The men's fitness blog

How To Build Big Biceps

The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.” The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of bicep! Bulging biceps - every guy wants them. Count me in this group.

The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an ‘obsessive addiction’ in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can ’see’ a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look ‘good.’

Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy ‘obsessive addiction.’ for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The ‘guns’ are of a man’s most prized possession and one of many women’s most desired body parts on a man (of course)!

My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21’s which are ‘promised’ to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?

Let’s examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.

Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better

If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don’t you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don’t you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.

Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply ‘out do’ your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.

I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps ‘look’ big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.

Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!

Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.

Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength

Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.

However, if you are always blasting and ’smoking’ your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.

Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time

Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these ’simple’ exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let’s also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.

I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.

Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:

Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi’s by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.

Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi’s by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don’t let them move.)

Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don’t underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.

Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle

I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.

Fitness for Real Men Bicep Prioritization schedule

Weight Training Program Notes: An extra 5 pounds of overall weight should lead to at least an extra inch on your arms. Keep the program going for another 5 weeks and you’ll have a whole extra inch on your arm in about 10 weeks! Then tell all your friends to get tickets for the “Gun Show!”

Notice the simplicity of the workout structure. This program will work extremely well for hardgainers. The overall volume might be a little low for someone used to a traditional bodybuilder split program and has more than four years of consistent training.

The power of the program is found in the principle of prioritization by sequence on the first pull workout. Notice that your prioritization muscle is being sequenced at the start of the workout and the start of the week. This is happening on purpose. We are intentionally giving your biceps an opportunity to train at their two most “fresh” times – at the start of the week and at the start of the workout.

Focusing on increasing overall strength can still be achieved on the second pullworkout where the biceps will not be pre-fatigued.

Notice the slow speed movements. Many anabolic hormones are released when your muscles are under constant tension. The tempo’s are set up so that will be forced to move the weight slower and with a greater amount of tension concentrically and eccentrically.

On a pull day, 402 would mean: 4 seconds to release the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to pull the weight. On a push day, 402 would would mean 4 seconds to lower the weight, 0 second pause at the bottom and 2 seconds to push the weight up.

Focus on adding 5-10 pounds to each of your exercises over the course of the next four weeks while keeping the rep ranges and sets the same. It is not necessary to do more sets or more reps. Focus on increasing more weight under the same set, rep, tempo and rest prescription.

Conclusion

Focus on gaining an extra 5 pounds of overall weight this next 5 weeks. That works out to gaining about 2 pounds of dry muscle accompanied by some water and glycogen weight.

By Vince DelMonte

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: biceps, mass build

Exercises You Should Be Doing, But Probably Aren’t!

When it comes to working out, it’s easy to get in a rut and continuously do the same exercises over and over. Routine workouts might produce some results for a while, but you’re going to hit a plateau sooner or later and progress will stop. Here are 4 exercises you can add to your routine to shake things up…


1. Burpees (video)

The burpee is an amazing full body exercise that tests your jumping, squatting and pushing muscles. Burpess should be done at a fast pace with small breaks in between sets. This will provide the greatest boost to your metabolism which will help you burn calories.


2. Turkish Get Up (video)

The turkish get up is another full body movement that will also really help with your core strength. You can do this with a kettlebell, dumbbell, barbell or a medicine ball. I like to do these at the end of my workout when Im already torched and ready to give up…


3. Overhead squats (video)

Are you noticing a pattern here? The overhead squat is another full body movement that will really test your flexibility, balance and strength. Overhead squats force you to use your stabilizing muscles, which are often neglected in a number of exercises.

If you want a great ab/core exercises, the overhead squat might be the best out there…


4. Pistols (video)

Pistols (aka the one legged squat) will help improve your balance, coordination and strength. It’s a great exercise that forces you to have knee, hip, ankle, hamstring and glute flexibility.

Some people find it easier to hold a medicine ball in their hands while doing the pistol. This helps them stay balanced throughout the movement.

Conclusion

Watch the videos we linked to above and learn the proper form for the exercises before trying them. Lifts like the overhead squat will take some time to develop before you can add a decent amount of weight on the bar.


