The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

How could bodybuilding cause depression? Afterall, bodybuilding is supposed to get the endorphins going and as you see positive progress, you feel good about yourself. With all those endorphins running around, there shouldn’t be even the slightest case for depression.

For the most part, lifting weights, doing aerobic exercises and overall physical activity can be very effective to keep depression away and help with a cheerful outlook. Although sometimes things don’t always come out the way we expect them to and our mood can swing up and down, even with proper exercise.

Ask anyone that exercises and they’ll time you the time spent is worth it. But if depression hits while doing these things already, the depression can be really hard to shake.

Let me show you some of the symptoms. Anyone that’s lifted weights for a period of time has hit that proverbial “wall” where it just feels like you can’t make any progress. Or sometimes there can be a period of time where one feels “burnt out” or just tired of lifting weights. If these feelings last longer than three weeks, these could be signs of depression.

Fortunately, I’ve talked to lots of bodybuilders and found something that may offer a quick “real” solution. If you’re feeling tired, unexplained sadness, or you don’t want to work out or you just feel like you’re not making any progress in the gym, this may be the answer you’re looking for.

In my research on how to overcome bodybuilding induced depression, I uncovered a supplement called Vinpocetine. It is known for helping mental concentration and is a derivative of an extract taken from the lesser periwinkle plant (Vinca minor), an evergreen undershrub. The shrub is native to Europe, where it has been been studied since the 1950s and has been found to boost stroke- and age-related declines in brain function.

Vinpocetine also enhances the brain’s use of oxygen by increasing the amount of available ATP (adenosine triphosphate, those in bodybuilding are familiar with this as being the body’s cellular fuel). So far, there hasn’t been any serious side effects found with this supplement, however if you feel a dry mouth, continued weakness or accelerated heart rate, then discontinue the use as you may have a more serious condition requiring expert medical care.

What I found in my research is that vinpocetine works well in conjunction with vincamine and vinburnine (both are also extracts). It has been noted that these help with cognitive function to enhance memory and concentration.

As a result of this, it appears that these help the brain to feel “peppy” and thereby reduce the effects of depression. That’s what it did for me.

My purpose in writing this is not to endorse any single product but to let you know that there is a supplement that costs less than a single visit to the doctor, yet has the right amount of vinpocetine (and vincamine and vinburnine) and it helps with other functions of bodybuilding and muscle development. It is called NO-Xplode from BSN. I’m sure there’s other supplements out there that have the vinpocetine, you’d have to do some checking around.

I really like NO type products, and my first choice is NO2 by MRI and then the Trac-Extreme NO by MHP (both can be found at General Nutrition Center).

But if I start getting that “burned out” or sad feeling, I’ll buy some NO-Xplode (one container will last me over a month) and I’ll have a scoop once a day in the early afternoon. That seems to help me feel more cheerful.

So… if you’re doing good workouts and yet start to feel burned out, tired, sad or depressed, try some vinpocetine and see what happens. This article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you feel any prolonged symptoms for a lengthy period of time, see your medical professional. Copyright 2005, all rights reserved.

J. Deets has been researching the internet for over 4 years and finds valuable information to help people. With the recent bans on steroids and pro-hormones, it’s time to look at alternatives to steroids that still get muscle building effects without harmful side effects. The website at http://www.LegalSteroidAlternative.com has information on alternatives to steroids.

This month I’d like to start with a little story. It goes back to my days as a competitive powerlifter. I competed for 12 years in powerlifting, and recall many contests where I had to cut weight. Towards the end of my powerlifting career I was about 196 lbs. I could have competed in the 198 lb. class, but elected to drop down to the 181 lb. class to take a shot at a 500 lb. bench press. There weren’t too many guys in those days who benched 500 lbs. in the 181 lb. weight class so it sounded like a good idea.

For the first year I was going to make this attempt, I had my best training lift of 475 lbs. for 3 repetitions in the gym. That would equate to about 530 lbs. for me. It was the best training session ever, and my contest was the following week. I was super strong, and super ready to go “get the job done.” I only had to drop from 196 lbs. to 181 lbs. and had a week to do it. Worst case scenario, I KNEW I’d finally get my 500 lb. bench press at 181 lbs. of body weight.

I wanted to keep strong, so I waited until Wednesday of that week to start cutting weight, for the Saturday morning weigh-in at 9 am and the powerlifting contest at 12 noon.

I just ate 3 small meals each day, and they were basically sandwiches, and protein shakes. By Friday night I was 189 lbs. I had to lose 8 more lbs. and knew I’d just take off the water weight by the time weigh-ins rolled around. Heck, I’d get a couple of hours to get the water back in, so I could probably compete weighing a full 195-196 lbs. and finally get that 500 bench.

I didn’t drink any water, and sat in my friends’ sauna for a few hours on and off. The weight was coming off. I was tired, and didn’t feel too great, but the weight was coming off. Besides, I could still put the water back in my system and compete feeling strong.

At 9am the following morning, I weighed in at 181lbs. on the nose. After weigh-ins I guzzled Gatorade and water. I tried to eat a bit, but my appetite was mainly for water and Gatorade, not solid food. I also ate a banana to get my potassium level back up. The long and the short of it was that I only bench pressed 470 lbs. that day. It was good enough to win that particular powerlifting contest, but it was a personal disappointment. I knew something was wrong. The next week at the gym, I was comfortably weighing 197 lbs. and my bench press was even better. I hadn’t trained since the contest, but the following Saturday I was pushing weight that would equate to a 535lb. bench press.

What did I learn from this experience?

I learned that if you want to keep your strength, you’d better cut weight correctly. If you’re a wrestler or a powerlifter, your goal is to have your best performance. Wrestlers don’t lift maximum weight to win a match, but it makes sense to assume that if you are at your strongest, you will wrestle at your best!

With all things equal, the stronger wrestler wins!

With this in mind, here are some guidelines for cutting water weight, in order to wrestle at your best:

Use proper weight cutting methods to lose fat first If you don’t have much fat on your body, you either have to trick your body in order to encourage more fat loss, or accept that your body will cannibalize its own muscle for food otherwise. You’ll need to be eating 6 or 7 small protein-centered meals throughout the day.

Be no more than 3 or 4 lbs. over weight class two days before. Listen carefully. There are some basic physiological truths in this world. You cannot cut 10 lbs in one day, and have it come from fat. It has to be dehydration. Dehydrating will make you weaker if severe. I don’t care how tough you are, how good you are at wrestling, who you learned from etc. If you cut too much over night, you might win the match or tournament in spite of poor weight cutting techniques, but you won’t wrestle at YOUR personal best! It won’t matter until you’ve met your match. Be smart with your weight cutting.

Don’t dehydrate. You should begin “restricting” water about 15 hours before you weigh in. That means you will drink 6-8 ounces of water every 3 hours beginning 15 hours before weigh in. If you feel like you can’t drink any water at this point, and try to merely sweat it out the old-fashioned way, you will not keep your strength.

The Super-Saturation meal 36 hours before you weigh in (assuming that you’re at 3-4 lbs. over) you should super-saturate the muscle cells. To do this, you would have a big carbohydrate meal (pasta, rice, yams, baked potatoes, etc.) You eat as much as you can comfortably eat during this meal. You then restrict carbohydrates the rest of that day, and the next day. Don’t worry, although your body will use the stored carbohydrates (now in the muscle cells as glycogen) for energy, you will still have glycogen stored in your liver. Your body will be able to use this stored liver glycogen for energy on wrestling day. After the super-saturation meal, you will eat basically all-protein meals.

Had I known then what I know now, I might have hit my 500 lb. bench press in the 181 lb. class. Instead I came in at a comfortable weight of 193 lbs. later that year and got my 500lb. bench and just missed a 535 lb. attempt. Learn from my mistakes. Cut your weight properly, consistently, and watch your wins increase tremendously!

Steve Preston is a Sports Performance Specialist in Virginia Beach ,Virginia. He is the author of “63 Strength, Conditioning, and Nutrition Tips for Wrestlers!” Download your free copy by going to http://www.wrestlingstrengthtips.com Steve has a new strength training DVD program for wrestlers. For more information go to http://www.sports-strength.com/wrestling.html

Whey Protein

Our age recognizes the importance of proper nutrition intake and at the same time realizes the lack of it due to busy schedules and diet imbalances. Protein gets prime importance due to its role in enhancing energy levels and strength, muscle development, immune system support, bones, metabolism and suggested favorable effect on cardiovascular health. Protein sources are abundant milk, soy, whey, eggs and more. Why then is whey considered a gold standard in protein nutrition regime? Well, whey protein is the best combination of essential and non-essential amino acids derived from cow’s milk. It contains just the right combination of these amino acids and in right proportion and concentration to have an optimum effect on the functioning of human body. It is a by-product of cheese making process.

