http://www.serious-bodybuilding.tech-hosts-dns.com
Thats it folks! Don't worry though I will not neglect my blogger account; all new articles on this website will be available here on blogger as well. However there will be a one week delay for cross site publishing - so blogger will be 1 week behind.
Friday, 24 July 2009
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Fanatical about bodybuilding is moving soon
Fanatical about bodybuilding will be moving to a brand new website soon.
This website will:
be on a brand new domain name,
have a professional looking new layout designed by me (this has been completed)
and up to 10 new articles with current articles on blogger being edited
Stay tuned!
This website will:
be on a brand new domain name,
have a professional looking new layout designed by me (this has been completed)
and up to 10 new articles with current articles on blogger being edited
Stay tuned!
Monday, 6 July 2009
Training Guide For Developing Six-Pack Abs
That's right. You can eat your way to a six-pack. I'm sure some of you are thinking that I'll mention this new wonder drug that can give you ripped abs just by taking 2 pills three times a day for 7 days! I wish it was that simple...no, not really. Nothing in this world comes easy, you get where I'm going with this? So if your waiting for the day when exercise will come in the size of an easy to swallow, strawberry flavored capsule...it's going to be one really, really long wait!
If you're expecting to get ripped abs while you're still drinking a beer after every workout, well this article is just not for you. What you need is first of all to join AAA and put down that beer. For good. Then you can continue reading this article and actually wait in anticipation to get a few tips here and there.
Abs. every woman imagines, at least once in there lives, that a man without a shirt, with his glistering six-pack shimmering because of the effect of the setting sun's light as they hit his body. He then runs in front of them, turns, smiles and waves. That man can be you, but only if you eat right.
The secret to having visible muscles is to make them press through your skin and not through your fat. Actually it is advised that if you want to pack more muscles, burn down your fat. Go on a low fat diet. Seriously. It's time to kiss those deep fried potato chips goodbye.
Abs like any other muscle in the body, aren't formed purely by simply lifting weights and doing complicated crunches. They require proteins to form the muscle tissue, carbohydrates to provide energy to facilitate this process and fats to provide additional energy. I'm not contradicting myself when I tell you to go on a low fat diet. Yes the body needs fats. But it needs it in very precise amounts. Anything extra is stored under you skin and in effect doesn't help you get those ripped abs. it should therefore be taken in highly regulated quantities. The advantage of protein as a requirement is that it comes in very many forms that are easily available and affordable everywhere. If you live in a place where beef is rare, then you can feast on the good old chicken breast. If you're living on an island, then grilled fish should be among your favorite protein delicacies. Nothing starts your day off better than an egg omlette and some sweet potatoes. Then flush it down with a glass of farm fresh milk. Sweet potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates together with starchy foods like whole bread and cereal. Water is an essential bit of the equation. It not only flushes wastes out of your body but it also regulates your body temperature and also does wonders for your skin.
Your abs is formed by your workouts as well as your diet. Eat the right stuff in the quantity required and of cause hit the gym.
Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit http://www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
If you're expecting to get ripped abs while you're still drinking a beer after every workout, well this article is just not for you. What you need is first of all to join AAA and put down that beer. For good. Then you can continue reading this article and actually wait in anticipation to get a few tips here and there.
Abs. every woman imagines, at least once in there lives, that a man without a shirt, with his glistering six-pack shimmering because of the effect of the setting sun's light as they hit his body. He then runs in front of them, turns, smiles and waves. That man can be you, but only if you eat right.
The secret to having visible muscles is to make them press through your skin and not through your fat. Actually it is advised that if you want to pack more muscles, burn down your fat. Go on a low fat diet. Seriously. It's time to kiss those deep fried potato chips goodbye.