This post comes from an article at GymJunkies.com.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: Burpees, exercise routines, Overhead Squats, Pistols, Turkish Get Ups

If you can eat junk food all day without gaining weight; if you admire marathon runners for their muscles; if you try to impress women with your metabolism rather than your huge pectoral muscles; then you fit the stereotype of the "Skinny Guy".

But while you may think you are eating a lot, are you really? Comparitively, probably not. Even though nutrition is a key part of muscle gain, making yourself eat when you don't feel like it is one of the hardest things to do, but increasing your intake of healthy nutrients is easier; in fact, anyone can do it, no matter what your metabolism is like.

This post is your window to weight-gain.


1. Track Calories. You need around 20 kiloCalories per pound per day to gain weight. So if you weight 140 pounds, you need a minimum of 2800 kCal per day, more if you are training. You may be surprised that you don't eat as much as you think, so use the labels on food to calculate exactly how many calories you are getting, on average. If it is lower than 2800, this is where your problem lies. Use scales and food labels to accurately measure your new intake.


2. Set a Goal Weight. A rule of thumb is at least 1kg for each cm above 1m. Anything less and you’ll always look skinny. For example, if you are 1m 80cm, you should weight at least 80 kg. Body Mass Index (BMI) is also a good indicator of your ideal weight. However, once you gain some muscle, BMI is no longer valid.


3. Eat Every 3 Hours. This will make it easier to overcome a small appetite. Make sure you never skip breakfast. Prepare snacks to eat at specific times - mixed nuts, sandwiches, eggs and protein shakes are ideal. Eat after your workouts to regain energy - include protein to build muscle. Protein shakes are a great idea, since they will also quench your thirst (make sure to only mix hem with water, not milk.


4. Eat Calorie Dense Foods. Getting your daily calorie intake is easier if you eat natural, healthy foods high in calories. For example: 100g raw rice is 380kcals. 100g raw spinach is only 25kcals.

• Pasta. 100g pasta is 380kcal and easier to ingest than 100g rice. Whole grain pasta is healthier, but takes longer to digest. Eat white pasta.
• Milk. If you are not concerned about gaining some fat, drink 2 pints / 1.5 litres of whole or semi-skimmed milk per day.
• Nuts. Mixed nuts & natural peanut butter have 500kcal per 100g, about 50% healthy fats and 25% protein. Use mixed nuts as snack & spread peanut butter on sandwiched for snacks at work or school.
  

5. Get Stronger. You want to go from skinny to muscular, not from skinny to chubby. Get into strength training. More strength is more muscle. If you don’t know where to start, check the resistance training sections at Fitness for Real Men. Some tips:

• Free Weights. They force you to balance the weight, make you exercise your core muscles and avoid injuries by allowing for natural motions. Start out light, focus on smooth technique and add weight progressively.
• Compound Exercises. Do exercises that work your whole body. Squats, Deadlifts, Overhead Press, Bench Press, Pull-ups, Dips, etc …
• Squat. Do squats every week in the gym. When you can Squat more than your own body-weight for at least 1 rep, you’ll no longer be skinny.
• Rest. Muscles grow when you rest, not when you workout. Don’t train daily. Get plenty of sleep.
  

6. Eat Protein. You need 1g protein per pound of body-weight per day to build & maintain muscle. If you weigh 150lbs/68kg, you need at least 150g protein per day. Eat protein with each meal. Sources of protein:

• Red Meat. Steak, venison, ...
• Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
• Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
• Eggs. Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.
• Dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, whey, …
  

7. Plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. You don’t have time to cook 3x/day if you prepare your food in advance and take it with you.

• Do your own grocceries. Avoid skipped meals because you don’t have food available. List everything you need for 1 week and go buy it.
• Cook in Advance. Prepare all your meals once per day: while preparing breakfast or while preparing dinner.
• Take Food with you. Use food containers for work/school, eat before going out on the town and take protein shakes to the gym, …
  

8. Track Your Progress. Success breeds success. Knowing that you’re losing your skinny look will keep you motivated. Track everything.