There are two forms in which whey protein is processed which gives us Whey protein isolate (WPI) and Whey protein concentrate (WPC). It is also available in combination of protein varieties and in liquid form. Whey protein facts give an insight into to the benefits of whey protein and the possible reasons for their preference over egg, soy and other proteins in various cases.

Highest biological value of all proteins: Biological value is the measure of how well is the nitrogen from the protein absorbed and used by the body. Nitrogen not only has a role in boosting up muscle strength but also in recovery from stress, injury and even genetics. Whey protein has the highest biological value (104) amongst all proteins above eggs (88), milk (85) and soy (59). Thus, primary benefits of whey protein include nitrogen retention in the muscle thus accelerating muscle growth and recovery.

Richest natural source of branched chain amino acids: Whey protein is a rich source of branch chain amino acids (BCAA) which may prevent muscle degeneration from intensive stress, exercise, heat and medical treatments and helps revitalize the body. They have highest naturally occurring leucine, isoleucine and valine which are directly and quickly absorbed into the muscles improving muscles mass and repairing the depleted tissues.

A rich source of Leucine: Leucine is an amino acid responsible for keeping the muscle tissue lean yet strong. Whey protein has high amounts of leucine which makes it an obvious choice not only for athletes and body builders who want to keep their muscles lean yet strong and also for people who want to lose fat and manage weight. It is suggested that whey protein has more leucine than egg protein, milk protein and can have about 50% more leucine than soy protein. Apart from leucine helping in keeping muscles strong and lean, whey protein’s benefits into weight management go a step further.

Rich source of calcium: The calcium in whey protein may also help in prevention of bone loss and stress fractures in athletes. Benefits of whey protein can be immense at old age as people can progress into healthy ageing as whey protein supplements may help in deterrence of bone loss, may assist in revitalization, may support metabolism, may prevent muscle degeneration and may help manage age relating weight gain problems.

There is a lot to gain from whey protein supplement for people of almost all ages and differing requirements. It is being suggested to people with more protein requirements like sportsmen, body builders, expectant mothers, and elderly people and even for premature infants. The choice of product though should be made with caution as the strength of the product should match your requirement and medical consultation would help determine your exact needs. Also, with modern techniques, denaturing of the protein can be prevented and products are available that give optimum benefits.

Gaining muscle mass is not that hard. Actually it is simple and straightforward. There is only one condition attached. That condition is you have to do it right.

Now many would say that of course you have to do it right. To gain mass you need to adhere to the basic principles regarding adding size to your frame.

As human beings we are all different. Different routines benefit different individuals. The same applies to diets. We all require different amounts of rest as well. However one thing remains true. We all gain muscle roughly the same way. Actually it is quite fortunate that we gain muscle the same way.

Just imagine if we all had totally different ways of adding muscle. It certainly would be very confusing.

I remember when I first started my muscle building journey. I learnt that building muscle is a combination training, nutrition and rest. This fact is so true. It always was and always will be.

When trying to add muscle everything you do revolves around these three principles. Bodybuilders constantly try to strike a balance between these three.

Fortunately for those trying to add mass there are these basic principles they need to stick to. If you follow these principles then your chances of success will be much greater.

Here are some basic guidelines for adding mass …

• Consume lots of calories

• Get enough protein

• Train heavy

• Get enough sleep and rest

As you can see from the above list, the basics are covered. It might seem easy but so many people do not even meet these basic requirements.

It is important to get the basics right. For example during an eight week cycle, every single day is important. If for just one day you do not meet your daily protein requirements you will be compromising your efforts.

Whenever I create an eating plan or training routine I make sure it is clear, concise and easy to follow. For many just following such a simple program is such a hard thing to do.

I know many guys who workout month after month and put on little mass. Most of the time the problem does not lie with their training. Due to sheer enthusiasm their training efficiency is quite good.

The problem mostly lies with their nutrition. I always feel that nutrition is so underrated. Nutrition forms the basis of a successful muscle building program. For example if your nutrition is only half of what it should be you are going to struggle. You will be building less muscle than you should be. This will not allow you to become stronger at a steady rate. As you might know more strength means more muscle.

From the example above you can see how important it is to get the basics right.

Faseegh Salie has a passion for weight training. He gives lots of advice to people interested in building muscle. He also has a website where he provides information on training, nutrition and supplementation. For more info on gaining muscle mass check out http://www.basic-bodybuilding-workouts.com/Gain-muscle-mass.html

Tip #1: The *Brazilian move*.

