Can you answer JPA’s question about Bodybuilding?:

I like to work out in the evenings, before dinner, and I noticed that I am not hungry for several hours after that. Since eating is an important part of bodybuilding, I am wondering whether having a protein shake (60g+ of protein) is a good idea as a meal replacement for dinner, or if this will cause catabolism (undesirable loss of muscle mass)? Thanks

Weight Training Program For Women

Can you answer Pagan Farmer’s question about Bodybuilding?:

I’m serious in building more muscle mass and strength, so I’m hitting the gym 3 times a week. I have read that your muscles need a day of rest after a workout, but the problem is I can’t forego my golf practice at the range. So on my non-gym days I’ll be at the range sending 300 golf balls to their deaths. Will this be detrimental to my muscle building?

Adjustable Dumbbell

Nearly every man wants to improve his stamina, strength and overall muscle tone and one of the surefire techniques to do this is weight training. Contrary to popular myth, lifting weights will not turn you into an Arnold Schwarzenegger clone overnight. It takes a lot of work and a lot of planning to build muscle mass via weight training.

Many bodybuilding guides are written for people who do not have the genetic blessings needed for a mesomorphic muscle building physique, These guidebooks walk you through the physiological changes that go on in muscle building programs. Every time you lift weights and feel soreness, that is because you have damaged the muscles and they heal by adding more muscle mass.

The trick to this is that you need to feed your body in fairly tight window after weight training. Protein eaten within 30 minutes to an hour or so after lifting will be cannibalized by your body and turned into muscle mass. Most of the supplement market for weight training is built around ways to short circuit this by either lengthening the window that your body gloms onto proteins, or by preloading your body with proteins before the weight training regimen.

Nobodys weight training program will ever be an overnight success story. Schwarzenegger trained for seven years before entering his first competition. It will take muscle and sweat and a lot of pain, and a sensible plan for how to structure your lifting times and recuperation times.

Written in clear, concise language, many weight training guides talk about the fundamentals of how to start the sport. This includes how to get the most out of it from figuring out the kind of weight training your body will react to best, to scheduling individual lifting routines to focus on specific body parts, for getting the toned, muscular look you want from weight training.

They also cover everything you need to hone your body, building the thick V neck that you need to show off your shoulder lists, building a deep chest and powerful pectorals, and even doing whole body workouts to cover your thighs, abs and glutes.

Simple, straightforward instructions cover virtually all aspects from nutrition to lifting plans, including what mixtures of proteins and carbohydrates you should be taking at specific body weights to weight lifting goals. Additionally, they cover details on upping the intensity of your workout, the notion that you need to lift to complete exhaustion to get the maximum benefit is a critical part of weight training. It is also one of the most difficult ones to execute well because most people lift to meet certain positive goals and do not habitually lift to the point of failure.



Thanks to Alan Largo for contributing this article to our Bodybuilding blog:

Body Building Clothing

One of the most sought after bodybuilding goals is definition, where body fat is shed so that muscles appear far more visibly impressive, yet exactly how is such a goal achieved while maintaining precious muscle mass? This question has left many bodybuilders confused and extremely frustrated as they experience significant muscle loss when attempting to enhance definition. While some may understand that improving muscle definition is contingent upon modifying specific diet variables for significant fat loss, others feel as if a change in weight training techniques is the primary fuel for improving muscle definition. When adopting such a principle, one of the most popular bodybuilding techniques is to enhance rep range, where lighter weight is used to allow for a higher than normal amount of reps per set, and some believe that this weight training method will bring muscle definition to new heights, therefore some adopt an exclusive lower weight and higher rep approach to weight lifting during a fat loss period.

I cannot vouch for exactly where this bodybuilding theory originated, but speculate that because lactic acid buildup in muscles occurs when performing high rep bodybuilding workouts, and therefore causes a muscle “burn” that is not present when using heavier weights, some became convinced that this was targeting the muscle in a more direct way, and thus must bring definition to levels far beyond what is possible with lower rep ranges. It’s also possible that cardiovascular fatigue accompanying higher rep weight lifting workout sessions causes some to feel that they are burning more fat, and therefore they pursue such techniques when muscle definition is the primary goal. The problem with these theories is that a weight lifting component of a workout session is not designed to burn fat or increase definition, but rather to enhance muscle size and strength, and therefore must be utilized with this specific goal in mind.

