Drug-Free Bodybuilding - Bodybuilding Blog

Why Warmup Before Working Out?

1. Proper warmup helps prevent injuries. You need to sweat a little,
but don't get fatigued by the warmup.

2. Increases the removal of lactic acid accumulated during previous
workouts.

3. Increases the efficiency of contracting muscles. Some light
stretching is good to get limbered up.

4. Research suggests neuromuscular coordination is enhanced by
warming up.

5. Improves coordination of individual exercises. (doing a warmup
set of an exercise before hitting the heavy weights)

6. Increases heart rate and speeds blood circulation.

7. Increases oxygen reserves to the muscles.

Be careful not to warm up too long because you don't want to use up your
energy for warming up instead of getting an intense workout. A good rule
of thumb is to elevate your heart rate, sweat lightly, and have an elevated
body temperature. 10-15 minutes on the treadmill is good to get your
body warmed up. Perform one light set of each exercise before you start
adding heavy weight to the exercise. This will help with your form.

Stretching is another important part of warming up and cooling down.
Stretching will help you get a full range of motion for the exercises that
you are about to perform. Stretching also helps after the workout by
stretching out the muscles that you just pumped up.

Also see out two latest articles Stretching Before Weight Lifting and
Nutrition For Muscle Building


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More great articles from our past newsletters

Low Fat Granola Recipe
Low Carb Basics
Low Carb Diet FAQ
How To Get Ripped Abs
Free Fitness Nutrition Plan
Free Fitness Exercise Plan
Diet Program Review: Does The South Beach Diet Work?
What Is Whey Protein?
Building Diamond Shaped Calves
How To Reduce Fat Intake In Diet
Nutrition Made Simple
Cybergenics Arm Workout
Vegetarian Fitness and Nutrition
Football Training Program
Fast Food Nutrition Information
Summer Fitness Tips
Different Types Of Diets
One Set To Failure Training
Advanced Workout Techniques
Ab Exercises And Other Tips To Get Ripped Abs
Get in Shape For Wrestling
Are You a Bodybuilder or a Powerlifter?
Powerlifting Basics
Fat Loss Problems
Swimming for Fitness
Fit For Life Diet Review
Trampoline Exercise Program
Using Weight Lifting Wrist Straps
Gaining Mass Tips
Creating A Physical Fitness Plan
How To Make Your Calves Grow
Are You Bulking Or Cutting?
Pay Attention To Exercise Pain And Soreness
Sample Muscle Weight Gaining Diet And Supplement Program
Weight Lifting Don'ts
Gain 50 lbs Muscle
Increasing Tricep Size
Ectomorph Weight Gain Plan
How To Make Your Own Protein Bars At Home
Grip Strength Training Exercises For The Grip of Death
Is Fat Healthy?
Why Water Is Important For Health And Fitness
Is Whole Wheat Healthy?
Eat Healthy Fats And Oils
How To Use The Glycemic Index (GI) Of Foods
The Best Muscle Building Exercises
Workout Without A Gym
Muscle Gain Myths
Fat Loss Myths
Powerlifter Diet Plan
Exercise During Pregnancy

Good Nutrition

Make sure that you get all the essential nutrients for good
health. Eating a wide variety of foods from all the food groups will
help you get the vitamins and minerals you need. If you eat less
than 1,200 calories per day, you may benefit from taking a daily
vitamin and mineral supplement. Adequate protein is important
because it prevents muscle tissue from breaking down and repairs
all body tissues such as skin and teeth. To get adequate protein in
your diet, make sure you eat Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs,
and Nuts every day. These foods are all good sources of protein.

A daily fiber intake of 20 to 30 grams. Adequate fiber helps with
proper bowel function. If you were to eat 1 cup of bran cereal, 1/2
cup of carrots, 1/2 cup of kidney beans, a medium-sized pear, and
a medium-sized apple together in 1 day, you would get about 30
grams of fiber.

No more than 30 percent of calories, on average, from fat per day,
with less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat (such as
fat from meat, butter, and eggs). Limiting fat to these levels
reduces your risk for heart disease and may help you lose
weight. In addition, you should limit the amount of cholesterol
in your diet. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in animal
products such as meat and eggs. Your diet should include no
more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day (one egg
contains about 215 milligrams of cholesterol, and 3.5 ounces of
cooked hamburger contain 100 milligrams of cholesterol).

At least 8 to 10 glasses, 8 ounces each, of water or water-based
beverages, per day. You need more water if you exercise a lot.

