If you are interested in bulking up, you probably are worried the only way this is possible is through consuming steroids and other drugs that help to accelerate the process. But this is not necessarily how you gain muscles. You can pursue a natural muscle development process, which calls for dedication and a bit of patience. In a few months, you can begin to see changes if consistency is upheld. While doing it, note that age is a factor that affects the process, so make sure to embrace exercises that are right for your age.
Adjust your Diet
Before you even think about any workout options, you would need to adjust your diet. First thing is to increase calorie intake, but not too much – just enough for your workouts. But while doing this, avoid junk as this will only make you to gain more weight and you don’t need that. Second ensure you are hydrated well. Consume enough water especially during workout sessions. Water keeps your energy levels up and gives you the lubrication you need for your joints.
It also supports digestion and absorption so you are able to get essential nutrients. Lastly, consider taking muscle building foods. Take more foods that are rich in omega-3s and omega-6s. Eat proteins, fiber, and carbs in plenty and also consider foods like eggs and nuts, which provide nutrients for muscle build-up.
Strength Training Exercises
To gain muscles, you need to work out. Nothing gives better results than strength training exercises. You have to be patient as this process might take time. Just do it daily and ensure to rest so you don’t exhaust yourself. Before you go into any training, it is advisable to first warm up so you don’t injure your muscles. Some jog or walk could help to prepare you for the practice. The objective is to get your heart rate up without burning many calories.
It takes a lot of commitment to strength training to see consistent muscle growth. To be able to fit training into their schedule, people often cut corners. While some neglect to properly warm up before slamming the weight plates on a barbell, most decide to skip their post-workout mobility session when pressed for time.
While mobility training can be time-consuming, tedious, and uncomfortable, it is also extremely important to incorporate into your strength training routine. When it comes to hitting the weights, here are a few reasons why mobility matters.
I don’t know about you, but when I first started working out I was confused as hell. The typical commercial gym has around 100 different machines. How on earth do you know which ones to use, which are more important than others and which are not as important? Or better put, not optimal for your personal goals.
If you are just starting to get your feet wet with exercising, that may be overwhelming. I know it definitely was for me. But worry no more, this article will go right down your alley. I am going to give you a list of just 7 exercises you need to do in order to get muscular.
Yes, you can do it with just 7 basic exercises. It is more efficient, it takes less time, and most importantly, it works.
But let’s start with the very beginning, shall we?(more…)
Everyone desires to be healthy. One way of making sure it happens is by exercising regularly. Once you begin exercising, you’ll start to not only feel healthier but also enjoy the benefits of working out.
Of great importance to note is that sticking to your exercise routine takes plenty of determination and discipline. Are you considering starting to work out? Are you clueless on where to start? Might you be wondering how often you need to exercise or which strategies to employ to get positive results etc? Well, this primer will guide you on everything you need to know about starting a workout routine.(more…)
Men often have a tendency to overdevelop their upper bodies at the expense of their lower bodies. There are also a few common misunderstandings about weight loss versus fat loss out there in relation to diet and nutrition. Don’t sabotage all your progress — especially if you’re trying to lose weight but gain muscle.
Gaining muscle is a delicate balance between consuming enough calories (from healthy foods) and routinely working out. In fact, it is difficult to do both at the same time without sabotaging muscle gain.(more…)
Exercise bikes, also called stationary bikes, are exercise equipment pieces that function exactly the same way as regular bikes except for the fact that they stay in one place as you pedal them. They are meant to give the user a similar workout as the one provided when riding a regular bike on a road or street.
This is achieved by the bike’s design which requires the user to place a lot of pressure on the pedals in order to spin the suspended wheel. This pressure can be adjusted by the user thus allowing them to progress to higher intensity levels as their levels of fitness improve.
If you’re a sports buff, then you know all too well how much an injury to any of your joints, limbs or muscles may affect your game, your fitness and your overall health. The last thing anyone wants is to be struck down by a sports-related injury. This is why educating yourself on ways in which you can avoid and take preventative measures against sports injuries is so crucial.
In this article, we will look at 6 tips for preventing and managing sports injuries. These simple yet effective tips will ensure that you’ll be able to enjoy your fitness and sports routines without having to succumb to any nasty afflictions. Read on to find out more.
