Bodybuilding Tips

Body perfect !!  Here we go …
Coming up with your perfect bodybuilding workout program and diet to match can seem like quite the process. You have to plan how many days a week you're going to workout, what exercises you will include in your program, how long your rest periods will be, how many reps you should perform for each exercise, and on and on it goes.

Many individuals do tend to feel slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information available out there as to what works 'best', and therefore take more time than they should to even get going.

You always must remember that half the battle is just getting started, so avoid going into too many details that are just going to hold you up from playing the game.

The sooner you can get into the gym and start actually pushing the weights, the sooner you will start building muscle and seeing your body transform into your ideal physique.

That said, you obviously do need to make sure you are following some sound strategies so that the workouts you are doing will help you build muscle. If you pay heed to these rules, chances are you are going to be on the way to success as long as you also are sure that the nutrition part of the equation is included as well.

6 Bodybuilding Tips For Results

Tip #1: Focus On Lifting More Weight Over Time

The first bodybuilding tip that will make the single biggest difference on your rate of muscle gain is whether you are able to consecutively add more weight to the bar.

It's not going to matter how many fancy principles you use, if you aren't increasing the sheer amount you are lifting over a few months of time, you aren't building muscle as quickly as you should be.

The number one priority of any muscle gaining bodybuilding workout program should be lifting heavier and heavier weights.

When you get 'stuck' and aren't able to bump the weight up higher, that's when you start tinkering with other strategies such as drop sets, supersets, etc., as a means to help increase the body's potential, so that in a few more weeks, you can bump it up to the next weight level.

All those fancy protocols will definitely have an advantage down the road once you've attained a level of musculature you're satisfied with, but until that point, you should use them intermittently when you're unable to lift heavier.

The Number One Priority Of Any Muscle Gaining Workout

Program Should Be Lifting Heavier And Heavier Weights.

Tip #2: Go One Rep Short Of Failure

The second bodybuilding tip to pay attention to is the rule on failure. Some people believe that lifting to failure each and every single set is the best way to build muscle. They think that in order to get a muscle to grow, you have to fully exhaust it.

While it is true that you have to push the muscles past their comfort level in order to see progress, you can run into a number of problems when you're lifting to failure each and every set.

The first major issue is central nervous system fatigue. Workout programs designed to go to failure each and every time will be very draining on the CNS.

Central Nervous System:

The human central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. These lie in the midline of the body and are protected by the skull and vertebrae respectively.

This collection of billions of neurons is arguably the most complex object known. The central nervous system along with the peripheral nervous system comprise a primary division of controls that command all physical activities of a human.

Neurons of the central nervous system affect consciousness and mental activity while spinal extensions of central nervous system neuron pathways affect skeletal muscles and organs in the body.

               

After a few weeks of such a program, it's highly likely that you'll find the CNS is so exhausted that you can't even lift the weight you used to for the required number of reps little own increase it upwards.

The second problem with going to failure is that if you do this on the first exercise out in the workout, you're not going to have much for a second, third, and fourth exercise after that.

Since you should be doing at least a couple of different exercises in each workout you do, this becomes very difficult to accomplish.

Instead, aim to go one to two reps short of failure. This will still get you pushing your body hard and working at the intensity level needed to build muscle, but it won't completely destroy you so that you have to end that workout prematurely and take a day or two off just to recoup.

You Can Run Into A Number Of Problems When You're Lifting To Failure Each And Every Set.

You Can Run Into A Number Of Problems When

You're Lifting To Failure Each And Every Set.

Tip #3: Only Perform Exercises That Work At Least Two Muscle Groups At Once

Bodybuilding tip number three is to focus on compound exercises. You only have a limited amount of time you can spend in the gym each day due to both time and recovery restraints so if you waste this time on exercises that only work one or two smaller muscle groups, you aren't exactly maximizing your potential.

Instead follow the rule that for 80% of your workout you'll only perform exercises that work at least two muscle groups.

