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Recent blog posts http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/index networks.features.blog.posts.recent.description 3 Nutrition Essentials For Building Muscles Diet is critical in any bodybuilding or fitness regimen. Muscle gains and performance can be offset by not eating the right foods at the right time of the day. Achieve your objective of building lean muscles or losing body fat and get the most out of your workouts by learning some basic nutritional principles used by professional bodybuilders. You have to consistently monitor your diet and map out a nutritional plan that would fit your lifestyle, training program and food preference. Be responsible for what you eat everyday to benefit more from your bodybuilding regimen. Here are three essential guidelines to follow if you want to increase muscle mass. 1. Know that some foods are more nutritious than others. It is not enough to monitor your calorie intake; you also have to be conscious about the source of the calories. 200 calories from oatmeal looks the same as 200 calories from sweetened cereals. However, you may not know that oatmeal is the healthier choice. Sweetened cereals will give you energy, but the energy it gives is quickly burned by the body making you crave for more food. The calories from oatmeal are steadily absorbed by the body giving you a constant supply of energy. In addition, oatmeal provides more than just energy to your body because it is also a good source of fiber and protein. 2. Eat small meals at the right time. We are used to eating three large meals per day. This is now considered a bad habit by nutritionists since we tend to eat a lot in those three meals. Nutritionists recommend eating 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day at regular intervals. The amount and timing of your meals will stabilize your blood sugar level and will make you less likely to crave for food and eat excessively. Combined with eating nutrient-rich foods, this habit will aid you in maintaining the energy level you need throughout the day and for workouts. 3. Make the most of pre and post-workout 'windows'. What you eat immediately before and after your workout is especially important for bodybuilding or fitness success, because your body will readily absorb or burn up the fuel you provide during these 'peak' times. Eat a high-protein snack before your workout with some healthy carbs to give you enough energy to get through the session. Eat a high-protein meal after your workout, a time when muscles are ready to absorb every calorie that you ingest. By eating the right foods at the right times, you'll actually support your body during the high-stress time of the workout, and then in the recovery and recuperation periods afterwards. Plan your meals accordingly to maximize your results! Understanding some key principles of nutrition and diet is essential for increasing muscle mass and fine-tuning your results. Take the time to learn these three key principles as you develop a solid training program that works for you. If you've enjoyed this article, you can find many more posts on <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com">personal fitness</a> and related topics like exercise, workouts, wellness, and <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com/exercise-and-fitness/whats-new-in-bodybuilding-supplements">body building supplements</a> on our fitness blog. no-reply@mixxt.net (Health Fitness) Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:33:00 +0200 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:4 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:4 Improving Strength and Endurance with Targeted Workouts Muscular endurance can only be improved through strength and endurance programs complemented with a sound nutrition plan. You need to add strength and cardiovascular workouts into your routine consistently for several weeks to increase muscle size and mass. The best way to increase strength quickly is to mix different sports into your training routine. Focus on improving your form on each sport and you can expect muscle gains quickly while maintaining a high level of motivation due to the variety of your activities. Tudor Bompa and Michael Carrera, authors of the book "Periodization Training for Sports" encourage athletes to perform many repetitions against a given resistance for an extended period of time in order to increase muscular endurance. However, if your goal is to increase power and stamina, you will need to focus on explosive movements that push your muscles to their maximum potential and challenge several core muscle groups at once. The authors also encourage athletes to focus on the following key essentials for training: coordination; flexibility; agility; mobility; and aerobic endurance. Improving agility is a task all bodybuilders should focus on because it increases the core muscle groups' range of motion and aids in building up cardiovascular endurance. Activities that improve agility include football, soccer, figure skating and gymnastics. These activities require a person to combine speed, flexibility and strength at irregular intervals, which improves the efficiency of our heart and lungs. Increasing endurance is accomplished with exercises that require sustaining movement at a relatively high intensity. Endurance exercises include sprinting, cycling, kickboxing and rowing; these exercises also condition the heart and lungs, but require exerting a significant amount of power at regular intervals. These types of exercises can help to increase endurance in a very short period of time, and may also complement a standard weight training routine. You need to perform intensive stretching activities using both small and large muscle groups in short spurts to increase flexibility. Many bodybuilders have poor flexibility since their primary focus is to lift weights. Flexibility training should result in an increase in the core muscle groups' range of motion. Flexibility exercises help increase strength over the long term because a flexible body will find it easier to flow energy throughout the body during workouts. Improving coordination can be an ongoing process, and is another element of fitness that may be difficult for the average bodybuilder. While most bodybuilders have ample coordination abilities for lifting weights, they may not be as well-coordinated performing stepping routines in an aerobic workout setting or executing simple dance sequences. Improving coordination also helps with muscle flexibility, strength and agility, and taking part in activities that improve coordination can help bodybuilders incorporate a wide range of activities into their workout routine and achieve their fitness goals with ease. If you liked reading this article, you can read more articles on <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com">fitness and nutrition</a>, and similar topics like exercise, working out, wellness programs, and finding the best <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com/exercise-and-fitness/whats-new-in-bodybuilding-supplements">bodybuilding supplements</a> on our fitness blog. no-reply@mixxt.net (Health Fitness) Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:38:00 +0200 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:3 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:3 Understanding the Basic Rules of Endurance and Strength Training A consistent workout regimen and a solid nutrition program are essential for bodybuilding and weight lifting success, but many beginning athletes fail to understand the basic rules of strength training and end up sabotaging their efforts. Muscle training is a science, and based on some simple physiological principles; training at the wrong times, eating the wrong foods before or after the workout, or simply not getting enough rest can result in poor muscle gains and poor performance. Make sure you understand the following basic rules of strength training so you can set yourself up for bodybuilding success - regardless of your fitness level: Order of your exercises - the order of exercises you undertake is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts of bodybuilding and weight lifting training. You will need to warm up your core muscle groups first to increase circulation and get your body warmed up for the rest of the routine. According to James Stoppani, author of the book, "Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength", the best exercises to start your routine with are the bench press, deadlift and squat. After that, you should follow up with exercises that target the major muscle groups used in each of these exercises, and then continue by focusing on other muscle groups. Monitoring resistance - how far you push yourself during each session will be dependent on your overall fitness level, your nutrition program, and what you are trying to achieve. The bulk of your training program will need to be focused on a 'load time' of 85 and 95 percent of your maximal strength. However, you won't know your maximum strength until you test yourself; take the time to figure out what your maximum strength is, and then do calculations to set benchmarks and targets during each session. This is the only way you can monitor your resistance consistently and effectively; as you start to reach the point of failure more regularly, slowly increase your resistance so you are pushing yourself hard enough to optimize your routine. Amount of sets and repetitions - This would greatly depend on what you are trying to achieve. You can either train to increase strength or endurance. Training for strength is best done by only doing a small number of repetitions combined with a high level of resistance. The reverse is true if you are training for endurance. You need to increase repetitions while keeping resistance to a low level. Also, take note of the number of sets you can do per session. This signifies if the intensity of your workout is appropriate for your current fitness level. Eating right - Your eating habits should be changed to match your training goals. You can increase the effectiveness of your training by following proper diet and nutrition principles. Eating the right kind and amount of food is not enough. We all can do better by eating on the right time. Eating a combination of proteins and carbohydrates before training will help us maintain our energy level throughout a session. In addition, your muscles will grow and recuperate faster and better by eating lean protein after a solid training session. Sources of lean protein include chicken and turkey breasts, black beans, lentils, top round beef, scallop, shrimp and tuna. See a sports nutritionist for help in devising the proper diet to complement your training goals. Otherwise, you can construct your own by reading on the subject of diet and nutrition for athletes. If you liked reading this article, you can read more posts on <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com">body fitness</a>, and other topics like exercise, working out, wellness programs, and <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com/exercise-and-fitness/whats-new-in-bodybuilding-supplements">bodybuilding supplements</a> on our fitness blog. no-reply@mixxt.net (Health Fitness) Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:29:00 +0200 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:2 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:2 Different Methods Of Resistance For Effective Weight Training When you're designing your bodybuilding or weight training program, understanding the different types of resistance that various machines and equipments provide can help you fine-tune your efforts. Since you want to train different muscle groups during each session of your workout, you'll want to use a variety of free weights, resistance bands, and isolateral machines to develop your core muscle groups and get the most out each workout. Here's a brief overview of the different methods of resistance you can choose from when you're building your weight training program: Isolateral machines: These machines are designed to isolate certain muscle groups so you're only able to flex and extend an individual muscle at any given time. According to David Sandler, author of the book "Weight Training Fundamentals," these machines allow you to develop weaker muscle groups (e.g. arms, legs or lower back) that you wouldn't otherwise be able to target with standard lifting machines. However, it's important to keep in mind that these machines do not allow you to develop core muscle groups on their own. Exercise using dumbbells. A dumbbell is an ubiquitous tool for most bodybuilders and athletes. These help one acquire balance while giving focus to stabilizer muscles. Another benefit of using dumbbells is the ease it brings in changing to heavier weights. Dumbbells are a good companion for basic exercise routines such as bicep curls and squats. Aside from increasing chances of development of weaker arm and leg muscles individually, dumbbells also allow each muscle groups to be isolated as the need may be. Get the results you want by exercising good form with these weights and taking time to focus or concentrate. Resistance bands: If you don't have access to a gym or fitness center, resistance bands are a great training tool that can help you maintain your strength. Resistance bands help you use your own body weight for resistance and can be used to stretch and strengthen muscles in the arms, back, shoulders and legs. However, it's tough to measure the actual weight you're working with, so these should only be used as a short-term substitute for actual weights. Isokinetic machines: When you're looking for a way to exert your muscles to their fullest potential, an isokinetic machine can help. These machines are designed to push your muscles through their entire range of motion at a very specific speed; they are commonly used by well-trained bodybuilders to build muscle size and strength, and can be too intensive for the beginning bodybuilder. Exercise using free weights. Achieve balance in your weight training exercise and find a way to practice good form with free weights. First time bodybuilders can become more familiar with new routines and enhance muscles as a preparation for intensive workouts with the use of these weights. However, there is one limitation to using free weights. Although done on a regular basis, it may be quite hard to isolate some muscle groups in the body at a short time. Performing isolated movements may also be possible but it can take some time and achieving results may requires constant practice and use of various weights. If you have liked reading this article, you can read more posts on <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com">fitness nutrition</a>, and other topics like exercise, working out, wellness programs, and finding the best <a href="http://www.worldfitnessnews.com/exercise-and-fitness/whats-new-in-bodybuilding-supplements">body building supplement</a> on our fitness blog. no-reply@mixxt.net (Health Fitness) Tue, 12 May 2009 11:52:00 +0200 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:1 http://healthfitness.mixxt.com/networks/blog/post.healthfitness:1