Abs like any other muscle in the body, aren't formed purely by simply lifting weights and doing complicated crunches. They require proteins to form the muscle tissue, carbohydrates to provide energy to facilitate this process and fats to provide additional energy. I'm not contradicting myself when I tell you to go on a low fat diet. Yes the body needs fats. But it needs it in very precise amounts. Anything extra is stored under you skin and in effect doesn't help you get those ripped abs. it should therefore be taken in highly regulated quantities. The advantage of protein as a requirement is that it comes in very many forms that are easily available and affordable everywhere. If you live in a place where beef is rare, then you can feast on the good old chicken breast. If you're living on an island, then grilled fish should be among your favorite protein delicacies. Nothing starts your day off better than an egg omlette and some sweet potatoes. Then flush it down with a glass of farm fresh milk. Sweet potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates together with starchy foods like whole bread and cereal. Water is an essential bit of the equation. It not only flushes wastes out of your body but it also regulates your body temperature and also does wonders for your skin.
Your abs is formed by your workouts as well as your diet. Eat the right stuff in the quantity required and of cause hit the gym.
Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit http://www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
Body Building Motivation Techniques
When you start to work towards any new goal, you need to decide right away what type of motivation techniques you are going to use. This will vary from person to person, so you need to find out what is right for you. There will be days where you do not want to exercise, eat right, or do anything else that is healthy for you. These are the times you are going to need your motivation techniques to keep you working towards your final goal of a fantastic body that you want to show off.
Here are a few suggestions.
Rewards - choose a small reward for each small step to accomplish. It's that can be something simple, such as sticking to your bodybuilding routine for a week or gaining an inch in your measurements. Or it can be a larger reward for a bigger goal, such as completing six months of a bodybuilding routine. Be careful not to make the goals too large before you receive some type of a reward, or it will be difficult to have it motivate you.
A vision board - vision boards are generally bulletin boards that have pictures on them of whatever your goal is. You could cut pictures out of magazines and post them on the board, or you could post pictures of whatever you have chosen as your rewards for meeting certain goals to be on your vision board. Whichever one will motivate you better is the one that you should choose. Keep a photograph of you at your worst to keep you motivated and moving towards your new goals and away from the past.
Books and CDs - an excellent motivation would be reading or listening to inspirational stories by people who have done amazing things. These do not have to be specifically for bodybuilding, but they can be for general motivational purposes. Visiting bodybuilding or fitness forums on the internet can be a great way of hearing other peoples stories which can give you some real motivation for success. Some people also find self hypnosis or meditation helps them focus on their goals.
The only two things that you should not use as rewards or motivators would be unhealthy foods or days off from your routine. Other than those two things, everything else should be fine. Unhealthy food is just like taking backwards steps. Keep yourself motivated towards your new goals and do not let yourself start slipping into old habits which will ultimately wreck your chances of building your perfect body.
1 Hour Muscles is a home workout program.
Build muscles and burn fat. No Weights. No Gym. No Pills.
Here are a few suggestions.
Rewards - choose a small reward for each small step to accomplish. It's that can be something simple, such as sticking to your bodybuilding routine for a week or gaining an inch in your measurements. Or it can be a larger reward for a bigger goal, such as completing six months of a bodybuilding routine. Be careful not to make the goals too large before you receive some type of a reward, or it will be difficult to have it motivate you.
A vision board - vision boards are generally bulletin boards that have pictures on them of whatever your goal is. You could cut pictures out of magazines and post them on the board, or you could post pictures of whatever you have chosen as your rewards for meeting certain goals to be on your vision board. Whichever one will motivate you better is the one that you should choose. Keep a photograph of you at your worst to keep you motivated and moving towards your new goals and away from the past.
Books and CDs - an excellent motivation would be reading or listening to inspirational stories by people who have done amazing things. These do not have to be specifically for bodybuilding, but they can be for general motivational purposes. Visiting bodybuilding or fitness forums on the internet can be a great way of hearing other peoples stories which can give you some real motivation for success. Some people also find self hypnosis or meditation helps them focus on their goals.
The only two things that you should not use as rewards or motivators would be unhealthy foods or days off from your routine. Other than those two things, everything else should be fine. Unhealthy food is just like taking backwards steps. Keep yourself motivated towards your new goals and do not let yourself start slipping into old habits which will ultimately wreck your chances of building your perfect body.