The shoulder press, for example, will work the shoulders and the triceps. The squat will work the quads and the hamstrings. The bench press will work the shoulders, chest, and the triceps (even the biceps to a very small degree).

On the other hand, the barbell curl will only work the biceps, triceps pushdowns will only work the triceps, and leg curls will only work the hamstrings.

All of those exercises aren't really giving you the best results-to-energy invested trade-off, so it's best you keep them limited.

What's more is that compound lifts you'll typically be able to lift more weight with, and since you read the first tip in this article, you know that's paramount to success.

Tip #4: Fuel Your Body Right Before And After The Workout

The fourth tip to follow with your bodybuilding workout program is to make sure you're fueling your body properly both before and after the workout.

Failing to get in the amino acids your body will use to synthesize new muscle mass with or the carbohydrates that provide the energy to formulate the new muscle tissue is a critical error that will garner a lack of results.

If there is one time you can't be uncertain about your nutrition, it's at these two points in the day.

Throughout the rest of the day you can be a bit more flexible in terms of meal times and composition provided you're still meeting your calorie and macronutrient needs, but before and after the workout things need to be 100% 'on'.

Make Sure You're Fueling Your Body

Properly Both Before And After The Workout.

Tip #5: Never Go More Than Two Weeks Without A Change

Fifth is the plateau busting bodybuilding tip. If you've ever reached a point with your workouts where it feels as though you are just not gaining any more muscle, this is a sure sign you're in a plateau.

Plateaus do tend to impact just about everyone at some point or another unless you are being very careful to avoid it.

What exactly is a plateau? A plateau can be defined as any point in time where you go more than two weeks without any type of progress. To you, the dedicated lifter, it spells wasted gym effort and time.

In order to prevent this plateau from occurring, your job is to make sure something in your program is always changing. This could be the order of which you perform the exercises, the amount of rest you take in between sets, or even the type of exercises you are performing.

If you can't bump up the weight in a successive session, it's time to change something else. If you do that, you will be sure you get the results you're looking for.

Your Job Is To Make Sure Something

In Your Program Is Always Changing.

Tip #6: Remember Rest Is Required

Finally, to end off our bodybuilding tips, always remember to rest. Far too many people make the mistake of training too hard, too often, without allowing time for recovery.

If you don't allow the body to rest before you go back in the gym, instead of getting stronger, you're just breaking it down further and getting weaker.

Ideally you should take one day off between each weight lifting workout, but if you prefer to do an upper/lower split that has you working out at a greater frequency, then just be sure you have at least two full days off a week.

Also, for the cardio-minded, this does not mean go and do forty-five minutes of intense cardio activity. This means rest - active rest if you must (as in a light walk, jog, or swim).

If you try to push your body hard in other activities on your designated days off, it's going to impact progress.

Conclusion

So keep these quick but straightforward bodybuilding tips in mind. If you can incorporate them into your program successfully, you'll be on the right track to getting results.

Don't let yourself suffer from paralysis by analysis. Get a program together and then get into the gym and get going. You can then adjust as necessary based on the results you see.

more..tips

Over the past few years I've undertaken a personal mission: to seek out and correct misinformation floating around fitness communities and forums, in order to undermine the progress of these unqualified folks as they slowly fill innocent minds full of farcical fitness tips.

Without further ado, here are some of the best 10 training tips you'll ever hear, aggregated by myself from my experience working closely with many practiced health and fitness experts. These tips come from long time bodybuilding coaches, knowledgeable conditioning experts, registered dietitians, physical therapists, experienced personal trainers, and elite multisport coaches, and are good bits of wisdom to keep in your back pocket no matter what your sport or goals.

1 / Know Your Limits

Seriously, know your personal limits. I can't tell you how many times I've seen somebody give up too early or get hurt during training or racing because they simply had no idea what their real thresholds were. The whole idea behind training and/or competing is to push your thresholds to the limits to fulfill your potential. If you don't know what your limits are, how can you possibly know what your potential is?

