Bodybuilding Exercises : Bodybuilding: Standing Zottman Dumbbell Curls

Best fruits for weight loss...

The best fruits for weight loss are usually a staple in your kitchen and can easily be found in your local market.

With more than half of the world’s population battling with obesity or excess weight, effective weight loss techniques are one of the most discussed topics all over the world. Although there are many diets that will help one lose weight, people generally shy away from the idea of dieting because they immediately assume that this feat entails a certain amount of starvation and food deprivation. Thankfully, there are certain types of food that will not only satiate a person’s cravings, but will also help them lose excess weight.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it will help build up the energy that your body needs to function effectively throughout the day. Also, breakfast helps boost your metabolism therefore; enabling your body to burn off the calories that you consume during the day. If you are following a low carbohydrate diet, it is advised that you integrate the best fruits for weight loss in your first meal of the day. These are bananas, mangos, pineapples, kiwi, pineapples and pears. You can create a morning fruit platter for yourself or you may have these fruits along side your favorite low fat cereal.

Including the best fruits for weight loss in highly recommended because fruits are rich in natural detoxification agents that will help you achieve beautiful skin as well as help you lose weight. Best fruits for weight loss are high in fiber that facilitates effective bowel movement which is essential to eliminating toxins stored in the body. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and lime are highly beneficial for those who have high cholesterol levels in their blood because it helps cleanse the blood thereby promoting proper circulation of oxygen through out the body. Oxygen is important to burning off stored fat as well as providing the oxygen that your muscle needs in order to avoid cramping.

The best fruits for weight loss are also beneficial for the total functionality of one’s body. They are a great source of essential vitamins and nutrients that the body needs in order to function effectively throughout the day. Dieting does not necessarily mean that you need to starve yourself or deprive yourself of the kind of food that you love eating. When you integrate fruits into your diet, your body will be able to burn off excess weight naturally without needing to resort to drastic measures such as starvation. You can still eat the sweets that you love but in moderation. Always remember that too much is never good for the body and it makes the eating experience less enjoyable when you consume large amounts.

Quotes by Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Arnold Quotes 

Arnold Schwarzenegger is perhaps the greatest body builder of all time, and definitely the most famous. Over the years the Austrian oak has had many interesting things to say on such subjects as body building, motivation, and power and authority. What follows are some of Arnold’s most famous quotes.

Arnold on drive and determination (motivation)

“I was always dreaming about very powerful people. Dictators and things like that. I was always impressed by people who could be remembered for hundreds of years. Even like Jesus, being remembered for thousands of years.”

“When I was ten years old I got this thing that I wanted to be the best in something, so I started swimming. I won championships, but I felt I couldn’t be the best. I tried skiing, but there I felt I didn’t have potential. I played soccer, but I didn’t like that to well because there I didn’t get the credit alone if I did something special. I just avoided team sports from then on. Then I started lifting through the other sports and I enjoyed it the most. I won the Austrian championship in 1964 but found out I was too tall. So I quit that and went into body building. Two years later I found out that that’s it-that’s what I can be the best in.”

“I admire America because it is a powerful country. I admire its economic system, its freedom and its money. It is a rich country. Its people are open-minded. But I didn’t understand all of this when I was ten years old. There was something else. A subconscious drive to come here. When I came here, I had come from Munich where I had been training. I gave myself no choice. I almost made myself thrown out. I got in trouble with the police. Little troubles. I created a situation that forced me to leave. Somebody told me-“Split. Now you have to go to America.”

Arnold on posing 

“Number one, it runs through my mind it is very obvious that I am the king. Then I thought to the audience, just keep screaming now because you’re going to see the poses for just a few minutes here, so eat your hearts out.”

“I find out which poses they really like. That’s why I don’t have a specific posing routine, because you never know what they like and what they don’t. Sometimes you think a routine is good but the applause is going down. Like Franco explained, he did one shot coming up for triceps from the side and the sound went down, so he cut the shot. You have to be very flexible in these things. You have to listen. When you hit the most muscular and they start screaming, you know they like the more freaky poses, so you keep hitting it again and maybe hold it longer to get the cuts out more. You know then they like drama shots and you can forget the symmetrical stuff.”

“A lot of things go through my mind while I am posing. When I pose, a very good pose let’s ay the most muscular pose. The audience starts screaming. In my mind I say to them, kind of like “Well, here it is here is the best body look at it and just freak out because your only going to see one of them. That’s it. I let them know that what they get is mind-blowing. They are not going to get it tomorrow, not the next day. Maybe never again. It’s a once in a life time experience. Especially since my career as a bodybuilder is almost over. I just hope they appreciate my body. Obviously they do. I hear the applause.”

“Onstage I’m always different than offstage. I can be very friendly offstage, but onstage I will pull one trick after another on my competition to wipe him out, you know-because it’s my living and I have to win. Franco is my best friend, but I will do as much as I can to make him look bad and make me look good.”

Arnold on becoming a champion 

“The only way to be a champion is by going through these forced reps and the torture and pain. That’s why I call it the torture routine. Because it’s like forced torture. Torturing my body. What helps me is to think of this pain as pleasure. Pain make me grow. Growing is what I want. Therefore, for me pain is pleasure. And so when I am experiencing pain I’m in heaven. It’s great. People suggest this is masochistic. But they’re wrong. I like pain for a particular reason. I don’t like needle’s stuck in my arm. But I do like the pain that is necessary to be a champion.”

