When Is Best Time To Eat Protein?

When Is Best Time To Eat Protein For Building Muscles|Muscle Growth?

Author: Chris Chew

Every bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast knows that you must eat enough protein for muscle growth. Without the amino acids of protein, your muscles cannot grow no matter how hard and often you train your. Protein is the building block of muscles and there are no other nutrients to substitute protein for muscle growth.



It is recommended that if you want to grow and build muscle mass, the rule is to eat one gram of protein per pound of your body weight per day. That is a lot of protein which many people cannot get in their normal dietary meals and protein supplementation is often necessary. Without eating enough protein, all your muscle building training in the gym will be futile. Such a waste isn't it?



So when is the best time to eat protein to optimize muscle growth? How and which type of protein should you eat to get spectacular muscular growth?



•Eat protein first thing in the morning - After a good night's sleep, your body is in a catabolic state. That means your body is burning your muscle for energy since your glycogen store is low. So eat quickly digestible protein such as whey protein the first thing in the morning even before you brush your teeth to prevent your muscle wasting away or catabolism.



•Eat protein between your meals - To keep protein flowing in your bloodstream so as to feed your muscles continuously throughout the day, take casein protein in between your meals. Casein protein is slow to digest and as such will continuously release protein into your bloodstream to feed your muscles for many hours in between your meals. In this way, your muscles will be constantly receiving protein throughout the day.



•Protein before/after gym workout - It is a known fact that eating fast to digest protein such as whey protein before your workout will promote muscle growth as your muscles are being fed as you training to build muscles. Then take whey protein again after your workout along with some carbohydrates to repair your muscle cells after you have damaged them during your workout.



•Protein before bed - Since you will be going without food for many hours when you sleep and muscle building is at its optimum when you sleep, you must encourage your muscle to grow by eating casein protein before you sleep. As casein protein is slow to digest, it will continuously feed your muscles for as long as seven hours when you sleep and thus encouraging your muscles to build and grow.



So now that you know when is the best time to eat protein and to encourage building muscles, follow these tips and see your muscles growing like you have never seen before.

About the Author:

Chris Chew is a personal trainer of actors, pageant winners, models and other celebrities. See his websites for more articles. Transform Body In Weeks and Free Fitness Tips

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Powerful Arm Exercises

Big Strong Biceps - Build Triceps - Powerful Arm Exercises

Author: Chris Chew

In every gym that you go to, you will see people pumping their biceps. Biceps along with the pecs and abs are sometimes called vanity muscles because they are the most visible and therefore commands the most respect. Invariably, when you ask someone to show you his muscles, he will probably flex his biceps.

Before we discuss biceps development, I want to point out that the biceps make up only one third of your upper arm with triceps the other two-thirds. So to have an impressive arm, you must build your triceps too or the effort on your biceps will not show good results. Many people fail to realize this and that is why you see them doing curls after curls without much improvement. We will touch on triceps exercises in another article. For now, let's talk about biceps.

Here are some exercises that will blast your biceps. Most of you would have done some or all of these exercises. The question I am asking is, are the exercises done in the correct form and techniques because if they are not, you will most likely be wasting your time as your biceps will not grow to its full potential. Perform each exercise for 3-5 sets once or twice a week and at reps between 6-10, but make sure that at the high end of the reps, you will not be so fatigued that you can't perform another rep in good form.

Standing Barbell Curl/ EZY Bar

You can perform this exercise with either a straight bar or an ezy bar. This is a great mass building exercises for your biceps.

Stand with feet shoulder width apart and grasp the bar with an underhand grip, hands should also be about shoulder width apart. Curl the bar up slowly focusing intensely on the biceps contraction. Do not swing or use momentum to curl especially at the later stages when your biceps get weaker. Never swing or move your body, only your arms are moving. Keep your elbows locked to the side of your body and do not pivot them.

Then lower the weight, taking 3-4 seconds resisting the weight on the way down to emphasize the negative part of the exercise. Never let gravity pull the weights down.

At all times, do not curl or bend your wrist which must always be in a straight neutral position.

Incline Dumbbell Curls

This exercise will hit different fibre in your biceps and gives you the peak bicep look.

Sit back on an incline bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, keep your elbows well forward throughout the movement, curl the weight upward and toward the shoulder level. Then squeeze your biceps hard at the top position. Lower the weights again, slowly under full control. The speed and techniques are similar to what was described earlier.

Preacher Curl

Similar to barbell curl but using the preacher curl station. This is an excellent bicep peaking isolation exercise.

Hammer Curl

Hammer curl gives your biceps the full look and your forearms are also working hard.

Similar to incline dumbbell curl except you will be using the hammer grip on the dumbbell like holding a hammer knocking nails in and standing up instead of sitting down.

Build Biceps Tips

Focus on the movement of your biceps all throughout the motion. Don't lift weights that are too heavy that will compromise your form and techniques to show off.

By slightly turning and squeezing, you'll build more peak on your biceps. Like all exercises, pose and stretch the biceps between sets. This is to flush out lactic acid and help your biceps recover better for the next set.

Remember to change the order of the exercises you perform after every few weeks to shock your biceps into new growth.

About the Author:
Chris is a personal trainer of fashion models, male pageant winners, actors and other celebs. More free fitness tips in his websites.

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How to Build Chest Muscle

Big Pecs: How to Build Chest Muscle

Author: Scott Abbett

Aside from big arms, there's no desire among aspiring underweight muscle building enthusiasts that quite outdoes the longing for a big, well-developed chest. And why not; big pectorals command respect. They're somehow primitively associated with courage and assertiveness. When you have pectoral muscles that only slightly protrude beyond your abdominal section, you're considered to be "in shape". What's more, in a world of male competitiveness where one's height seems to unfairly monopolize the aura of dominating physical stature, powerful pectorals can be a great equalizer. They tell the world that regardless of the level your genetics had you lengthened, you're packaged physical prowess by choice. You exude strength and athleticism with well developed pectorals.





So what's the best method for developing a big chest? Well, that shouldn't be our only question. For if the pectorals aren't built in a balanced manner, excessive size can contribute to a feminizing effect on the male torso. Does anyone really want to develop "man boobs"? I didn't think so. Therefore, it's imperative that we make our pecs just a little bit top-heavy (upper pecs that protrude slightly more than the middle pecs) in our bid to increase chest size. An emphasis on making sure we are successful with incline exercises will ensure good upper pectoral development.





Notice I didn't recommend doing "a lot of incline exercises". Instead, I mentioned making sure you're 'successful' with your incline movements (this goes for all bodybuilding exercises). Although this might sound like a subtle play on words, it's really a vital issue for your muscle building progress. Overtraining is probably the biggest setback most natural bodybuilding enthusiasts unwittingly engage. Thus, you might need to add more incline bench movements to build bigger upper pecs, or you might need to lay off of those movements. It really depends on what you're currently doing. Just keep in mind that many times our enthusiasm to make progress on a particular body part leads us to inadvertently overwork that area - resulting in the exact opposite of our desired effect.





As a lifetime natural bodybuilder, nothing has done more for my pectoral development than taking emphasis off 'pressing movements' and putting it on 'flye movements'. The widespread notion that you "have to bench press" and "bench press heavy" has only been outdone in holding back pectoral growth by the practice of overtraining. Combine the two with the typical plights of the natural bodybuilder and you have a scenario in which pectoral growth is almost nonexistent for too many gym-goers. If heavy bench pressing were the key to a great chest, we'd see power-lifters epitomizing pectoral development. As it turns out, some of them have big pecs and some seem to have nearly none - despite the fact they can bench press heavy.





What if you could do heavy flyes? What if you could get on an incline bench and strictly move seventy-five pound dumbells from the top of the movement - slowly down to having your arms outstretched and the weights parallel with your head (elbows only slightly bent) - and back up to the top position without any arm movement? If you can't do that for six to eight repetitions now, but you can do it a few months from now, I'd bet on your pectoral muscles being significantly larger after those few months. Making strict and heavy flye movements into the cornerstone of your chest routine can work wonders for the growth of those muscles.





Besides changing bench pressing movements to a secondary position and flyes to the primary one, I've also accelerated my pectoral gains by splitting my first flye movement into two partial rep exercises. So when I get to the gym to start my chest routine, I head straight to one of those pec/flye machines in which you hold the handles with your arms extended (only a slight bend in the elbows). These are the kind of pec dec machines that are also used for rear deltoid exercises. I adjust the seat on the machine so that a flye movement done on the apparatus will hit squarely in the middle of my pecs.





I then proceed to do two different exercises with this machine; one for my outer pecs and one for the inner. For outer pectorals, I move my arms from the fully outward position to about halfway through the range of a full flye. I do about five to eight sets like this. For inner pecs, I go from about the twenty degrees angle (where I ended my rep for the outer pec movement) to the point where the handles make contact with each other in front of me. I do those for another five to eight sets. When I'm done with these two partial rep exercises, my entire chest is worked and pumped to the max.





It's important to know that working the middle chest muscles actually brings the upper and lower pectorals into play. However, isolating the upper chest with incline movements does not bring the middle or lower chest muscles into play. The same goes for isolating the lower chest with declines; it only works the lower pectorals. Therefore, the most efficient way to begin a chest routine is with an exercise that hits the middle chest. My suggestion is that when you begin your pec workout with the above-mentioned exercise, be sure to adjust the seat so that you're hitting the very center of your chest.





Only when I've sufficiently pre-exhausted my pectorals with the strict performance of these partial-rep flyes do I go on to isolate the upper and lower pecs respectively with three more exercises. These include incline dumbell flyes, Hammer Strength presses, and a decline angled pec deck. I do two exercises for upper pecs in an attempt to slightly over-develop them for better balance; the dumbell flyes and the pressing movement with the Hammer Strength machine. Presses are incredibly more effective for pectoral growth when the pecs have been pre-exhausted with flyes.





If you've been having trouble with pectoral growth, I highly recommend you switch to making flye exercises the foundation of your routine. In addition, split that first exercise of pec deck flyes into two half-rep movements. This will create maximum stress on both the inner and outer pecs - working wonders on both the size and shape of the muscles.

About the Author:

Scott Abbett is the author of HardBody Success: 28 Principles to Create Your Ultimate Body and Shape Your Mind for Incredible Success. To see his personal transformation, visit http://www.hardbodysuccess.com>www.hardbodysuccess.com

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How To Get Nice Muscle Tone And Build An Attractive Muscular Body

Author: Chris Chew

Most people know that they need to lift weight build muscles. However many just want to have nice muscle tone and an attractive but not too muscular body as they do not want big muscles. So they just lift light weights with high repetitions. Well, it is not going to work. To have nice muscle tone, you will have to build some muscles right? So you will have to lift heavy to force your muscles to grow. Once you are satisfied with the size of your muscles, you will then need to cut your body fats for your muscles to show up well and that means nice muscle tone.

You need to have a solid commitment and knowledge to get nice muscle tone and build an attractive muscular body. Here are some muscle building tips. Before you commence weight training, remember to warm up and as well as doing some stretching exercises.

