5 Ways to Build Lean Muscle

02/10/2014 Leave a comment

Building lean muscle mass is one of the most important things you can do to achieve a lean and toned physique. Having toned arms, chiseled abs and shapely legs not only have aesthetic appeal but the additional strength also has functional benefits, increases your metabolism, protects against injuries and much more. However, when it comes to actually building the muscle, many people limit their progress by making a few simple mistakes. By following these steps, you will improve your stamina, rev up your metabolism and create the lean, robust body you want.

Plan a Balanced Muscle Building Program

When trying to build muscle, many people tend to hit the gym and start lifting weights without any plan in place. Without a proper plan in place, it can lead to uneven muscle development, overtraining injuries, as well as frustration and disappointment over unmet goals. So if you’re currently lifting weights or going to start soon but don’t have a plan in place, now is the time to make one.

To create a structured muscle building plan, start by choosing some exercises that work all your main muscle groups – Chest, back, shoulders, abs, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, arms, and calves. If you’re struggling, a personal trainer will be able to help you with this or you’ll be able to find plenty of suitable exercises online.

Once you have your list of exercises, you then need to decide how many days per week you can commit to strength training workouts and divide the muscle groups across these days. So if you can commit to two days per week, with a day of rest in between (e.g. Tuesday & Thursday), you’ll want to train your whole body on each day. If you choose three days per week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday and Friday), you can target your upper body on Monday, your abs on Wednesday and then your lower body on Friday. As you get stronger, you can spread it out four days and maybe work your shoulders and triceps on day one, your back on day two, chest and biceps on day three, and then finish off with your legs on day four.

Then, all you need to do is stick with this plan, be consistent and you’ll enjoy maximum muscle growth.

Use Free Weights

Weight machines do have their benefits, and when you’re just getting started with strength training, they’re an ideal way to learn the exercises and target certain muscle groups without having to worry about balancing the weights. However, if you’re relying solely on weight machines to build muscle, then you’re going to limit your muscle growth.

Free weights require you to balance the weights as you lift and by doing this, they target additional muscles that weight machines cannot. Therefore, for maximum muscle growth, free weights need to be part of your strength training routine.

Compound & Isolation Exercises

Compound exercises and isolation exercises are both essential for muscle building and have their own unique benefits. Compound exercises work multiple joints and muscle groups and are great for building overall size and strength. Isolation exercises engage single joints and muscle groups and are ideal for focusing on specific muscles and strengthening weaker areas of your body.

Despite this, many people stick to just compound exercises or just isolation exercises and stunt their muscle growth. Therefore, if you want to get the most out of your strength training, make sure your routine includes a mixture of compound exercises (such as dumbbell chest presses and squats) and isolation exercises (such as bicep curls and tricep extensions).

Eat Protein with Every Meal

Protein is an essential nutrient that builds, maintains and repairs your muscles. Therefore, if you’re trying to build more muscle, you should consume protein-rich foods such as fish, beans, eggs and lean meats with every meal so that your body has the necessary fuel to build bigger, stronger muscles. The current recommendation is that 10 to 35 percent of your calories should come from protein. Based on the standard 2,000-calorie diet, you should consume 200 to 700 calories, or 50 to 175 grams, of protein per day.

Get Enough Sleep Every Night

Sleep is very important when it comes to muscle growth. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone, which stimulates muscle growth and allows your muscles to recover and grow between workouts. However, getting less than six hours of quality sleep each night inhibits the release of growth hormone and prevents your muscles from recovering properly between workouts. So, if you’re serious about muscle growth but not currently getting at least six hours of sleep per night, start making some changes today to ensure that you get enough sleep going forward.

 

 

Filed under dumbbells, muscle, strength training, weight training, weights

6 Ways to Lose Weight Quickly

10/02/2013 Leave a comment

Photo Credit: Michael L. Baird CC-BY-2.0

There are healthy and unhealthy ways to losing weight quickly. Relying on quick fixes like appetite suppressants, liquid diets, herbal formulas and weight loss supplements will not produce long-term healthy weight loss. Although these methods might help a little, the best approach is make some big changes to your exercise and eating habits. As you begin your healthy weight loss journey, it’s imperative that you stay focused, consistent, motivated and disciplined to reap the best weight loss results.

Lose weight quickly by first eliminating foods that are high in sodium, fat and sugar, such as white flour products, deep fried foods, processed meats, fast foods, candy, chips, commercial baked goods and high-fat dairy products. Instead, select foods that are abundant in nutrients like lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, fruits, seeds and beans.

Reduce your total caloric intake and increase your activity level to lose weight fast. To lose one pound of body fat, you need to cut 3,500 calories per week through diet and exercise. For example, you could burn 250 calories through exercise and then cut 250 calories from your diet per day. The key is to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories to lose one pound per week. Safe weight loss is one to two pounds per week. Losing more than that is not healthy because more than likely you’re losing muscle and/or water weight. And if you lose weight too quickly by not consuming enough calories, it can cause your body to go into starvation mode, causing your metabolism to slow down and store more fat.

Avoid high calorie, sugar-laden beverages, such as sweetened tea, sodas, flavored coffee drinks, milk shakes, and fruit juices. Liquid calories can add up fast and can easily sabotage your weight loss efforts. Instead, drink water and other healthy beverages like green tea or vegetable juice.