“A beginner does eight repetitions of a certain exercise with his maximum weight on the barbell. As soon as it hurts, he thinks about stopping. I work beyond this point, which means I tell my mind that as soon as it starts aching it is growing. Growing is something unusual for the body when you are over eighteen. The body isn’t used to ten, eleven, or twelve reps with a maximum weight. Then I do ten or fifteen sets of this in a row. No human body was ever prepared for this and suddenly it is making itself grow to handle this new challenge, growing through this pain area. Experiencing this pain in my muscles and aching and going on is my challenge. The last three or four reps is what makes the muscles grow. This area of pain divides a champion from someone who is not a champion. That’s what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they’ll go through the pain no matter what happens. I have no fear of fainting. I do squats until I fall over and pass out. So what? It’s not going to kill me. I wake up five minutes later and I’m OK. A lot of other athletes are afraid of this. So they don’t pass out. They don’t go on.”

Arnold on emotions (self discipline) 

“If you want to be a champion you can’t have any kind of outside negative coming in to affect you. So I trained myself for that. To be totally cold and not have things going through my mind.
And it was a sad story when my father died. Because me mother called me on the phone and she said, “You know, your dad died.” And this was exactly two months before a contest. “Are you coming home for the funeral?” She said. I said: “No. It’s too late. He’s dead and nothing can be done. I’m sorry I can’t come.” And I didn’t explain the reasons why, because how do you explain to a mother whose husband died, you just can’t be bothered now because of a contest?”

“I can hide my feelings under my muscles. Definitely. I can hide them as long as necessary. And when I feel they can come out, I let them out. I think this is fantastic. It’s great to have control over my mind. Other people get mixed up. They can’t control themselves. They can’t go to work for a week or they can’t talk on the phone because they’re crying. I can switch myself back and forth. When I’m training for a competition, I can be what some people call inhuman, but really I think it’s more like being superhuman. Then after the competition, I can switch off again be human and very emotional and so on.”

Arnold on his upbringing and goal setting 

“My upbringing contributed a lot to my success. My father was a police officer and wanted his family to be the perfect example to the town. We couldn’t do anything bad. He was very strict, checking out everything…….if we were clean, if our shoes were brushed. I was brought up under great discipline, which meant that when I made up my mind I had to follow it through. I had a master plan from the moment I arrived in America. That’s still in me. Every year I set a goal: to win the Mr. Olympia or to get so many units in business school, to make a certain amount of money, to travel to five or six different countries. Every year I make a plan. I do it. It will be done.”

Arnold on the pump 

“Not many people understand what a pump is. It must be experienced to be understood. It is the greatest feeling that I get. I search for this pump because it means that that my muscles will grow when I get it. I get a pump when the blood is running into my muscles. They become really tight with blood. Like the skin is going to explode any minute. It’s like someone putting air in my muscles. It blows up. It feels fantastic.”

“Body building should be fun because you get a feeling of satisfaction which is very hard to explain. A body builder knows when he pumps up his muscles it means growth. The muscles grow. So therefore he knows when he pumps up well, that is progress. And that satisfies him because he feels the progress in his body. Therefore the pump feels good. It’s actually the best feeling a body builder can have. It’s a difficult thing to explain. Like sometimes we joke around and we get a good pump and we say you have to admit that a good pump is better than coming. Somebody off the street wouldn’t understand that, but sometimes a pump is the best feeling you can have.”

Arnold on power and authority 

“My relationship to power and authority is that I’m all for it. People need somebody to watch over them and tell them what to do. Ninety-five percent of the people in the world need to be told what to do and how to behave.”

“I wish I could experience the feeling President Kennedy had speaking to 50,000 people at one time and having them cheer and scream and be in agreement with whatever he said.”

Arnold on being a Leo 

“I am a Leo. If you believe this kind of thing, then you find out Leos are more aggressive people than any other people and they are more physical than any others. I believe in this a little bit. Not everything, but a little bit. Because when I read what the lion is supposed to be and I check what I am, it’s exactly the same thing. So that’s why I believe in it.”

Arnold on bodybuilding 

“My definition of a sport is that it’s a physical activity that involves competition. Since bodybuilders train and then compete, we are certainly a sport. The unique thing about bodybuilding is that when I compete, it is just me on a stage alone. There is no field, no bat, no ball, no skis, no skates. All other athletes have to use equipment, like a football. As soon as the football if thrown, where does the eye go? To the football. But I don’t use anything in competition except myself. It’s just me up there. Me alone. No coach. No nothing.”

“I think the public thinks I am narcissistic because I look in the mirror. What they don’t understand is that is the only way I can check my progress. How do I know that my muscles grow the way that I want? By flexing them and checking them in the mirror, by measuring them with a tape or possibly by stepping on a scale. The mirror is by far the best because I can see each muscle’s definition. That is very subtle. Sometimes even another bodybuilder cannot see what I can. A swimmer uses a stopwatch like a mirror. A jumper’s tape is his mirror. But the public is weirdly afraid of themselves. They are guilty about the mirror. They think by looking in it there’s something wrong. How many mirrors are there in America?”