Too many times people throw themselves into an exercise routine with the expectation that if they heave as much weight as possible, enough times, they’re going to see the results they want. In reality, the result they’re likely to see is an injury that sets them back significantly in achieving their fitness goals.
Whether you’re just starting out or finessing your current exercise routine, it’s essential that you always take the time to ensure you’re practicing proper form. If you don’t, you are cheating yourself by lessening the positive effects of your workout and opening yourself up to serious injury. Aside from maintaining proper technique as you build strength and flexibility, you should also focus on the nutrition your body needs to function, recover, and grow.(more…)
Martial arts are not just about kicking butt or defending yourself from would-be attackers. There are numerous ways that martial arts practice impacts your physical and mental health. Martial arts can help improve fitness, coordination, self-esteem, discipline, and of course self defense skills. If nothing else, a rigorous kickboxing class is a great cardiovascular addition to your weekly workout schedule.
Here are six ways to improve your life by adding martial arts training to your routine. (more…)
Hernia: The protrusion of an organ or other bodily structure through the wall that normally contains it; a rupture. In today’s post we are mostly going to talk about abdominal hernia, how to help prevent it, and how to attempt to cure it when possible.
Your abdomen is the main concern when it comes to a hernia. You need to tighten up, as well as reduce the outward pressure that prevents sagging of the internal organs. One of the leading causes of hernia is the weakening of your muscles which happens when you over pressurize the organs relative to the strength of the abdominal wall. In most cases, surgery is the only solution for a hernia, therefore you need to be a bit cautious.
How to get rid of a hernia without requiring to undergo surgery?
Is this the question that is haunting you? If yes, then you are reading the appropriate article. Here in this article we will let you know the effective exercises to prevent and attempt to get rid of a hernia. All of these are simple to perform and very effective. (more…)
Every athlete worth their salt has hit a plateau. You all know the feeling — suddenly gym sessions feel less productive, gains slow to a crawl, and you start to feel stuck.
Often, the natural response is to train harder and longer, assuming that plateaus can just be powered through, but pushing your body harder when it might actually need to slow down is asking for injury. Injuries aren’t fun for anyone, but if you’re preparing for a competition, race, or big game, it can be a death knell for your training.
Why Am I Hitting a Plateau?
While some plateaus are part of the natural training cycle, others are due to improper training. It’s all too easy to get wrapped up in your own drive and push too hard for too long. The result is a burned-out athlete whose body is breaking down instead of building up.
Avoiding bad training habits seems like it should be common sense, but it’s easier said than done. Everyone wants to be the best, and you get there by training, right? So what’s the difference between pushing and pushing too hard? And how do you toe the line without long-jumping over it?
Unfortunately, there’s no perfect formula for everyone, but with an updated training strategy, it’s a little easier to navigate the minefield of training fatigue. As with most athletic advice, this comes with a strong dose of “listen to your body.”
Plateaus and training fatigue generally stem from overdoing it every time you’re in the gym or under-recovering after you go home. (more…)
So, you want to train at home. Great! Having your training on tap is going to make your life easier and your workouts more frequent. But, if you plan to train heavy in your garage, you had better make sure that you set it up right. In this article we pace you through the key steps required to set up a heavy duty Olympic style gym in your garage.
We’re assuming here that you have at least the size of a single car garage or basement to work with and that you have the freedom to install flooring and wall mirrors.
The first you need to do it is to clear out your potential workout space. Get rid of it all so that you have a blank space to work with.(more…)
I started taking pre workout supplements for women after a job change. The only time I could make it to the gym was 5:30am. I’m not a morning person! It was hard to find energy to work out to my full capacity.
For real gains, you’ve got to train hard! Pre workouts helped me do that.
Despite how popular they are, not every woman should take pre supplements. And if you do decide to give yourself that extra boost, you need to make sure you are taking it correctly. To get the best results, make sure you know these 5 facts about pre workouts for women first.
Squeezing a workout into a busy day can be near impossible, but whether because we need the reliable rush of endorphins or because our resolve cannot be challenged, we end up fitting it in there. Despite all the days where we don’t feel 100 percent, completing a grueling workout can turn around our mood for the better. As fitness becomes a habit and a lifestyle, the question shifts from “Will I work out?” to “How will I work out?”
Now, designing a routine takes a lot of research and effort, but if you’re not careful, you’ll overlook a very important step. Before you can maximize your workout, you have to know what equipment is available to you, and before you know what equipment is available to you, you need to know where you’re working out. Ultimately, your choices are an outside gym or creating one in your own home.
With the summer in full swing, it’s only natural that more and more people are taking full advantage of the long daylight hours by spending plenty of time outside. A natural source of annual encouragement for an increase in activity is certainly a good thing, especially for those of us who are serious about health and fitness.
On the other hand, those inspired to begin a fitness-training program during the summer months ought to be keenly aware of how to build a proper training foundation to ensure their continued progress while also avoiding deterrents like an injury or training plateau. Dale Parducci, a fitness coach and personal trainer from North Bergen, New Jersey, offered a few common-sense tips for summer fitness training. (more…)
Knee pain can impact many people, especially if you’re the type of person that rarely skips a workout. That sort of dedication is priceless when it comes to achieving your fitness goals, but it can also be detrimental to your health. Many people who are that committed to their fitness often continue to push themselves long past when they should stop and rest. Knees are some of the first casualties of an overactive lifestyle or improper form.
Given that, how can you tell the difference between when you need to take it easy and when you can just keep going?
The Type of Pain
First of all, no type of knee pain should be completely ignored. Pain’s function is to let us know that something is wrong and to compel us to avoid that behavior in the future. However, different types of pain indicate different things. (more…)
Strength training is a popular, effective and growing form of exercise which aims to use different apparatus in order to strengthen and refine your muscles. Often relying on body weight and muscle control, one of the benefits of strength training is that it teaches users to get to know how their bodies and muscles work and to focus on how different muscles work together to initiate movement. One of the best bodyweight grip strength exercises, and arguably one of the best back exercises is hanging.
As with any form of exercise, different moves and sets develop popularity, based on their perceived efficacy. A form of strength training called ‘hanging’ is one such exercise. Below we’ll take a look at what hanging is, and why it’s a good thing to integrate into your routine.
We all know that going to the gym not only makes you feel better, it makes you look better too. Even if you don’t have a chiseled 6-pack, massive guns, or lady-swooning glutes being a gym goer can give you a more shapely body, higher energy and mood levels, and help you be enjoy life to the fullest.
But there’s another aspect of being fit and healthy that’s not discussed often:
The scent of your natural pheromones (or your natural body odor), can actually become more attractive to the opposite sex.
If you don’t know what they are, or you imagine sleazy internet ads promising you they’re the secret to attracting gorgeous women… then you’ll probably roll your eyes. But on a scientific level, it actually makes sense.
What are Pheromones?
First of all, the word “pheromone” actually comes from the word “pherein” – which means “to carry”.
The second part, “mones” is from the word hormon(e).
As you already know by now, hormones (e.g. testosterone), are responsible for pretty much all the important functions of the human body… from regulating sleep, our testosterone balance, and even our moods.
Of particular interest is testosterone, which is an androgen, and typically what pheromones are derived from.
The most interesting part about all this, is that pheromones are actually derivatives of testosterone. And because they are released in sweat, there are steps you can take to actually make your pheromones all the more “attractive” – especially to women. (more…)
Paintball is a wonderful activity that challenges both the body and the mind. If you are looking for a way to have fun and get healthy, you should think about playing paintball at least once a week. When you schedule a weekly paintball game, you will enjoy a host of benefits that improve your life. Keep reading to discover five benefits that you will experience when you begin practicing paintball once a week.
Testosterone is popularly referred as an epitome of manhood, that doesn’t mean testosterone isn’t found in women. It’s just that testosterone is found in large quantity in men, while it’s in trace quantity in women. You might be aware of the fact that testosterone plays a vital role in enhancing your sex drive and muscle building, no wonder why most men have greater muscle mass than women.
It’s almost mythical to learn the true power of testosterone and its ability to burn body fat and boost your muscles. Testosterone also comes in handy to increase your libido, sleep, mood, and your quality of life. However, testosterone declines in most men after they hit 30 years, which isn’t good for health.
In many cases it becomes an issue and leads to testosterone replacement therapy, which some studies claim might also not be good for health. Sometimes we need to try to find ways to naturally enhance the testosterone level in the body.
Here’s a list of 7 ways to increase your testosterone naturally: