Archive for the ‘Bodybuilding’ Category

What is the difference between BODYBUILDING and POWER LIFTING?

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Well, power lifting is just weight lifting, so as body building.

Bodybuilding is for muscle mass and power lifting is for muscle strength, but what is the difference? how are the workouts different?

Bodybuilding is to look good for the audience when competing. Their workouts depends on if you’re bulking or cutting. If you’re bulking (gaining mass) then you’ll use heavy weight and low reps when training. For cutting (getting ripped) it’s vice versa. Low weight and high reps. Powerlifting is to compete for strength. Their workouts use extreme weight which is more of what a bodybuilder would use when bulking. Hope this has helped.

A Simple Bodybuilding Routine for Building Mass

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

If you are looking for a good bodybuilding routine for building mass, then I have a good one for you. There are so many routines out there, especially with the internet, that it is very easy to get confused about what works, who to listen to, how many sets, how many reps, how to to rest, the list goes on and on. However, notice that the title of this article is a simple bodybuilding routine for building mass. That is because if you have read any of my articles before, then you know how much I like to simplify things.

With that said, I have presented here a time-tested and time-honored bodybuilding routine for building mass that will guarantee results for anybody with the guts to work hard enough at it and finish it. It follows the old fashioned 5×5 system. If you have heard of it before but have never tried it, then now is the time.

This system has worked wonders for hundreds and probably thousands of weight trainers and bodybuilders alike in both building muscle and gaining strength. No matter how long and how fast bodybuilding will evolve, the 5×5 system will ALWAYS be a proven way to stack on gains like nothing else.

Here’s how it works: pick an exercise, and because compound exercises work the best, we will pick squats. Start off by doing 5 reps with relatively light weight to warm up. Next, add some more weight, and do another 5 reps. Now that you are warmed up, jump to your working weight that you can do for 5 reps and do 3 sets with this weight. Since you are looking to gain more mass, then keep your rest periods between 1 and 2 minutes; if you were looking to build more strength, then 3 minute rests would be more fitting.

Now, next time you do squats, add 5 more pounds to both your warm-up sets and your 3 working sets and do it again. The key is to keep adding five pounds each workout until you can’t complete 5 reps for one of your sets. What you would do is stay at that same weight until you can complete the 3 sets of 5 reps in good, clean form.

Remember to always keep your reps no higher then 5, even if you can do more. Staying with the 5×5 system is one of the best proven methods for building size and strength as fast as possible.

Now that you know how to perform the exercise in the 5×5 system, here is the whole bodybuilding routine for building mass that you can follow:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

1) Barbell Squats

2) Bench Press

3) Barbell Rows or T-Bar Rows

4) Overhead Barbell Shoulder Press

5) Stiff-legged Deadlifts

6) Barbell Curls

Start off doing all of the following exercises three days a week, and as soon as you feel the weight getting heavier and harder to manage, you can switch to two days a week with two to three days in-between workouts for more recovery time. These are the granddaddy of muscle mass building exercises, and just because the routine looks simple doesn’t mean it will be easy, but most importantly, it will produce RESULTS.

Stay on this program for 2 to 3 months and as long as you are continuously adding weight and getting progressively stronger, your muscle mass will follow. Arthur Jones once stated long ago, “When you can curl 200 pounds for ten reps in perfect form, your upper arms will be as large as they need to be for any purpose associated with any sport just short of wrestling bears.”

Keep this concept in mind when you are on your journey to building muscle mass, for the stronger you are, the more potential you have for building muscle mass, and the 5×5 system is one of the best of its kind for building size and strength.

Derek Manuel
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/a-simple-bodybuilding-routine-for-building-mass-469346.html

Aspects of Diet in Natural Bodybuilding

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

The issue of losing weight has always been mystified for various reasons. These reasons range from lack of consistency to wrong diets. Most people resort to potentially harmful and ineffective measures such as skipping meals, consulting unqualified but highly popular ‘advisers’ and doing the wrong exercises.

Others resort to natural bodybuilding. This means they would like to burn fat the natural way. In such an endeavour, supplements and any types of drugs don’t feature anywhere. The believe among those using natural bodybuilding is that supplements tamper with the normal metabolic processes of the body leading to long-term irreversible effects. This drives many people in shunning supplements. The sad thing about such a decision is that it overlooks the potential boost offered by supplements to the bodybuilder. Whatever the bodybuilder’s decision, it ought to lead to maximum benefits with minimum pain and harm.