1 Hour Muscles is a home workout program.
Build muscles and burn fat. No Weights. No Gym. No Pills.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
DIET needed for EXPLOSIVE MUSCLE WEIGHT GAIN!
Diet is seen by many bodybuilders as the holy grail of bodybuilding or the most important part of the jigsaw. It is actually very simple yet many bodybuilders fail at the diet stage. Simply to gain weight you must increase calories so that you consume more than you burn off. I would say that consistency is more important than diet but for sure the diet is number 2 in the order of important bodybuilding pieces of the jigsaw. The actual exercise regime is number 3 because without diet your exercise gains will reach a plateau very quickly. When muscles break down from exercise they need nutrients so they can grow back bigger and stronger than before. Therefore here I will give you my simple rules for a good bodybuilding diet. The principles that I lay down here will be with the aim of gaining weight (bulking). Weight loss diets are completly different and will be dealt with in another post.
First of all record what you eat in a day. Find the amount of grams you receive in protein, carbohydrates and fats and the amount of calories. This is your basic calorie needs for maintaining your current weight. In order to gain weight you need to be 3,500 calories over in 1 week to gain 1 pound or 7,000 calories over to gain 2 pounds. This over a week not a day!
Therefore we must add 1,000 calories a day if we are aiming for 2 pounds increase a week. In fact though the actual amount is 1,500 calories because weight lifting burns calories at a high rate and so we need an extra 500 in fact!
So for example you take in 2,000 calories a day normally. Now you need 3,500 in order to gain 2lb. As you gain weight however you will need more and more calories to maintain that weight so for example this is my plan for a 10 week bulk.
week 1: 3,500 calories
week 2: 3,800 calories
week 3: 4,100 calories
week 4: 4,400 calories
week 5: 4,700 calories
week 6: 5,000 calories
week 7: 5,300 calories
week 8: 5,600 calories
week 9: 5,900 calories
week 10: 6,200 calories
Through this diet you will gain 20 pounds in just 10 weeks. Coupled with a very good training regime you can expect a lot of that weight to be muscle. The idea though is to keep adding 300 calories each week to continue the weight gain or eventually it will plateau.
Meal Frequency: If you are skinny you will have a very quick metabolism and so you need to be constantly eating in order to keep fueling the muscle and to keep in an anabolic state (muscle building). I recommend you eat small meals EVERY 3 HOURS minimum.
Diet Ratio:
50% of calories must come from Protein then divide the remaining 50% between Carbs and Fats equally. If you weigh 140lb then you should ALWAYS be getting 140g of protein daily as a bare minimum.
Protein Sources:
Whey protein, eggs, beef, poultry, fish, skim milk, cottage cheese
Carbohydrate Sources:
Pasta, rice, vegetables, cereal, whole wheat bread, dextrose, potatoes
Fat Sources: (fat doesn't actually make you fat contrary to popular belief! Simple carbohydrates such as sugars are the enemy)
Canola, sunflower, safflower, cold water fish, linseed oil, evening primrose, borage and flaxseed oil.
Other Requirements:
Fiber: Fiber is repsonsible for a healthy digetsive system and allows things to move along in a 'smooth' way. The best sources are vegetables, whole grain and whole oats.
Milk: If you are having difficulty gaining weight then I recommend adding milk to your diet! Milk is high in protein and dietary fat and can be an instant 100 calories in each glass!
Water: Drink at least a gallon a day. Protein produces a lot of waste and the only way the kidneys can cope is through adequate water consumption.
That is all for now folks! If you have any questions feel free to ask. These are the basics of dieting for weight gain. I will post specific meal plans later.
Until next time,
Steve
First of all record what you eat in a day. Find the amount of grams you receive in protein, carbohydrates and fats and the amount of calories. This is your basic calorie needs for maintaining your current weight. In order to gain weight you need to be 3,500 calories over in 1 week to gain 1 pound or 7,000 calories over to gain 2 pounds. This over a week not a day!
Therefore we must add 1,000 calories a day if we are aiming for 2 pounds increase a week. In fact though the actual amount is 1,500 calories because weight lifting burns calories at a high rate and so we need an extra 500 in fact!