Eat more often to burn extra calories throughout the day. Every two to three hours during the day, eat a small, well-balanced meal. Combine a healthy balance of complex carbs and protein, and make sure you eat breakfast every morning. For example, a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries is an ideal way to start your day. Add soy milk, walnuts and yogurt for an extra dose of balanced nutrition.

Boost your metabolism and burn more calories all day long by building lean muscle. You will burn calories even while you’re at rest because muscle is metabolically active tissue. Weightlifting workout routines that target all of your major muscle groups will help you to build muscle. For example, you can do chest presses, back rows, shoulder presses, bicep curls, triceps dips, squats, hamstring curls and calf raises. Start with one set of 12 to 15 repetitions, two to three non-consecutive days a week.

Lastly, do some calorie-blasting cardio interval training to really ramp up your weight loss efforts. The harder you push yourself, the more calories you will burn. First, do a 5-10 minute warm up and then begin your workout. Here’s an example of a 20 minute cardio interval routine on a bike: 1 minute of pedaling as fast as possible, and then 2 minutes of slow, recovery pedaling. Continue this pattern for a complete 20-minute workout routine. Finish by cooling down for 5-10 minutes. Do your cardio routine 3 non-consecutive days a week. For example, you can do your cardio on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and your weight training on Tuesday and Thursday. Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy such as cycling, walking, running, swimming, stair stepping, jumping rope or elliptical training.

Filed under aerobic exercise, belly fat, cardiovascular, diet, exercise, weight loss, weight training

Is Weight Training For You?

05/18/2013 Leave a comment

Maybe you watch people at the gym, huffing, puffing, grunting and sweating at the weight machines or free weights and think, “No way I want to do that!” You’re not sure you would benefit from lifting weights, especially since you have no desire to look like a body builder.

Credit: LocalFitness.com.au

You can benefit from lifting weights even if you do it only a couple of times each week. Weight training can help improve your muscle tone, build lean muscle mass and help you lose weight. No matter how old or young you are, weight training is good for you.

As we age, we lose muscle mass. Lost muscle will be replaced by flabby fat if you don’t do something to rebuild lost muscle. Muscle tissue requires more energy to function than other tissues, therefore it uses more calories. Your metabolism will increase slightly as you gain muscle and burn fat. Increased muscle mass also means your endurance will improve. You will be able to work your muscles harder for a longer period of time. Weight training stresses your muscles causing them to adapt, which makes them grow stronger.

Start with a weight that you can lift, but tires your muscles after 10 to 12 repetitions. Beginners should start with one set of 8 to 10 repetitions of any lifting exercise. You should be barely able to lift the weight on the last repetition.  When you can do 12 repetitions without fatigue, increase the weight by adding 2 to 5 pounds.

Learn proper lifting technique before you grab the dumbbells. A fitness trainer can help you learn the correct way to lift so that you enjoy the benefits of weight training while reducing your risk of injury. Don’t forget to warm-up before lifting. Do some light exercise, such as brisk walking or calisthenics.

Rest one full day between weight training workouts. Your muscles need at least one full day to repair and recover. You can work your core, legs and thighs one day, and then your arms, chest, shoulders and upper back on the next day. Your workout can be as long as you feel comfortable exercising. You can exercise for 15 minutes, 20 minutes or longer. Adjust your workout to suit your strength, overall level of fitness and your time schedule.

 

Filed under exercise, exercise equipment, metabolism, muscles, smart workouts, strength, strength training, strengthen, weight training, weights, workouts

Dumbbell Chest Fly Exercise

06/05/2012 Leave a comment

Chest fly exercises using dumbbells works your chest and shoulder muscles. The anterior and medial deltoids, pectorals, rotator cuffs, biceps and posterior deltoids all get a great workout when you do chest flys on a bench using dumbbells. Proper form is important to avoid injury. A fitness instructor can instruct you in the right way to do dumbbell chest flys to maximize your workout effectiveness and avoid injury. 
Photo Credit: George Stepanek CC-BY-SA-3.0-migrated

Lie back on a workout bench with your feet flat on the floor. The bench should be high enough so that your thighs and body are parallel to the floor when your knees are bent at a 45 degree angle. If you have never used dumbbells before, start with light-weight dumbbells, between 2 pounds and 5 pounds, and work with a fitness trainer or a spotter. Before you begin doing chest flys, make sure your shoulders are in contact with the bench by pulling your shoulder blades down. The back of your head, your shoulders and your butt should all be in contact with the bench. 
Grasp the dumbbells so that your palms are facing forward, toward the middle of your chest. Raise your arms straight up over your chest with your palms holding the dumbbells facing each other. Keep your wrists stable and your arms straight. Don’t bend your wrists. You should bend your elbows slightly for stability.
Breathe in and simultaneously lower your arms straight out toward the floor. Use a wide arc motion from your shoulder. Lower your arms and the dumbbells until your arms are at your shoulder level parallel to the floor. Hold the position for a few seconds. Breathe out as you slowly lift your arms back toward the ceiling in a wide upward arc motion. 
Do 10 to 15 repetitions of this exercise using the light weights. As your shoulder and arm strength improves, you can increase the dumbbell weight and increase the number of repetitions. Safety is most important when doing dumbbell chest flys. A spotter or certified fitness expert should always be present when you use free weights of any kind. 

Filed under arms, back, chest, dumbbells, weight training