The good thing about this move is that you don’t need to go a gym to do it, you don’t even need to find time in your day.

Why?

Because you will do this move while you brush your teeth!

How does it work:

Standing straight in your bathroom, bend your knees slightly.

Tilt your hips forward while contracting them, then pull them back.

Remember to make a very strong squeeze when you finish the forward move.

As you brush your teeth a minimum of twice a day, that’s 6 minutes a day of Brazilian move.

Along with a healthy eating, this will guarantee you will get a nice rear for this summer, yeah!

Tip #2: Use your Hands!

There are some chores you would be better off doing by hand!

For instance, washing dishes by hand will burn 78 calories per half hour…..

Knowing that a pound is about 3,500 calories, and assuming you will wash dishes half an hour over 45 days, you will have lost 1 pound without knowing it….(translated on a year, this amounts to about 8 pounds!)

Tip #3: How to get your 60 minutes of accumulated exercise a day….

The General Surgeon’s orders are to get 60 minutes of accumulated exercise per day (this can be sliced up into 6 small walks without any problem).

Beside burning calories, when you walk you will build the big muscles of your lower body.

Muscle tissue uses up more calories to maintain than fat, even at rest.

Again, you don’t have to go for a 60 minute walk if you don’t fee like it.

You can slice it up into 4×15 minute walk:

-1- one at home when you wake up (will also help wake up even more :o)

-2- two at lunch time to go to your lunch place and to come back (just select a place that’s 15 minutes away from your office)

-3- one in the middle of the afternoon to help you remain focus until the end of the day.

Tip #4: Manage your food cravings by being proactive!!!

Your body produces endorphins when you do aerobic exercise — which means getting your heart rate up for at least 20 mn.

Aerobic exercise produces endorphins, body chemicals that induce euphoric and pleasurable feelings. These are the same chemicals produced in response to eating fat/sweet foods.

Tip #5: Improve your posture

This is a great exercise to improve your posture hereby making you look great when you walk, when you are on the beach, when you enter a business meeting room.

On a yoga mat, stand straight.

Breath a few times: inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale slowly.

Tuck your toes under and push back into a low squat, with fingertips lightly touching the floor.

Drop your chin so it’s relaxed toward the chest.

Slowly rise from the squat position by pushing your heels toward the floor until your torso hangs froward and down.

Keep the knees slightly bent and aligned over the center of each foot.

Breathe, relax the upper body, and hang like a rag dool.

Inhale in that position.

Exhale as you engage your powerhouse and slowly roll up to a standing position.

When you are standing, straighten your knees with your arms relaxed at your sides.

Inhale once again, and as you exhale, rise slowly to balance on the balls of your feet.

Breathe, relax the shoulders, and maintain this balance for several seconds.

You can do this exercise 3 times each time you finish a work out.

It may sound complicated by reading this text; I suggest you print this tip, take it with you wherever you do your workouts, do it once with the paper and once you have understood the move, re-do it without reading.

Tip #6: Easy 6-pack abs

I have been doing 100 abs a day since I was a teenager. As a result I have a 6-pack without having to sweat over abs sessions at the gym.

Those who know my approach to body strengthening know I am a *lazy* person when it comes to getting in shape.

How long do 100 abs take to perform? Depending on the move and the speed with which you do them, it will take you anywhere between 90 seconds to 3 mn.

Hardly un-squeezable!

You don’t really need to warm up before such a short session therefore you can decide when to do them without having to re-arrange your day around this very very short session.

Suggestions per day:

20 straight crunches (your hand supporting your head, not lifting it).

20 straight crunches with a stop of one second at mid- raise.

40 bicycle moves alternating right elbow/left knee and left elbow/right knee.

20 seconds in the V-Pilates position: you rest on your bottom in a balanced position with your legs straightened out and your arms reaching out straight and parallel to your legs.

This sequence allows for deep abs (V-Pilates), superficial abs (crunches) and obliques (bicycle) to be worked on every single day.

Tip #7: Short is good!

As part of My Private Coach weight loss approach, mini- workouts (or MetaBoost as I call them) can do wonders for those who don’t feel like sweating for hours in a gym.

