Reach one foot back and place your toe on the box. Keep your opposite foot flat on the floor and point your toes forward. Stand up straight. Keep your back tight and your chest out throughout the entire exercise.

Keep your head and neck in line with your torso so that you are looking forward. Your shoulders should be directly over your front foot. Keeping your front foot flat on the floor, sit your hips back (like you are going to sit in a chair), bend your knee (of your front leg), and lean forward slightly at the waist.

Lower your body in a controlled fashion until your thigh (of your front leg) is parallel to the ground. If you have difficulty lowering yourself down this far, lower yourself until the knee of your front leg is bent 90 degrees. At this point, your knee should be directly over your toe, your hips should be sitting back, and your chest should be directly over the middle of your thigh.

Now, leading with your head and chest, raise yourself by pushing your hips slightly forward and up toward the ceiling, and straightening your leg. Return to the starting position. At this point, your shoulders should be directly over front foot.

Lunges

Place a barbell on your upper back. Lift your chest up and look straight ahead. Position your right leg forward in a long stride. Your foot should be far enough in front of you so that when you bend your right knee, your thigh and lower leg form a right angle.

Slowly bend your knees, lowering your hips so your rear knee just clears the floor. Pause briefly in this position, then slowly straighten your legs and raise your body back up to a standing position. Complete a full set, then switch legs and repeat, or alternate legs for each rep.

Make sure your knee does not travel past your toes in the down position! This can also be done with dumbbells in each hand instead of using a barbell.

Barbell Tricep Extension

Hold a barbell with hands a little closer together than shoulder width. Lie on an incline bench and position your head at the top. Press bar overhead to arm’s length. Lower the bar in a semicircular motion behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps.

Keep your upper arms close to your head. Return to the starting position. This can also be done with straight bar, 2 dumbbells, seated or standing or with 2 dumbbells and your palms facing in.

The exercises listed above can be done either in a gym or in your home. If you are going to join a gym, they will have many specialty machines that will work specific parts of your body. Employees at the gym can help you with proper use of the machines.

To read part 1 of this, click here for gym exercises.

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Dumbell bench press

You may not be familiar with some of the terminology used in body building.  Along the same line, you should know what certain exercises are and how to safely perform them.  There are all sorts of exercises you can perform – so many, in fact, space prevents us from listing all of them.  However, learning the basics can be a great help.

1) Dumbbell Bench Press

Sit on the edge of a flat bench with the dumbbells resting on your knees.  In one smooth motion, roll onto your back and bring the dumbbells up to a position slightly outside and above your shoulders.  Your palms should be facing forwards.

Bend your elbows at a ninety-degree angle with your upper arms parallel to the ground.  Press the weights up over your chest in a triangular motion until they meet above the center line of your body.  As you lift, concentrate on keeping the weights balanced and under control.  Follow the same path downward.

2) Standing Military Press

For this exercise, you will use a barbell.  Stand with your legs about shoulder width apart and lift the barbell to your chest.  Lock your legs and hips and keep your elbows in slightly under the bar.  Press the bar to arm’s length over your head.

Lower the bell to your upper chest or your chin depending on which is more comfortable for you.  This exercise can also be performed with dumbbells or seated on a weight bench.

3) Lying Tricep Push

Sit on a flat bench holding a curl bar with an overhand grip.  Lie back so that the top of your head is even with the end of the weight bench.  As you are lying back, extend your arms over your head so that the bar is directly over your eyes.  Keep your elbows tight and your upper arms stationary throughout the exercise.

The biggest key to this exercise is keeping your upper arms in a fixed position.  Slowly lower the bar until it almost touches your forehead.  Press the bar back up in a slow, sweeping arc-like motion.  At the finish, lock your elbows completely.

4) Side Lateral Dumbbell Raise

Stand upright with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms at your side.  Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms turned toward your body.  Keep your arms straight and lift the weights out and up to the sides until they are slightly higher than shoulder level.  Then slowly lower them back down to your side again.

Keep your palms turned downward as you lift the dumbbells so that your shoulders rather than your biceps do the work.  Make sure you are lifting the dumbbells up rather than swinging them up.  Don’t lean forward while doing this either or you risk injury to your back.

5) Preacher Curls

This exercise is best done with a special preacher curl bench, but you can do this without it with a little modification.  Sit at the end of the weight bench, and place something such as a firm pillow or a few pillows under your armpits on your lap.  Hold the curl bar in your hands with palms facing upward.  Don’t hunch over the pillow, sit as straight as you can.

Using a shoulder width grip, grasp the bar in both hands.  Curl the bar upward in an arc.  Be careful not to swing or rock to get the bar moving.  You need to be using your muscles to lift the weight, not momentum.  The goal of this exercise is to work the biceps.