• Track Calories. Track you daily calorie intake to make sure you are getting a confirmation of how many calories you’re eating.
• Weigh Yourself Weekly. Gaining weight? Don’t change anything. Not gaining weight? Increase your daily caloric intake by 500 kcal. Increase by this amount again if you're not gaining weight by the time you weigh yourself again next week.
• Take Pictures. Pictures don’t lie. You can often forget how far you have come or get discouraged. Muscle gain happens gradually and can often go unnoticed. Shoot pictures every month, so that you can see your progress.
  

Here's a sample muscle and weight gain diet that you can use:

3500 kcal per day. This can be too much at once if you’re only 140lbs or too little if you’re very active. Customize this diet based on your own needs.

• Breakfast: 100g porridge oats, 50g raisins and 1 scoop whey protein shake
• Snack: 100g mixed nuts or fruits or 1 liter milk or tuna sandwich
• Lunch: 200g white pasta, bolognese sause, parmesan cheese
• Snack: 100g mixed nuts or fruits or 1 liter milk or tuna sandwich
• Post workout: 1.5 scoops whey protein shake with milk, banana or tuna sandwich
• Dinner: Chicken breast with rice and salad, or turkey salad or tuna pasta with low-fat sauce
• Pre bed: cottage cheese or scrambled eggs or mixed berries or flax seed, and a glass of water
  

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: gain weight, skinny, weight

How to win the battle for the body you've always wanted.


The biggest mistake when building muscle is imitating Pro Bodybuilders. Most of them are genetically predisposed to producing muscle. And after all, they didn't start out training like they do now, so copying their routines won’t make you build muscle fast.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: fitness, muscle building, muscle weight gain

Think again about how you perform situps and you could build better abs fast. This Men's Fitness guide will tell you how.

The Situp - Men's Fitness


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Labels: abs, situp

1. Eat a combination of carbs and protein about 2 hours before you exercise and immediately afterwards can, over time, increase your strength by up to 25%.
2. Take a protein drink as soon as you've finished a workout. Protein repairs muscle damage and actually helps build muscle. You don't need to buy expensive sports drinks; add a heaped dessert spoon of whey protein powder to a large glass of skimmed milk.
3. Mix your exercise methods. Burn fat at the same time as making muscle. Get up to three 40 minute sessions a week. Combine aerobics and weights.
4. Upper body muscle development requires movement of weights slowly and carefully. Go for six seconds lifting and a further six seconds lowering and repeat six times.
5. Scientists have found that men who take a 30 second break between sets gain 6% more strength than those who rest for 90 seconds.
6. Calf muscles generally seem to respond better to reps than weights.
7. Establish good body building routines.
   

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: strength, strength training, weightlifting

Many people have probably heard of the term periodization and quickly skimmed over the article. Periodization just sounds complicated, and it can be. I would like to describe a simple way to use this lifting philosophy to insure you don't reach sticking points. We will look at gaining strength in particular, but this works well with any physical activity.



[Periodization was mastered by Tudor Bompa, Trainer of the Former Soviet Union Olympic Team. These techniques allowed the former Soviet Union to dominate the Olympics for close to 30 years. This legendary trainer laid out his life's work in the book, Theory and Methodology of Training.]

Sometimes Lifting is Like Pushing a Brick Wall

You will reach a point after lifting for a couple of years where strength gains come to a halt. No matter what you do, you cannot get stronger in a certain lift. It feels even worse when you actually wind up losing a bit of strength. When this happens, it is time to learn periodization.

You Will Burn Out if You Push 100% Year Round

Your body will reach exhaustion if you push as hard as possible throughout the year. I don't believe you should ever let yourself go, but it doesn't hurt to have a period of time where you back off on training a little bit. If you normally train 5 times per week, then limit that to 3 times a week for 6-8 weeks. Instead of pushing hard on your lifts, back off on all the weight and cut the volume in half for a while. After this break, implement a strategy of periodization like I outine below.