So for example you take in 2,000 calories a day normally. Now you need 3,500 in order to gain 2lb. As you gain weight however you will need more and more calories to maintain that weight so for example this is my plan for a 10 week bulk.
week 1: 3,500 calories
week 2: 3,800 calories
week 3: 4,100 calories
week 4: 4,400 calories
week 5: 4,700 calories
week 6: 5,000 calories
week 7: 5,300 calories
week 8: 5,600 calories
week 9: 5,900 calories
week 10: 6,200 calories
Through this diet you will gain 20 pounds in just 10 weeks. Coupled with a very good training regime you can expect a lot of that weight to be muscle. The idea though is to keep adding 300 calories each week to continue the weight gain or eventually it will plateau.
Meal Frequency: If you are skinny you will have a very quick metabolism and so you need to be constantly eating in order to keep fueling the muscle and to keep in an anabolic state (muscle building). I recommend you eat small meals EVERY 3 HOURS minimum.
Diet Ratio:
50% of calories must come from Protein then divide the remaining 50% between Carbs and Fats equally. If you weigh 140lb then you should ALWAYS be getting 140g of protein daily as a bare minimum.
Protein Sources:
Whey protein, eggs, beef, poultry, fish, skim milk, cottage cheese
Carbohydrate Sources:
Pasta, rice, vegetables, cereal, whole wheat bread, dextrose, potatoes
Fat Sources: (fat doesn't actually make you fat contrary to popular belief! Simple carbohydrates such as sugars are the enemy)
Canola, sunflower, safflower, cold water fish, linseed oil, evening primrose, borage and flaxseed oil.
Other Requirements:
Fiber: Fiber is repsonsible for a healthy digetsive system and allows things to move along in a 'smooth' way. The best sources are vegetables, whole grain and whole oats.
Milk: If you are having difficulty gaining weight then I recommend adding milk to your diet! Milk is high in protein and dietary fat and can be an instant 100 calories in each glass!
Water: Drink at least a gallon a day. Protein produces a lot of waste and the only way the kidneys can cope is through adequate water consumption.
That is all for now folks! If you have any questions feel free to ask. These are the basics of dieting for weight gain. I will post specific meal plans later.
Until next time,
Steve
Cutting edge training regime for maximum muscle growth!
Right this is the current training regime that I'am on at the moment. I have got very good results from this and you can as well. I will post many different training regimes on my blog because it is important to change workouts. This is because it stops you from going stale and becoming bored, it also means you can attack your muscles from many different angles thus maximising growth!
Also note that without a good diet, your gains from this workout will not be much. This workout regime coupled with a good diet can cause a gain in weight near 30lb in just 4 months. That is what I achieved on this workout regime. If you doubt you can really gain 30lbs of muscle in such a small time frame must consider where I started from. When I started I was actually underweight and a complete newbie to bodybuilding. This exercise regime and the vast amounts of food shocked my body into unbelievable growth. If you have been bodybuilding for many years then of course there will be less of a shock to the system.
So without further a due I present to you: Steve's Super Workout Version 1.0
The principle behind this workout is that heavy weights are used to stimulate growth and shock the system.
1) First of all you should stretch all muscles before and after working out. Here is a slideshow of stretches that maybe useful to you on this website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/sm00043
2) Now do 5-10 Minutes on an exercise bike to get the heart circulating blood around your body and to the muscles.
3) Now commence to your exercise. Exercises are broken down into sets and reps. So for example 4 sets of 6-8 reps means: Do an exercise for 6-8 repetitions and then stop and rest, this is 1 set and then after the rest you go and do another 6-8 repetitions and so on.
In my exercise regime you must rest 2 minutes between each set. For each exercise there is 1 warm up set of 12 reps (light weight) you are not exerting yourself here). Then 4 work out sets aiming for 8 reps on each set. Finally a 5th superset towards muscle failure.
Concentrate on keeping perfect form for each exercise. If you can't then the weight is too heavy! Each week aim to add 1lb to your lifts no matter what. This may not seem much but over a year it will equate to a strength gain of 52lbs in all your lifts which is not bad at all.
4) There are only 3 exercise sessions each week. Each exercise is accompanied by a video courtesy of youtube.com detailing how to do the exercise! Make sure to spread the sessions out so you do them every-other-day so to give your muscles the chance to rest.
SESSION 1 (back, bicep)
WIDE GRIP PULL UPS:
One-Arm Rows:
Standing dumbell curls:
Latbar pulldown:
SESSION 2 (LEGS)
Squats:
Stiff legged deadlifts:
Calve Raises:
SESSION 3: (CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS)
Flat bench press:
Shoulder press:
Shrugs:
Dips:
The staple of this exercise regime are the squats, deadlifts and bench presses. They are the most IMPORTANT exercises! Your primary focus should be on getting stronger in these lifts at all costs. If your gaining weight in these then you are doing something correctly and you will find that other lifts will get better as a result. So for example don't really focus on your dumbell curls as much you will find they get better naturally as your bench, squat and deadlift get better anyway. Thats not to say the curl is not important so focus on the form but for overall growth focus on the big 3 of squats, deadlifts and bench presses.
This program that I have posted is basic but will get you pretty decent results just by itself. However if you want a more advanced program that promises even better results i advise you look at this Click Here! this website by Will Brink... he is offering a free newsletter to everyone on his site that is full of great tips. Will Brink is also selling a training system that in my opinion is one of the best out there. You get access to paid professional nutritionists, doctors, exercise gurus and Will himself! Everything you need for success!
Will Brink certainly knows what he is talking about as he trains SWAT teams and gives special ops advice on how to improve their physical performance!!!
Click Here! to be taken to Will Brinks website.
Until next time,
Steve
Also note that without a good diet, your gains from this workout will not be much. This workout regime coupled with a good diet can cause a gain in weight near 30lb in just 4 months. That is what I achieved on this workout regime. If you doubt you can really gain 30lbs of muscle in such a small time frame must consider where I started from. When I started I was actually underweight and a complete newbie to bodybuilding. This exercise regime and the vast amounts of food shocked my body into unbelievable growth. If you have been bodybuilding for many years then of course there will be less of a shock to the system.
So without further a due I present to you: Steve's Super Workout Version 1.0
The principle behind this workout is that heavy weights are used to stimulate growth and shock the system.
1) First of all you should stretch all muscles before and after working out. Here is a slideshow of stretches that maybe useful to you on this website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretching/sm00043
2) Now do 5-10 Minutes on an exercise bike to get the heart circulating blood around your body and to the muscles.
3) Now commence to your exercise. Exercises are broken down into sets and reps. So for example 4 sets of 6-8 reps means: Do an exercise for 6-8 repetitions and then stop and rest, this is 1 set and then after the rest you go and do another 6-8 repetitions and so on.
In my exercise regime you must rest 2 minutes between each set. For each exercise there is 1 warm up set of 12 reps (light weight) you are not exerting yourself here). Then 4 work out sets aiming for 8 reps on each set. Finally a 5th superset towards muscle failure.
Concentrate on keeping perfect form for each exercise. If you can't then the weight is too heavy! Each week aim to add 1lb to your lifts no matter what. This may not seem much but over a year it will equate to a strength gain of 52lbs in all your lifts which is not bad at all.
4) There are only 3 exercise sessions each week. Each exercise is accompanied by a video courtesy of youtube.com detailing how to do the exercise! Make sure to spread the sessions out so you do them every-other-day so to give your muscles the chance to rest.
SESSION 1 (back, bicep)
WIDE GRIP PULL UPS:
One-Arm Rows:
Standing dumbell curls:
Latbar pulldown:
SESSION 2 (LEGS)
Squats:
Stiff legged deadlifts:
Calve Raises:
SESSION 3: (CHEST, SHOULDERS, TRICEPS)
Flat bench press:
Shoulder press:
Shrugs:
Dips:
The staple of this exercise regime are the squats, deadlifts and bench presses. They are the most IMPORTANT exercises! Your primary focus should be on getting stronger in these lifts at all costs. If your gaining weight in these then you are doing something correctly and you will find that other lifts will get better as a result. So for example don't really focus on your dumbell curls as much you will find they get better naturally as your bench, squat and deadlift get better anyway. Thats not to say the curl is not important so focus on the form but for overall growth focus on the big 3 of squats, deadlifts and bench presses.
This program that I have posted is basic but will get you pretty decent results just by itself. However if you want a more advanced program that promises even better results i advise you look at this Click Here! this website by Will Brink... he is offering a free newsletter to everyone on his site that is full of great tips. Will Brink is also selling a training system that in my opinion is one of the best out there. You get access to paid professional nutritionists, doctors, exercise gurus and Will himself! Everything you need for success!
Will Brink certainly knows what he is talking about as he trains SWAT teams and gives special ops advice on how to improve their physical performance!!!
Click Here! to be taken to Will Brinks website.
Until next time,
Steve
Dont forget to take a multi-vitamin!
This is just a short post but I just want to highlight the fact that many bodybuilders that I know don't take a multi-vitamin. I want to know why this is? Whenever taking part in a muscle building program I always make sure that I take a multi-vitamin. Sometimes it is not possible to get all the required nutrients each day and so any deficiency could cause problems in the muscle building process. The multi-vitamin is convenient and it makes sure that there are NO DEFIENCY in your diet. My only caution about using multi-vitamins is that they are not a real substitute for a healthy and balanced diet.
Until next time,
Steve
Until next time,
Steve
SHOCKING SECRETS EXPOSED! How to control your metabolism to either gain or lose weight!
Shocking secrets exposed? That is a bold title and yet what I'am about to reveal to you is very likely to do just that because it goes against conventional wisdom that the media bestow upon us.
First of all you may want to ask: "What is metabolism?" Metabolism is an important part of what determines our body type. If it can be controlled it is another piece in the jigsaw towards attaining your desired physique. Metabolism is the basic rate at which your body burns calories. Skinny people have a fast metabolism and calories are burned quickly. I remember as a teenager I had an insanely quick metabolism where it seemed like I could eat anything and not put on a single pound in weight. I was very skinny though so even though I could eat whatever junk food I wanted it was little consolation when girls treated me as if I did not exist - it was not like I was easy to miss being 6 foot two inches tall! Anyways I have drifted to a tangent there, so you want to know how to alter your emtabolism to suit your needs? This is not always easy but it can be done!
To increase your emtabolism it has been found that increasing your meal frequency does this. This keeps the metabolism fires burning! It may not seem scientific but it is true. It is a factor in why dieters fail when they try to starve themselves as the metabolism is not being worked it starts to slow down.
Cardiovascular exercise such as running will also improve your metabolism. The aim of cardiovascular exercise is not the calories that you burn but the benefit of an increased metabolic rate!
Increasing your protein intake has also been found to increase metabolic rate. Also finally increasing the amount of muscle mass in your body will increase your metabolism as muscle will burn off more calories than fat.
If then you want to decrease your metabolism then the opposite approach is taken. Eating infrequently will result in a slow metabolism. A high percentage of body fat will slow it down. Lack of cardiovascular exercise or inactivity will slow it down.
Also and this will SHOCK YOU TO THE CORE all you dieters out there...
Low calorie dieting will also decrease your metabolic rate!? Crazy or what? The media are constantly shoving it down our throats to eat less and conventional weight loss diets are based around eating nothing but lettuce. This is why people reach a plateau when going on weight loss diets and not doing exercise with it. The body reacts by decreasing your metabolic rate to prevent you from shrivelling away into nothing. This does make sense because I sometimes eat a lot more than people that are fatter than me.
Final thoughts? In this post I have detailed the natural ways that metabolism can be controlled. As well as these natural methods at increasing or decreasing the metabolism which will aid in weight gain or weight loss there are also various supplements available. I thus promise you that in a future blog post I will look at these supplements and evaluate them for you!
Until next time,
Steve
First of all you may want to ask: "What is metabolism?" Metabolism is an important part of what determines our body type. If it can be controlled it is another piece in the jigsaw towards attaining your desired physique. Metabolism is the basic rate at which your body burns calories. Skinny people have a fast metabolism and calories are burned quickly. I remember as a teenager I had an insanely quick metabolism where it seemed like I could eat anything and not put on a single pound in weight. I was very skinny though so even though I could eat whatever junk food I wanted it was little consolation when girls treated me as if I did not exist - it was not like I was easy to miss being 6 foot two inches tall! Anyways I have drifted to a tangent there, so you want to know how to alter your emtabolism to suit your needs? This is not always easy but it can be done!
To increase your emtabolism it has been found that increasing your meal frequency does this. This keeps the metabolism fires burning! It may not seem scientific but it is true. It is a factor in why dieters fail when they try to starve themselves as the metabolism is not being worked it starts to slow down.
Cardiovascular exercise such as running will also improve your metabolism. The aim of cardiovascular exercise is not the calories that you burn but the benefit of an increased metabolic rate!
Increasing your protein intake has also been found to increase metabolic rate. Also finally increasing the amount of muscle mass in your body will increase your metabolism as muscle will burn off more calories than fat.
If then you want to decrease your metabolism then the opposite approach is taken. Eating infrequently will result in a slow metabolism. A high percentage of body fat will slow it down. Lack of cardiovascular exercise or inactivity will slow it down.
Also and this will SHOCK YOU TO THE CORE all you dieters out there...
Low calorie dieting will also decrease your metabolic rate!? Crazy or what? The media are constantly shoving it down our throats to eat less and conventional weight loss diets are based around eating nothing but lettuce. This is why people reach a plateau when going on weight loss diets and not doing exercise with it. The body reacts by decreasing your metabolic rate to prevent you from shrivelling away into nothing. This does make sense because I sometimes eat a lot more than people that are fatter than me.
Final thoughts? In this post I have detailed the natural ways that metabolism can be controlled. As well as these natural methods at increasing or decreasing the metabolism which will aid in weight gain or weight loss there are also various supplements available. I thus promise you that in a future blog post I will look at these supplements and evaluate them for you!
Until next time,
Steve
The most important factor in gaining solid muscle and burning the fat each week!
The newbie bodybuilder (as I like to call him) is impatient and is seeking that magic key or secret ingredient that will result in him acquiring his dream body or weight lifting goals in the fastest time possible. In our consumer society we are not used to waiting. Whenever we want something - if it doesn't happen in an instant then we start to complain! The newbie bodybuilder desperately wants to achieve tomorrow's goals yesterday! It is of course an unrealistic view to take and yet a very common view amongst new bodybuilders.
I would say I'am in pretty decent shape and I'am asked for 'my secret' by these newbie bodybuilders. So here it is, my secret to being able to pack on muscle, cut the fat and become much stronger in a very short space of time: consistency.
My secret is consistency. If your diet and workout regime are not perfect and yet you are consistent with your effort you will find some progress (much better than not doing anything at all to change your body!) On the other hand that guy with the perfect diet and workout regime and the personal trainer (too!) will find that he achieves nothing if he is not consistent in his endeavour by missing out on meals and exercise every now and again. Life changing results will not happen instantly, it will take time. Consistent effort over the long term will lead to results that can change your life. It is a sad fact that a lot of people who start going to the gym with every good intention and lots of enthusiasm end up giving up after a month or so. Good results come about from sustained effort. Doing something even if you don't feel like it.
"Ok.. the secret to bodybuilding is consistency so how do I become consistent?" shouts the newbie bodybuilder, impatiently.
Alright steady on! Talk about impatience... I find that it takes 21 days to form or break a habit. This has been detaile din many psychological reports. Therefore the most effort is in those 21 days and then adterwards it becomes second nature and actually requires effort to break. If you are dedicated in these first 21 days and do not slip up at all, this should build momentum which you can use to carry yourself forward.
So what steps can be taken to develop a consistent attitude towards training in the first 21 days that will help us and then beyond?
1) Start a blog/ diary! An easy way to motivate yourself to do something is to open yourself up to the scrutiny of others. Write a bodybuilding blog detailing all your diet and exercise regime that you aim to do each day and then do it and report back on your findings. Make records of lifts etc and then post them on the internet. Go on www.bodybuilding.com and then go to the forums and you will find a section for posting your blog or diary. If you are still confused then look at other peoples blogs for ideas. If you then find yourself skipping meals or exercise sessions then other people will be quick to post and criticise you! Criticism can be a good motivational tool because people don't want to make their failures known in public.
2) Write up that timetable from your blog detailing exactly what your meant to be doing each hour of each day and stick it up around the house!
3) Do a reward/ punishment system. If you stick to your timetable reward yourself by playing video games for example or if you don't stick to your timetable then punish yourself in whatever way you see fit!
4) Take a picture of yourself before you begin your exercise regime and also have a picture of a bodybuilder who has the phsique that you aim to achieve and stick these pictures next to each other on the kitchen fridge for example. I have found this to be a very good motivational tool.
These are some of the things I do to make sure I'am consistent when taking on a training and diet regime.
It's time to make a stand, it is now or never! Are you in or are you out? Without consistency you will fail. Consistency is the magic ingredient and will result in FASTER and BETTER results in the LONG TERM. Put the hard work in now, invest your time into the future and when the future arrives you will be SO MUCH MORE HAPPIER because of that invested effort.
Until next time,
Steve
I would say I'am in pretty decent shape and I'am asked for 'my secret' by these newbie bodybuilders. So here it is, my secret to being able to pack on muscle, cut the fat and become much stronger in a very short space of time: consistency.
My secret is consistency. If your diet and workout regime are not perfect and yet you are consistent with your effort you will find some progress (much better than not doing anything at all to change your body!) On the other hand that guy with the perfect diet and workout regime and the personal trainer (too!) will find that he achieves nothing if he is not consistent in his endeavour by missing out on meals and exercise every now and again. Life changing results will not happen instantly, it will take time. Consistent effort over the long term will lead to results that can change your life. It is a sad fact that a lot of people who start going to the gym with every good intention and lots of enthusiasm end up giving up after a month or so. Good results come about from sustained effort. Doing something even if you don't feel like it.
"Ok.. the secret to bodybuilding is consistency so how do I become consistent?" shouts the newbie bodybuilder, impatiently.
Alright steady on! Talk about impatience... I find that it takes 21 days to form or break a habit. This has been detaile din many psychological reports. Therefore the most effort is in those 21 days and then adterwards it becomes second nature and actually requires effort to break. If you are dedicated in these first 21 days and do not slip up at all, this should build momentum which you can use to carry yourself forward.
So what steps can be taken to develop a consistent attitude towards training in the first 21 days that will help us and then beyond?
1) Start a blog/ diary! An easy way to motivate yourself to do something is to open yourself up to the scrutiny of others. Write a bodybuilding blog detailing all your diet and exercise regime that you aim to do each day and then do it and report back on your findings. Make records of lifts etc and then post them on the internet. Go on www.bodybuilding.com and then go to the forums and you will find a section for posting your blog or diary. If you are still confused then look at other peoples blogs for ideas. If you then find yourself skipping meals or exercise sessions then other people will be quick to post and criticise you! Criticism can be a good motivational tool because people don't want to make their failures known in public.
2) Write up that timetable from your blog detailing exactly what your meant to be doing each hour of each day and stick it up around the house!
3) Do a reward/ punishment system. If you stick to your timetable reward yourself by playing video games for example or if you don't stick to your timetable then punish yourself in whatever way you see fit!
4) Take a picture of yourself before you begin your exercise regime and also have a picture of a bodybuilder who has the phsique that you aim to achieve and stick these pictures next to each other on the kitchen fridge for example. I have found this to be a very good motivational tool.
These are some of the things I do to make sure I'am consistent when taking on a training and diet regime.
It's time to make a stand, it is now or never! Are you in or are you out? Without consistency you will fail. Consistency is the magic ingredient and will result in FASTER and BETTER results in the LONG TERM. Put the hard work in now, invest your time into the future and when the future arrives you will be SO MUCH MORE HAPPIER because of that invested effort.
Until next time,
Steve
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