These nutrients should come from a variety of low-calorie,
nutrient-rich foods. One way to get variety -- and with it, an
enjoyable and nutritious diet -- is to choose foods each day
from the food groups.

Also learn to apply Basic Weight Training Principles

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Helpful Holiday Diet Tips

The following suggestions will help you make healthy eating
decisions while cooking and celebrating during the holidays:

Plan ahead

Think about what you want to eat and how the carbohydrates and
calories fit into your meal plan. If concerned call ahead and
ask what will be served to help you develop your menu choices
or think about alternatives in advance.

Eat something before you go

Have some protein, or a light snack before you go, so you won’t
be tempted to overeat when you get there.

Keep your perspective

Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet your goals. Simply,
adjust your eating habits at the next event and/or plan time to
be more active.

Portion control

Try selecting one serving of a few items that are low in fat, sugar
and salt.

Exercise

Put on your walking shoes and head for the pavement or the mall.
Spend your extra holiday hours making sure you take your walk once
(or even twice) a day to lower blood glucose levels. Or, increase
your other activities – rake some leaves, take the steps instead
of the elevator, walk the dog or play with the kids.

Also to pack on more muscle in less time use High Intensity Training Techniques

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Cut Those Carbs!

More evidence that Moderating Carbohydrate Intake can lead to fat loss

We've been saying and writing it for years, and an increasing body
of clinical evidence supports what you should consider a basic principle
of fat reduction: if you're in relatively good shape and you're looking
to get leaner, then the best dietary change you should make is to
moderate your carbohydrate intake and up your protein immediately.

For some reason, people still don't want to understand and accept that
dietary fat per-se is NOT the issue for most people who are active. It's
the intake of excess carbohydrates that is largely responsible for
adding adipose tissue to your body. Moderate the carbs and you'll drop
the fat.

Here's the evidence. In a recent study, two groups were monitored. Both
groups consumed 30% of their daily calorie intake in fats. The only
significant dietary difference was that one group consumed only 12% of
their calories from protein (58% carbohydrates), while the other group
consumed 25% protein (45% carbohydrates).

Even with consistent fat intake and a relatively minor reduction in
carbs (from 58% to 45%), the results were clear. After six months, the
higher protein, lower carb group lost a full 50% more fat than the
higher carb group. I would expect results to be even more dramatic if
the carbohydrate intake was dropped down closer to 40%, as in the
popular 40-30-30 fat loss programs.

It’s important to realize that we’re not suggesting cutting out
carbohydrates altogether—this is ultimately counter-productive—but
rather a gradual reduction in carbs to balance out the diet. There’s
no doubt that most people, and Americans in particular, over-eat
carbohydrates—in particular, heavily processed carbs and simple
sugars.

Also see our latest article on Effects of Working Out Everyday

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Fitness and Health Tips Newsletter, and you will be automatically entered
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Since 1997 I have been a Personal Trainer Online and I am now announcing the opening of my Fitness Gym in Hillsboro Oregon 97124 I can now be your one-on-one Bodybuilding Trainer and Personal Trainer in Hillsboro Oregon

5 Easy Ways To Burn More Fat

1. Do not eat poor quality carbohydrates before bed.
Poor quality carbohydrates are those that contain sugar
or are highly processed. These would include most breakfast
cereals, breads, snack foods, candies, and even fruits and
juices. Eating these foods immediately prior to bedtime will
likely result in increased fat deposit and will prevent your
body from maintaining a successful fat-burning mode.

2. Increase your muscle mass! The more lean muscle you have,
the more calories your body will burn even at rest. Muscle
is extremely active metabolically. Do some resistance training,
add some muscle, and crank up that metabolism.

3. Never let yourself get too hungry, or too stuffed. It really
is all about moderation. Time your meals so that you eat before
you are starving . . . doing this one simple thing will cause you
to almost always eat less. When you do eat, stop when your
satisfied not when you are so stuffed you cannot even get
down another bite.

4. Double up on your cardio training. From time to time it may
be beneficial to the fat-burning process for you to split your
cardio training into two short sessions rather than one longer
one. Studies suggest that people who do 30 minutes of morning
cardio and then 30 minutes of evening cardio lose more fat
than those doing just one 60 minute session.

5. Eat more high fiber foods. Most of us do not get enough fiber
in our daily diets, and that’s just a shame. Fiber not only
promotes overall general health, but also can significantly
aid in your fat-burning efforts. Leafy greens and salads are
ideal sources of fiber.


Also read our newest article on Rowing Exercise Techniques For Building Muscle Latissimus Dorsi


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