“You don’t really see a muscle as a part of you, in a way. You see it as a thing. You look at it as a thing and you say well this thing has to be built a little longer, the bicep has to be longer; or the tricep has to be thicker here in the elbow area. And you look at it and it doesn’t even seem to belong to you. Like a sculpture. Then after looking at it a sculptor goes in with his thing and works a little bit, and you do maybe then some extra forced reps to get this lower part out. You form it. Just like a sculpture.”

“What I’m doing is the thing I want to do. I don’t care what other people think. If the rest of disagrees and says I shouldn’t waste my time, I still will be a bodybuilder. I love it. I love the feeling in my muscles, I love the competition, and I love the things it gives me. I have never really had to work in my whole life. I’ve never had an eight to six job. I’ve always made good money. I’ve traveled all over the world competing and giving exhibitions. I‘ve made a profession out of a pastime, which perhaps only five percent of the population can do. The other ninety-five percent are frustrated office workers, working for someone else. I’m totally independent. So, I…..feel…if I would live again or if I would be born again, I would do exactly the same thing.”

“The better you get, the less you run around showing off as a muscle guy. You know, you wear regular shirts, loose shirts-not always trying to show what you have. You talk less about it. It’s like you have a little BMW-you want to race the hell out of this car, because you know it’s going 110. But if you see a guy in a Ferrari or Lamborghini, they slide around at 60 on the freeway because they know if they press on that accelerator they are going to go 170. These things are the same in every field.”

“There are some girls that are turned on by my body, and some others who are turned off. But for the majority I just use it as a conversation piece. Like someone walking a cheetah down 42nd street would have a natural conversation piece. Then when they get to talking to me they see I am not mean but gentle to them and that’s all they want to know.”

“I have a good sense of my body in a bathing suit around people who appreciate what I’m doing, like a contest. Then I’m proud. On television I am proud. But on a beach most people are not experts. The general public doesn’t know how to look. How proud can you be when they don’t even know what they’re looking at?”

Results of Supplements...

At the recent event of Mr Universe2011 held at Mumbai, a Syrian bodybuilder Mahmoud Ibrahim Alhdidi died of the suspect cardiac arrest in his room at the hotel. He was participating in the Mr Universe World Championship in Mumbai. Its an international bodybuilding competition. According to the post mortom report he died due to the sudden heart faliure. 

According to the fellow participants he had not eaten anything for more then even before his weight check for the category and he dint even have the water from the last two days resulting the dehydration. he took some weight loosing pills also to reduce further to compete in a lower weight category. He was set to participate in the 75 kg weight category but he was trying to go for the 65+ category and trying to reduce 3-4 kg for that. 

He was one of the 300 participants competing from 90 countries around the world and was just 28 years old. The police and the organizers are waiting for the chemical analysis and the autopsy report to find out the supplements he had taken before his death.

Now the point is about the supplements taken during the weight loss program. do they have proper guidelines about the food supplements and the steroids they were taking during the competition? These food supplements, most of the times have been proved fatal for many other bodybuilders and most of them end up having problems with their organs at the later stage of life. Cant this sport be health and clean? why do we need to push our hormones and our organs to perform beyond their limits? We can even compete with the natural form of the body and that to within the limits and with out having pressure physically or mentely. 

Friends my suggestion to all of you is that dont blindly follow anybody who is recommending you to the short cuts of having a blast in your muscles, Eat healthy and do your exercises, this will help you a lot, other wise what you earn now as a professional and having all this stuff you will end up spending all your earnings at the later stage of life on your medical bills..

Jay Cutler 2011 Sheru Classic 2011 Mumbai India bodybuilding

17 Common Training and Nutrition Questions

1) You don’t wear a belt during heavy lifting?
There are two sides to this coin. “If you don’t use a belt when lifting heavy, you could possibly injure yourself because belts support the abdominal and lower back muscles—the stabilizers of the trunk region, when people start out training with a belt, they don’t build those stabilizer muscles, so the risk of injury increases as the strength of other muscles increases.” In other words, use a belt only to help prevent possible injury on your heavier sets, not to take the place of supporting muscles.
2) You eat too much or too little protein?
We all know that protein builds and maintains muscle . So we do our best to get the right amount of protein to reach our personal fitness goals. But what happens on those days your meal schedule gets derailed?If you eat too much protein, the excess is sent to the liver, changed to a sugar and used as fuel, stored as glycogen or stored as body fat. Many people don’t realize that protein can be stored as fat. Conversely, if you eat too little protein, you fall into a negative nitrogen balance, meaning there aren’t enough amino acids to make your muscles grow. All the more reason to keep a log of your daily nutrient intake. Try to stick to 1-1.5 grams of protein per Kg of bodyweight daily.
3) You get less than eight hours of sleep?
While eight hours of work, eight hours of play and eight hours of sleep used to represent the magic triangle of balance in a person’s day, our current version is an isosceles, with the sleep side getting ever shorter. What does this mean to you, the dedicated trainer?Sleep need is an individual thing, But research supports the fact that most people require between seven and nine hours. You should strive for at least seven; otherwise you risk perturbations in your hormone levels, like growth hormone, which seven hours tend to gain more body fat.