“Something is really better than nothing. If I come in and I can work out vigorously for 30 minutes, I would consider giving it a try,” said Dr. William L. Haskell, an exercise researcher and professor of medicine at Stanford University. The express workouts typically require only one set of 8 to 12 repetitions instead of the 2 or 3 sets of 8 to 16 repetitions that physiologists recommend for an optimum workout. ” Copyright the Associate Press - 12/15/2003

Still, these MetaBoost workouts should come in addition to the daily 60 recommended minutes of accumulated exercise.

Write to info@myprivatecoach.com if you wish to receive FREE MetaBoost cards.

Tip #8 : 10,000 steps a day keep the doctor away!

Invest in a pedometer and make sure you are getting these famous 10,000 steps I have been brainwashing you for the past weeks!

10,000 steps start when you wake up. Wear your pedometer on your waist a all times.

10,000 = 3 miles = 300 calories approx (a little bit less than a bagel).

Take advantage of all opportunities to walk: choose your lunch place 10 mn further, get off the bus 1 stop before, take a 5 mn break every hour or so and go a *around the block walk*. Everything counts towards this daily goal.

You will not lose weight (this is not enough really) but you will prevent new pounds from accumulating and you will improve your general health.

No sweating required!

Tip #9: Invisible chair day

Each time you get to be by yourself, sit against a wall without a chair and hold the position for 1 minute.

Try to do this 3 times a day.

This count as a strength exercise and will help shape nice thighs.

Feel free to apply this tip on other days as well!

Tip #10: How to get a really flat stomach with no abs work

Each time you walk, think about sucking in your stomack (lower and upper part).

This will work deep abominal muscles that NO crunch work can reach.

This will help you get a REALLY flat stomach.

No sweating required!

About The Author

Valerie Vauthey is the founder of http://www.myprivatecoach.com and the president of the Silicon Valley Coachville Chapter. She brings long years of successful experience in the areas of Personal Coaching, Weight Loss, Financial Coaching, Time Management, Motivational Techniques and Behavioral Science.

valerie@myprivatecoach.com

At first glance, this product manual’s title (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) was a bit distracting. While the 300+ page manual does a good job of explaining how increased muscle strength helps lose body fat and why its more important to lose body fat versus lose weight; I wasn’t sure about the content of the product manual until I read it in its entirety. The overall premise is to burn the body fat with exercise and feed the muscle with good nutrition plans. The author, Tom Venuto, is a body builder and that helps explain some of the direction of the manual.

On the plus side, Tom’s instructional product manual has a tremendous amount of information including goal setting, discussions on meal frequency and exercise plans, just to name a few. On the negative side (depending on your perspective), it contains a few references about the basics of weight loss (or body fat loss) such as drinking plenty of water and burn more calories than you consume. Basics are covered in 2 of the 17 chapters, so it didn’t waste too much of the reader’s time.

Overall, I would rate this instructional manual, (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle) an 8.5 out of 10. If you have the ability to motivate yourself and take action by reading a manual, then the price for this product of $39 is a great value. However, if reading an instructional manual isn’t enough to motivate you to take action to lose body fat, then you may benefit from a more multimedia rich program such as Denise Austin’s Fit Forever , Billy Blanks’ Tae-Bo, or Winsor Pilates . These other programs include CDs, videos and/or charts. However, if you do consider these other programs, they may cost a bit more.

What I liked

1. 1. Tom’s full chapter on setting ‘compelling’ goals helps the reader understand the importance of defining a compelling reason for unstoppable motivation to succeed. In my opinion, a true compassionate reason is key to success in any area - without it, you’re setting yourself up for mediocre results He uses excellent quotes from Denis Waitley & others to drive his point home.

2. His discussions on how to lose body fat versus losing weight is covered well in his product manual and he discusses various methods to test body fat including the inexpensive use of calipers for skin fold testing. I personally use the $20 Accu-measure calipers and they work very well.

3. He mentions that dieting isn’t as important as good meal planning and increasing muscle strength to help lose body fat. The combination of these two strategies are key to your long-term success. For more details about Tom’s manual, (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle), check out his site which as additional details, plus any special offers that might be available.

4. His discussion on the ‘adaption syndrome’ is valuable and an important lesson in getting to the next level of success in your goal to lose body fat. You can also adapt this lesson to help you succeed in many other areas of your life.

What I didn’t like

1. Tom provides tons of valuable information on the subject of weight loss or how to lose body fat, but in the beginning of the product manual, it lacks a detailed plan to help the reader start a program quickly. Given today’s fast paced world, a quick start guide would have been useful.