•Train Muscle With Free Weights

Machines will have its uses, but for a start, concentrate on free weights. That means work almost exclusively with barbells and dumb bells. Free weights recruit many stabilizing muscles for balance and control. That means you will work a lot more muscle parts other than the intended ones. That will give rise to little bumps, striations and definitions all over your body instead of one huge lump of muscle on your intended muscle. Because of the extra stimulant created, your muscles grow faster too. Why else do you think all professional body builders almost exclusively use free weights?

•Train With Compound Exercises

Incorporate as many compound exercises as possible to your routines. Compound exercises are exercises that involve 2 or more joint movements. Because they utilize more joints, which means greater muscle mass are involved. Greater muscle mass means heavier weights. Heavier weights mean encouragement of greater muscle growth. More muscle growth means more tone to your muscles.

Some excellent compound exercises are the Squat, Deadlift, Chin ups, Dips, Bench press, Barbell Press, Lunges, Bent-Over Barbell Row...etc.

•Train Intensively But Do Not Over train

You must train intensively for your muscle to grow. Try to do more reps or add more weight than the previous session or else your muscles will think (actually muscles don't think, they adapt), "Ah... we've done that. Nothing new, so no need to grow bigger and stronger." That being the case, you will wreck your chances of attaining an attractive muscular body.

Because of this, it is important that every time you train hard, you give your body time to recover as it has suffered strains and actually sustained many small scarring. Contrary to popular belief, your muscles grow when you rest, especially when you sleep and not in the gym. So sleep at least 8 hours a day. Also, do not train everyday or work the same muscle group more than once or twice a week. If your training was vigorous enough, do no more than an hour per session.

Try not to do cardio work on the same day as your weight lifting work. In fact, during the muscle building phase, you should do less cardio work as aerobic exercises burn muscles. You can increase your cardio work at cutting body fat phase, so as to lose body fat in order for your muscle tone to show up nicely.

•Technique And Form

This is the most neglected fundamental of bodybuilding. Everywhere, everyday, you will see people using wrong forms and techniques. This not only compromises your growth, it will also make you susceptible to injuries... sometimes even permanently putting you out of the gym.

Wrong form occurs usually when people try to lift weights that are too heavy, whether out of vanity or ignorance. As a guide, always lift with strict focus on the muscle you intend to build for that exercise. Feel it contract and extend. Lift the weights deliberately and slowly. Never ever swing your weights up especially when doing bicep curls or the military press.

•To Build Muscles Fast You Must Perform Lower Body Exercises!

This is what most people don't realize. Your lower body makes up 60-70% of your musculature. If you don't train them, not only will you look spider-legged, your entire body will not grow as quickly and as large. Don't think that you can hide those skinny limbs in pants! Most people do not train their legs because squats, dead lifts and lunges can be very grueling exercises. But it is precisely because of such intensity that you will produce more growth hormones when you sleep and overall muscular development is stimulated. Your body shape will also be more balanced and therefore more attractive.

Do read up more to understand how your muscles work and then work on it so that in no time you will be a proud owner of a well tone attractive muscular body.

About the Author:
Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of fashion models, actors and male pageant winners.

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How To Get Bigger Arms With Better Triceps

Bigger Arms With Better Triceps Training

Author: Nick Tumminello

If you're anything like me, you're always interested in finding new, and more importantly, better ways of doing things. Well, climb aboard, that's precisely where we're headed.

We're going to cover two things:

1. Simplify very complex physics and mathematics. Don't worry, you won't need a calculator.

2. Transfer the above technical information into practical applications that are guaranteed to instantly improve your arms and many other cable-based exercises.

So if you're currently performing triceps extensions in your program, then read carefully. Because what you're about to learn will drastically improve your arm strength, size and definition.

A Quick Rant on "Research"

There's no opinion based or "one research study showed" material in this article. The information contained has long been proven by the science of physics and mathematics.

There's a huge difference between quoting research and stating that something has been proven by science. Even though research can be scientific, it doesn't mean that the end result will be repeatable. Just think about the many similar research studies that wind up showing drastically different outcomes. Remember, in order for something to be scientifically proven, it must be repeatable.

"Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing." — Albert Einstein

The Dorky Science Stuff

There's a principle of physics and vector mathematics called the Resolution of Forces. When understood and applied to resistance training, this concept can greatly improve your program.

Resolution of Forces is the method of resolving a vector into its components. Any vector which is directed at an angle to the customary coordinate axis can be considered to have two parts. Each part is being directed along one of the axe, either horizontally or vertically. The parts of the single vector are called components and describe the influence of that single vector in that given direction.

Think of a dog being pulled upon by a chain. If the chain is pulled upwards and to the right (Diagonal), then there's a tensional force acting upwards and rightwards upon the dog.

That single force can be resolved into two components: One being directed upwards and the other to the right. Each component describes the effect of that chain in the given direction. The vertical component describes the upward influence of the force upon the dog. The horizontal component describes the rightward influence.

Taking It to the Gym

Now lets think about how triceps extensions are performed with a rope.

Performing a triceps extension with a rope requires the exerciser to gradually spread the rope apart as the movement progresses. Whether you know it or not, this splitting of the rope drastically changes the exercise and the forces involved.

When you use a straight cable bar, the force you exert from both arms is straight down. When you use a rope, things are very different. With the rope, you're no longer pushing straight down. You're now pushing at a diagonal. As we learned by Resolution of Forces, your effort of force is now divided into two parts. One part of your effort is pulling the rope down, while the other part is pulling the rope apart.

It's important to note that the amount of force it takes to spread the rope apart is proportionate to the angle between each side. In other words, the force you have to put out gradually changes as your hands spread.

