The Ideal Pre-Workout Meal
If high intensity/high performance workouts are your goals (as they should be), a good pre-workout meal is a must.
Within 30 to 60 minutes before working out, aim to take in about 20 to 30 grams of fast-digesting protein with 20 to 40 grams of slow-digesting carbohydrates. Read more
USE IT: Transform Negativity into Workout Intensity
There are a lot of things in life that irk me… rude people, incompetent drivers, bad customer service, cigarette butt flickers, etc., etc. I can usually shrug off these irritations, but occasionally some things just…get to me… if you know what I mean. Rather than do something regrettable like flip the bird or yell out obscenities, or worse let the negativity build up within me like a festering boil, I use my favorite outlet… the gym.
Here are the steps I take to transform negative stuff that happens outside of the gym, into positive results in the gym: Read more
Bruce Lee and Weight Lifting
Bruce Lee passed away well over 30 years ago (jeez, has it been that long?), yet his legend lives on. He was an accomplished martial artist and an international mega movie star. He is also recognized for his almost superhuman speed and power, and extremely ripped physique.
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Boosting “Chi” for Better Workouts and Recovery
Chi (aka Ki or Qi) is the life force which permeates the world and the body. It is the source of energy, power and balance. The practice of strengthening chi has been cultivated for many hundreds of years in the East. The benefits include:
- Improved focus and clarity.
- Increased blood and oxygen circulation.
- Reduced stress and tension.
- Higher levels of energy, power and stamina.
- Strengthened immune system and nervous system.
- Better sleep quality.
All of these benefits translate well to working out and bodybuilding. Benefits specific to bodybuilding include: Read more
How to Build Muscle Fast – 10 Principles for Muscle Growth
Thousands of individuals—many with genetics inferior to yours—have succeeded in packing on pounds of lean muscle and building a powerful and appealing physique. Not everyone is destined to be a fitness model or bodybuilding competitor, but most everyone can become much more muscular and attractive.
Firstly let me quantify the title of this article. Building muscle fast means different things to different people. To those who have been in the muscle building game long enough, fast muscle gain equates to gaining anywhere from ½ a pound to 1 pound of lean muscle a week. This may not sound like much, but over the course of three months this would equate to 6-12 pounds of lean muscle mass. 12 pounds of lean muscle is very significant and very noticeable. Extend that out over a year and you have some SERIOUS muscle gain.
So, now that we know what fast muscle gain is…how is it done? The vast majority of successful mass gainers do not do it through a miracle supplement or a 30-day short-cut program. They follow tried and true principles and STICK TO IT.
Now, on to the principles… Read more
How to Perform a Push-up and Push-up Variations
The push-up is the king of body weight exercises for the upper body. It effectively works the chest, as well as the triceps and shoulders. Although the bench press garners more attention, there will always be a place for the push-up in any effective training program. Following are instructions on how to perform the basic push-up, and many effective variations on the push-up.
The Basic Push-Up
To properly perform a basic push-up:
- Lie facedown on the floor with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Support your weight with your hands and the balls of your feet.
- Keeping your body straight and in-line (from your head to your feet), push up in a controlled fashion until your arms are fully extended (making sure your torso and legs remain straight).
- After a slight pause, slowly return to the starting position until your chest is slightly touching the ground (do not let your stomach, hips or legs touch the ground).
- Repeat.
Variations of the Push-up… Read more
The Importance of a Workout Log / Journal
Click image for a FREE Workout Log
Professional bodybuilders, personal trainers, fitness gurus and even the bodybuilding magazines are unanimous in their recommendation to keep a work out journal. They all espouse planning your work out in advance, writing or printing it out to take to the gym, writing down your results, and then keeping the results for future reference. Why do they recommend this? There are a myriad of reasons. Read more
How Important is Strict Form?
Personal trainers, bodybuilding books and magazines, and fitness gurus all tout the importance of strict form when working out. They espouse the importance of:
- Executing the full range of motion of the exercise.
- Using proper (usually slow) rep speed.
- Not using momentum, swing or bounce.
- Pausing at the start and end of the rep range.
The benefits of using strict form (so they say) include:
- Injury prevention.
- More direct muscle stimulation.
- Better mind-muscle connection.
This all makes sense doesn’t it?
Then why does it seem like many of the elite bodybuilders do not follow all of the requirements of strict form? After all, shouldn’t the best in the sport also have the best technique and form? Have you watched any professional bodybuilding videos lately? If you have, then you have probably noticed huge amounts of weight being tossed around, many times with noticeable momentum and less than “ideal” form. Are these guys just so genetically freaky and full of under-the-counter substances that they can do whatever they want and still be in the top .0000000001 percent of the world? Hardly. So what gives?
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The Importance of Rep Speed in Weight Lifting
One of the most common questions when it comes to weight lifting is, “What is the ideal rep range?” The amount of reps becomes irrelevant if the quality of the reps are poor. One of the main determinants of quality repetitions is rep speed.
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How lean (in body fat percentage) can a bodybuilder get (and maintain) year-round?
The competitive male bodybuilder (at least the successful ones) carry around 3-5% body fat on stage. Women can go as low as 8-11%. These, however, are “peak” body fat levels that are usually maintained for a few days (or even a few hours). Most muscle magazine articles and advertisements feature bodybuilders and fitness models who are in this “peak” state at the time the photos were taken. In real life however, it would be nearly impossible (and probably very unhealthy) to stay this lean year-round.
So, what is a realistic goal to shoot for as far as sustainable lean body mass is concerned? Read more
