December 10th, 2008 — Gain Muscle
Currently in the US, 66.3% of the adult population over the age of 20 is overweight. It’s somewhat ironic that the more athletic members of the population require weight gain as a means of developing muscle. But many weight lifters find it difficult to gain weight, unlike the two-thirds of the population who apparently find the process very easy. Gaining weight for the purpose of building muscle can actually be just as much work for most athletes as building muscle. But with dedication and effort it is possible to gain the weight necessary for substantial muscular development.
There is a lot of disinformation out there about how athletes should eat in order to gain weight. Just about every fitness enthusiast on the internet thinks they are some kind of nutrition expert and they have a tendency to tell others what they should be eating. If you are an athlete who is strength training your ideal diet should be high in calories and high in protein. Your exercise regimen should also help speed up the weight gain process in order to help you retain your weight gains. A few sessions spent with a personal trainer at your health club can help you develop the right diet and exercise combination to meet your needs.
Many weightlifters, such as myself, have found that weight gaining supplements are a relatively easy way to incorporate more calories and protein into their regular diets. But not all weight gainer supplements are created equal and they can vary widely based on price, protein quality, and nutritional content. Weight gainers also have a tendency to not taste very good and some can be downright awful. It’s a good idea to try a few different weight gainers before deciding on a specific one. Because weigh gainers typically come in oversized containers some vitamin stores allow you to purchase smaller trial sizes. This is highly recommended and can prevent you from spending your hard earned money on something you can’t drink.
Sleeping a minimum of 8 hours each night is something that many weightlifters don’t do and yet proper sleep is one of the easiest means of gaining and retaining weight necessary for muscular development. Of course for sleep to be of any benefit your diet needs to be rich in the proper nutrients. You should try to avoid fatty foods like the plague including candies, sweets, and most fast food items. Eating foods high in fat will certainly allow you to gain weight but not the kind of weight that will enable you to build lean muscle.
No matter what supplements you take or what kind of workout you engage in you must increase your food consumption during the day in order gain more weight. You can also maximize your weight gains by eating a large meal one hour before bedtime.
December 3rd, 2008 — Gain Muscle
There are a wide variety of exercises available to facilitate your muscular development and of these by far the best are free weight training exercises. Free weight exercises offer increased muscular development as opposed to nautilus style machines because of the additional resistance these machines place on supporting muscles. Dumbbell exercises are a kind of free weight exercise that has been around for a very long time. In fact, dumbbells are the world’s oldest known work out instrument and can be traced back several thousand years to ancient times. Dumbbells offer a reliable and effective means of building muscle.
Like most other free weight exercises, dumbbells facilitate muscle growth by placing resistance on stabilizing and supporting muscles. As compared to nautilus machines and even body weight exercises, dumbbells offer a much greater range of motion and actually mimic natural body motion. Greater range of motion and broader muscle resistance mean substantial muscle gains, one reason that dumbbells have been around as long as they have. Utilizing dumbbells during workouts allows you to target specific areas of the body more effectively than would ordinarily be possible.
Use of dumbbells during a workout requires strict safety considerations. Because dumbbells are free weights there is always the possibility of injury from a dropped or mishandled weight. Before handling dumbbells it’s always a good idea to do some muscle warm ups in order to loosen and condition each muscle. Accidents are much more likely to happen when your muscles have not been properly warmed up. To warm your muscles up before using dumbbells, try lifting a weight that allows you to do a minimum of fifteen repetitions. In addition, try basic warm up exercises such as stretches and extensions. Using a spotter during a dumbbell workout can also greatly reduce the likelihood of an accident.
Most people commonly associate dumbbells with the triceps and biceps but in reality dumbbells are effective on many of the bodies muscle groups. A common exercise for working out the biceps is the hammer curl, which also has the distinction of being one of my favorite exercises. To perform the hammer curl, grip a dumbbell in each arm that will allow you to do at least six repetitions. Grip the weight in such a way that the weights are facing up and down instead of side to side. With your elbows held tight against your body, curl each weight towards you in a ‘hammer’ like motion. Try lifting each weight one at a time instead of simultaneously to reduce fatigue.
There are many other exercises that can be performed with dumbbells such as shoulder press, chest flies, bench rows, and lunges. Not all of these dumbbell exercises will be right for your particular workout regimen, but you should incorporate at least one dumbbell exercise. Always remember to warm up before lifting dumbbells and never attempt to lift a weight that is too heavy for you.
October 16th, 2008 — Gain Muscle
It’s my opinion that anyone trying to put on muscle should spend their first six months or so doing a strength based routine.
A good strength program will have you using the major compound movements using low reps and heavy weights. I would suggest doing 5 sets with 5 reps per set. Squats, deadlifts, bench press, barbell bent over rows, overhead press are the main exercises with dips, pull-ups and pushups as supplements
Start with a light enough weight to get the proper form down and then add weight to the bar every session. Don’t worry about the starting weight being too light and looking like a wimp. If you add 5 to 10 pounds every day you train, you’ll be moving up very quickly
With proper nutrition and rest, and following a strength routine like this, a person new to lifting can double their strength within a few months
Once you have a solid strength foundation to build on you can then go on to a more bodybuilding focused program or you might just like to stay with a strength program once you see, and feel, the results.