The Weight Stack Lies

It would seem to be common sense that when holding each side of a rope, you're splitting the resistance in half, equally between both arms. Which would mean that if you put fifty pounds on the weight stack, each arm would be working against twenty-five pounds, right?

Wrong!

Take a look at what happens to the load as the movement progresses, and the ends of the rope are gradually split apart.

Click here here to see a diagram of how the weight changes in relation to the angle of spread.

With 50lbs on the weight stack at 30 degrees of spread each hand exerts 26lbs of force equaling 52lbs of effort to move 50lbs.

At 45 degrees, each hand exerts 27lbs of force. That’s 54lbs of effort.

At 60 degrees of spread each hand has to exert 29lbs, totaling 58lbs of total effort.

As you can clearly see from the above, the force increases as the rope is gradually spread apart. At 30 degrees, it took an extra pound of force from each side. So now it takes 52lbs of effort to move that 50lbs. At 60 degrees of spread, it took four pounds of additional force from each side. Meaning it takes 58lbs of force to move 50lbs.

From 30 to 60 degrees of spread, the force steadily increased, but the change was minimal, and possibly tolerable. However, take a look at what happens when the rope reaches 90 degrees of spread.

At 90 degrees of spread, it takes 35lbs of force from each hand. In other words, 50lbs now feels like 70lbs. This is a much bigger jump than the previous. Now you're exerting almost as much effort outward as you are downward.

Finally, at 120 degrees of spread, it takes 50lbs of effort from each hand. This means you're now exerting a hundred pounds of total force, twice as much as what's on the weight stack.

Use the Force!

If you're reading this and thinking, "Isn't more force a good thing?" Keep in mind that the closer your muscles get to a full contraction, the less force they can exert. You're gradually getting weaker as the resistance is getting heavier. Not good!

This means that if you choose a weight that's correct at the beginning, you'll end up with a weight that's much too heavy at the end. Say hello to poor form, cheating, and increased joint stress.

The Solution

As my father likes to say, "There are no problems, only solutions." So far, I've shown you the problem with using the traditional cable rope. I'm not the type of guy to leave you hanging, so now it's time to provide the solution. If you think I'm going to say stop using a rope and start using a cable bar, you couldn't be more wrong. A rope is always a better choice because it allows for freedom of movement.

So, are you ready?

Use a longer rope!

Alternatively, you can also use two normal ropes:

Yes. It's really that simple. This is a small adjustment that makes for a big difference. It really doesn't matter which option you choose because both strategies achieve the same end result — longer rope ends.

I see you over there scratching your head, wondering how using a longer rope makes things better. Well, I'll tell ya'. Longer rope ends allow for more consistent force throughout the movement. The force is more consistent because the angle between ropes at the end range is greatly reduced. I could take the time to explain this mathematically, but halfway through, you'd already be off checking your email.

Instead, we'll just go over a simple compare and contrast.

A long rope means a small angle:

A short rope leads to a big angle:

With a long rope, the force is more consistent:

However, with a short rope, the force is almost doubled:

Click here to see how much the angle is reduced with a longer rope.

Remember, the smaller the angle, the less the resistance increases.

The beauty of this solution is that you probably already have more than one rope at your facility. If you only have one rope and don't want to buy another one, you can make your own extra long rope very easily with some high quality rope from any nautical supply shop.

And for those of you who are lazy and don't want to buy or make anything at all, you're covered, too. Just perform the exercises unilaterally! This will ensure a more consistent resistance and eliminate the diverging force angles factor completely because there's nothing to separate from.

Problem Solved

I've now shown you a very quick and easy solution to a problem you probably never knew you had. In doing so, I've exposed to you to some simplified mathematics that can, and should, be applied to improve many resistance-training exercises.

If you ignore this new information and stick to the short rope, your shoulders won't explode, and your triceps won't fall off. However, if you're going to do it, do it right

About the Author:

The director of Performance University, Nick Tumminello is a highly sought after coach and educator in the field of human performance enhancement. He is the developer of the Core Bar™ and has authored numerous best selling DVD’s which can be purchased through his website. Nick also serves as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for Team Ground Control MMA. Nick lives in Baltimore MD where he regularly trains his athletes.

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4 Ways to Bulk Up Fast

How to Bulk Up- 4 Ways to Bulk Up Fast

Author: Rory Wilkinson

Despite your best efforts to bulk up, has it still not happened yet? Are you frustrated that even though you work hard at the gym, day in and day out, you still haven’t put on any pounds of muscle? Today I am going to teach you 4 simple ways to bulk up fast, safely and effectively.

If you are not completing these 4 simple steps effectively then you are not going to be able to gain any muscle and build the physique that you want. In other words, if you want to know how to bulk up and bulk up fast, then these 4 steps are crucial.

1. Commitment. It takes a good deal of commitment to follow through with a weights program. But if you want to bulk up fast then this is your only option. Make sure that you life weights 3-4 times a week. No more, no less. After your workout let the muscles heal with protein shakes and rest. A common mistake is to over train. By overtraining, you are not giving your muscles enough time to recover and because of this they cannot grow. If you want to bulk up then commitment and patience is necessary.

2. Stretch! Stretch about half of the time that you lift weights. Stretching helps rebuild the muscles and grows them bigger. If you don’t stretch then you will notice that you will perform worse and you also have a much greater chance of getting hurt. Always remember to stretch if you want to bulk up.

3. Eat well and eat often. If you are trying to bulk up then you want to have a mixed diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats about 6 times a day. Work on the 45-35-20 rule. That is, to have 45% carbs, 35% proteins and 20% fats.