How do you figure out your limits? It's not easy, and it's the #1 reason why people hire coaches. Experiment with training variable until you establish your comfort zone, and then systematically push out of that zone to force adaptation. If you're competing in your comfort zone, then you're not trying hard enough.

2 / No Pain, No Gain

You would think that this myth has been beaten to death or at least shooed from popularity, but I hear it surprisingly often from people who honestly believe that they need to kill themselves every day during training to maximize their workouts.

Don't do that.

Is your resting heart rate jacked up today? Are you too sore from your last workout to walk? Did you only sleep a few hours the last night? Skipped breakfast and lunch? Congrats, you just earned yourself a rest day. In other words - go home. You aren't going to get anything but an increased risk of injury by training in any one of these conditions.

Forget about fighting through the pain.

Discomfort is your body telling you that you've stepped well out of your comfort zone. Pain is your body telling you to knock off whatever you're doing. If you're an endurance athlete, listen to it.

3 / The Farce Of The Low-Carb Diet For Athletes

True, monitoring carb intake is one of the best ways to play around with your weight, I don't dispute that. I do it myself, and it can be a powerful tool for people who need to lose a significant amount of weight. But the everyman athlete has no need to go bonkers cutting out all kinds of carbs just for the sake of it, because that sort of eating behavior is not sustainable for an endurance athlete.

Atkins crazed low-carb lifestyle promoters need to buy a clue. Carbohydrates are absolutely essential to your diet, especially if you're an athlete.

There are no such things as good carbs or bad carbs - just too much carbs! If you're an athlete on a low carb diet, you're basically sabotaging yourself. Good luck topping off your muscle glycogen stores by eating a protein and fat centric diet.

Put the proverbial fork in this one - this fad diet has finally bit the dust amongst athletes who know better. Next time your spin instructor starts touting the amazing low-carb lifestyle he or she leads, throw your used sweat towel at them and switch gyms.

4 / Create Variety In Your Training

Any good training regimen needs to include variables that can be toggled to alter training for specific purposes. A weight lifter, for example, would take into consideration their specific exercise techniques, pounds lifted, sets per lift, reps per set, tempo per rep, rest between reps, rest between sets, emphasis between concentric, eccentric, and/or static contractions, number of sets, set order, supersetting, and so on, ad nauseum.

That's a lot to take into consideration, and by adjusting just a few of those variables you can focus your training down to hone in on your strengths or weaknesses.

Perhaps most important though, is that creating variety in your program keeps you from getting bored with what you're doing.

Obviously though, no matter how many variables you might switch around during, say, your bench press, if you are just plum bored with bench pressing, you're still stuck.

So don't be afraid to completely switch around your workouts to keep yourself entertained and sharp. If you're an endurance runner, toss some speed work into the mix, or vice versa. If you're a power lifter, mix in some yoga.

Adding variety is the best way to keep yourself on track without getting bored, as well as a great way to keep your body sharp by forcing it to adapt to something new.

5 / Always Second Guess Yourself

That's right; always second guess your motives, your training, your goals, and your accomplishments. Keep a running tally of where you are, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there. Don't kid yourself into thinking you can do this on autopilot - this needs to be a conscious effort.

Always ask why. Why am I running stairs? Why am I doing this particular exercise? Why is my 400 meter split time still not improving? Why did my trainer/coach have me do this? (If your coach can't answer this, get a new coach.)

Why did I just eat that whole pizza?

You get the picture.

6 / You Cannot Spot Check Fat

If I had a nickel for every time I heard this myth, I would be a very, very rich man.

The fact of the matter is that fat goes on to, and comes off of, your body the way it wants to, not the way you want it to. The only way around this is targeted liposuction.

A brief, fairly unscientific explanation will do for this one. You cannot work the fat off any specific area of your body because, well, you cannot work fat. People mistake that good old muscle burn for something that magically removes adipose proximally from wherever it burns. Those were your oblique abdominals being worked, not the love handles next to them.

There are only two ways to shed those lbs, and they work best in tandem; diet and exercise.

Create a reasonable caloric deficit as often as you can while eating in a manner that's in line with your nutritional needs (a third curtain call please for the low-carbers) and get yourself into an exercise regimen that will help you maintain your lean body mass and prevent catabolism.

Unfortunately, you might as well just forget about zapping fat away one problem area at a time - that's not how the body works.

7 / You Need To Supplement Your Diet

Because of the specific training many enduroletes employ, many supplements are basically useless, or at best, cost prohibitive for endurance athletes. It's a much different game than, say, bodybuilding, where intensive supplementation is absolutely critical. The key is to understand the basics and use supplements that have real application for an endurance athlete.

It is quite difficult to achieve competitive success without proper supplementation. For example, you could easily replenish your carbs on an Ironman course with white bread and Fig Newtons, but you'd have to carry a backpack full of the stuff to ensure your calorie intake was adequate. It's much easier to supplement with a carb/sodium replacement gel.

If you're going to consider supplementing your diet, keep it simple. Think natural whey, soy, and caseinate proteins, creatine monohydrate, electrolytes, BCAAs, recovery formulas, a multivitamin etc.

But just because you take a vitamin, don't think you can skip out on those leafy greens. Remember, the multivitamin is supposed to supplement your diet, not replace any part of it.

As a general rule of thumb, if you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't ingest it until you've done your homework to understand what it is! Take responsibility for what you put into your body.

8 / Play The Mental Game, Too

The best athletes in the world train not only their bodies, but their minds, for success in their sport. Why not take a page from their playbooks and do the same?

Visualize your goals, and visualize yourself achieving those goals. Imagine the emotions you might experience during a competition, and think how you can prepare for them. Visualize possible setbacks and visualize how you'll overcome them.

Visualize your success. Now give yourself an imaginary high-five.

9 / Plan For Adequate Recovery Time

You can't train 24/7, unfortunately. If we could, we'd all be stellar athletes. Between those beatings you place on your body, it needs time to recover.

Fill up your glycogen tank after a workout with carbs (do I have to even say it, carbophobes?) to prepare yourself for recovery and your next workout, get enough sleep every night, and drink more water than you think you need. In fact, if you think you've had enough water, drink more, because odds are you haven't.

Periodize your training - you can't go up, and up, and up, forever. You have to build in rest days or rest weeks to allow your body to get its bearings and adapt. Every season has to also have an offseason.

Train. Overreach. Recover. Adapt. Repeat.

10 / Set SMART Goals

This is simple enough, just like the nifty little acronym that helps us to remember proper goal setting, SMART. Make those goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound.

Your goals must be all of those things for you to succeed. Write them down if you have to, and keep track of your progress.

Have you ever gotten home after a workout feeling like you didn't even do anything at the gym? Well, that's probably because you didn't. Sure, you lifted some weights for about an hour and a half and tried all the new exercises from your favorite fitness magazines. But the question is, how much of that hour and a half did you actually spend being efficient and doing things that give you results?

The short list below will be golden to most and might just act as a reminder to some. You may be familiar with some of these. Either way, you should read it, absorb it, and apply it. Follow these simple tips and you'll get more out of your workouts than ever before.

1 Ramp Up The Intensity

Whatever their goal might be, people always ask me which workout routine is best. My response every single time: It doesn't exist.

There's no one "best routine." No matter how they look on paper, you can make any workout either really good or really bad depending on the intensity you apply.

Some tips: lift heavy, shorten rest periods, keep your workouts to an hour or less, cut back on socialization or eliminate it altogether, and strive to break new personal records every week. If you don't look like you're in any discomfort (keyword "discomfort," not "pain"), then you're not working out at all.

2 Perform Heavy Compound Exercises

The majority of your workouts should include compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, rows, presses, chin-ups, and pull-ups. There's nothing wrong with isolation exercises like dumbbell curls, but they're an accent to bigger moves. Build a good foundation with your strength and physique first, and then incorporate isolation exercises.

In addition to performing compound exercises, lift with relatively heavy weights to stimulate muscle growth. Focus on heavy compound exercises will allow you to see better results in less time.


3 Practice Proper Form Instead Of Heavy Weight

Remember, lifting heavy isn't everything. Whether your goal is fat loss or muscle gain, proper form is essential for success. Not only does it help to stimulate muscle growth, but performing exercises with proper form also ensures that your body stays healthy. The last thing you want is an injury. Take the time to learn proper form and technique for all the exercises you want to do in the gym.

Always be aware of the mind-muscle connection when doing a movement. Although lifting heavy weights stimulates muscle growth, it only does so if the muscles are under constant tension. Control the weight—don't let it control you.

4 Commit To Mental Strength

Mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness. Your strength isn't defined by how much muscle you have or how much weight you can lift. It's defined by how well you can manage your emotions.

Imagine getting ready to do your last set of deadlifts. You're attempting a new one-rep max. You step toward the bar, but your mind starts messing with you, telling you that you won't be able to complete the lift because the weight is too heavy. The moment this thought starts to take over, the game is over. Even before you try, you've failed.

Always have the right mindset. Always stay focused. Visualize what you want out of every set, and don't let self-doubt get the best of you.

5 Incorporate Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips belong in your training routine. Yep, it's that simple.

These exercises aren't just for beginners. If they're too easy for you, do other variations that give you more of a challenge. If you can do push-ups with ease, then try doing decline push-ups. If you can do pull-ups for reps, then try doing archer pull-ups . These compound movements help build strength and size like no other.

6 Avoid Working Out In Groups

If you don't like training by yourself, it's perfectly fine to have a workout buddy. Some people train better with someone else because it allows them a challenge throughout the workout. Training with a group, however, can be a different story. There's a higher chance that you'll be socializing more than you're lifting. Group training sometimes backfires.

Train with only one other person, if needed.

"Some people train better with someone else because it allows them a challenge throughout the workout."

7 Listen To Music

Listening to music will help you stay focused during your workouts. Research has suggested that listening to music while working out can make physical exertion less exhausting while helping you set a better pace.

Just make sure that you make your workout playlist at home so you don't waste any time looking for songs to listen to during your lifting session. As an added bonus, wearing headphones will deter people from talking to you—at least 90 percent of the time.

8 Log Your Workouts

Writing down your numbers allows to know (and remember) where you stand so you know what you have to aim for next time. Always try to improve on your lifts—whether that means adding more weight or increasing the number of reps. That's what "progressive overload" means. You increase the demands on your musculoskeletal system enough that you continually make gains in muscle size, strength, and endurance.

Home Gym Essentials

There's something extra-awesome about earning your physique at home. Here's

what you need to get started!

A stacked gym with every fitness tool known to man looks cool, but how much of it are you really going to use? Keep these three fundamentals at home, and rest easy knowing you can get strong no matter what!

The subject of what constitutes the best gym equipment is a highly contentious one. On one hand, you want to allow for as many challenging and effective workouts as possible, and you want equipment that you won't outgrow in a few weeks' time. But when it comes to training at home, you must also factor in space, time, and convenience—and that's to say nothing of affordability.

Ask yourself these questions: "Do I really need a giant, flexing machine that takes up half my house and breaks the bank?" or "Would my neighbors mind the clanging of a full set of Olympic weights in my tiny third-floor apartment?" It's amazing how many people answer both questions wrong and don't find out until it's become a huge pain.

We live in a culture where manufacturers and marketing departments are usually the loudest voices heard when it comes to what is best. They would have you believe that a perfect home gym for getting lean, muscular, and powerful requires numerous gadgets, gears, and systems. I'm here to tell you that's not the case. Less can be more.

