Thursday, 20 August 2009

Toughen Muscles with Proper Protein

Toughen Muscles with Proper Protein

by Nathaniel Millsby PHD

If you want to get big and strong, don't forget to take your protein powder. Bodybuilders have long relied upon protein powder to make sure they get the high level of protein needed to beef up their bodies through lifting weights and exercise.

Dairy products as well as eggs, cottage cheese, soy and vegetable protein also contain good amounts of protein. Nevertheless, none of these sources compares in quality or ease of use like whey protein. Whey protein has the highest value in providing branched-chain amino acids, which result in building and retaining muscle tissue.

When you use that protein powder, though, can really help you. So you want to strategically place when you are adding the protein powder in. It's a great tool also, because it's digested easily, it's easily absorbed. So it makes a great post-workout recovery drink.

A human body needs daily protein because that is what muscles and tissues are built from, and there is no place where the body can store extra protein. The need for adequate protein in the human body is second only to the need for water.

Luckily, it has been found that most varied diets - including vegan get plenty of protein through daily intake of various food combinations. However, some people like to supplement their protein intake, or occasionally substitute a fast, easy protein shake for a meal.

Protein powders are made from four basic sources: whey (from milk), egg, soy and rice.

Protein powders can also be a combination of one or more ingredients.

By being a direct precursor to building muscle and essential amino acids.

Protein powder is designed to be taken everyday as a dietary supplement. Even if you aren't a bodybuilder, starting your day with a protein powder shake can provide nutritional benefits. While many nutritionists advise consuming protein throughout the day, a healthy boost of protein first thing in the morning can stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout the rest of the day.

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Tuesday, 18 August 2009

Bodybuilding Tips, How To Train Your Body After Age 40

Bodybuilding Tips, How To Train Your Body After Age 40

by Ricardo d Argence

They say that age is just a number, but when it comes to work outs and staying in shape that age factor is a definite factor in how you will approach your fitness regimen. Some people want to say that they are over 40 and they use their age as an excuse for not maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a regular workout routine.

Age is not a sufficient excuse not to exercise and try to stay fit. When done correctly you can incorporate workouts, weight lifting and healthy diet in such a way that you remain healthy, fit and active for years and it does not matter how old you are when you start.

You may not know it but weight lifting or bodybuilding routines are good for more than simply building muscle mass. These regimens can also help you lose weight, increase bone thickness and give you a lean fit body. If you want to feel better about your body and life in overall, you should know that exercise will get you there.

People who exercise also experience the release of endorphins from the brain, which helps, maintain a sense of happiness and well-being.

To start with a few basics it is understood that at 40 years old you might need to make a concession or two in your workout regimen. That however does not mean you should fall for the lies about aging.

Remember being 20 years old and taking off at a sprint without a second thought? Well at 40 your muscles and joints are not as limber as they used to be! You will need to allot about 15 minutes to stretching and limbering up these muscles and joints. You will quickly become more flexible but best of all you will run less risk of injury through spraining a joint or damaging a muscle. Be sure you completely stretch as this helps to condition your muscles.

Next should come a 15-minute cardio session on a treadmill, an elliptical training machine, a stair stepper, or a stationary bike. You are not going for the gusto with this exercise, but you do want to get your heart rate up a little and you want to build upon the limbering and stretching that you just completed. This exercise will let your body know that you are serious about doing some work.

Next, you will want to use some lightweights in your routine. If you happen to be training with free weights or on a circuit do a run through without using any heavy weights and then follow the warm up with adequate weight and reps.

Bodybuilders of all levels find a pyramid method very helpful in their weight routines. This technique consists of doing more repetitions with less weights and then lessening the reps as you add more and more weights. The pyramid technique is great for building body mass and more muscle.

Concentrate on the proper form at all times, even if you have to cut back on the weight or the reps, having your form correct with each lift must be foremost in your mind. Not only does this maximize your results, it cuts down on the risk of injury.

Your session with weights should be kept to about 30-45 minutes and you will want to repeat your training at least four days every week. Once you have completed your weight training it is helpful to run another cardiovascular routine partly as a way to wind it all down but more so to strengthen your heart and lungs.

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Monday, 17 August 2009

Bodybuilding Tips, How Lack of Sleep Will Kill Your Muscle Gain

Bodybuilding Tips, How Lack of Sleep Will Kill Your Muscle Gain

by Ricardo d Argence

It's easy to go to the gym a few times a week and then assume you will just sit back and watch your muscles grow. But there are many other factors involved besides just physically working out and targeting your muscles through weight training.

One of the most overlooked elements involved is that you need to rest properly- not just between workouts, but actually get a good night's rest at the end of the day. Changing around your sleep schedule so you get a solid and consistent night of rest, every night, can lead to big changes in the results you see from your bodybuilding program.

If you are sitting there asking yourself questions why sleep is so important, then continue reading.

For starters, your body recovers and rebuilds muscle while you are asleep. This is the crucial time when other parts of your body are shut down and not consuming energy or internal resources that your body uses to repair damages from bodybuilding.

Without enough of this quality rest, simply put, your body won't have enough time or availability to repair old muscle and build new muscle. You will be severely inhibiting your gains by not allowing your muscles to heal, mend and grow properly.

Another reason that sleep is so important for bodybuilding is that a lack of sleep can cause you to have a lack of focus and a lack of physical energy. A lack of mental focus can destroy your results while you're in the gym.

You can have the best intentions in the world, but if you get in the gym and you can't visualize the exercises you are going to do and you can't focus on moving from one to the next, you aren't going to get a great workout.

The best thing you can do once you incorporate it into your lifestyle is to make sure that you stick with it. Getting a good amount of sleep will make this easier because you will be awake, focused, and have energy to get into the gym. If you do not get the sleep that you need you will do things at a much slower rate causing to fall behind on stuff you must take care of, and you may not have time to get to the gym on certain days.

This is as much of a mental game, as it is a physical one. You need to make sure that you get the proper amount of sleep so that chemical balances in your body are normal, providing you with a good rhythm.

Sleeping releases some hormones into your bloodstream that are essential for proper metabolism and muscle gain. At the same time, sleep also inhibits other hormones that can lead to fat gain and other unseemly consequences.

You need to make sure that you are not sleeping a wide variety of different hours every night. Sleeping for 5 hours one night and 11 the next is not the same as sleeping for 8 both nights. As stated earlier you want consistency.

So as you can see a good sleeping pattern is very important for bodybuilding. So set yourself up with a plan to sleep the same amount every night and do your best to stick with it, and you should see a significant increase in your workouts.

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