4. Use the right supplements. Some of the best products to use include powdered creatine, protein powder, multi vitamins and fish oil capsules. Another thing to remember is only use well known products that have passed the test of time. New flashy products come out often and people don’t know what these products could do to your body in future years. Using these products is one of the best ways to bulk up fast.

So now you know how to bulk up and how to bulk up fast. Remember and follow these tips and you will be looking and feeling the way you want to in next to no time.

About the Author:

Discover the Methods that have Helped over 20,000 People from 120 Different Countries Build Muscle Fast, Safely and Effectively. Champion Fitness Icon and Personal Trainer Reveals his Secrets for the First Time Ever. For more details visit http://Build-Muscle-Quick.com

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Quickly Build Massive Chest Muscles - Top 6 Most Effective Exercises

Author: Steve Hochman

One of my favorite all time lines from a television sitcom is "Would you rather have rock hard pecks or saggy man breast?" Well think about it, which would you rather have? Men aren't supposed to have breast so let's figure out how to get rid of those saggy man breast and build some rock hard pecks and massive chest muscles.



Follow these top 6 exercises to build your chest muscles and in no time you will have massive and impressive chest muscles.



Tip 1: Do not lock your elbows when you are at the top of the movement as this can put excessive strain on your joint. Keep elbows slightly bent.



1. Bench Press - This is an exercise that allows you to lift the most weight and is very popular in gyms. Unfortunately many people perform them incorrectly which results in a number of injuries.



Start by lying on the bench face up with your feet flat floor. Keep your abdominal muscles tightened so that your lower back is flat and protected. Keep your shoulder blades pinched together and focus pushing the barbell towards the ceiling with your chest muscles. Then slowly lower the weights back to the beginning position; do not let your upper arms go past the point where they are parallel to the floor as you can damage the shoulders.



Tip 2: Lifting the weight should be fast 1-2 seconds and lowering about 3 seconds. Much of the muscle building power of resistance exercises comes from performing this technique. So once you have lifted the weight, don't waste the rest of the exercise and just drop it.



2. Seated Chest Press - Very much like the bench press with the exception that you will be using a weight machine for this exercise. Because of using a machine this exercise is a bit safer than a normal bench press.



Adjust the seat for your height so the handles are level to the middle of your chest muscles. Focus on you chest muscles and squeeze as you push the handles forward. Slowly bring the handles back just to the point where the weights are about to touch weight stack (don't let it touch), then push back out again and repeat.



3. Dumbbell Flies - This exercise is very similar to the bench press and safer for those that do not have a spotter. It is also an exercise that forces you to use stabilizer muscles to keep the dumbbells under control.



Lie on the bench and hold the dumbbells out to your sides making sure to keep your elbows slightly bent. Now move the weights up in an arcing motion over your chest, then lower back to starting position and repeat.



Tip 3: Dumbbell flies will build the inner chest giving it a clear separation.



4. Cable Crossovers - This exercise is similar in motion to the dumbbell flies, the difference here is that cable crossovers keep tension on the pectoral muscles throughout the motion.



Stand with the pulleys locked into a position above your head, take a pulley into each hand and pull down so that you are now in a "T" shape. Standing with one foot in front of the other focus on the chest muscles as you bring your arms together in front of you. Hold this position for a second, then slowly release.



Tip 4: You should lower the weights with control so that it takes about 3 seconds to return to the starting position.



5. Pushups - A great way of working the chest muscles as well as the arms and building core strength. You also don't need any equipment to do this exercise.



Get down on the floor on your hands and knees, place your hands just a further than shoulder width. Now straighten your legs and push your feet up onto your toes, keeping your body straight. Bend your elbows and lower into the pushup position. Push back up to the beginning plank position and repeat.



Tip 5: Make sure to keep your head and neck in alignment with the rest of your body through the movement. Hold your stomach in tight to support your back and if you feel the need for support then you can do a modified pushup by placing your knees on the floor.



6. Straight Arm Pull Overs - This exercise is great for building the pectoral muscles and expanding the rib cage.



Lie on your shoulder crossways on a mat so that your head is hanging. Hold a dumbbell with both hands over your chest and slowly lower in back over your head in an arcing motion, then raise it to the starting position and repeat.



Always remember to help avoid injury, before doing any exercises you should stretch your muscles and be warmed up. You should also stretch the muscles after working out as resistance training tends to shorten the muscles and you want to avoid this. A good way of stretching these muscles is to hang from a bar to stretch your entire body. The weight of your body will act as weight and you will feel a stretch in your chest muscles.

About the Author:

Steve Hochman is the founder and CEO of Next Level Fitness. O.C.'s fastest way for you to get fit.
Personal Trainer Orange County Ca, Irvine Personal Training, Weight Loss
Personal Trainer Orange County Ca, Irvine Personal Training, weight Loss

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3 Easy Steps to An Incredible 6 Pack Fast

Author: Frank Sherrill

Are you still looking for your 6 pack?



Well follow this nutritional program and you'll be able to drop 2 or

more pounds per week for 6 to 8 weeks!



Next Stop Abs.



Getting ripped fast requires drastic cuts in carbs, dietary fat and of course, your calories.



You'll need to steer clear of all oils, butter or fried foods and

keep your carbs under 50 grams a day!



Yes 50 grams-this is a turbocharged fat-loss plan!



Protein intake must go up when you're cutting carbs, fats and

calories. Keep your protein intake high.



Using this approach, you'll quickly drop a lot of body fat. The downside is that your energy levels can tank, leaving you unable to train if you're not used to a low-carb diet.



The Solution.



Breaking down the weeks into 3... 3 distinct diet phases during each of the 6 to 8 weeks of the program



Phase 1



·Days: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

·Carbs: less than 50 grams per day

·Protein: 2 grams per pound of bodyweight

·Cardio: 20 to 30 minutes at low level intensity every day.



During this phase the carbs are kept very low. All the carbs should be eaten after your workout to minimize protein breakdown that happens after training.



If for example you weight 200 lbs you need to take in 400 grams of

protein. The cardio is done merely to coax the body into giving up more of the stored fat.



Phase 2



·Days: Thursday and Friday

·Carbs: 100 to 150 grams per day

·Protein: 105. to 1.75 grams per pound of bodyweight

·Cardio: 40 minutes interval training each day



You would think that the extreme approach taken in phase 1 would do the trick to melt the fat. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Strict dieting will lead to poor muscle recovery and flat muscles.



When muscles are flat the body can appear to be fatter. That's where

this phase comes in.



The additional carbs assists in glycogen recovery and prevent the

reserves from being drained.



When glycogen levels are low you will appear to be fatter and your

muscle will not recover as quickly. On these days split your carbs as follows:



1. 30-40 g in morning

2. 20-35 g preworkout

3. 50-75 post workout



With the extra carbs you'll be able to train and do cardio harder. I recommend alternating the cardio between going hard for 2 to 3 minutes and then using a much lower intensity for 2 to 3 minutes. Continue this pattern fir the full 40 minutes of cardio.



This interval training will kick up your metabolism Best time for

cardio in this phase is in the morning on an empty stomach.



Phase 3



·Days: Saturday and Sunday

·Carbs: 2 grams per pound of bodyweight

·Protein: 1 gram per pound of bodyweight

·Cardio: none take the time off



These are the easier days. Carbs go up and protein comes down.



Will there it is following this program will have you ripped in 6 to 8 weeks.



Figure out your menu; eat clean sources of food, chicken breast, and

tuna. Lean ground beef and other choices. You can figure in a protein supplement just make sure it isn't high in carbs.



But most of all enjoy your newly found 6 pack!

About the Author:

Frank Sherrill, is a former U.S. Army Ranger and Martial Arts expert. To learn more about the building muscle and the

Bullworker go to Isometric Training and receive a free muscle building ebook.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/3-easy-steps-to-an-incredible-6-pack-fast-73738.html

P90x Workout Routine and Fitness System

Author: Derek Cladek

P90X is a revolutionary method in achieving the lean body every person desires, and you can easily find this type of program directly online. A person may be feeling out of shape or desiring a more perfect tone for his or her body type, P90X could be the workout program everyone is looking for. This type of course is designed for men as well as women and is extremely difficult. Don’t be discouraged if you are a woman as this workout routine is made for both men and women. The curriculum for the P90X system is simple to understand and in a few days a person will be able to see an improved difference to their health and muscle mass. Everyone can obtain what P90X offers without much strain on the body, but it will take effort. Like any workout routine, it will take time and energy to complete the entire system. Most people start a workout routine or buy a gym membership but tend to lose motivation as time goes by. With P90X you will be doing multiple workout routines, so your workout will never get boring. There are several locations on the Internet that can assist a person in signing up and beginning right away. The P90X system may be the most intense workout that a person has ever experienced; however, by following the system you will receive a leaner, more toned body and muscles in a matter of a few days.





With the P90X system you will receive various guides and informational tools to assist you in achieving the ultimate body of your dreams. You will get 3 guides which will be helpful in maintaining food intake, workout procedures and a video to assist anyone in getting the most out of this program. The P90X system will give you 12 workout techniques designed for multiple performances, these exercises range from weight training, to pull-ups, to new stretching techniques. The P90X program has it all to assist a person in gaining the body they dream of and keeping the shape they desire. An individual will only need to workout for an hour or two a day to receive the maximum benefits that the P90X program gives to their consumers. You most likely have never seen an exercise system like the P90X system before. This technique not only works the abs but every other muscle in the body as well. The P90X program will define and enhance the perfect body for a man or a woman.





Finding information about P90X is easy since many people who use the system also have blogs about it. You can do a search and read about the successes of others who have been doing P90X for the past few months and see pictures of their results. If the person uses the informational tools and exercises every single day, they will see an improvement in a matter of a week. This program is designed for overweight individuals as well as for the people who just need to keep in shape. P90X is perfect to loose weight and to begin to feel fantastic. This program is also designed for a person who would like to tone their muscles and define their abs.

About the Author:

Ultimate Fitness Gear is a website that provides more information on PX90 workout routines, PX90 supplements, and PX90 chin up bars.



Ultimate Fitness Gear is a website that provides more information on P90X workout programs, and also other workout routines. Our articles will show you ways to shape your body and tone your abs, read more on our site.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/p90x-workout-routine-and-fitness-system-210826.html

How To Get Nice Muscle Tone

How To Get Nice Muscle Tone And Build An Attractive Muscular Body

Author: Chris Chew

Most people know that they need to lift weight build muscles. However many just want to have nice muscle tone and an attractive but not too muscular body as they do not want big muscles. So they just lift light weights with high repetitions. Well, it is not going to work. To have nice muscle tone, you will have to build some muscles right? So you will have to lift heavy to force your muscles to grow. Once you are satisfied with the size of your muscles, you will then need to cut your body fats for your muscles to show up well and that means nice muscle tone.

You need to have a solid commitment and knowledge to get nice muscle tone and build an attractive muscular body. Here are some muscle building tips. Before you commence weight training, remember to warm up and as well as doing some stretching exercises.