2. For novice readers, the sections on drinking plenty of water and calorie balance are extremely important, but for readers with this basic knowledge on how to lose body fat, these sections are a bit too elementary.

3. In this product manual, Tom discusses the benefit of timing meals. While this might improve your personal situation, I personally believe the extra effort dedicated to timing is not worth the time & effort put into the timing process. (Or maybe I’m just a bit lazy to go through that much detail to lose the last percentage of body fat.)

Overall

For beginners, this manual (Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle), provides 300+ pages of details that are extensive, easy-to-read and easy-to-implement. If you have some basic knowledge of weight loss or losing body fat, you can still benefit from about 90% of this product manual. There are a great few sections that I’ve never seen before and are very interesting perspectives on how to lose body fat.

If you have the discipline (& can get motivated to take action), then the small price you’ll pay ($39) is worth it. If however, you can’t get motivated to take action by reading an instructional book, then you should consider other multimedia products such as Denise Austin’s Fit Forever , Billy Blanks Tae-Bo, or Winsor Pilates . As mentioned before, be prepared to pay a bit more for these other programs. I’ve followed many of the steps outlined in his instructional product manual and have been pleased with the results. For $39, and with a 3-month money back guarantee - it’s worth the price. Similar to other lengthy instructional manuals, plan to read in small periods of time and keep your pen out to take good notes. Last time I was on his site, he was giving some free bonuses away also, you’ll want to check out his site today before you consider purchasing. End of Product Review.

About The Author

Mike Miyaki

Your-Key-to-Success.com provides a resource for articles, products and services to help you get motivated to take action and succeed in the areas of personal finance, your business and enhancing your physical fitness and health. Our site provides product reviews, informational articles, useful tools & a monthly newsletter service. Remember – Dreams will determine what you want in life, Actions will determine what you get in life. Take Action Today and check out all the information available at www.your-key-to-success.com! Copyright 2004, MSBJ Holdings LLC

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Ever since I picked up my first barbell some thirty years ago, I have been fascinated by power lifting and bodybuilding. I read everything I could get my hands on and this is where I first learned about the workout routine. Since then, I’ve tried just about every routine and training philosophy out there. I’ve had success with some and not much with others.

My best results came from a routine that I designed myself that focused on specialization. I’m not referring to a program that adds on an extra workout or two to an already existing routine. I’m talking about a routine that hits ONLY two muscle groups for a few months or longer. Now it’s quiet obvious this type of training routine is not for the competitive body builder who needs over all mass and definition. However, it’s great for a guy who is new to the ‘Iron game’, or a seasoned vet who wants to try something different. Why is it great? Because, you get to focus all your efforts on your favorite muscle groups and (at least from my experience), see better results in a shorter amount of time.

I stumbled upon this method while attending night classes at a local college. Since I was a student, I was allowed to use the weight room. It wasn’t much to look at but it had everything I needed. It was never crowded, so I started going there often. In fact, I was there so often that people thought I worked there. Now, I would be rich if I had a dime every time I saw a student come strolling in with a fitness magazine and a notebook and start working out according to an outlined routine. Half way through it they would get bored, some would leave, while others would finish off half heartedly. Chances of that student coming back on the next scheduled day were slim to none. I’m not saying that their routine would not work. It probably does.

However some key ingredients were missing – ‘Intensity, Positive Attitude and Consistency’. I was approached often for tips and ideas. My first question to them was always the same - ‘What do you like to do?’ Most guys would say ‘Chest and Arms’. So I told them to come in three times a week, and do bench press and curls. My intention was if they wouldn’t show up to do exercises they like, they sure as hell wouldn’t show up to do exercises they disliked. To my surprise a good number of them did show up. Some of the guys were new to working out and some weren’t. Either way they all had excellent results in a couple of months. One person in particular dropped his old routine and switched to chest and arms only and had stellar results. Some of the other guys stayed on chest and arms for a couple of months and slowly added exercise to help build up other muscle groups. Within a year they had a full routine which included intensity, positive attitude and consistency.

My own results were unbelievable. After I finished night school, I got a new job and my workouts went to twice a week. I decided to specialize on chest (with power lifting bench press focus) and arms. I could not believe my results. I went from 190 lbs to 230 lbs. Arms went from 16.5 inches to 19 inches. Bench press went from 335 to 405. I’ve been accused by many of being on “the juice”. Since I’m not it’s a big compliment. Additionally my body did not look lopsided. I remember telling a friend of mine if all you did was bench press and curls for a year and you got to a point where you could bench press 450 and curl 225 do you think you would have small weak shoulders or traps. Of course not! This method really works. If you want to look good on the beach or in a t-shirt then this is for you. Specialize, Keep it simple, Focus your gains on two muscle groups and watch them GROW.