4) You don’t stretch on a regular basis?
Between work,  Sunday afternoon with the kids and your Internet addiction, you’ve got maybe an hour a day, four days a week, to hit the gym—and you’re not about to waste one minute of it stretching. So what’s the worst that could happen?

You’ll lose flexibility and range of motion in each muscle, Consequently, you won’t be able to overload the muscle through its entire range, and you’ll limit your growth potential.” Stretching is best done after working out to maximize flexibility and range of motion. It’s never a good idea to stretch cold muscles, because it could lead to muscle pulls and tears.
5) You eat a meal (or meals) after 9:00 p.m.?
”Diet experts” often advise not to eat after 9:00 p.m. But what if you do?
If your goal is to build muscle, you should consume a slow-digesting protein like meat or a casein product within an hour before sleeping to provide amino acids throughout the night .Without them, muscle breakdown occurs while you sleep. As far as carbs go, some controversy exists. Many bodybuilders get good results by not eating carbs within four hours of bedtime. Others say it doesn’t matter, as carbs won’t make you fat if you don’t take in excessive calories throughout the day.”
A good rule of thumb: Try to grab a protein-rich (30 grams or so), low- to moderate-complex-carbohydrate meal about an hour before bedtime. Your muscles will thank you in the morning.


6) You try to train while you’re sick?
Studies show that exercise will generally cause an acute suppression of the immune system,  But with things like upper respiratory tract infections [colds], it’s not going to do much damage and can even be beneficial if the exercise isn’t too intense.
But what about the feverish? If you’re experiencing any flu like symptoms, you don’t want to take the chance of compromising yourself and making things worse. Plus, it’s not polite to sneeze on your gym partner while he’s benching.


7) You train a body part two days in a row?
This idea is all but taboo in gym circles; the common belief is that it will surely lead to overtraining. We’ve trained people on consecutive days and have had success with it. But the key is, the rest period following needs to compensate for the intensity of the workouts. This means between workouts, don’t do any other type of activity—just go home, eat and relax. It’s also important that you vary the load on the muscles and the angle of the exercises. For example, if you were to train chest on consecutive days, you’d want to do flat benches on day one and inclines on the following day, or vice versa.
While this shouldn’t be the basis of a long-term approach to your training, you could certainly incorporate it as a short-term way to shock your muscles into new growth. And make sure you consume sufficient carbs, protein and total calories.

8) You have sex before working out?
Women weaken legs!  It depends on who it’s with. The idea that having sex drains you of your strength is an old wives’ tale. I think it’s probably a positive thing because it can help you to relax, men-tally and through the release of chemicals. When you’re relaxed, you tend to perform better.” Just don’t make it a marathon session.


9) You lift too soon after eating?
what really happens if you lift on a full stomach?
For most people, nothing. Some people have to eat earlier, as their stomachs may be more sensitive; when you work out, blood flow is diverted away from the GI system and to the muscle, and digestion and absorption of nutrients slows. But it’s more of an individual thing.” Regardless of your pre workout eating habits, you need to consume some sort of protein and carbohydrate within an hour after your workout.


10) You slack off and miss a workout?
So now the job, the fianc´e and the rest of your busy life has squeezed that chest/back workout right out of your schedule. Or worse yet, all of your body parts took a backseat this week. Is it time to start repenting?
Missed workouts provide you with an opportunity to rest, A lot of guys become obsessed with getting to the gym anyway, so it can be a positive thing. The body is not going to untrain that quickly.” Just how much time are we talking here? “In high-level athletes it can take two weeks. Recreational athletes won’t see the effects for up to six weeks. Moreover, we’ve found that the longer an athlete has been training, the longer a rest period he or she should take to re-energize.


11) You get too busy and skip a meal?
Sooner or later, it happens to everyone: You’re running late and you’re fresh out of meal replacement bars. Major dilemma?
”If you skip a meal here or there, it’s not going to suddenly put you into a catabolic state. “We do have amino-acid pools that we store for just these instances. We also have glycogen reserves. But if you’re trying to put on mass, you obviously don’t want to make a habit of it.”


12) You drink a glass of raw eggs?
Credit Rocky with propagating yet another sports-related myth. Who can forget watching the Italian Stallion in the ultimate act of athletic dedication, downing a glass full of freshly cracked eggs? And who didn’t try, at least once, to emulate his gut-churning heroics? But to what end—increased strength, energy and stamina, or food poisoning? 

Although it’s uncommon, you could suffer bacterial contamination. You need to be careful with raw foods because they could contain food-borne pathogens,. In fact, cooked eggs are better digested and utilized than raw. 


13) You don’t consume whey protein and simple carbs post-workout?
I have repeatedly heralded the importance of grabbing a quick-absorbing protein and simple-carb meal after working out. But why is this so important, and what happens if you miss it?
We’ve found, as have other labs, that the initial 30 minutes to an hour after a workout is the optimal time for protein synthesis to occur. The mantra “the sooner the better” clearly applies in this instance.  We actually try to get to that post-workout meal within 10 minutes after training. But sometimes people have a tough time getting a meal down that soon after working out, in which case a half-hour or even an hour is fine.”
If you can’t find whey or casein after your workout, go for any kind of protein. It may not be digested as efficiently. 


14) You sit in a sauna and try to “sweat off” pounds?
It’s hard to envision an image more synonymous with weight loss than that of a towel-clad health enthusiast sweating it out in a sauna. But what’s really going on in there? Is some mystical metabolic process transpiring that will ultimately render the user thinner?
No, you just lose water due to sweating for cooling the body. Don’t sauna before a workout, as the majority of the water comes from the blood, so you may compromise blood flow and the pump to your muscles. A recent study did find, however, that sweating can be beneficial for your health.”


15) You take a month . . . or a year . . . off from training?
A lot of the more serious  trainees out there can’t stomach the thought of missing one workout, let alone a month’s—or a year’s—worth. What’s the worst that could happen, other than gym-withdrawal side effects?
After a month, you’ll definitely lose some muscle mass and strength, but probably not as much as you might think. A recent study found that lifters lost little muscle and strength and gained minimal fat after six weeks off.
And what if you decide to call it quits for good—will your muscle turn into fat? “The myth that muscle cells turn into fat derives from the fact that most guys who were bodybuilders at one time continue to eat as if they still were—as if they still have the same metabolic requirements as someone with big muscles.  But with smaller muscles comes a slower metabolism, and less training means less opportunity to burn calories. Hence fat begins to accumulate.

16) You lift on an empty stomach?
Once again, life gets in the way of lifting, and you miss your pre workout meal. What can you expect from your hungry body during the workout? As far as fatigue goes, it depends on your reps and total sets. “The higher your reps, the more muscle-glycogen you’ll depend on to complete those reps. Without some form of dietary carbohydrate, you may fatigue earlier.”
As far as hormonal responses go, lifting without taking in carbs before the workout will lead to higher cortisol levels during and after the workout. Cortisol inhibits testosterone’s anabolic effects and leads to muscle breakdown.
Not having any protein before the workout is a double whammy as even higher cortisol levels lead to further muscle depletion. Eating protein helps to inhibit some of this breakdown, so having nothing to eat before a workout is bad for muscle gains.”


17) You work out when you’re still sore?
Another old wives’ tale is to stay out of the gym if your muscles still ache from your last workout. A recent study found that when muscles were trained when still sore, no added damage occurred to those fibers,. “One study found that when a workout was repeated just two days later and muscles were still sore, subjects had lower cortisol levels than normal. Since low cortisol means more testosterone is available, it may actually be beneficial from time to time to train the same body part two days in a row—but only rarely.”

Mr. Olympia 2011 Finals

TOP TEN BACK-T0-BASICS FITNESS TIPS

There has always been so much written about the fitness and bodybuilding tips and the diet to be taken. People are always confused while reading all this stuff what to eat and what not to eat, or what to do and what not to do, which is better margarine is better than butter? no, butter is better than margarine. Coffee is bad for you, no, coffee can help you, wine can help prevent heart disease, no, wine can promote breast cancer. And so on… So the next time you pick up a newspaper, magazine, book, or whatever and you get thrown into health information overload, refer to this back-to-basics list. These tips, if followed consistently, will add years to your life, keep you fit, strong, and energized, plus offer a boost in confidence.

1. Move it or lose it. 30 minutes of exercise daily. I'm not talking about a walk in the park, although you can do that on the side. I mean at least 30 minutes (up to 60) of pushing your body beyond what it's used to doing. I always say that push your body beyond your limits.Slash your odds for a number of killer diseases and rev up your metabolism with aerobic conditioning and strength training and slow down the aging process.


2. Stop putting up with stuff that's holding you back from being healthy, fit, and energized. Why waste your happiness, health, time, and energy when you don't need to in the first place? putting up with things is good for no one. Make a list of ten things you're tolerating at home. eliminate these items. Be sure to eliminate the SOURCE of the toleration. Do this same exercise for your workplace. Be willing and committed to being toleration-free. STOP COMPLAINING and get to work on this.


3. Fruits and veggies. Get five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day. Not only do they reduce your risk of getting some forms of cancer, they are heart healthy, and give you more nutrition Plus with the added fiber, you feel fuller even when you're eating less. So fruits and veggies are waistline friendly.


4. Simplify your life, immediately. Our lives are too jam-packed with projects, goals, ideas, coulds, shoulds, have-to's, commitments, concerns, obligations and so on…Ask yourself Why is my life so busy? Why have I chosen to do so much? What am I building with my current lifestyle? Is there a future to it? Is that future costing me my present? What am I missing out on about myself because of my current lifestyle? Start by cutting out 3 projects, tasks, responsibilities, shoulds, coulds, wants, goals, etc. that are not necessary. Eliminate, delegate, or make a system for 12 tasks that are sucking your energy stores dry. When you think of something you "have to do," stop and ask yourself why you have to do it. You probably don't.


5. Take a multi-vitamin. Your insurance policy to get the nutrition your body craves. Anti-oxidants. Calcium. Folic acid. The whole gamut of vitamins and minerals to build stronger bones, maximize your metabolism, boost energy, feed muscles, etc.


