Ricardo D Argence

Sep 082010
 

Both men and women put a certain amount of emphasis on having great legs. In fact, there are several individuals who spend hours on building the lower half of their body.

However, you shouldn’t have a weight lifting workout that exceeds 45 minutes. When you do, the positive achievements seem to diminish. The point is once you pass over this threshold, your workout is no longer beneficial and it’s all for show. This is why experts encourage you to stick to a 45 minute frame over a 3-day period.

The post regimen is important as well. We recommend eating within 90 minutes of working out so you can allow the body to recover fully.

Waiting longer will help you lose muscle as opposed to gaining it. Today we’ve put together a few effective methods for your legs.

Squats- Almost everyone likes to do squats, and the benefits are plentiful. You can work your hamstrings, quads, and buttocks. In fact, there aren’t really a lot of exercises that guarantee leg muscle results like squats do.

In order to do this you just have to stand with your feet apart, knees slightly bent, abs tight, and your shoulders down and relaxed. It’s also important to keep your head and neck straight to provide yourself with a natural alignment.

Gradually bend until your knees have formed a 90 degree angle. It is important that you avoid leaning forward during the routine. This is because, by doing so, you will put too much force on your knees. Your knee joints and lower back can very easily be hurt in the process. And so, you should ensure that your posture is straight at all times.

Just pretend like there is a stool behind you to sit on. You can hold the position for a one count, and then slowly raise up. The knees should remain within the range of your toes at all times. When you have the technique down, just continue the process until your rep goals are met.

Romanian Deadlift- When you use this exercise you will be targeting the hamstrings and glutes. Choose a barbell or set of dumbbells and hold them a little farther apart than shoulder grip. Also make sure your knees slightly bent and push back your hips. During this exercise it’s important to keep your back straight throughout the exercise. We also recommend a controlled approach.

When you are standing tall, lower the bar again while pushing the hips back and bending the knees. Don’t forget to breathe either. Take a deep breath at the start of the movement while keeping your chest up. When you lower the bar below your knees, hold your breath, and then exhale as you bring the bar up. If you need assistance, get it. We also recommend starting with light weights.

Calve Raises- When you do calve raises be sure your feet are spread apart, and the hands are placed on your hips. Posture is always important, and it’s no different here. Makes sure your head and neck are erect, and then slowly raise your heels until you feel a squeeze in the calf muscles. You should hold for a one count, squeezing, and then lowering slowly.

As you can see, certain exercises for legs can be quite complex, but it is always important to pay attention to your movements. Above all, remember to eat enough before working out, you engage in sufficient resistance training and get sufficient rest.

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Dec 082009
 

Why would anyone want to train the neck? Some people might think that it is all about appearance but the fact is, a strong neck is a big asset for those who play contact sports. Many people overlook this training for two reasons. Either they do not know about it or they simply do not have the correct equipment to do it. All you need though is a little imagination and you will be able to exercise your neck muscles. You will also need some plates, a bench, a towel and some surgical tubing.

Rotators. The 4-way neck machine does not work the rotators, so we’re going to resort to simple manual resistance to work this group. While the rotators can’t be worked with weight, you can simply apply resistance with your hand while slowly turning your head either right or left.

I would strongly suggest that you ease into this and don’t use a great deal of resistance. Once you reach the limit of your range of motion, slowly increase the resistance and hold an isometric contraction for 5-10 seconds.

You will then repeat this process but turn your head in the other direction. Again, make sure that you are going as far as you can and then hold. Complete 3-5 sets in order to make sure that you are really working out this generally overlooked group of muscles.

You may want to try the exercises while you are seated so that your upper back muscles are relaxed. Since you are only working the extensor group for the moment, you will want to make sure that you are relaxing the muscles.

Flexors. For the flexors, you can use the neck machine if it’s available. If not, here are some simple things you can do to perform the exact same function. Again, the purpose of this group is to tilt the chin toward the chest.

You might want to simply lie on your back on a nice and flat bench, facing up, with your hand hanging over the end of the bench. Place the folded towel on your forehead and place a weight plate on the towel while you hold it in place with your hands. At this point, you will want to relax your head and allow it to drop down.

You will then need to proceed slowly and raise your head up so that you are able to tuck your chin into your chest. Remember to keep your hands on the weight so that the muscles truly get a workout.

As with all neck work, start light and work slowly into the motions. I would not suggest using extremely heavy weight for low repetitions due to the fragile nature of the neck structure, especially if you aren’t used to training the neck with weight. Several sets of 10-15 reps should easily give enough work to start building this muscle group.

Another option is to take a simple piece of surgical tubing that’s available at any medical supply house or home improvement store and tie the loose ends into a knot. Now, you simply have a loop or circle of tubing.

To work the extensors, all you need to do is sit on a chair or bench and place the tubing on your forehead. Take the other end of the loop and hook it on a doorknob, power rack or anything similar. Now, you simple let the head tilt back, then forward, where you’ll begin to feel the resistance. Once you’ve reached the limit of your range of motion, tilt again backward and so on. Again, several sets of 10-15 reps will suffice.

Once you find that you are ready to increase the level of resistance, you will want to move further away from the anchor point by adding another loop of the tubing or by adding a heavier gauge of tubing. You can wrap a washcloth or towel around the tubing that will rest against your forehead. This will make it much more comfortable for you and it will also keep it from slipping while you go through the range of motion.

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Nov 262009
 

For weightlifting to effectively deliver on the goals that one would like to procure from it, it helps to take part in a few advanced techniques. These techniques are for those weightlifters that may have reached a total plateau on their workouts. Such techniques are known as drop sets, super sets and negatives.

The drop set technique is relatively easy to perform and merely involves lowering the amount of weight you lift with each set. A example of this would be a bench press of 100 lbs for 10 sets that is followed by 90 lbs for 10 sets.

However, if you are going to go all the way down to zero that would be about 100 reps in total. Beginners or intermediate weightlifters probably would want to drop 25 lbs between sets to cut down the total set amount. The 100 rep workout might be best served by only advanced practitioners.

Another form of effective exercise techniques are known as supersets. These types of exercises generally involve performing weightlifting sets back to back with the focus on targeting opposite muscle groups with no rest between workouts. Such exercises shock your muscles with the sheer amount of work they involve. This results in an effective muscle increase.

A common superset workout one would perform will include a bicep curl that is immediately followed by triceps extensions or even possibly a bench press. Afterwards, you would immediately perform a single arm dumbbell row for the upper back. Really, you could construct as many workouts as your imagination allows you.

The final technique called negatives are the most effective of the three. A negative is what most people don’t think when they are weight lifting.

How does the process work? When you lift weights and push them away from your chest your muscles contract in a positive exercise. When you lower them, this is the negative phase. This creates a lot more tension on the downward angle which is valuable as far as building muscles.

This incredible ability for this system to deliver excellent results is that it aids in developing muscle mass to a significant degree. Yes, it is challenging but it delivers outstanding results.

To sum it all up, weight lifting is not all about who can carry the most, there are also techniques involved like all other sport. The three I’ve mentioned above are what I believe to be the best muscle building techniques for more experienced weight lifters. I wouldn’t suggest this for starters as they could be shocked by the amount of effort they require.

You can choose to try the techniques for a day with the help of a trainer and see how your body reacts to the exercise.

Don’t waste your time, effort and cash on B.S. “Miracle Programs” that don’t deliver results! Learn the honest truth revealed by a genuine Body Building expert and finally start noticing the gains you deserve. Visit us to read more Muscle Building Articles

Nov 192009
 

It’s always a good time to go from out of shape to fit. It’s not true that you have to be in your twenties to get in great physical shape, more and more people are learning that they can get into bodybuilding over 40. But there are different health concerns to take into account for a mature bodybuilder.

Once you have researched bodybuilding and feel you understand the elements of fitness over 40, you should also study the success of other men and women bodybuilders your age. Find several people with body types and fitness goals similar to your own and use them as role models. Use them to create your own training schedule and program. Also, note how gradually they began training, including their reps, weights, and cycles.

When bodybuilding beyond 40, you need a longer cycle that will give your body the rest it needs. Because it’s not accustomed to this sudden exercise, your body needs time to recover.

A sample program many people have found useful is: target a muscle group for day 1, rest on days 2-3, target a second muscle group on day 4, rest on days 5-6. On day 7 exercise the rest of your body, and take two more days to recover. As your body gets into better shape you’ll find yourself able to cut back on your rest days.

Never begin with too much weight. It is common for younger people to mistakenly begin too high. This is not because they can start with more weight than you, it is because their bodies can endure and repair damage they cause much faster. Begin at a very low weight, the amount may vary per person. Start low enough so that you can maintain control while you perform proper movements and techniques.

You should begin bodybuilding over 40 by using higher repetitions with your lighter weights. 15 reps are a good place to start. Some experts recommend a periodized style where every other cycle you use slightly more weight but perform fewer reps. It will be up to you to determine when your body can repair and renew fast enough to begin this type of training. Eventually, you will be able to lower the reps and add weight at every cycle.

In order to prevent getting injuries, you should warm up before you work out. First, stretch, followed by a 5-10 minute cardio routine. Following that you should target the muscle group you intend to concentrate on that day by lifting roughly half your target weight for 10 reps. Perhaps you want to lift 200 pounds this afternoon, so you should lift 100 pounds or less a few times to get those muscles ready.

If you have a previous injury, you have to protect it. It might be ten years old, or even older, but you don’t want to hurt yourself again. Consult with your doctor before you get into a weightlifting routine, especially if you’ve had injuries. Your doctor might suggest that you avoid certain movements, or offer a brace or wrap to help support you.

These are simple tips for anyone interested in bodybuilding over 40. If you have other questions, or you’re worried about hurting yourself, ask for a trainer to help you. A trainer will be able to show you how to get the best out of your body. You can also visit my website if you want to find more tips and workouts. Be careful, and remember that asking for help is a good way to get ready for a stronger workout later, and getting you on the path to fitness the right way.

Obtain the number one natural bodybuilding program, the Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System and achieve the best results in a few weeks. Visit us if you want to read more Bodybuilding Articles

Nov 162009
 

Any individual that is considering giving bodybuilding a try should realize that it takes a lot of patience, perseverance, and discipline to succeed. Within the first few weeks of working out, almost everyone achieves gains. Afterwards, a great deal of stagnancy settles in. This can lead to people quitting prematurely. That is a shame because it is not necessary if one follows these tips:

1. Keep it simple. Start by training once or twice during the first week. Lifting of light weights helps in getting the feeling of exercise and differentiate the tension and movement between using machines and free weights. It is recommended that you hire a trainer or instructor during your first sessions to help you familiarize the basic exercises.

As your arms are stronger and carry most of the loads that’s why you can use Barbells which are best than doing dumbbells. Barbells help you achieve balance and feel faster. Eat basic food to get enough protein, carbohydrates, fiber and essential fats instead of investing in body building supplements right away.

2. Keep mostly all of your workouts reasonably short. Those new to the game need to remember it is only possible to gain muscle mass when the body remains at rest. Muscles will not grow during an actual workout session. The initial workouts should stay below 30 to 45 minutes in duration. Start with a 5 to 10-minute warm-up session and move on to a short stretching session. A five minute cool down is helpful.

It is helpful to provide your body with enough adequate rest so that the muscles can grow effectively. When you head to the gym too often, you may end up causing overtraining. This is not going to help your muscles grow. When you wake up the next say and feel sore, it is best to take the day off. This way the body can relax a little and recuperate.

3. Setting goals. Before hitting the gym, outline your plan, goals and objectives. Why do you want to body build? What do you want to achieve with your body? How much are you willing to invest? How much time can you allocate to training each week? It is vital to set goals that are realistic, attainable and time-bound.

Too many gym-goers quit during the first few months because they set objectives that are difficult to reach. Experts recommend that you embark on a program that you can effectively recover from, not one that you can maximally do.

And always keep in mind the fact that the three main pillars of body building are exercise, nutrition and adequate rest periods. Always be sure you employ enough of a rest period that you can gain quality muscle that can be maintained over a lengthy period of time.

Here is a tip to aid in sticking with your planned regimen: try and find a training partner who shares your same goals and schedule. This way, you can help each other bring out the best in each one’s performance. You could both maintain a dual training log to make sure your sessions work out properly.

Try to invest the bulk of your focus on performing the most basic of exercises that will stress a multiple of muscle groups simultaneously. Common exercises such as this and include the squat, dead lift, military presses both front and rear, bench press, bent rows and barbell curl. At all workout sessions perform 8 to 12 sets of exercise. Avoiding performing isolation exercises until you have a few months of basic mass building concluded. Working on body parts in isolation after some mass has been added will lead to a unique and defined physique.

Always perform a light warm-up exercise prior to moving on to 1 or 2 working sets. 8 to 12 repetitions each set should be enough to deliver results while also avoiding continuing onwards until the muscles fail. Never neglect any single body part through the course of the body building career you launch. Far too often, beginners will neglect legs and calves and instead focus entirely on the upper body and maintaining lagging body parts.

Feel free to visit my website for more information on body building tips, workouts & articles.

Stop wasting your time, effort and money on B.S. “Miracle Programs” that don’t deliver results! Learn the honest truth revealed by a real Body Building expert and finally start noticing the gains you want. Visit us to read more Muscle Building Articles

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