There are statistics which show that, after years of training in body building, many of the persons who practiced this sport turned to fitness. The reasons of this change are different, from the most common ones, like the boredom which intervenes at a certain time, to health problems.

It is well-known that body building training of anaerobic type is very demanding. In most of the cases, the aerobic programs are avoided because sportsmen are afraid of losing muscular mass.

Another disadvantage of body building trainings is the fact that sportsmen have to work a lot with their chest blocked, in apnea, because of the great weights they use for increasing their muscles.

The respiratory blocking during the force effort is also known as the Valsalva phenomenon and it was initially studied in the case of weightlifters. Applying this technique can have as consequences, in time, rising of blood pressure, low blood feedback through the veins, varicous veins, etc. It is obvious that because of the ageing process, the blood veins become more rigid, a process favored by the arteriosclerosis which appears to younger and younger people. The elasticity of the walls of these blood vessels decreases, so while making force effort with really heavy weights, the sportsmen are in danger of having a stroke, because the vessels can break. This risk is much smaller in fitness.The weights used in this sport are small or medium, because the purpose of doing this sport is not a spectacular hypertrophy of the muscles, but fortifying, putting into relief and reshaping the muscles.

Another advantage of fitness is a richer and more varied area of exercises, inspired from the complex training of body building but also of many other sports. For example, we find in fitness plyometrics exercises used in athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting, fight sports, etc. These programs have as consequence the forming of much more functional muscles, which can cope with demanding situations in real life, not only with posing during body building contests.

Because there is no obsession for muscles, aerobic training can be introduced in the programs. Its advantages are: making the blood vessel walls more elastic, decreasing cholesterol and making excellent prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases.

Time is another factor which must be considered. While in body building the simplest divided program requires a minimum of four weekly trainings, in fitness, where all or most of the muscle groups are exercised during one training, three non-consecutive days a week are enough. The aerobic exercises can be done either in the free days, or additional to the training in the gym, in this case the total time of training being of one hour and a half at most.

Passing from body building to fitness does not have as consequence significant loss of muscular mass, even if the volume of the muscles is diminished. Anyway, the fortifying and relief of the muscles are not lost. This small loss is fully compensated by the advantages of practicing much more complex exercises and, why not admit, much safer for the health of the people.

Gaby Munteanu is a fitness trainer, with over 15 years experience, and editor at http://www.healthfitnessworld.com HealthFitnessWorld.com - Health, Fitness, Body Building, Weight Loss, Nutrition - Articles and Resources.

HealthFitnessWorld.com is dedicated to providing high-quality, free advices, tips and resources on health, fitness, body building, supplements, nutrition, weight loss, beauty, massage, acne, medicine, depression, massage.

This article may be reprinted or published without the author’s consent as long as the “About” and “weblinks” are kept intact and active.

The problem that you face in promoting fat loss is evolution. The human body just loves to store fat. We use it for protection, insulation, and most important, as a source of fuel when we run out of food. This later point is highly unlikely in Western countries, but your body doesn’t know that. It still follows those storage mechanisms that have been developing over the past 4 or 5 million years. The problem for bodybuilders is that the body will burn just about anything else for fuel (i.e. muscle tissue, stored carbohydrate, etc.) before digging into the fat reserves.

The first thing your body turns to for fuel is carbohydrate in the form of stored glycogen. The next is muscle tissue, in the form of amino acids. Only when glycogen stores are depleted and a good degree of muscle wasting has occurred will the body start tapping into its stored fat supplies. It’s because of this reason that most fad diets don’t work, especially those ill-conceived “starvation” diets. When nutrient supplies are drastically reduced, a survival mechanism kicks in causing the body to convert just about everything it receives into fat.

For a bodybuilder trying to get ripped for a contest, it’s a never-ending battle to turn off these fat-storing mechanisms and speed up fat loss. At one time cardio and intelligent dieting were more than enough to achieve the desired results. But with each passing year the judges started awarding first place to the bodybuilders with the lowest body fat percentages. 12 percent became 10, 10 dropped to 6 to 8, and it’s now down in the 2 to 3 percent range. Few but the most genetically gifted or pharmacologically enhanced can ever hope to get this lean.