By increasing rep range to address definition, the bodybuilder in effect will reduce the overload he or she provides to muscle tissue, and will inevitably begin to burn away a portion of muscle mass that was built with higher weight and lower reps. Instead of enhancing definition, this specific weight training technique will work against this very goal by harming muscle, as higher reps have no more of a positive impact on muscle definition than low reps, but they do offer a lower level of overload and fatigue, limiting muscle gains, and risking muscle mass when following a lower calorie diet for fat loss.

Therefore, a bodybuilder should continue to train with a proper combination of high and low reps in order to preserve muscle mass while working towards definition, and focus on modifying diet variables to encourage fat loss, which is the key behind improving definition in all muscle groups. But is there a workout modification or addition that will accelerate the fat loss process? Yes, and the technique does not involve any modifications to the weight lifting workout, but does stimulate the cardiovascular system to enhance metabolism and overall fat burning; aerobic activity is the key to boosting the speed of fat loss, and is often ignored by bodybuilders to the detriment of their physique. Even when pursuing muscle gains, aerobics assists in controlling body fat levels, so in addition to a disciplined weight lifting routine comprised of high and low rep ranges, aerobics is a very important concept in producing maximum muscle definition, and should become a standard aspect of any bodybuilding workout routine.

If you are seeking muscle definition, and find results to be disappointing, do not adopt a high rep range for your weight lifting workouts, but rather first analyze your diet, which is the primary factor behind body fat gain or loss, and then aim for consistent aerobic activity, preferably five days per week if your schedule allows, and once these variables are intact, you will begin to experience body fat reduction and definition improvements that will bring all of your muscle gains to the skin’s surface. If you are currently performing regular aerobic activity, make sure intensity is sufficient, as a walking pace is not sufficiently challenging to the body for any significant metabolism boost, and remember that no workout variable, whether it be weight training or aerobic activity, can substitute for a properly designed fat loss diet, so focus on how you eat for the most dramatic improvements in muscle definition.



Thanks to Francesco Castano for contributing this article to our Bodybuilding blog:

Have you claimed your Genesis site?

Bodybuilding means growing and increasing the mass of muscles which is scientifically known as muscle hypertrophy. Bodybuilders participate in a number of contests and show their muscles that have been enhanced by tanning, oil and fat loss. Some well known bodybuilders include the current governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Mentzer and Lee Haney.

Bodybuilders usually participate in two types of contests: Professional and Natural. Professional bodybuilders have to win preliminary competitions as amateurs and then they gain the right to participate in the famous Mr. Olympia contest which is the highest title any bodybuilder can acquire.

In natural bodybuilding, the contestants are regularly screened for use of drugs and steroids that are banned by the relevant organizations. This kind of bodybuilding promotes a healthy lifestyle and discourages gaining muscle at the cost of damage to the body.

Bodybuilders make use of some fundamental strategies to build their muscle mass. These include, weight and strength training, nutrition and getting enough rest.



Weight training is a kind of exercise that helps in the growth of the power and bulk of muscles through specific types of exercises. This process is called Microtraums. Some small damage is caused to the muscle fibres which gives the body signals to repair it. The body replaces and adds to the injured fiber. This overcompensates for the damage and hence results in a growth of muscles.

It is no wonder that to indulge in such strenuous workouts; bodybuilders need a more specialized kind of diet. The calorie requirement of bodybuilders is much higher than that of an average person to meet with the required energy and protein demands of the body that is constantly being pushed to grow muscles mass

Carbohydrates are an essential part of a bodybuilder’s diet. They provide the body with energy that is necessary to help with training.

However, protein is the major part of a bodybuilder’s diet. The recommended amount of proteins for bodybuilders is 25-30 percent of their overall calorie consumption. Proteins have to be taken all through the day at intervals. The most popular protein taken by bodybuilders and considered most beneficial to them is whey protein.

Nutrition plays a most vital part in helping build muscle and getting rid of excess fat. This leads to their unavoidability for bodybuilders who use a huge variety of supplements in their diet. Plenty of variety I supplements is available in markets but a very few are deemed as effective. Creatine is considered the most effective of all and is popular for its ability to enhance performance.



The stimulant for growth is provided to the muscles during exercise at the gym but the time when muscles actually start growing is much later when the body is resting. In the absence of plentiful rest which includes a good night’s sleep, the muscles that have been worked hard all day do not get the chance to heal and grow. An eight hour night time sleep is favorable for bodybuilders and short naps during day time also helps a lot.

 



Thanks to Liam Derbyshire for contributing this article to our Bodybuilding blog:

Organic Bodybuilding Supplement