6. Create and use 10 Daily Habits. There is a daily routine which will keep you focused, clear, motivated, and moving forward - your 10 Daily Habits. These are the things you do each day which make your life better. Choose habits that you WANT to do. There is no place for shoulds or coulds in your 10 daily habits. Instead select or design daily habits which you look forward to and give you pleasure. Choose habits that GIVE YOU ENERGY. Most of the 10 daily habits that actually work for people are the ones that add to the person's well-being or energy flow. It might mean that you do something like have 6 veggies a day, no TV after dinner, 20 minutes of vigorous exercise,Modify your 10 daily habits as needed. It takes some fine-tuning to have the 10 habits that work best for you. If you find yourself not doing one or two of your habits, change or replace them with ones which come naturally.


7. Depriving yourself of sleep not only makes you grumpy and less productive but may also age you prematurely and promote serious illnesses like diabetes and hypertension. Shoot for a steady 7-8 hours each night.


8. Come from a better place - improve your attitude. Stop trying to change your behavior. Instead, start shifting on the inside. Saying things like, "I will stop eating sugar," "No eating after 9 PM," "I will only eat foods that nourish me," or "I am going to work out daily, starting Monday," the focus is on what you want/need to change. Contrast that with, "I am someone who takes care of my body," "I am someone who associates with healthy people," "My day orients around my well-being and exercise," "I have better things to do than eat junk food," "I need my energy to accomplish my goals." See the difference? The second set of statements focuses on WHO YOU ARE and what you want in your life, not just the change you want to make. This shift is more than just paying lip service to the first set of statements. It calls for action to show your commitment. When you shift who you are, things naturally look different, and the results are obvious.


9. Feed your body well, and feed it often. If you want plenty of energy in addition to boosting your metabolism, 2 or 3 meals a day just won't do it. Spread your meals throughout the day (4-6), balance them with protein, fruits and veggies, and a little bit of good fats such as walnuts or almonds, or oils like olive or sunflower, and your body will be a well-oiled, leaner, energized, peak-performing machine.


10.Drink at least eight glasses of water a day - even a slight dehydration can make you feel lethargic. Maximize your liver's fat-metabolizing ability by drinking more water so that it's not working overtime to detoxify your body. Control your weight and appetite. And girls you may even lower your risk of colon cancer.


Raise your standards. How many of you would like to feel very, very good about yourself, and others, too? Be irresistibly attractive to high quality people? Have "high-as-a-kite" self-esteem and self-worth? Find a role model whose qualities and behavior you admire. Don't try to reinvent the wheel, what standards could you raise so you can be more like them, and still fit you? Stop gossiping, good or bad, about anyone. remember, no coulds or shoulds. These standards must be YOU, you must be ready for them. Remember, too, that these standards are a choice. Put people and relationships ahead of results. And always have a reserve of time, money, love, and well-being.

Body Types - Which One are You?

The Ectomorph, The Mesomorph, The Endomorph, or a Combination?

The body types are a scientific classification of a person's body shape determined by physical characteristics. Genetics determine our body types and hence the body shape we develop from birth through to adulthood. We cannot change our body type we can only make the most of what mother nature gave us. Getting the most out of our body types depends on our diet and exercise regimen. We have known for quite some time now in bodybuilding that different body types respond differently to both training and nutrition. As a result, it is incredibly important to be aware of what your body type is so that you can design a training and workout program accordingly. In this article, the history of body types and some interesting pieces of information to help you identify them will be mentioned.

 

THE ECTOMORPH

·   Definitive "Hard Gainer"

·   Delicate Built Body

·   Flat Chest

·   Fragile

·   Lean

·   Lightly Muscled

·   Small Shouldered

·   Takes Longer to Gain Muscle

·   Thin

The extreme ectomorph physique is a fragile and delicate one. The bones are light, joints are small and muscles are slight. The limbs are relatively long in proportion and the shoulders droop. The ectomorph is a linear physique. Straight up and straight down, and may appear longer than he or she really is, due to the length of limbs coupled with lack of muscle mass developed on those limbs. The ectomorph is not naturally powerful and will have to work hard for every ounce of muscle and every bit of strength he or she can gain.

Other Ectomorph TraitsThe extreme ectomorph may have long fingers, toes and neck are long. A pencil neck you could say. The features of the face are sharp, and the shape of the face is triangular. The lower jaw is somewhat receding. The skin tends to burn easily. Extreme ectomorphs may suffer from extremes of temperature. Due to the great body area in relation to muscle mass, the ectomorph may suffer from great heat, and due to low body fat, the ectomorph may suffer from great cold. The hair is fine and grows quickly and is sometimes difficult to keep in place.

 

THE MESOMORPH

·   Athletic

·   Hard Body

·   Hourglass Shaped (Female)

·   Rectangular Shaped (Male)

·   Mature Muscle Mass

·   Muscular Body

·   Excellent Posture

·   Gains Muscle Easily

·   Gains Fat More Easily Than Ectomorphs

· Thick Skin

The Mesomorph BodyThe mesomorph has well-defined muscles and large bones. The torso tapers to a relatively narrow and low waist. The bones and muscles of the head are prominent. Features of the face are clearly defined, such as cheek bones and a square, heavy jaw. The face is long and broad, and is cubicle in shape. Arms and legs are developed and even the digits of the hand are muscled.

Other Traits of the MesomorphThe skin of the mesomorph is thick and the mesomorph tans well. The hair is heavy in texture.

 

THE ENDOMORPH

·   Soft Body

·   Underdeveloped Muscles

·   Round Physique

·   Weight Loss is Difficult

    Gains Muscle Easily Like the Mesomorph.

The Endomorph bodyThe body of the extreme endomorph is round and soft. The physique presents the illusion that much of the mass has been concentrated in the abdominal area. This may or may not be true. The arms and legs of the extreme endomorph are short in length and taper. This may give the appearance of stalkiness. The hands and feet of the endomorph are comparatively small, and the upper arms and thighs are often more developed than the lower parts of the arms or legs. The body has a high waist.
Other Traits of the EndomoprhThe skin is soft and smooth, and the hair is fine. The head of the endomorph is spherical. The head is large and the face broad.

Combinations of Body Types

Very often, people cannot be easily classed as one of the three main body types. Although there are some people who are purely ectomorphs, endomorphs, or mesomorphs with little or no characteristics of the other body types, very frequently, people fall into mixed categories, such as ecto mesomorphs, or endo mesomorphs, where largely, they are like the mesomoph, but with traits of the ectomorph (such as small joints or a trim waist), or traits of the endomorph (such as a tendency to gain fat easily).

BASIC STUFF YOU KNEED TO KNOW TO START BODYBUILDING

BASIC STUFF YOU KNEED TO KNOW:

1. 1 kCal = 4.2kJ (1 kilocalorie = 4.2 kilojoules)

2. Every kg of muscle on your body metabolises (burns up) about 100kCal per day,

while at rest...and more if you exercise.

3. The Fat on our bodies only burns about 4kCal per kg per day.....its therefore quite obvious that if we want to control our weight, we should aim at increasing our muscle mass.

4. If you gain 5kg of muscle- your body gains the ability to burn and extra 500 kCal per day, just by you sitting around doing nothing.

5. Energy content of the basic food groups:

1g of protein = 4kCal

1g of carbohydrate = 4kCal

1g Fat = 9kCal

1g Alcohol  (part of our basic food groups) = 7kCal

There are 3 kinds of Carbohydrates

a) sugar

b) Starch

c) Cellulose (no calorie value)= roughage

Complex carbohydrates  are those that are a combination of sugar, starch and cellulose, and they release more slowly into the bloodstream (have a lower glycaemic index)…and therefore do not create the insulin “spikes” that result when simple sugars pour into the bloodstream..

“sugary foods” that create a surge in blood-sugar levels, because they are so easily taken up by the bloodstream, result in this “insulin spike”….this spike, in turn, causes a rapid drop in blood-sugar levels, and the accompanying feelings of TIREDNESS, HUNGER, and irritibility. High sugar intake makes us HUNGRY. Cool drinks and Fruit juices fall DIRECTLY into this category.

Rather drink water and eat a few pieces of fruit each day, than drink fruit juices…..they are EXTREMELY HIGH in calories.

One glass of orange juice contains the juice of about 5 oranges….and I bet you would not often sit down and eat 5 oranges.

6. 1kg of fat on your body = about 9000 kCal of energy

So if you want to lose a kg of fat, you need to create an energy deficit of 9000kCal.

So….how do we do this??

DIET and EXERCISE.

The Diet:

A few basic rules:

1. Read the food content labels on the stuff you buy.

2..Always look for Grams of fat per serving…don’t bother with percentages…that’s a scam.

2. You should keep your total fat intake to less than 30g per day, and you will lose fat quickly.

3. You should have between 1.5g – 1.8g of protein per kg of your total body weight per day…more than that is unnecessary.

4. Drink AT LEAST 2  litres of pure WATER per day (in addition to your teas and coffees)

5. Spread your food intake out over the day…preferably about 6 small meals per day….

6. Remember…a “small meal” could be an apple and a glass of SKIM MILK.

7. If you are not lactose intolerant, then Skim milk and skim milk powder, is one of the cheapest, quickest and easiest ways to get enough protein into your body,  at the right times.

8. Egg whites are another great source of protein…..throw away the yolks…that’s where all the fats are stored…..the white is all albumin……..protein.

9. Always eat your easily digestible protein based meal (skim-milk  with a banana, and some extra skim milk powder) within 45 minutes of exercise.

10.Tuna is a great easy protein meal.
If  you eat more often  (ie 6X per day as opposed to 3X, with larger meals),  your basal metabolic rate will increase….and this is very important, because our basal metabolic rate is responsible for about 75 % of our energy expenditure…in “normal folk” When you are an “elite athlete” this might decrease to about 50%, because of the amount of calories burnt  daily by exercise.

11.Don’t ever try a protein deficient diet…you will lose LOTS of WEIGHT, but most of that will be MUSCLE and WATER….

12.And then you will rapidly GAIN weight thereafter, because you have lost the ability to burn calories, in proportion  to the amount of muscle you lost….ie you have “lowered your own metabolism”, by losing muscle….this is what underlies the so called yo-yo dieting and gain/lose/gain more problem that so many overweight people encounter.