When You Back off on Working Out, Tighten Up Your Diet

A strategy I like to use is to see how cut I can get with a strict diet and minimal exercise for short periods of time. This is a great time to master your diet. Once you re-introduce a higher volume of lifting, try to continue to eat strict for a while…this will allow you to get extra lean, because your diet is "dialed in".

A Practical Explanation of Periodization and Action Plan

Think of periodization as taking "two steps back, in order to take 3-4 steps forward". Let's say you are stuck at benching 205 pounds for 5 reps. No matter what you do it is impossible to get 6 reps, or do 5 reps with 210 pounds.

The plan will be to back off on the weight a bit and then spend the next 6 weeks building back up to 205 pounds for 5 reps. Let's assume that you work each muscle group twice per week, so in 6 weeks you will get 12 chest workouts in. If you are lucky your gym will have 2.5 pound plates, because then you can increase your bench press 5 pounds each week.

So if you want to use 12 workouts to build back to 205 pounds, then your starting point will be 60 pounds less than this (12 weeks times 5 pounds = 60 pounds).

Here's What that Would Look Like…

* Workout 1: 145 pounds for 5 reps
* Workout 2: 150 pounds for 5 reps
* Workout 3: 155 pounds for 5 reps
* Workout 4: 160 pounds for 5 reps
* (You get the idea)
* Workout 12: 205 pounds for 4 reps
* Workout 13: 210 pounds for 3 reps
* Workout 14: 210 pounds for 4 reps
* Workout 15: 210 pounds for 5 reps
* Workout 16: 215 pounds for 3 reps
* Workout 17: 215 pounds for 4 reps
* Workout 18: 215 pounds for 5 reps

Note: See how once we passed 205 pounds we backed off on the reps a bit. This is a great way to get used to the new weight. Doing 210 pounds for 3 reps will feel easier than doing 205 pounds for six reps. Also…I am not really getting into how to implement this with multiple sets. I'm trying to teach the basic concept.

Long Buildup Phases = Long Strength Gain Phases

This isn't an absolute, but the key to periodization is to take your time to re-build your strength foundation. If you rush the time to reach your previous best, you may wind up getting stuck at that same weight again. In the example above I used 6 weeks, but you may want to experiment with slightly longer or shorter periods of time.

Become Familiar with the 2.5 Pound Plates

Your body will adapt a lot better to small increments in weight than it will with big jumps in weight. Big jumps in weight will make your body "put the breaks" on strength gains. The biggest mistake I see young guys make is to avoid the small plates. You are just headed for frustration if you try to increase the weights by adding 25's on each side of the bar. Small increases in weight add up to impressive weights over time.

Note: One last thing. I see a lot of people wasting time by trying to 'upgrade' to 45 pound plates whenever possible. I guess a 45 pound plate looks more impressive than a 25, a 10, and two 5's on each side. Don't get caught up in the weird "free-weight culture". If you have enough 5's and 10's, no need to switch out every 45 pounds.

One Last Thing…Periodization doesn't apply to just lifting. You can use a similar approach in any physical activity (running, swimming, HIIT, spinning, etc). Just back off the intensity and work your way back to your previous best over a drawn out period of time.

Taken from the Fitness Black Book

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: periodization, strength, strength training

This comes from Zen to fitness



1) Lactic acid is the Spartan’s friend. The Spartan knows the value of anaerobic failure, and actively seeks it out. If he falls on his face, he waits only as long as necessary to move again before he continues.

2) The Spartan takes no breaks between exercises, unless it’s to shove a non-Spartan out of the way.

3) The Spartan runs. He does not use Stairmasters, or stationary bikes, or ellipticals. He runs.

4) When the Spartan cannot run, he walks. When he cannot walk, he crawls. When he cannot crawl, he has failed.

5) The Spartan hits big muscles, like the back, the pectorals, the quadriceps and the glutes. He knows this means he is building functional muscle that will assist in the destruction of his enemies and in the production of testosterone (of which the Spartan has more than the average man).