Few have the right information about the right procedure to follow in natural bodybuilding. Awareness of the facts is crucial to all so that one is able to make an informed choice in matters as important is those regarding one’s body health. For instance, natural bodybuilding does away with all the scientific breakthroughs and this is the reason the procedure fails to win the support of the opinion leaders in this field. Supporters of this approach stand their ground.
Components of a Good Diet for Natural Bodybuilding

The correct die is the point of emphasis here. Proper ensures the effectiveness of the diet. The appropriate diet for every individual varies slightly due to slight differences in body types which in turn are occasioned by varying mass indexes of the body fat. This means that a specific plan may bring optimally good results in one individual and bring harm in another.

However our bodies are a reflection of what we eat. Thus, if you have been consuming so much fat and are now overweight you need to take more ambitious and drastic measures while at the same time taking care not to create health-threatening changes to your body. Most importantly for such people, a change of lifestyle may be inevitable.
When talking of the right diet, the bottom-line is eating healthy, living healthy and doing healthy. To begin with, eat those foods which provide you with energy and are burnt completely which means are low in calorie content. Note also that each person’s metabolic rate varies according to innate body physiology, level of physical activity and exercise as well as external factors such as disease

So many books are available which offer authoritative advice in case you need lengthy and deeper details on natural bodybuilding and how it relates to diets. The internet also has tonnes upon tonnes of information which are found in the many E-books which are on the roll-out on daily, if not hourly basis. Due to the risk of misinformation it is always better to crosscheck information using various websites to find where the truth ends and falsity begins.

Dane Fletcher
http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/aspects-of-diet-in-natural-bodybuilding-736413.html

What does it mean in bodybuilding when the rep speed is 311?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

What does it mean in bodybuilding when the rep speed is 311? 211?

311 = 3 seconds of going down
1 second of holding weight
1 second coming back to start position.

How To Get The Best Out Of Your New Bodybuilding Program.

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

Not everybody who enrolls into a body building program becomes a bodybuilder. This is because it takes a tremendous amount of patience, commitment, effort and discipline in order to be successful. Many take up the challenge of undergoing a bodybuilding program just to whitle their time away, or to look good for a speacile event.

Commitment Should Equal Effort to Succeed in a BodyBuilding Program

Looking good for a date is definitely not the right motivation to start a new bodybuilding program. You can get motivated to go for a week, for a month, maybe even a little longer, but this will never be enough for succeeding. In order to succeed, you will need iron determination and long hard hours in the gym. It is by no means fun to enroll in a bodybuilding program. Hence, if you are looking for glamour and fun, forget this.

What will you get out of a bodybuilding program? You will learn self disaplen. You cannot miss a night of exercise; you cannot splurge at your cousin’s wedding. You can forget about doing things on impulse. What you eat counts, what you drink counts, and it counts how much you sleep and when you sleep.

There is a fad among women to enroll for body building programs nowadays. This is not a sporadic happening. In fact, women took to this sport so seriously that today there are global championships held for women as well. Women seem to like the hardships this type of training involves.

In fact, women body builders look sexier in spite of what people may think. Women look great because their body is trained to enhance their natural beauty. However, once women take to a bodybuilding program, it should be understood that this is a lifetime commitment. Women being more prone to gain weight will suffer greatly if they leave practicing their workouts.

When you choose your program, ensure that you go to a reputable gym with trainers that know what they are doing. The number of people already enrolled and word-of-mouth recommendations and praise can judge the reputation of a gym. With proper determination, great results can be achieved.

Steve Savo
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/how-to-get-the-best-out-of-your-new-bodybuilding-program-90328.html

Your Bodybuilding Exercise Basics

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Do you want to have defined and toned muscles? In order to get the best shape you desire, you have to know and keep a few bodybuilding exercises basics in mind.

Setting up your main goal is the first logical step for you as a bodybuilding beginner. You should be really decided if you want to be a real bodybuilder. Nonetheless there are many benefits you get when you undergo bodybuilding exercise trainings.

In bodybuilding, you may want to look good having a perfect body. Or you may want to physically fit and stay healthy. Just make sure that you do this for yourself and not for anyone else.

Nowadays, a high percentage of bodybuilding exercise programs are in demand because of the many participants that want to get better and look good. You may set specific goals up to what extent you want your body to progress and improve.

For beginners, here are some basic bodybuilding exercise tips to start up your bodybuilding program. Some of these methods are really basic but can help you a lot.

1.You have to first know the basic methods that you will need in bodybuilding exercise. You can start up by increasing the weight and resistance slowly using weight workout machines. It is also advisable that you perform repetitions using more sets of equipments.

2.Move the resistance slower and lessen your rest in between sets and exercises. In this way you can slowly improve on building muscles and progress on your resistance training.

3.For the more advance method, you can perform an isolation bodybuilding exercise and continue with a compound repetitive movement.

4.Perform static holds to increase resistance with the hardest position of the range of your exercise motion. You can do a top position while exercising your leg extension muscles.

5.You may exercise partial rep in weak range position. You may perform a portion of the rep exercise where you are weakest.

6.Perform strip-set. Do this after you are through with your warm up exercises. You may perform three sets of back to back exercises with no rest while starting with the heaviest weight available.

7.Perform the full rep then followed by a half rep with the normal range of movements. You may return to your starting position to start of the next rep on a lat pull down position. Pull the second rep way below and resist weight back up on a half way position then pulling it again back down.

8.If you’re main goal is to tighten and tone your muscles, focus heavily on increasing reps. it is also efficient for your muscle toning if you lessen your rest and change the style of your exercise frequently.

As a final advice, the methods and steps mentioned are general and basics only. You may adapt and adjust to a different bodybuilding exercise for your personal goals and experience.

For those who are in an advance bodybuilding exercise, you may challenge yourself to try a different method in 3 to 4 weeks or you may just stay with the basics.

There can nothing be more fulfilling than having a great body. Make sure that you live a healthy lifestyle to maintain that physically fit body. Start a bodybuilding exercise now!

Dave Poon
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/your-bodybuilding-exercise-basics-55726.html

Is it still possible to start bodybuilding in your mid forties?

Friday, August 13th, 2010

I haven’t exercised in years plus i’m overweight and type 2 diabetic. I want to turn myself around and bodybuilding really looks like it fills my needs. I am now nearly 45 and I must do something! I need to lose weight but I also want muscle.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!! Six years ago when I was 46 years old, I lost 86lbs and gained muscle. I had a personal trainer for 11 months and he showed me how to use the machines and also kicked my ass. Best thing I ever did, worth every penny. I highly recommend it. I still go to the gym and use the machines and do cardio. Don’t feel 52 at all!! Good Luck………

Bodybuilding Supplements - The Science Behind A Better Body

Friday, August 13th, 2010

These days, it is very common to use bodybuilding supplements to improve your appearance. With all the scientific research into nutrition, the benefits of supplements for building muscles are becoming more accepted. Maybe you are looking to add supplements to your bodybuilding regime. If so, some knowledge is necessary to prevent you from wasting money as there are numerous bodybuilding supplements and it can be difficult to know exactly where to get started.

Firstly, you need to understand that no amount of bodybuilding supplements will automatically build muscles. No, you’re not going to wake up one morning with rippling muscles due to supplements! However, they will work with your current dietary intake to create a process that is more favorable in building muscle. So, with no magic about to happen, you need three things: a nutritious, well-balanced diet, regular workouts, and body-building supplements.

These supplements are often found in different forms like bars, tablets, powders, and shakes. How they get into your system isn’t the most important consideration; it’s what the bodybuilding supplements consist of that really matters. If you really want to ensure a good regimen, go for all types as each one is most suited to a particular type of supplement.

Understandably, men are the main group marketed for bodybuilding supplements. However, women can also benefit from them, except for possibly the ones that have high amounts of complex carbohydrates. These are often the weight gain bars and shakes and people with a body fat percentage above 10% shouldn’t use these.

A healthy woman has about 20% body fat and most men starting body building rarely have body fat below 10%. So, only a highly skilled female bodybuilder should consider the use of these weight gain supplements. Male bodybuilders should use these sparingly to start with also. The reason being is that these weight gain supplements don’t work well with beginners because their metabolic rate doesn’t have the capacity to utilize the extra carbohydrates and the body ends up storing them as fat.

It’s all about lean muscle mass. Bodybuilders should use bodybuilding supplements that are protein based so that more lean muscle mass can be achieved. Protein supplements have no steroidal effect at all as they allow you to gain muscles faster without the need to take six balanced meals per day to get the best nutritional balance.

If you’re planning to buy bodybuilding supplements buy in bulk to save yourself some cash and make sure you follow usage directions.

Summary:

Bodybuilding supplements won’t magically build you rippling muscles! You need to use them as a supplement to a well-balanced diet and regular exercise. If you’re a beginner, stay away from ones with complex carbohydrates unless you need the weight gain.

Brooke Hayles
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/bodybuilding-supplements-the-science-behind-a-better-body-59400.html

Bodybuilding Supplements - For Worked Out Muscle Cells Crying Out “Feed Me, Feed Me!”

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

You may be doing hours of exercise but if you want to increase your results you need to look to bodybuilding supplements. The fact is, that unless you ensure that you eat six optimally balanced meals each day, you’re not going to be getting those hoped-for muscles as quickly as you could if you were using bodybuilding supplements. Yes, I know it’s confusing with the enormous array of choices, and supplements are always expensive but if you choose well, you can have incredible results which make them well worth the money.

Bodybuilding supplements can give your body the perfect dietetic balance that will promote the speedy acquisition of those desired-for muscles. There are many varieties of bodybuilding supplements so you will need to research to find the one that is best suited to your goals. Be careful while using bodybuilding supplements, as their improper use is harmful.

If you’re looking for meal replacement powders try to find one that has everything you need to effectively supplement your bodybuilding project. This will save you buying multiple ones and although it may work out as a little more expensive, it is easier than buying several different supplements individually.

Price minded bodybuilders should consider buying bodybuilding supplements in bulk saving them a lot of money in the long run and doing the environment some good by saving on packaging.

If you are already using for a meal replacement shake than all you need in addition is a high quality multivitamin, once a day. However, additional Vitamin C could also be added as you cannot get too much of vitamin-C. The body just passes unused amounts. How much is a good amount for a bodybuilder? About 3000 milligrams per day evenly spaced out. If your multivitamin has 1000 milligrams of vitamin-C, just add another 1000mgs at lunch and dinner.

Fast absorbing protein bodybuilding supplements add to the results of each exercise as large muscles need protein for rebuilding and strengthening. Whey is one of the best sources as it is the fastest and completely absorbs.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions for taking body supplements can prevent from you doing harm. The amounts give in the usage instructions are there because the process of muscle increase requires a specific amount for nutritional balance.

Summary:

There are an enormous amount of bodybuilding supplements to choose from but once you’re sure of what you need to supplement your diet and exercise, the results will convince you that they are money well spent.

Brooke Hayles
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/bodybuilding-supplements-for-worked-out-muscle-cells-crying-out-feed-me-feed-me-59290.html

The Common Connection Between Bodybuilding And Steroids

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

For many bodybuilding enthusiasts, the intense workouts, focused dieting, and periodic competitions are like a drug themselves. The power that comes from working hard and sculpting your body into something you could have only imagined can be intoxicating. But when exercise and diet carry a bodybuilder only so far, many will often use bodybuilding and steroids together to take their look to the next level - the long term effects of which can be devastating.

The connection between bodybuilding and steroids is one with a long history. Anabolic steroids are supplements that bodybuilders use to enhance their workout and diet - the use of which will quickly and significantly boost muscle mass. Steroids are able to achieve this rapid growth of muscle because they contain testosterone - a hormone naturally present in men and women that is responsible for the building of muscle. When testosterone is enhanced by the addition of steroids, its job function is increased.

Because men naturally contain more testosterone, they are able build more muscle mass than women. But when women bodybuilders add steroids to their diet and exercise regime they are able to build muscle mass on the same level as men. Many women who combine bodybuilding and steroids, therefore, will also begin to take on many male physical characteristics.

Bodybuilding and steroids is actually an illegal combination for many reasons. For one, those bodybuilders who use steroids have an unfair advantage over those bodybuilders who build their muscles naturally. In order to maintain a level playing field for competitors, it is necessary to ban the use of steroids.

But most importantly, the long term effects of bodybuilding and steroids have been shown to be disastrous. Linked to everything from acne and hair loss, to insomnia and depression, steroids can have physical ramifications that are simply not worth their use. Some of the more serious side effects include hallucinations, weak ligaments, high blood pressure, and even cancer. In more than one case, steroids have been linked to fatalities.

Bodybuilding is a sport of extreme discipline and sacrifice. For those who take it seriously, the power is in their hands - and only their hands. Bodybuilding and steroids, while attractive to those who are looking for fast results, can have disastrous long term effects impacting physical health and longevity.

Michelle Bery
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-common-connection-between-bodybuilding-and-steroids-135360.html