•Train Muscle With Free Weights

Machines will have its uses, but for a start, concentrate on free weights. That means work almost exclusively with barbells and dumb bells. Free weights recruit many stabilizing muscles for balance and control. That means you will work a lot more muscle parts other than the intended ones. That will give rise to little bumps, striations and definitions all over your body instead of one huge lump of muscle on your intended muscle. Because of the extra stimulant created, your muscles grow faster too. Why else do you think all professional body builders almost exclusively use free weights?

•Train With Compound Exercises

Incorporate as many compound exercises as possible to your routines. Compound exercises are exercises that involve 2 or more joint movements. Because they utilize more joints, which means greater muscle mass are involved. Greater muscle mass means heavier weights. Heavier weights mean encouragement of greater muscle growth. More muscle growth means more tone to your muscles.

Some excellent compound exercises are the Squat, Deadlift, Chin ups, Dips, Bench press, Barbell Press, Lunges, Bent-Over Barbell Row...etc.

•Train Intensively But Do Not Over train

You must train intensively for your muscle to grow. Try to do more reps or add more weight than the previous session or else your muscles will think (actually muscles don't think, they adapt), "Ah... we've done that. Nothing new, so no need to grow bigger and stronger." That being the case, you will wreck your chances of attaining an attractive muscular body.

Because of this, it is important that every time you train hard, you give your body time to recover as it has suffered strains and actually sustained many small scarring. Contrary to popular belief, your muscles grow when you rest, especially when you sleep and not in the gym. So sleep at least 8 hours a day. Also, do not train everyday or work the same muscle group more than once or twice a week. If your training was vigorous enough, do no more than an hour per session.

Try not to do cardio work on the same day as your weight lifting work. In fact, during the muscle building phase, you should do less cardio work as aerobic exercises burn muscles. You can increase your cardio work at cutting body fat phase, so as to lose body fat in order for your muscle tone to show up nicely.

•Technique And Form

This is the most neglected fundamental of bodybuilding. Everywhere, everyday, you will see people using wrong forms and techniques. This not only compromises your growth, it will also make you susceptible to injuries... sometimes even permanently putting you out of the gym.

Wrong form occurs usually when people try to lift weights that are too heavy, whether out of vanity or ignorance. As a guide, always lift with strict focus on the muscle you intend to build for that exercise. Feel it contract and extend. Lift the weights deliberately and slowly. Never ever swing your weights up especially when doing bicep curls or the military press.

•To Build Muscles Fast You Must Perform Lower Body Exercises!

This is what most people don't realize. Your lower body makes up 60-70% of your musculature. If you don't train them, not only will you look spider-legged, your entire body will not grow as quickly and as large. Don't think that you can hide those skinny limbs in pants! Most people do not train their legs because squats, dead lifts and lunges can be very grueling exercises. But it is precisely because of such intensity that you will produce more growth hormones when you sleep and overall muscular development is stimulated. Your body shape will also be more balanced and therefore more attractive.

Do read up more to understand how your muscles work and then work on it so that in no time you will be a proud owner of a well tone attractive muscular body.

About the Author:
Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer of fashion models, actors and male pageant winners.

Male Pageant Winners and
Personal Trainer Courses

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/how-to-get-nice-muscle-tone-and-build-an-attractive-muscular-body-11692.html

Think You Know The Six Types of Pushups??

Build Chest Muscles and Upper Body Strength With Six Types of Pushups

Author: Rob Ferrall

Many individuals under-estimate the power that push ups wield in building upper body strength and chest muscles. On the surface, pushups are plain and almost boring: up down, up down, up down -- that's it. However, most people, outside of physical fitness enthusiasts, only know about the military-style push ups that they endured in their Phys Ed class back in high school. Just as there is more than one way to climb a mountain and more than one way to skin a cat -- there is more than one way to do a pushup.

Here are six types of pushups that you can do from home -- routines that will help you to build upper body strength and target your chest muscles.

• "Wide" pushups - Traditionally, pushups are performed with your hands being placed at shoulder width. Wide push ups, sometimes called "wide-stance pushups", require you to extend your hands beyond the width of your shoulders. Wide-stance pushups work your chest muscles more heavily than military-style pushups, so if chest definition is what you are looking for -- wide pushups are one exercise that will help you meet your goals.




• "Diamond" pushups - Diamond pushups, sometimes called "pyramid" pushups, require you to place your index fingers and thumbs together in the shape of a diamond during your push up workout. While diamond push ups tend to work your triceps more than your chest muscles, the benefits of modifying your hand placement during pushups, even if only a tiny bit, are undeniable.




• "Fist" pushups - Sometimes referred to as "knuckle" pushups, require the use of your fists, instead of the palms of your hands, to bear your body weight during the pushup. Fist pushups are beneficial because they target different areas of your body than traditional pushups, and may actually increase the effectiveness of your workout.




• Decline pushups - Instead of placing your feet on the floor, or using your knees, place your feet on a platform so that your head is lower than your feet. You can use a chair, a stepstool, or a bench -- pretty much anything that will allow you to raise your feet up so that they are higher than your head. These types of pushups work your upper chest muscles.




• Incline pushups - Incline pushups are the exact opposite of decline pushups -- instead of placing your feet higher than your head, your head should be higher than your feet for this exercise. Any sturdy surface that will allow you to perform the pushups unencumbered can be used. Incline pushups work your lower pectoral muscles. "Off the floor" pushups - If you are working out at home, you can perform raised pushups with the help of three sturdy chairs. By placing each of your hands on an opposite chair, and your feet on the third chair, you can increase the depth of your pushup and thereby increase the effectiveness of your workout routine.

Tips to increase the effectiveness of your push up workouts:

• Add weight during your pushups - If you are already strong, you can add weight to your back to work on increasing your muscle mass. However, this tip is only recommended for individuals who are already physically strong and can bear it.