Bring the bar up to your chin keeping in mind that the resistance is greatest during the beginning of the lift.  Lower the bar slowly working the muscle on the way down as well.  You can also do this with dumbbells or work one arm at a time.

Weights Training

6) Seated Dumbbell Curl

Sit at the end of a bench with your feet firmly on the floor.  Keep your back straight and your head up.  Start with the dumbbells at arm’s length with your palms facing in.  Curl the weight up and twist your wrist once they pass your thighs.  Squeeze your biceps at the top and then slowly lower the weight.

Do not swing the dumbbells down; lower them as you are working those muscles!  You can do this standing, but the seated position prevents bad form.

7) One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Start with your right foot flat on the floor and your left knee resting on a flat bench.  Lean forward so that you’re supporting the weight of your upper body with your left arm on the bench.  Your back should be flat and almost parallel with the floor.

Reach down and pick up a dumbbell with your right hand.  Your left arm should be locked at the elbow so it will support the weight of your upper body.

Before starting, look straight ahead instead of at the floor so you can keep your back straight.  Tighten your abs to keep your body from turning to the side as you lift the dumbbell.  Concentrate on pulling your elbow back as far as it can go.  The dumbbell should end up roughly parallel with your torso.

After you’ve rowed the dumbbell up as far as you can slowly lower it back to the starting position.  Switch arms after one set.

Dumbbell Shrugs

Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder width.  Hold two dumbbells with your arms hanging at your sides.  Droop your shoulders down as far as possible.  Raise your shoulders up as far as you can go then slowly return to the starting position.

You can also rotate your shoulders by going up in a circular motion from front to back and then back down again.  This can also be done holding a barbell.

Gym Training

9) Standing Calf Raises

This can be done with a specific machine found in a gym, or adapted for use without the machine.  Stand up against a wall with your body facing the wall and your palms down on the wall and your feet flat on the floor.

Keep your body straight and slowly lift up your heels until you are standing on the tips of your toes.  Hold the contraction briefly then slowly return to the starting position with your feet flat on the floor.

10) Crunches

Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.

Place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Don’t lock your fingers behind your head! Push the small of your back down in the floor to isolate your abdominal muscles. Begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.

Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. Focus on slow, controlled movement – don’t cheat yourself by using momentum!

11) Dumbbell Hammer Curls

With a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your arms hanging at your sides, and palms are facing each other. Keep your elbows locked into your sides. Your upper body and elbows should remain in the same place during the whole lift.

Keep your palms facing each other, curl the weight in your right hand up in a semi-circle toward your right shoulder. Squeeze the biceps hard at the top of the lift and then slowly lower. Do not turn your wrists during this lift! You can also do one arm at a time and/or alternate.

12) Incline Dumbbell Press

Sit on the edge of an incline bench set at about a 45-degree angle. Pick up a dumbbell in each hand and place them on your thighs. Then, one at a time, raise them up to your shoulder level while you press your back and shoulders firmly against the bench.

Press the weights back up to a point over your upper chest, with your palms facing forward. Lower the weights slowly. Inhale as you lower the weights and exhale as you lift.

Related posts:

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What every bodybuilder needs

Another important nutrient every body builder needs is plenty of protein.  Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.  Glucose molecules make up carbohydrates just like amino acids make up proteins.

Protein is involved in growing, repairing, and replacing tissues.  That is made possible because proteins are the basis for body structures.

For body builders, nitrogen balance is an important concept to keep in mind when talking about proteins.  Nitrogen balance is the difference between the amount of nitrogen taken in and the amount excreted or lost.

If you lose more nitrogen than you consume, your body will break down muscle tissue to get it.  On the other hand, if you consume more than you lose, you will be in an anabolic, or muscle building, state.

Protein intake exceeds output, and protein is retained in tissue as new muscle is added. Obviously, this is something that you want. Watch out, if your protein output exceeds intake you would have a negative nitrogen balance. This is not good because the opposite is now happening.

Your body is degrading muscle and other body proteins. You usually see this in people who are starving, burned, injured, or have a fever. This puts your body in what is called a catabolic state.

An anabolic state is when your body has a positive nitrogen balance. The term catabolic refers to the state of the body in which body compounds are broken down for energy purposes.  In body building contexts, catabolic means muscle loss.

Ultimately, your body won’t grow when it is in a catabolic state.

The general rule is to consume daily the same amount of grams in protein as your body weight.  A 200 pound body builder, therefore, would need to eat 200 grams of protein every day to put the body in an anabolic state.

When calculating the amount of protein you are eating, concentrate on the complete sources of protein like meat, fish, and eggs.  While there are proteins in other foods, you need to focus on the complete sources rather than those that are incomplete.

If you are dieting while body building, your protein intake should increase to 1 ½ times your bodyweight.  Many diets have you cutting back on fat and carbohydrate intake.  This forces the body to burn more protein for fuel which can put your muscle tissue at risk.  To compensate, you’ll need to eat more protein to counteract this effect.

Here’s a quick guide to the protein content of some foods:

Protein Containing Food

Some people don’t feel that loading up on protein is a good idea for anyone, but if you want to get ripped with your body building program, you’ll need the amino acids in protein to work in your body.  Be aware of the amount of protein you are eating and make them work for you instead of against you.

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Build Body Mass

Millions of dollars are spent every year in the quest for a perfect body.  Gyms are big business, personal trainers are making a tidy living helping people stay fit, and body building supplements are at an all-time level of performance.

In actuality, the sport of body building has been around for quite some time.  In the late 19th century, the man known as the “father of bodybuilding”, Eugen Sandow was credited with inventing the sport by inviting people to view his body in muscle display performances.

Sandow built a stage performance around displays of strength and agility as well as showing off a “Grecian” physique which was considered the ultimate body.

He became so successful, he created several businesses around his fame and was among the first people to market body building products bearing his name.  As he became more popular, he was credited with the invention of the first exercise equipment marketed to the masses.

Sandow was also credited with beginning the first body building contest called “The Great Competition” held in London.  This competition was the basis for many others to follow including the Mr. Olympia competition that remains the most popular body building contest to date.

When World War II broke out, men in the country were inspired to become bigger in their physique, stronger, and more aggressive in their behavior.  Training techniques were improved, nutrition was focused on more than ever, and body building equipment evolved into effective means for working muscles in ways never thought of before.

It was also around this time that many body building organizations came into being including the Amateur Athletic Union and the International Federation of Body Building.  In 1970, body building was taken to a new level when the film “Pumping Iron” was released starring Austrian newcomer Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Through the years, body building has just grown in popularity becoming almost an obsession for many people.

Women have started to take an interest in honing their bodies, and the sport has evolved into a real competitive arena.

If you’ve always wanted to learn about how to build your body to that “Grecian Ideal” envisioned by Eugen Sandow, there can be a lot to learn.  The information here at this portal will guide you through some of the basics to get you started.  Of course, nothing will compare to actually getting to the gym and lifting those weights, but you’ll need some information first.

That’s why we’re here.  We want to reveal body building secrets to YOU.

WEIGHT TRAINING

Body building is the process of developing muscle fibers through various techniques.  It is achieved through muscle conditioning, weight training, increased caloric intake, and rest.

Workouts are designed to focus on certain muscle categories, and foods are consumed with the intention to build the body’s metabolism and increase mass.

This section will focus on weight training for body builders.  Weight training develops both strength as well as the size of skeletal muscles.  It uses the force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscles through contraction.  Weight training uses a variety of specialized equipment designed to target specific muscle groups and movements.

Some people refer to weight training as strength training.  While they are not exactly the same, they are both similar to each other.  Strength training focuses on increasing muscular strength and size.  Weight training is one type of strength training using weights as the primary force to build muscle mass.

The basic principles of weight training are pretty much the same as those of strength training.  It involves a manipulation of the numbers of reps, sets, tempo, exercise types, and weight moved to cause desired increases in strength, endurance, size, or shape.

The specific combination of reps, sets, exercises, and weight depends upon the desires of the body builder.  Sets with fewer reps can be performed with heavier weights but have a reduced impact on endurance.

Equipment used in weight training include barbells, dumbbells, pulleys, and stacks in the form of weight machines or the body’s own weight as in push-ups and chin-ups.  Different weights will give different types of resistance.

Weight training also focuses on form performing the movements with the appropriate muscle groups and not transferring the weight to different body parts in order to move great weight.  If you don’t use good form in weight training, you risk muscle injury which could hinder your progress.

Another form of weight training is resistance training.  Resistance training involves the use of elastic or hydraulic resistance to contraction rather than gravity.  When your muscles are resisting a weight, the overall tone of that muscle will grow over time.

If you are a beginner at weight training, you should not just “jump right in”.  You need to build up your strength and over-working your muscles can cause more harm than good.  Some of your muscles might be naturally stronger than others.  Building up slowly allows muscles to develop appropriate strengths relative to each other.

Most gyms offer the services of a personal trainer that comes with the membership fee.  These trainers can suggest specific workouts for you to begin with.  If you want to undertake it yourself, we can make a few suggestions on routines that can help you build muscle and get on the way to a great body.

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