EXERCISE:

To keep the old “ticker” healthy, you should do huffy-puffy stuff (cardio-vascular training) At least 3 to 5 X per week.

This does NOT have to be at high intensities….and ESPECIALLY NOT when you first start training again.

To lose weight…the more you do(time) (not necessarily at high intensities)…the better.To prevent injury, follow these rules:

Start with about 20 minutes per day, (140 mins the first week) but DO NOT INCREASE YOUR VOLUME  BY MORE THAN 10% per week. Buy a heart rate monitor, and use it. BUILD A LONG SLOW BASE…before you start setting speed records.

 Do not, under any circumstances, let your testosterone get the better of you, and result in you entering a half marathon in 2 months time… where you compete with some mates who have been running consistently for the last 10 years.

Weights:

Basic Rules

1. Get someone who knows what they are talking about, to show you correct technique.

2. Go to your local gym, and ask the best looking athlete there to recommend some reading for you….or just buy a few muscle mags…you’ll learn a lot, quickly.

3. Steer clear of anyone who looks like they might be taking steroids…they will inundate you with reading matter on this and that supplement etc etc…all bound to cost you a fortune…remember what I said about skim milk powder….it contains the complete amino acid spectrum….and is the cheapest source of great protein.

4. That…plus a few good multivitamins, (go for the “executive” ones…they have high B vits which  are great “brain” food…help with stress etc.)..also some Cal-Mag (calcium and Magnesium)

5. Start off by doing  a number of ‘compound exercises”….using light weights and focusing on correct technique.

6. Do about  16 -20 repetitions per “set” , and 1 to 2 sets of each exercise.

7. This will be for about the first Month…just to get your muscles used to the exercises.

8. Do the weights no more than 3x per week with at least a day in-between for recovery 

Remember to warm up by cycling/jogging slowly for a few mins,before you start and then remember to finish off  your weights session by stretching 

9.If you stick to an easy routine, that involves compound exercises and takes, say only 20-30 mins each time, then you are far more likely to stick to it.

10.After the first month, start on your “building program”

11.To build muscle, the rules are;

No more than 12 repetitions in a set, Use as heavy a weight as you can manage 8-12 repetitions. You do not need to do more than 2 sets of each exercise. When you can manage 2 sets of 12 , next time increase your weights on one, or both sets…..you will be amazed at how quickly you can increase the weights.Yes, you will be very sore the 2nd and 3rd day thereafter.

Its ok to have 3-4 days rest in-between weight training sessions….muscle repairs and builds while you rest it.

Eat your protein meal within 45 mins of your workout.

Abs Sculpting Exercises

Abs Sculpting Exercise

The abdominal muscles are really one big muscle called the Rectus Abdominus. You do not have upper, mid and lower abs unless you have some genetic anomaly. This is really critical to understand because the long muscle fibers in the abdominal muscles start at ribcage and ends at the pubic region.
So, when you contract your muscles during a curl-up or crunch, the two ends of the muscle fibers move toward each other. It is impossible for the lower portion of the Rectus Abdominus (abs) to function without equally "firing off" all the other muscle fibers in the abs.
That means the key to creating great-developed abs is to use exercises that fully contract the abdominal muscle until it is fatigued and that will take the muscle through its full range-of-motion, just like any other muscle you build in your body.
Remember though, you will not see your abs if they are hidden under a layer of fat and you cannot spot reduce the fat from waistline by training your abs for hours on end. Simply doing hours of abdominal exercises may develop your abs but you will still carry that layer of fat around your body if you aren't burning the appropriate amount of calories. If you are trying to lose body fat, there are much bigger and better exercises than abdominal exercises for burning calories and body fat.
Reintroducing, The Sit Up.
It's really, really important for you to know how to properly perform a Sit Up. If you perform the Sit Up like you did in Gym Class, you are reducing the Sit Up's effectiveness by almost 50% and you could cause some serious low back pain for yourself. Remember, when the abdominal muscle is working, "Two ends of the muscle fibers must move toward each other and be able to fully contract".
The old style Sit Ups you performed incorrectly in gym class put too much stress on the lower back and hip flexors. But, do you know what is really crazy about that logic? If more muscles than one are involved, it is called a compound or multi-joint movement.
Description of Exercise
Here is the appropriate way to perform an effective Sit Up.
Lay flat on your back with a rolled up towel under your lower back. Bend your knees about 45° with heels on the floor and keep your toes pointing up. Do not anchor your feet.
Spread the knees apart approximately 6-8 inches to prevent the hip flexors from contributing too much to the exercise.
Next, extend your arms between your legs and keep your hands between your legs throughout the movement because it will help keep you in the proper position.
Now, exhale and lift your shoulders off the ground, keeping your neck in a neutral position. Concentrate on trying to force the lower portion of your ribcage into your knees by curling the spine upward into the sit up position. (DO NOT CURL YOUR NECK). Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position by uncurling your spine and you are finished with the repetition when you feel the rolled up towel supporting your lower back again.
Notice how both ends of the abdominal muscle fully contract together and are stretched through its full range of motion. When you perform a Sit Up with proper biomechanics, your next crunch exercise will pale by comparison.