• Mix and match hand positions - Using the incline, decline, off-the-floor, or fist pushup positions, you can reposition your arms to target different chest and upper body muscles.

Push ups are a great way to strengthen your upper body and build chest muscle at the same time. By mixing up your hand positions, and trying a few different styles of pushups -- you can increase the effectiveness of your at-home exercising and add a little bit of variation to your workout routine as well.

About the Author:

Find out how to build muscle up and learn about muscle weight gain at http://www.buildmuscleupfast.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/build-chest-muscles-and-upper-body-strength-with-six-types-of-pushups-627832.html

Choosing the Best Protein Powder

Author: Vince Delmonte

Before deciding which protein powder is the best or necessary for your goals, here is a short protein primer to help you make sense of the thousands of different protein powders from which to choose:





· Whey protein isolate





· whey protein concentrate





· Hydrolyzed whey





· Calcium caseinate





· Egg white





· Whole egg





· Micellar casein





· Etc, etc, etc…





What are the benefits of all these different forms of protein?





Whey protein makes up 20% of total milk protein. Whey is recognized for its excellent amino acid profile, high cysteine content, rapid digestion, and interesting variety of peptides.





Casein protein makes up 80% of total milk protein. Casein is recognized for its excellent amino acid profile, slow digestion and interesting variety of peptides. Since casein is slowly digested into your bloodstream, don't use it during workouts or after workouts – you need a fast absorbing protein at these times.





Soy protein is the most controversial of all protein types. While the soy groupies have gone to great lengths to label soy as a super food with magical effects, there is also a good amount of research that suggests soy protein may be contraindicated in many situations. Because of all the confusion, I suggest avoiding soy protein altogether and sticking to the other types listed.





Protein Blends are generally a combination of several types of protein blends such as whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, egg protein, casein protein, and soy protein. Why would you want a blend anyway? You will receive the full spectrum of proteins and you will receive varying rates of absorption from the different types of protein.





Whey hydrolysates (also known as hydrolyzed whey protein, and are also called peptides), are powerful proteins that are more quickly absorbed; more so than any other form, since your body prefers peptides to whole proteins. Hydrolysates are produced through very low heat, low acid and mild enzymatic filtration processes, (those highest in the essential and the branched chain amino acids) and are potentially the most anabolic for short-term protein synthesis such as 15 minutes prior to a workout, during a workout and immediately after a workout.





Whey Protein Versus Whey Isolate:





Most whey protein powders that stock the supplement shelves are made up of whey concentrate and mixed in with a small portion of whey isolate. Comparing the two, whey protein isolate is more expensive than whey protein concentrate because it has a higher quality (more pure) and a higher BV (biological value). Whey protein isolate contains more protein and less fat and lactose per serving. Most whey protein isolates contain 90-98% protein while whey concentrates contain 70-85% protein.





Whey protein isolate is the highest yield of protein currently available that comes from milk. Because of its chemical properties it is the easiest to absorb into your system. Obviously with its high concentration, it appears that an isolate protein would be the obvious choice instead of a concentrate. However, this is an individual decision because the isolate is more expensive, and just because it is purer does not guarantee that it will help build bigger muscles. Its extra concentration may not justify its extra cost.





How can we use these different forms to our advantage?





Whey Protein:





Since it is very quickly digested the best time to consume it is within six hours after a workout, prior to a workout or breakfast.





Casein Protein:





Since it is slowly digested the best time to consume it is anytime of the day except breakfast and within six hours after a workout when your body requires a more immediate source.





Soy Protein:





As mentioned I would avoid this one altogether.





Blend Proteins:





Using a blend will create an anabolic environment from the whey and an anti-catabolic environment from the casein – use this kind at periods outside of the six hour post workout window.





Whey Hydrolysates:





Use a hydrolysate protein for your pre, during and post workout nutrition because this will enter your blood stream quicker than any other form.





Money aside, which form of protein do you believe is most beneficial? Why?





Dollar for dollar, protein powders and meal replacement drinks tend to be more cost effective than whole food. Don't get me wrong, though. Protein powders are still supplements in my book. Supplement means an addition to the diet. I emphasize this because the focus of any diet should be food. Whole food is often preferable to powders because it can offer a whole spectrum of nutrients that powders cannot.





Most of your dietary protein should come from meat, fish, poultry and eggs. However getting all your protein from whole food is not always practical or convenient, especially if you have to eat 6 or more times a day to get your required intake. I will stress to you, for optimal muscle gains, that you should limit yourself to a maximum of three per day or 40 % of your meals.





The bottom line is that both are necessary to achieve a complete nutritional balance as well as the desired level of protein intake, especially if you're not a big fan of cooking. Do not make the fatal mistake of thinking protein powders can take the place of a solid training and nutrition program.





So what is the bottom line? What is the best protein powder?





For the pre, during and post workout phase, as long as whey hydrolysate is the first or second ingredient on the supplement label then there is probably not enough in the product to influence protein synthesis to reap the optimal benefits. As stated, whey isolates are also a very extremely high quality whey and for maximal anabolism isolates should be combined with whey hydrolysates for only the pre, during and post workout phases of your program. The inclusion of small amounts of whey concentrates will not harm you but this should not be the first ingredient on the tub of protein powder.





If you are looking for the strongest protein powder to exploit your full growth potential during all other times of the day then use a blend. You will receive the full spectrum of proteins and you will receive varying rates of absorption from the different types of protein. Using a blend will create an anabolic environment from the whey and an anti-catabolic environment from the casein

About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://BuildMuscleEasy.com/ .



He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly

without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/choosing-the-best-protein-powder-377344.html