The Squats

As a power lifter, I spend the majority of my time in the gymnasium coaching with the categorical point of getting stronger ; other aspects like getting more muscled, losing subcutaneous fat, getting fitter and more flexible are just a secondary consideration. As the game of power lifting is reliant on 3 exercises – the bench press, the dead lift, and the squat – I spend the bulk of my energy on those lifts.

If you are merely a standard trainee looking at getting into shape, you need to also spend time performing those 3 exercises, as they give the most reward for the time you spend performing them.

In particular, the squat is known by some as the absolute best exercise that may be performed. As it is a compound exercises that recruits the muscles related to your hip, knee and ankle, it is largely a full body exercise, and you’ll see muscled gains in your quads, hamstrings, erectors, traps and calves. Considering this, the squat also enables you to burn a huge quantity of calories an hour, and is a way to burn off blubber. Other great advantages of squatting include building up your core muscles ( abdominals and obliques ) to a degree beyond any other exercise, improving your immune response, making your body create more testosterone and bettering the capacity and potency of your cardiovascular system. Before beginning to squat for the 1st time, ensure you consult a pro, who teach you the proper form and technique! It is of vital importance that you remember that irrespective of how much you would like to get stronger, you never break form, and also maintain good posture when squatting.

Protein Powder Side Effects?

That small dose of powder that you throw into your favourite shake may seem harmless, but there are lots of protein powder side effects to think about. This is not to say that protein powder doesn’t have its place, but it never hurts to know about both the pros and cons of this ingredient.

For the most part, the side effects of protein powder only occur when this ingredient is used improperly. Realistically, you shouldn’t be ingesting more than 40 grams of protein per meal. In addition, you should never live solely off of protein powder shakes.

Thus, if you skip food altogether, you might be asking for lots of different side effects. Some of these side effects include an upset stomach, kidney stones, and overproduction of acid inside of your stomach. However, if you add protein shakes to a healthy, balanced, diet, you probably won’t experience any side effects.
Aside from those that suffer side effects as a result of improper use, some people may be intolerant of protein powder. Lactose intolerance will often cause discomfort while using protein powder. If you are lactose intolerant, make sure to purchase whey protein isolate.

Isolate does not contain as much lactose as regular protein powder, so this is the best choice for those with lactose issues. If you keep the aforementioned things in mind while you mix those shakes, you shouldn’t be faced with any kind of serious protein problem.

Now that you know about the possible side effects of protein powder, you can decide if this ingredient is something that you want to use. In most cases, protein is relatively harmless, since it is something that they body needs anyway. Still, knowing as much as you can about protein powder is important.

We recommend Whey Protein and Soy Protein for your Protein needs.

Bodybuilding Supplement Diet

While bodybuilding supplements can really help your body, it is important that you know how to use these supplements properly. Adding the wrong amount of supplements to your diet can result in bad weight gain. Instead, pay attention to your body and your particular program.

Bodybuilding supplements help to provide your body with the nutrients that it craves. Often, these nutrients cannot be gained by eating food alone. This is precisely why supplements must be consumed. However, keep in mind that supplements should be an addition to a healthy diet.

It is never a good idea to replace food completely with supplements. Instead, consume a healthy bodybuilding diet, and add supplements as a type of compliment to this diet. Look for supplements that are low in calories and sugar – a lot of supplements have extra ingredients that you don’t need.

In fact, it may even benefit you to search for a homemade supplement recipe. Some of the top bodybuilders in the world list great recipes online for your use. While you can’t control the ingredients that are put into manufactured supplements, you can control the things that you put into a supplement that you create.

Lastly, make sure that you actually require supplements. Some people that simply want to gain muscle or tighten muscle don’t need supplements at all. If you aren’t sure, speak with a trainer at your local gym. Often, starting a supplemental diet may not be the best course of action for your body.

If you are going to use supplements, make sure to do a lot of research prior to choosing one particular brand. You’ll discover that some supplements are much better than others, and some of them are just plain bad for you. Do you need supplements? Make sure to answer this question before you begin to add bodybuilding supplements to your diet.

Need Whey Protein? Try this excellent Fat Free Whey Protein

Weight Training Fundamentals

A balanced nutrition program is not a guarantee for fat and weight loss. Dieting without weight training invariably leads to muscle loss. Muscle loss leads to a lower resting metabolic rate which means your body burns fewer calories and fats. Following are the fundamentals you have to be familiar with in performing your weight raining exercises.

-Find time and make time for your aerobics and weight training schedule. You don’t have to join a fitness or health club to do weight training. It’s probably better to train at home since it saves time and is very convenient. Basic free weights are all you need to get started. When you progress from the beginner level to intermediate to advanced, you can either then add the following equipments a bench and barbell set, a cable-pulley machine and an adjustable squat rack.

-Perform stretching exercises to loosen up your joints and muscles and maintain flexibility.

-Do not train for more than 60 minutes. The total optimal workout duration including aerobics should be between 45 = 60 minutes. Long workouts exhaust the body’s nervous and endocrine systems, decreases the body’s growth and testosterone levels and increases cortisol levels (a hormone that breaks down muscles).

If you have the time, you can split up your aerobics and weight training sessions if you do them on the same day. You could do 30-45 minutes of aerobics before breakfast and 30-45 minutes of weight training in the late morning or afternoon.

-Do not engage in weight training two days in a row. You will become prone to overtraining and injury. To maximize the benefits of weight training, the goal is to let the muscles rest after an intense workout. You have to give your muscles the time to rest, recover and get toned!

• Beginner Level: 3 full body workouts weekly on nonconsecutive days
• Intermediate Level: 4 2-day split routine workouts weekly (half the body one day, half the next)
• Advanced Level: 4 or 5 days weekly (3 or 4-day split routines)

-1 Set vs. 3 Sets of exercises. For beginners, 1 set of exercises weekly is the recommended starting point. After the initial 1 set week, it should be increased to 2 sets per week and then 3 sets on the third week. The 3 sets weekly full-body workout should be the baseline. The number of repetitions you use on your weight training depends on your goals, muscle development and fat loss. Use the following guidelines in establishing the number of reps/exercise you will use. The logic is to use a range of repetition instead of a fixed number of repetition. Doing a range of repetitions helps condition and prepare the muscles for progressive resistance.
• 1 – 5 reps for Strength and Power
• 6 – 12 reps for Bulk and Strength
• 12 – 20 reps for Endurance
• 10 – 25 reps for Abdominals and Calves

-At the Beginner’s Level, start with just one exercise. Go up to the Intermediate and Advanced levels only when the body and muscles have adjusted to progressive resistance.

• Beginner Level: 1 Exercise/Muscle Group (full body workout)
• Intermediate Level: 2 Exercises/Muscle Group (2-day split)
• Advanced Level: 3 Exercises/Muscle Group (3-day split)

-Normally, you should take approximately a 1-minute rest in between sets. However, since your goal is fat and weight loss, gradually reduce your rest intervals to as little as 30-45 seconds between sets to induce an aerobic effect to your weight workouts and increase growth hormone release.

-You should always perform your repetitions slowly and under control: 2-3 seconds to raise the weight and 3-4 to lower the weight. Avoid fast, bouncing or uncontrolled movements. Raising or lowering weights quickly uses up energy and takes the stress off the muscle group you are trying to develop and increases the possibility of injury.
• 2-3 second to lift weight
-pause at the top
• 3-4 second eccentric (lowering the weight)
- pause at the bottom

-Do not be impatient when doing your weight exercises. Add weights and increase the duration of exercises only when you are positive your system can handle it. Do not go up to intermediate and training levels unless your weekly progress record warrants it. When you increase the weights, make sure they are in small increments to avoid burnout. Achieving fitness and a healthy lifestyle can not be fast tracked!

-As a beginner, it is best to start training your entire body in one session. Performing full body workouts 3 days weekly should be your target. Only after 3 or 4 months  (minimum) should you consider going up to the next level. When you advance, it is better to split your routines in order to be able to add more exercises to your regimen and avoid overtraining.

Fitness & Body Types

There are three distinct body types – endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph:

-Endomorphs are the fat retainers and have more difficulty in losing fat, typified by excess body fat, roundness and large joints.

-Mesomorphs are lean, muscular and naturally athletic; they lose fat and gain muscle easily.

-Ectomorphs are lean, skinny and bony with fast metabolisms and extremely low body fat.
Ectomorph

Ectomorphs are generally tall and skinny individuals with small joints. Their metabolism is super efficient that they can eat anything without gaining fat however, they have great difficulty building up muscles.

Ectomorphic individuals can only achieve excellent muscular definition through persistence and hard work. Their body responds best to low volume, staggered, high intensity weight training.

Ectomorph Guidelines on Nutrition and Training

-Slow down and relax often.
- Get extra sleep.
- Reduce stress.
- Avoid overtraining.
- Maintain high calorie intake.
- Focus on food quality and nutritional value.

Mesomorph

Individuals who are pure mesomorphs are typically lean, muscular and broad shouldered with medium-sized joints. They are considered as natural-born athletes and bodybuilders and already exhibit clear muscle development even before they even start working out.

Mesomorphic individuals gain muscle and lose fat very easily. Their bodies positively respond like crazy to minimum nutrition/training regimens.

Mesomorph Guidelines on Nutrition and Training

As luck would have it, pure mesomorphs automatically lose body fat and gain muscle! Regardless of their genetic advantage, mesormorphic individuals should pursue a light exercise/workout regimen regularly in order to tone their muscles and develop better definition.

Endomorph

Endomorphic individuals are those who continually struggle to lose body fat, have generally slow metabolism and store fat easily. Endomorphs are mostly large framed individuals with medium to large joints.

They generally have a very difficult time losing fat through dieting alone and need adequate aerobic/exercise/workout regimen to trigger adequate fat loss. The bottom line is an endomorph definitely needs metabolism boost physical activity provides.

An endomorph generally responds better to high protein/low to moderate carbohydrate diets and frequent, high intensity aerobic/exercise/workout training regimen.

Endomorph Guidelines on Nutrition and Training

Endomorphs require a well-planned approach to nutrition and training to induce fat loss. They need high levels of activity, strict discipline and consistency in nutritional habits.

- High protein, medium to low carbohydrate intake.
- Exercise is an absolute necessity.
- Endomorphs must avoid short-term approaches to fitness.
- Sleep early and wake up early.
- Restrict carbohydrates to the minimum.
- Consistency and persistence in nutrition and exercise activities.

Never oversimplify your conclusion regarding body types based on physical properties alone. Although heredity plays an important role to lose fat, never forget that excess fat is the cumulative result of many other influences which are not genetically dictated.

Never blame your genes for your present situation. There are other factors that contribute to your present condition which are under your control. It is up to you to take charge.

Regardless of your genetic makeup, you can totally transform yourself with a positive attitude and hard work.

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