Faced with this “ripped is everything” mentality, many bodybuilders have succumbed to drugs to shed their bodies of body fat. The drugs of choice are usually thyroid medications. It’s been known for decades that the thyroid gland, a small gland located just behind the Adams Apple in the neck, contributes to body fat storage by controlling the body’s metabolism. When people develop thyroid problems they immediately start gaining fat. To combat this scientists have developed numerous drugs that either boost the thyroid’s natural output of hormones (called T3 and T4) or actually mimic the hormones.

As with steroids, when bodybuilders first heard about the fat-burning properties of these thyroid medications, they immediately began to add them to their precontest training arsenals. The results were spectacular. Thyroid drugs turn a bodybuilder’s body into a fat burning furnace. In fact the drugs are so effective that many pro bodybuilders can eat junk food right up to contest day.

Fat loss – but at what risk?

In theory, thyroid drugs sound great. But bodybuilders and fitness competitors who abuse these drugs for fat loss, especially over long periods of time are at great risk for developing chronic thyroid problems. As a result, the individuals might become dependent on the drugs for the rest of their lives. Other side effects attributed to thyroid drugs include:

trembling hands
irregular heartbeat
shortness of breath
excretion of sugar through the urine
ex¬cessive perspiration
diarrhea
weight loss
psychic disorders
trembling of hands
nausea
headaches
high perspiration

We are not going to continue to preach to you about the evils of thyroid drugs. You now know the risks so think twice about travelling down this dangerous road. With the science of supplementation becoming so advanced there are now products that promote fat loss just as effectively as thyroid drugs. Bodybuilders are reporting that most of these steroid alternatives will produce fat burning effects that are similar to thyroid drugs. They also have the added benefit of building muscle at the same time. Consider it a one-two punch. These safe and legal products have been designed with the best pharmaceutical grade ingredients available to maximize your bodybuilding potential. Check them out!

The previous information has been created by experts to help you increase your knowledge base about bodybuilding training and drugs. Be knowledgeable. Be informed. Make the right choice!

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you
looking for more of his fat loss articles? http://www.steroids-information.com

©
Bob Howard 4/7/2006

As you probably remember the last time you looked at a proposed grocery list or visited the nearest supplement store, you realized you needed to take out an equity loan first in order to get your month’s supply of food and supplements.

Believe me…

I’ve had my fair share of large bills especially when I’m trying to bulk up and gain weight.

Am I right about this so far?

Don’t’ worry… there are some really overlooked and rather inexpensive methods to get all the food you need without breaking the bank. But I have an even better idea… let me just start off with a quick list of foods that you can find at most grocery stories and warehouse locations that are cheap and are excellent sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Low Cost Bodybuilding Foods (no particular order):

1. Tuna
2. Nuts
3. Olive Oil

4. Whey Protein Concentrate, in bulk

5. Pasta

6. Chicken legs
7. Beans

Of course you’ll want to get servings of fruits and veggies but normally it’s the other foods that are expensive in bulk. With just the above foods, you can get many of them in bulk or for discounts and have plenty of wholesome foods for your bulking, cutting and bodybuilding endeavors.

By now, you’re probably wondering…

Okay, that’s a nice list of general foods I can use but I am taking some supplements. And they aren’t so cheap. I’d like to try everything I see in the latest muscle magazines but I really only have time for what works. Where’s the cheap list of supplements?

Inexpensive (best bang for your buck) supplements:

1. Multi-vitamin
2. Fish oil

3. Whey concentrate

4. Dextrose

5. Creatine Monohydrate

Fact is…

I try a lot of supplements myself. I’m curious. I want to know what works and sometimes I stumble across something that is worth it. But the above list is the basic supplement list that I always return to no matter what. It’s part of the vitamin closet in the kitchen. If I have no time, no money or no desire to try anything new, I know that above is the only stash I need to make any gains I’ll need.

So let me summarize and review…

Bodybuilding on budget is real. If you look for specific foods that are great sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats and mix and match, you have a really well rounded selection to make many meals. No matter if you are on a bulk phase, cutting phase or just want to eat healthy, it doesn’t have to be the most expensive things you’ve ever done.

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the “The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding” method on http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com. He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS! Not more. He dispels many “bodybuilding myths”, tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON’T WANT YOU to know. Go to: http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com to find out more about The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding.