Why Bulking Up Is A Bad Idea

When you set out to improve your physique, your mindset and how you think about training and nutrition is everything. It is the single most important thing that will determine the results you get. Making changes in your thinking can often yield huge improvements in results. One such change many guys can make is getting rid of the idea of "bulking" up. For years, men have wanted to "bulk" up when trying to put on muscle and add mass to their physiques. Unfortunately this has lead to many guys putting on a lot of one thing, fat.
When I think of the word bulk, as far as building a physique goes, I think of some nondescript type of weight. It could be muscle, it could be fat, it could be water. When most guys think of bulking up, they don't have a clear cut picture of what the end result looks like in their mind. All they know is that the want the weight on the scale to go up and they want to look bigger. So as long as those two things are happening, they are accomplishing their goal. Even if most of the weight they are adding is fat and water.
If you are gaining large amounts of fat around your arms, chest, back and legs, technically you are going to appear bigger and weigh more but you are not building a better physique. Because they don't have a clear cut picture of what they want to look like, it easily can lead to lack of training intensity and a poor diet, neither of which lead to being more muscular but can lead to weighing more.
The solution? When trying to add mass to your physique you don't want to be thinking about bulking up but rather you want to muscle up. In other words, you want to think about adding muscle mass only. This will help create a clearer picture in your mind of what you want to look like. You will see yourself as looking more muscular and not just bigger (although having more muscle generally leads to being bigger). This will inevitably move you to do the things necessary to create that physique (intense workouts, quality nutrition, etc.). This may seem like a small change in thinking. However, it is extremely powerful in changing your results for the better and is a change that anyone should definitely make.

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How Much Is Too Much Protein?

Everyone has the mindset where we believe that the more protein the better right? But in this case, is more really better after a workout? We have all been there when you've just finished a workout and the first thing you know you're supposed to ingest is protein and lots of it! We want to maximize our protein synthesis and build our lean muscle so we believe that ingesting protein in large quantities will benefit us. I mean, protein helps build muscle and ultimately that's what were aiming for isn't it? I know I've gone home from the gym and had more than enough protein to fill up two grown men because I thought that it would give me the muscles I was yearning for however, new research shows that too much protein could actually be bad for you.
There's a study called "Myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis rates subsequent to a meal in response to increasing doses of whey protein at rest and after resistance exercise" which states that 40 grams of protein after a workout is actually not beneficial whereas 20 grams seems to be the perfect amount. This study tested young men after a weight training workout with both 20 grams of protein and 40 grams. 40 grams of protein resulted in a stimulation of amino acid oxidation and ureagenesis which, in other words, didn't add any extra benefits however, the 20 gram protein intake did.
Let's back up for a minute and go over what protein really is. Proteins are large molecules made up of smaller molecules called amino acids. There are 20 different types of these acids used to make protein. When you eat protein, your body does a breakdown of these amino's and sends them where your body is in need of them the most. Protein's main job is to build, maintain and repair body tissues. Eating too much protein can have a major effect on your kidneys causing a whole list of issues so ladies and gentlemen, protein in moderation is key.
By not consuming too much protein, your body ultimately focuses on burning FAT for fuel instead of the excess protein you keep ingesting thinking your doing your body good when you're actually hindering it.
So what's the verdict? Consume about 20 grams of protein in 5 meals throughout the day and that should work perfectly to activate protein synthesis. Consuming protein after an intense lifting session may amplify your results and increase your recovery time, it doesn't make or break your lifting in the gym. Focus on the whole, big picture of your nutrition and training approach which includes eating enough calories throughout the day along with the correct amount of protein. My suggestion is to consume a meal, either whole-food or in a liquid form, within an hour after your workout and be sure it contains both fast digesting carbs and protein. Happy lifting!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9332196

What You Should Eat to Get a Lean Body in 2016 to Transform Your Life

Many people ask me what should we eat to get a lean body. There is lot of confusion what we should eat and what we should avoid. Let us clear this doubt and get a healthy and an active life.
Great Protein Resources
Protein is the building block of our body. It provides energy, builds muscles, gives amino acids which are required by the body for various functions. So it is essential to include 20-30 grams of protein in each meal we eat. Protein in our meal will improve body composition, help in weight loss and help in weight maintenance. Below are some good sources of protein.
Whole Eggs
Whole eggs including yolks are great sources of protein. Make sure to include yolk as it is the healthiest part of egg and provides all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Egg yolk consists 90% of calcium, iron, zinc, B6, B12, phosphorus, folate and panthothenic acids. It also contains all of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as all of the essential fatty acids. Make sure to choose free range organic eggs instead of grocery store eggs. If you are forced to choose from grocery then choose organic, free-range which are better than typical factory farmed eggs.
Wild caught Fish
Why wild caught fish?
Wild caught fish are essentially healthier than farm fish which are fed a grain based diet and kept in pens. Wild caught fish have significantly higher levels of the essential fatty acid omega 3, which has powerfully positive effects in your body. These omega-3 fatty acids help in fat loss and build muscles. Other benefit includes healthy heart, healthier brain and healthy joint.
Free Range chicken breasts
Why to choose free range chicken?
Most of us know that chicken that are raised in factories are given antibiotics and hormones to fatten up as soon as possible. Also they are hardly free to move which is not healthy. On the other hand free range chicken is allowed to freely move and eats natural bugs and gets proper sun and air.
They eat more of their natural diet, including the things that keep the good fat ratios between omega 3 and omega 6.
Grass-fed meats
Choose grass fed meats because they have more beta-carotene, vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids than produced using conventional cattle-feeding strategies. Grass-fed meat has been shown to aid in fat burning and muscle building processes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9329708

What You Should Eat to Get a Lean Body in 2016 to Transform Your Life

Many people ask me what should we eat to get a lean body. There is lot of confusion what we should eat and what we should avoid. Let us clear this doubt and get a healthy and an active life.
Great Protein Resources
Protein is the building block of our body. It provides energy, builds muscles, gives amino acids which are required by the body for various functions. So it is essential to include 20-30 grams of protein in each meal we eat. Protein in our meal will improve body composition, help in weight loss and help in weight maintenance. Below are some good sources of protein.
Whole Eggs
Whole eggs including yolks are great sources of protein. Make sure to include yolk as it is the healthiest part of egg and provides all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Egg yolk consists 90% of calcium, iron, zinc, B6, B12, phosphorus, folate and panthothenic acids. It also contains all of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as all of the essential fatty acids. Make sure to choose free range organic eggs instead of grocery store eggs. If you are forced to choose from grocery then choose organic, free-range which are better than typical factory farmed eggs.
Wild caught Fish
Why wild caught fish?
Wild caught fish are essentially healthier than farm fish which are fed a grain based diet and kept in pens. Wild caught fish have significantly higher levels of the essential fatty acid omega 3, which has powerfully positive effects in your body. These omega-3 fatty acids help in fat loss and build muscles. Other benefit includes healthy heart, healthier brain and healthy joint.
Free Range chicken breasts
Why to choose free range chicken?
Most of us know that chicken that are raised in factories are given antibiotics and hormones to fatten up as soon as possible. Also they are hardly free to move which is not healthy. On the other hand free range chicken is allowed to freely move and eats natural bugs and gets proper sun and air.
They eat more of their natural diet, including the things that keep the good fat ratios between omega 3 and omega 6.
Grass-fed meats
Choose grass fed meats because they have more beta-carotene, vitamin E and omega 3 fatty acids than produced using conventional cattle-feeding strategies. Grass-fed meat has been shown to aid in fat burning and muscle building processes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9329708

Don't Do These 4 Things On Back Day

1. Don't Do Lower-Back Exercises Early In the Workout
In any free-weight back exercise where you're pulling some pretty heavy weight it's super important that you stay in your natural spine curvature, rather than rounding it out during the rep.
The reason you don't want a rounded spine is because that makes you more susceptible to a disc injury which can seriously hold you back as a weightlifter.
Your lower back muscles play a large part in helping to keep your back straight so you definitely don't want them tired when you hit that heavy weight. Hit your lower back exercises last in your back routine.
2. Don't Be Tempted To Look Up In The Mirror!
Okay okay we all love checking ourselves out in the mirror but avoid this temptation when doing exercises where you're bent over. During these exercises there is pressure pulling on your shoulders, lats and right into your spinal column, so if your neck is out of position this creates a new opportunity for disc damage.
But don't worry, just remember to keep your head aligned in the same direction as your torso during any rowing movement. This means if your body is bent over at 45 degrees, then your head should be at 45 degrees too. Don't look up!
3. ALWAYS Back Before Biceps
I bet you've felt before that you workout your biceps naturally when you train back. This is because biceps are a primary mover during back exercises, so you want the fresh to lift the heavy weight your using for back.
It's going to be hard to do an effective back workout if your arms are giving out before your back does.
Do you what you got to do for back then go crazy on biceps afterward - this way you won't let you're own fatigue limit your back growth.
4. Don't Forget They Invented Straps For A Reason
While it is true that straps could reduce grip and forearm strength over time, this doesn't mean you shouldn't use them at all!
Most of the time your grip will give out before your lats do and that costs you and extra rep or two.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9248747

When You Hit the Wall

We've all been in that place where we feel like we're not making progress. Maybe you're just starting out and making changes to your diet and fitness routine is harder than expected. Maybe you're a veteran, with your routine locked in, but just aren't seeing the progress you want. In either case, many people get discouraged, and either give up, or end up injuring themselves. Neither is a great option. I'm of the opinion that moving, and being active will always be better than not. Here's a list of suggestions that I work through with my clients who become discouraged.

• Define progress. Don't underestimate the importance of deciding what it is you want. The old adage of "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there" is perfect here. What kind of progress are you looking for, and how are you measuring it? Are you tracking your workouts in a notebook? Lots of CrossFit boxes are using Wodify, or another program like it to allow members to track their progress. Do you forget to enter your times and attendance? If you don't track what you've done, you'll never know how far you've come, and that leaves the door wide open for discouragement when you're feeling tired, or frustrated. Once you've decided what you want, come up with steps on how to get there. Come up with a plan, with short-term and long-term goals along the way.


• Consider your stress bucket. I love the analogy of a stress bucket, which was first introduced to me by weightlifting coach Sean Waxman, owner of Waxman's Gym, and I think the analogy has so much relevance not only to coaching, but to life. We all have stress in our lives. Our diet, sleep, work/school and relationships are what I think of as the common fundamental stressors in our lives. If we're eating badly, not enough or too much, our stress bucket is a little more full. Same thing with sleep. Those two things are the basic blocks for physical well-being. Do you have extra going on at school/work, or are things tense at home? After all of that, we can consider what's going on at the gym, which also adds stress. "But, I go to the gym to relieve stress," you remind me. Many of us do, and it does help to relieve stress. That endorphin rush is a very real thing. However, as you work, you're tearing down muscles, and generally fatiguing your body which adds stress to your bucket. Add on top of that the emotional importance many of us apply to how our workout goes, and we're piling on more. Now, if your fundamental stressors are already taking up an inordinate amount of your bucket, it doesn't leave a whole lot of room for gym stress, and we start to overflow. Overflow means things stop going well, you stop making progress, or you injure yourself. I know from experience that sooner or later, you cannot continue to make progress in the gym if your stress bucket is over-full. It will catch up with you. And it means you need to address the other stressors before you can expect to make more progress. Sometimes, its as simple as dialing in your nutrition, or getting an hour more of sleep at night. Sometimes, it's being a little gentler with yourself until things, which may be completely beyond your control, settle down at home. I can't tell you how many times I've reminded women at all stages (particularly during pregnancy, post-pregnancy) that there are times and seasons, and sometimes the gym and optimal fitness simply cannot be a priority. Trust me, I've learned this the hard way!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9329375

4 Tips For Naturally Increasing Testosterone Levels Today

There are a lot of different ways that you can increase levels of testosterone today. Some people look for shortcuts that are dangerous, and that's not a good thing. When you seek out natural solutions, you will find the root of the issue and build a great momentum moving forward. If your goal is to increase healthy and wellness, then you will no doubt want to try the following tips. These are natural options that will help you move forward. Some things may seem harder than others, but if you seek out long-term solutions, you will find the benefits will manifest for longer than by going the synthetic route.
Increase Your Exercise Levels
The first thing that you can do is simple, exercise a great deal. Increase your exercise levels in an extreme manner. This means that you should look for higher intensity options. Intense workouts increase the body's circulation, heart rate, and builds muscle properly. Not only that, you will find that glandular secretions rise, including testosterone. Push yourself, as an athlete would push themselves for professional leagues, and you'll see major gains.
Weight Lifting and Training
Here is something that you should be looking into as a whole. Don't just go with cardiovascular exercise. Focus on weight lifting as well. Strength training is going to help you not only build muscle, burn fat, and get healthy, it's going to push levels that you need to increase natural production of testosterone. This takes time, of course, but just keep pushing weights, and you'll find that you'll feel the increase sooner than later.
Throw Away Sugar In The Diet
Sugar doesn't help the body and diminishes your results. Throw away sugar content in your diet. That means that you'll want to focus on eliminating certain foods that only break down into sugars. If you can't eliminate this completely, start to scale back drastically until you can replace them. Sugar is going to stifle your progress.
Boost Your Protein Supplements
One of the most important things that you should do in regards to trying to increase your levels is to increase your protein. You should focus on amino acid increases. This includes quality protein supplementation, as part of your routine. There's a lot of discussion as to what's going to be best here, but you can start with whey protein to get you moving forward.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9296262