One of the biggest mistakes you can make when attempting to gain muscle is to imitate your favorite professional bodybuilder.
If you’ve seen the magazines: Flex, Iron Man, Muscular Development, etc…, you’ve seen the pro bodybuilding routines. These guys train one body part a day, 10 exercises for each muscle group, 6 sets per exercise, 12-20 reps per set, and they put together brutal 6 days per week workout routines, sometimes with 2-a-days.
What they don’t tell you, is that routines written by professional bodybuilders are not going to work for you if you are not either a pro bodybuilder yourself, or an unemployed, juiced up, genetic freak. If you follow these routines, you will overtrain faster than Arnold shows his bare ass in a Terminator movie. At least you will learn how NOT to train, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
My Experience Training Like a Pro
I wish someone told me all these things before I started on some ridiculous pro routine when I was 16. This guy had me using ramps, training 6 days a week, once a day for two weeks then twice a day for four weeks, and focusing completely on machines, cables, and leg presses instead of squats.
What a complete waste of 6 months that was. When I finally confronted a personal trainer about my sore body and lack of progress, he ripped up my routine and set me straight. Thanks Ted!
Here are 10 reasons why you should not train like a professional bodybuilder:
Weight lifting is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world. Millions of people hit the gym every day to work out in the weight room and strive to achieve their own ideal physique. Rigorous weight lifting results in a lot of stress on muscle fibers – in fact, this is exactly how resistance training works!
When the routine is right, the results are usually impressive. Sometimes the rigors of training can cause lasting tears in muscle tissue. The damage done to muscles in the process can be a serious problem for some. It is highly recommended that weight lifters make regular appointments for massage therapy. (more…)
Suffering from an injury can be extremely frustrating. Whether it is a niggling, constant pain that indefinitely seems to hamper your swing or a debilitating muscle strain, there are a number of steps you can take to, firstly, prevent them from happening in the first place, and, secondly, recover from them as quickly as possible. As back strains and golfer’s elbow are two of the most common golf injuries, we have decided to focus our attention on these two in the hope of being able to alleviate injury concerns for as many of you as possible.(more…)
Some people have difficulty getting six-packs, and others have trouble believing that abs are made in the kitchen and not the gym, but this doesn’t downplay the importance of exercising and strengthening the core. Having strong muscles in your abs and back make it easier for you to do everyday tasks; from lifting your kids (and pets) to carrying your groceries.
A solid core can also help you to maintain good posture and prevent back pain. As important as exercising the core is, crunches are boring. Keep reading to find out five great exercises you can use to strengthen your core.(more…)
Being healthy is not a goal; it is a way of living. Health is crucial for any person and to maintain the health, most of us look towards different kinds of physical exercises. Some of us go to the gym every day, and some perform yoga, but the most common exercise that most people opt for is running.
Running is an excellent exercise to maintain your health as it gives you more cardio. Running might seem very simple, and it may look that it has no harm, but it is not that way. If you are a runner and you are running on a regular basis you need to be careful about it and you need to take some precautions as well.
It is not like that running is dangerous and it can destroy your knees because there is no such proof of that running regularly can make your knees weak. But it is still important that a runner must be careful because there are several injuries that can happen in result from running. So a runner must be aware of the injuries that can occur while running.
In this article, we will mention five most common running injuries that a runner needs to know about. Here below are the five most common running injuries:(more…)
Summer is right around the corner and the road bikes for sale signs popping up everywhere will have any keen cyclist excited to get back on two wheels. But after a long Winter of little riding, you might notice that your fitness isn’t quite what it used to be.
When our time is precious, we want the time we do spend working out to give us the maximum results possible, and while cycling for long periods means slowly and gradually plodding towards a steady upshot in stamina over the course of months, here are three exercises that will help you get back to your peak level of fitness as quickly as possible.
Summer is on its way. And that means your workout just got a lot more interesting. Not only can you work out in the gym, but with the sun shining and the ocean calling, the world is your fitness oyster. For the more adventurous of you, there’s no beating the full-body workout of aquatic sports like surfing, diving, and paddling. Today we’re going to talk about the newest member of the water sports fitness family: stand up paddleboarding, or SUP.
What is SUP?
Stand up paddleboarding is in fact just like it sounds. You stand. On a board. And you paddle. It’s an ancient recreation and hunting technique that originated somewhere among Polynesia, Peru, and Venice and has been growing in mainstream popularity since the early 2000s. In the US alone, the number of people doing SUP has nearly tripled in recent years: 2.8 million people participated in SUP in 2014. And the number of new paddleboarders just keeps increasing. (more…)
If you’re looking for muscle gain, you probably think that devoting more hours to the gym is your best bet. But you’re wrong. Your diet is also responsible for a high percentage of your progress, but it is not always the key to getting out of a training rut.
If you’re looking for the real secret to achieving the muscle development you want, it’s simple – get more sleep. That’s right. Sleep is likely the missing piece to your training regimen.
In fact, according to research, it just may be the most important component of your regimen as it helps to increase muscular strength and size and promote efficient recovery.
When it comes to lifting weights, most people have the wrong perception. Weight training does not necessarily equate to bodybuilding and its benefits are not limited to aesthetic muscle growth either. It is a principle that can be used to achieve a variety of goals for both men and women. In fact, all kinds of athletes and sportsmen use different variants of weight training to boost specific aspects of their game. As the general consensus is that the only ones who lift are the people who want to get jacked, let us take a closer look at what else weight training can do to help your health.(more…)
This article is exclusively on the right exercises to improve the strength of motorcyclists and make them better riders. For the record, the exercises will yield other desirable results such as improved metabolic activities, improved body detoxing, reduced unwanted fat, improved sleeping orders, improved looks etc., but these are only peripheral perks. The sole essence is to improve the riding performance of the motorcyclists.
These exercises are great for beginner riders and veteran riders alike. If you think you are not fit enough to ride your bike and you are not motivated enough to try to get into riding shape, you can always visit sellbike.com for quick valuation of your motorbike and then unsubscribe to Project Swole, because those without ambition might not bother wasting their time reading these posts.
Lower Body Conditioning
Your lower body and ‘core’ plays the most crucial role in establishing contact with your motorcycle and balancing you on it, as a rider. Therefore, these exercises will be focused on those parts of your body.
Exercising to improve those parts of your body is essential because, while riding, there’s a need to do a number of things, some of which are the need to shift the weight of your body between opposite pegs as your motorbike tilts from side to side when negotiating bends. There’s also a need to engage your legs as props and shock absorbers while doing an off road, and so on. (more…)
Whether you want to lose weight, become more fit, feel better, or even add on some weight and muscle, nutrition is key!
Exercise is important and should not be forgotten, but in order to lose and maintain your weight, up to 75% of that will come from proper nutrition, while the other 25% will come from exercise. This is frustrating, confusing, and sometimes infuriating to many because nutrition is a discipline filled with complicated and conflicting information.
Fortunately, nutrition and your “diet”, over time can become an easy and natural way of living, which is why a couple of my friends created the Fairburn it Off Nutrition & Fitness Plan. When you have a goal, a plan, and some motivation, progress falls right into place.
What is Fairburn it Off?
The Fairburn it Off Nutrition & Fitness Plan was created by husband and wife team David and Elyse Fairburn. Despite David being a certified nutritionist and Elyse being an instructor in the fitness world, they initially struggled themselves with trying to calculate the perfect amounts of food and succumbing to strict diets and several supplements. After finally taking a step back and using what they know and have experienced, they created a sustainable lifestyle nutrition plan to help people lose weight, maintain that weight loss, and not fall prey to some of the very pitfalls that the Fairburns experienced themselves.
The key to the plan is sustainability– the belief that when you simplify healthy living by making your lifestyle healthier and easier to maintain, that you will experience consistent and positive results. To accomplish this, the Fairburns plans were designed to help you better understand proper nutrition through eating clean, nutrient-packed, whole foods, while still maintaining fitness through both cardio and resistance training. Through sustainability and this balance between nutrition and fitness, you can see positive progress and build new and healthy habits. (more…)
Creatine is a substance that is naturally manufactured by the body. It is a nitrogenous organic acid that is considered to be the energy source for muscles. Identified in 1832, creatine is now one of the most commonly used supplements by those who practice sports, especially bodybuilding.
Creatine supplements are especially appreciated for their positive effects in increasing performance for intensive training sports, maximizing workouts in general and offering an advantage in anaerobic athletic contests. At Project Swole our personal experience using creatine is increased strength for max effort training and increased stamina for short duration anaerobic activity (sprinting, higher rep training, Olympic lifting). (more…)
Night owls are in for a treat as many gyms are embracing the 24-hour policy. Fitness centers around the world have realized that the demand is high due to the fact that so many people are working hectic schedules and are unable to exercise with any regularity due to other commitments. By offering around-the-clock service hours, not only can a gym goer can work out whenever he or she likes but it also means that everyone who had used lack of free time as their major excuse not to work out will now be able to work out irrespective of their schedule.
No matter if one is a gym rat or first-timer, 24 hour gyms are now open across the globe to help anyone reach their fitness goals, notwithstanding their schedules and lack of consistent free time. We are well aware that exercise is a crucial part in our daily lives and now people have a much greater chance at reaping the benefits.(more…)
Being fit and achieving your goals is no easy feat, even if the basic idea is simple. Eat the right foods and push yourself. It doesn’t take a lot of time to figure these things out, especially with experts to guide you. It’s the execution where most people fail.
It’s hard to get fit, and it’s easy to skip that morning workout. It’s too cold, you need to go decompress after work, and the gym will be too crowded anyway… We make up a lot of excuses to get out of pushing ourselves. But the truth is, barring some serious circumstances, there isn’t an excuse.
While heavy gains require sticking to a fitness routine, if you really can’t make it to the gym, you can still maintain your fitness and be productive around the house. Homeowner projects provide plenty opportunities to maintain fitness, you just need to recognize that opportunity. (more…)
Looking back in my archives, I found this post from 2008; roughly 2 home relocations ago. About 8 years have passed, the ‘kids’ are teenagers now, the beach is in the backyard now instead of across the street, I still have those Powerblocks, and still love sprinting.
Today however it’s about 30°F out, 3 days before Christmas, and it’s snowing. Sprints will be much more difficult, biking is nearly impossible, and the unheated garage is freeeeeezing! I’ve been working diligently as a personal garage gym builder though, and now I also have a doorway pull up bar, push up equipment, an ab roller, springs, and big ole rubber tubes that work great for dynamic resistance training.
If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, read the follow piece that details my thoughts on active recovery in 2008 and what I accomplished on a warm sunny day in June. I still feel the same way about active recovery, and if you’re not using it on the occasional rest day you’re missing out on fun activities that can help engage your friends and family, burn extra calories, and improve the recovery process from your strenuous gym workouts.
Even medical journals documenting active recovery research have found that, “active recovery can be prescribed and still retain performance benefits over passive recoveries”. Don’t you miss out!
In cold weather climates, many runners log a large number of kilometers on the treadmill, and most of them complain that treadmill workout is rather boring. If you have the same problem and want to beat boredom while running on a treadmill, try the following tips. They will certainly make your treadmill running more fun.
Run with friends
If you have a friend who also trains on the treadmill in the same gym, you need to get her/him next to you. This way you will likely motivate each other as well as provide distraction in order to make your workout more efficient and faster. You do not have to run at the same pace with your friend(s).
Everybody Should Know About the Advantages of Playing Sports
The average person today does not participate in even 10% of the physical activities that his grandparents were “obligated” to perform. Chopping wood, building and tending a garden, walking to destinations, even washing clothes by hand, where daily habits for folks in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Nowadays, modern men and women spend far too much of their time sitting in the office, in their vehicle or in front of the TV. The gestures of everyday life are limited to pressing buttons to generate heat or cool the air, to wash clothes, to go up or down the floors, to cook food. Long live progress and innovation! (more…)
The results of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor workout are clear for all to see in the media. As the film and the actor remain subject to a great deal of interest, many news and entertainment outlets continue sharing the best traits of Thor. But how did the Australian achieve his impressive physique in time for his work on the fantasy-action film?
It was ex-Navy SEAL Duffy Gaver who trained Hemsworth, and pushed the actor to gain 20lb for the role. Gaver devised an eight week exercise plan, which he split into two.
During the first four weeks, there was a careful focus on helping Hemsworth gain the level of strength appropriate for the God of Sky and Thunder. The second four weeks were dedicated to fat loss…
When it comes to toning the upper body without limits, no exercise works better than push ups. Unlike lifting weights and performing plyometric workouts, they don’t require expensive fitness equipment, can be performed almost anywhere, and the best part, they’re easy! Relatively speaking, of course. Benefits of Performing Push-ups Regularly – Increases muscle density
As you age, your muscle density reduces and alters how your body converts fat into energy. Push ups work well to increase and maintain the muscles of your upper body. This exercise tones your shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, and to a smaller extent the back, biceps, and legs. – Enhances muscles stability and balance Doing push ups every day improve the reaction time of your muscle fibers. During push ups, the fibers consistently react to keep your body balanced. This reaction enables these fibers to react faster when stimulated increasing your speed and balance. (more…)
Pull-ups are simply one of the finest body weight exercises that can be carried out for your upper body. Pull-ups workout your core, back, arms, and shoulders working out almost every muscle in the upper body. Pull-ups can be performed virtually anywhere that you can locate a bar to cling from.
We all know about the normal pull-up; how tough they are! This exercise in itself demands great power, and if you cannot perform at least 20 standard pull-ups in a row, then I suggest you do not attempt any of these advanced pull-up versions until you can. (more…)
If you’ve seen the magazines: Flex, Iron Man, Muscular Development, etc…, you’ve seen the pro bodybuilding routines. These guys train one body part a day, 10 exercises for each muscle group, 6 sets per exercise, 12-20 reps per set, and they put together brutal 6 days per week workout routines, sometimes with 2-a-days.