6) By contrast, the Spartan does not waste much time on small muscles. They will grow as the result of functional exercise that hits the big muscles (see above). For example, the bicep is only useful in that it assists with chin-ups, and scaling enemy fortifications. Anything else is vanity.

7) The Spartan abhors cables and machines. This is for two reasons. First, to activate stabilizer muscles, the Spartan must depend on himself to balance the weight, not a machine. Second - look up the adjective “spartan” in the dictionary: “strict and austere.” You should be able to do a Spartan workout in a FOB.

8 ) The Spartan fears only one thing: his workout. The enemy pales in comparison to his workout. If he doesn’t fear his workout, it isn’t hard enough.

9) Puking is acceptable. Quitting is not. If he gives up here, he gives up in battle. This is unacceptable.

10) So nature abhors a vacuum, so the Spartan loathes missing a workout. A Spartan can complete a workout in his grandma’s basement, a hotel room, or in a city park.

11) If the Spartan is not in pain during his workout, he is wrong.

12) The Spartan never cheats. He maintains proper technique throughout his training, because he knows that smooth is fast, and that he will be mocked mercilessly for, “girly pull-ups”.

13) The Spartan knows the value of the basics: the push-up, the pull-up, the chin-up, the sit-up, the squat, and the dead-lift. He also knows the importance of variety, and seeks out different techniques of the above.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: building muscle, mass build, muscle strength training

For thousands of years, humans have been trying to create substances to increase strength, athletic ability and endurance. Modern experimentation has focused on steroids and related substances.

Steroids (a.k.a. "Anabolic Steroids") are natural or synthetic chemical compounds similar to male hormones, in particular testosterone.

This post gives helpful information about steroids from a neutral point of view.

In the body, hormones are chemicals released by cells, which carry a chemical "message" to other cells. Testosterone is a naturally occuring hormone, which carries a message to muscle cells to increase their rate of division - in other words, to increase muscle growth. Since anabolic steroids are related to testosterone, they also have the ability to increase muscle growth rate (they have other medical uses). Anabolic steroids are available in both natural, or synthetic (manufactured) forms. They come either in oral (pill) form, or parenteral (injected with a syringe).

Steroids have been a subject of controversy lately, mainly because of the negative media coverage given to sportsmen and women who have been disqualified or banned for using them to gain a competitive advantage.

Obviously, serious sportspeople should never take steroids or any other performance-enhancing substances; but if you're not a competitive sportsman, you may want to try steroids to allow you build muscle faster.

Perhaps, being a busy professional, you don't have a lot of time to work out. Or maybe you have been working out for a long time, but aren't getting the results you want. These are valid reasons. However, steroid over-use (particularly with synthetic steroids) sometimes leads to other issues. In particular: hair loss, liver problems, breast tissue formation, erectile dysfunction and psychological effects. Some take anti-estrogen compounds to counteract some of these effects.

In addition to steroids themselves, some non-steroid compounds such as Clenbuterol have become very popular, mainly due their ability to help the user avoid the typical undesirable side-effects of steroids. (Clenbuterol does not increase muscle growth, but reduces body fat, As such, it is often incorporated into athletes' training regimes as a weight-loss aid, or used by bodybuilders going for a defined look).

Whatever your reason for using steroids, make sure you think seriously about the side-effects before doing so, and always seek professional advice from a doctor or personal trainer before starting a course of steroids.

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kr
website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: health, mass build, muscle, steroids

Even with the best intentions, some fitness enthusiasts aren't making the most effective use of their workout time. This post details some of the more common mistakes - if you remember these and avoid them, you can quickly come closer to meeting your health and fitness goals.

Over-socializing at the gym

Just showing up at the gym is not going to increase your fitness. Arnold Schwarzenegger said: "I go into the weight room to make progress, not friends". It’s important to enjoy working out, but make sure that your focus remains on physical activity.

Eating too little or eating the wrong types of food

Not eating enough can be as detrimental as eating too much. When the body is not fed consistently, it goes into a starvation mode. Eating small, regular meals throughout the day will ensure that your metabolism runs smoothly. Just be sure to control portion size. Remember to eat the right types of food, mainly protein or carbohydrates, for muscle training and endurance training, respectively. See the Fitness for Real Men nutrition pages for more nutrition guidance for muscle building

Not Staying Hydrated

It is important to drink enough water on a daily basis. When you exercise you need to consume even more water. Plus you should try to consume about a pint (3/4 litre) of water before you begin working out. This can be mixed as a protein shake if desired.

Working out too hard or too often

No matter what your fitness goals are, you should always allow your body to recover from aches and pains: over-exercising is counter-productive, and can even be dangerous. The aches are it's way of telling you "I need to repair myself". Consider reducing the intensity of your workouts, or resting for at least 2 days every week.

Too Much, Too Soon

Many fitness beginners try to lose weight or tone up too quickly, by exercising too frequently or trying exercise programs that are too difficult for their fitness level. Start with an exercise schedule that takes your current fitness level into account. Fitness for Real Men has customised training schedules for all fitness levels.

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website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: fitness advice, fitness mistakes, fitness pitfalls, muscle weight gain tips

I was reading that after training all day, Arnold Schwarzenegger had for his dinner, a whole chicken and a pitcher of beer. Ordinarily, you might not associate this kind of meal with someone who looks like Arnie; but the truth is, if you're doing the work, you need the fuel.

If you're trying to build muscle, you need to eat more than your normal amount. If you don't eat more calories than you're consuming by working out, your body will break down muscle to repair itself. On the other hand, if you eat large amounts of the right kind of food - chicken, fish, eggs - your body can build the muscles you damaged in training up to make them even bigger and stronger than before.

Arnie got one thing wrong, though - eating a few large meals can be counterproductive. Your body can't digest, say, a whole chicken at once, so a lot of it will end up as, ahem, "waste".

You should eat regular, small meals throughout the day adding up to a more than a "normal" amount. This will give your body the stream of protein and nutrients it needs to create lean muscle.
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website: FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: chicken, eating, fitness for real men, food, nutrition, protein

This post is taken in part from Fitness for Real Men. In this site's Nutrition section you can read more about supplements and muscle mass building nutrition.
...

To get big, rippling muscles, you need to carry bulk. You may have heard professional bodybuilders refer to the "bulking-up" phase. The idea behind this is to add muscle and fat at the same time. During this phase, you need to focus only on gaining as much clean mass as you can. We emphasize the clean mass - in other words, this does not mean gorging on junk food and snacks.

Instead you need to eat protein-rich foods, and you need to eat regularly. Don't go crazy, but be ready to increase your intake of calories by a good amount. The "three-large-meals-a-day" diet will not work as effectively.

If you start feel hungry, your body goes into "famine mode" and stores more fat - in other words "I'm hungry, therefore there must be a famine, therefore store fat for survival".

This means you need to eat more regularly, with portions a little smaller than usual. You also need to train as heavy as you can, to convert this to muscle rather than fat.

Once you have done this for a couple of months, you are ready to increase the amount of cardio you do, and decrease your weights. The idea is that you have built muscle and fat simultaneously, and now you can "blowtorch" the fat away, hopefully leaving a statue!

This 2-3 month process can repeat for a long as you want. Enjoy.
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FitnessForRealMen - proven muscle and strength training techniques; fitness and nutrition tips

Labels: fitness, food, nutrition, protein

I tried out a new technique today which I heard about a few weeks ago. It's called "running the rack" and I believe it was invented by Arnold Schwarzenegger. What I do know for sure, is that Arnie used this techniquewith great effect.

He used it in two main ways

1. With the bench press
2. With the dumbell curl

The idea is to take your usual heavy-ish weight, and repeat to failure. Then move down one weight and repeat to failure. This means your muscles are always under stress, and I can say from experience that it really gives you that Ron Burgundy "deep burn"!! But hey, no pain no gain, eh?!

website: muscle training techniques and nutrition for real men

Labels: arnold, bodubuilding, weightlifting

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