All you need can be broken down into only three basic components. That's right: three. Here they are: something heavy, something to step on, and something to hang from. Let's break them down.

1 Something Heavy

This category includes things like barbells, kettlebells, and sandbags, but it can include just about anything else heavy, too. I've seen odd objects like water bottles and tires used to achieve monstrous results.

The purpose of strength training is to increase the challenge facing the body's muscles, bones, and connective tissue, with the overall goal of building resilience. When it comes to overall strength, a tire may be even better than a barbell in certain situations, because it requires more grip, forearm, and core power just to pick the thing up!

Odd objects can be used to achieve monstrous results.

Something else to take into account when selecting home gym equipment is adaptability. If you have, say, one 45-pound dumbbell—or a cinderblock weighing the same amount—there is plenty you can do with it. An object of appropriate weight can be used for legs, shoulders, back, arms, and just about every other body part. A good, heavy weight can also be used in a series of exercises to work more muscles in less time—not to mention firing up the heart rate!

Let's not forget, part of the reason you need a home gym is because your time is valuable. Maybe you don't have the time or desire to commute, so the more you do with less, the better. Remember, the more specialized the equipment, the more limited it is in its applications.

2 Something to Step On

This item can be a bench—of either the weightlifting or park variety—a simple step or plyo box, or any other platform that is strong and solid enough to support both your body weight and that of your heavy object. Weight benches sometimes include an adjustable incline, which is definitely useful for certain specific exercises, but I wouldn't consider it a necessity.

Personally, I use a weathered but sturdy reinforced box in my home gym. It takes all the damage I throw at it and continues to do what I ask. If we're talking about "need" rather than "want," something like this will get the job done for you, as well.

Regardless of what kind of step you choose, you'll quickly find that it can be used for far more than just stepping up. At the least, a bench can be used for seated variations of presses, extensions, and curls. You could also put your feet on it, with hands firmly planted on the ground, and try some decline push-ups for a fierce upper-body workout. Jump over it for explosive plyometric drills. Do dips off the edge. I can keep brainstorming indefinitely here.

Bottom line: This piece of equipment is far more versatile than it may appear. Use it for all it's worth.

3 Something to Hang From

Sadly, this essential item often gets overlooked. Not only are pull-up bars tragically absent from many home gyms, they're often MIA in many commercial establishments, too! That's a shame, because nothing can take the place of the mighty pull-up and its many varieties. And by extension, there's always something else you can aspire to achieve with your bar—like the mightier muscle-up, provided you have enough overhead clearance.

When you include something to hang from in your home gym, you open the door to an unlimited amount of ab exercises, including the hanging leg raise and its advanced variations like toes-to-bars and windshield wipers. You can also bring your step over, put your heels on it, and grab that bar for some bodyweight rows. The possibilities are pretty much endless.

There are many styles of bars, and I've had them all at one time or another. The door frame variety is a no-brainer when space is limited, whereas the self-supported "power tower" works better for performing dips. My current favorite is a simple, high, freestanding system, like the backyard pull-up bar which I've trained on for years. No matter which one works best for your particular situation, make sure you don't leave this piece out.

Including something to hang from in your home gym opens the door to an unlimited amount of ab exercises.

Something More?

These three items are just the starting point. There are plenty of optional pieces, such as a mat, ab wheel, or systematic weights, all of which can come in handy. They're great, but what you see above is all that is necessary.

More specific goals will require specific equipment. For example, if you want to deadlift 500 pounds, you will need gear that supports that goal, just like you'll need a pool if you want to swim laps. Feel free to include those things, too, but keep it simple and practical.

Oh yeah, here's one more thing: Don't forget about the "gym" itself! Every room and backyard comes with walls, yard space, or floors as standard equipment. Use them for things like handstand push-ups, isometric holds, bridging, planks, and countless other abdominal exercises. The only limitations are the ones we impose on ourselves.

Do you have a wicked home setup you want to brag about? Let me know in the comments!


Have a great muscle ! ...