Bodybuilding, Bodybuilders & Muscle Building Techniques

• When riding on flats, you want to use little to moderate resistance.
• Resistance is controlled by the knob attached to the handles on the bike.
• Climb hills with increased resistance.
• Standing up in the seat can give you extra pushing power by adding your bodyweight to the stroke of the pedal. This will be useful when stimulating a steep hill.
• Standing in the flat zone simulates running.
• Pedaling at an increases pace for a limited amount of time simulates sprinting.
• Try to keep your pedaling cadence high. This will reduce the amount of force you need to exert.

by Charles Blain

1. Planning
   
   In Business there is an axiom. If you fail to plan; you plan to fail. In bodybuilding is the same. You must plan your workouts in micro-cycles, mini-cycles and macro-cycles. Each with only one goal.
   
   
2. Consistency.
   
   You can not make improvements if you do not have consistency. Unless you are sick, there is no excuse not to go to the gym. Follow your schedule like a clock-work, and reap the inevitable benefits down the road.
   
   
3. Train Smart.
   
   A corporate buzz phrase is work smarter, not harder. The bodybuilding version is train smarter AND harder. You must approach each workout as a challenge to push yourself out of the comfort zone, striving to get as much muscular stress as possible into your workout. Never just go through the motions. Link your mind with your muscles. Train smarter means: proper training technique, intensity and mind / muscle link On the flip side of the coin, be aware of the signs of over training and know when to back off.
   
   
4. Eat 5 / 7 times a day.
   
   You need a continuous supply of nutrients to achieve optimal growth. Try to eat a small meal every 3 hours.
   
   
5. Eat Enough Protein.
   
   Protein builds muscle, and keeping it readily available for your body at all times ties in with the previous habit. Aim to get 35/40 grams of protein with each small meal, or at least get one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
   
   
6. Sleep.
   
   When you sleep, growth hormone is released and a lot of the recovery takes place. If you go skimpy on the sleep, you are robbing your body of its best opportunity to grow. To avoid this, make sure to get at least 8, preferably 9 hours of sleep every night.
   
   
7. Drink a lot of water.
   
   Staying hydrated is important for everything from digestion to endurance. The bottom line is that your body depends on water to remain functional, just like a car requires oil to run, and as soon as you get dehydrated you are weaker, less mentally alert, and overall in less than perfect condition.
   
   
   
8. Stretch.
   
   Big muscles do not have to equal stiff muscles. Maintain and improve your flexibility by taking your stretching seriously. In addition to getting better blood flow (less soreness) and decrease the risk of injury, your flexibility will help your workout form as well.
   
   
9. Use Supplements As They Are Intended.
   
   You can never depend of supplements alone to carry you forward. Supplements should be just that (supplements) to an otherwise sound and balanced diet. Have a bar or a protein shake when it makes sense, but do not expect it to bail you out if your overall diet consists of pizza.
   
   
10. Make Cardiovascular exercises.
    
    Cardio exercises increase your overall cardiovascular condition, which is crucial in compound exercises such as squats and dead lifts. If your lungs can not process enough air, you will be exhausted by oxygen depletion, not muscular failure, by the end of your set. Besides, you are not young forever, and keeping your heart in shape now will give you a great advantage as you grow old. Try to get at least 2 or 3 cardio sessions per week.
    

• Increase Muscle Mass.
  
  The most important factor of metabolism is lean body mass. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle you could actually burn 100 / 250 additional calories a day. Try adding a weight bearing activity 2-3 times a week such as lifting free weights, walking, or resistance training. Simply carrying your groceries home could be considered weight bearing! Lifting 5-8 pound hand weights while watching your favorite television show could go a long way towards burning calories.
  
  
  
• Do Not Skip Meals.
  
  The myth that skipping meals decreases your total calorie level and helps you to lose weight is not true. When people skip meals or decrease their calories significantly (< 1000 calories/day), they actually decrease their metabolism. They go into starvation mode where the body tries to compensate for the low calories. Your metabolic rate can actually decrease as much as 10-15% and your body will hold on to the fat and burn lean muscle instead. Always eat at least 3 meals and avoid dipping below 1000 calories a day.
  
  
  
• Regular activity
  
  Regular exercise routines such as biking, walking, or hiking will help raise your metabolism during the activity and for several hours after. Even simple movements such as taking the stairs, house cleaning, or simple yard work can help increase your burn rate.
  
  
  
• Adequate Protein
  
  Protein provides the building blocks for muscle. Without adequate protein you may actually lose muscle. You need about .4 / .5 gram of protein per pound body weight. For a woman weighing 160 pounds she would need approximately 64 -/80 grams of protein daily.
  
  
  
• Sleep
  
  A 1999 University of Chicago study showed that sleep loss affects the way we metabolize carbohydrates resulting in glucose intolerance and possibly leading to increased hunger and a slowed metabolism. Lack of sleep also can interfere with our energy levels during the day and cause us to skip our exercise routine because we are too tired. How often have you told yourself that?
  
  
  
• Decrease Alcohol Consumption
  
  Alcohol may suppress your bodys ability to burn fat. Studies show that when you drink alcohol, your body burns fat more slowly than usual during that particular meal. Watch your alcohol intake.
  
  
  
• Try a cup of Green Tea
  
  A small study showed that green tea appeared to raise metabolic rates and speed up fat oxidation. The calorie losses were small, around 60 calories/day. Green tea also has other health benefits because of its significant antioxidant components. You might as well add a little boost to your metabolism while protecting yourself from heart disease, cancer, and strokes.
  
  
  
• Got calcium?
  
  Recent research shows that calcium ( three or four daily servings of low-fat dairy products) can help adjust your bodys fat burning machinery. The more calcium in the cells resulted in an increase in fat metabolism.
  
  
  
• Beware of Magic Cures
  
  We have all seen the ads for products that increase our metabolism and promise miraculous weight loss. Metabolism boosters and Fat Burners, not only do the people they show us in the testimonials lose weight they also end up with a firm body and a six pack stomach. Can a pill do all this? Generally, the answer is no.
  
  These weight loss pills are often ineffective, and they can also harm us. Many of them contain either human growth hormone, which can lead to joint or heart problems, or epinephrine type ingredients that are correlated with increased blood pressure. The answer is the good old tried and true: eat a balanced diet that does not exceed your calorie needs, exercise regularly and sleep well. Realize that we may not be able to look 20 again but we certainly can look our best, increase our energy, and enjoy good health at any age.
  
  
  

Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and a recognized professional in the area of nutrition and wellness. She has developed online weight management programs to help people get off of diets and get into way of life. For more information or to sign up for our free newsletter, visit www.reallivingnutrition.com.

The Zone Diet plan is centred around a 40:30:30 ratio of carbohydrate, protein and fat. The Zone Diet works through this right ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in order to control the insulin in the bloodstream. As a matter of fact, Zone refers to an ideal hormonal balance of insulin levels in the body being neither too high nor too low. This ideal state is belived by Dr Sears to be key for using stored bodyfat for energy, hence resulting in the loss of excess weight.

Most people get the majority of their calories through carbohydrates. Research by Dr Barry Sears shows that the excessive consumption of carbohydrates creates a hormonal paradox where the low-fat, high carbo diets lead to an increase in the hormone insulin. Insulin in turn has been shown to cause the human body to store more fat. The Zone Diet suggests reducing carbohyrate intake and eating more protein and fat. The fat would ideally be from healthy monosaturated sources, to receive 30% of the body's caloric needs. These healthy fats also increase the production of another hormone, glucogen which increases the use of stored fat in the body.

What can you eat? The Zone diet does not really prohibit you from eating certain foods, though it does stress the importance of maintaining the 40:30:30 ratio. As a practical matter, very high carbohydrate foods like breads and pastas end up being removed from most diets and we see an increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables as the primary sources of carbohydrates. The protein portion of the Zone diet should be met with lean meats products. Even though it suggests 30% of caloric intake to be in the form of fat, the diet does not endorse the consumption of foods high in saturated fats. Healthy (monounsaturated) fats are recommended.

The good and the bad Even though the Zone Diet proposes a balanced approach to nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, it is not the easiest diet plan to follow. It can lead to steady weight loss but can be somewhat cumbersone to track and maintain. Another drawback against the diet is that it can lead to higher food costs. Cheap foods like pastas, breads and rice are de-emphasised in favor of somewhat more expensive leaner cuts of meat, fruits, nuts, oils and vegetables.

Zone Dos and Donts

• Eat within an hour of waking up in the morning.
• Eat five Zone meals a day - breakfast, lunch, dinner meals and two Zone snacks.
• Eat on a regular basis - never go more than five hours without eating anything.
• Drink lots of water.

Copyright 2004, www.internet-articles.com

• It is the most primitive movement pattern known to man; our ancestors used to perform many daily functions (i.e. harvesting, gathering, hunting, cooking, eating, etc.) in a full squat position.
  Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, we spend 40 weeks in the fetal position (which is basically a full squat) prior to entering this world - do we come out with bad knees?
• We should strive to train in full ROM for each and every exercise. The squat is no exception.
• Every exercise produces stress around a joint - the body then adapts to this stress.
• CoContraction of the quadriceps, hamstrings and gastrocnemius maintains integrity around the knee joint.
• Sheering and compressive forces do occur around the knee joint (as opposed to only sheering forces that occur in some open kinetic chain lower body exercises, such as the leg extension); however, the large contact area of the patella with the femoral groove (as knee flexion increases during the full squat) helps to dissipate compressive forces.
• Therefore, not only is the squat - as a closed chain exercise - considered a natural movement pattern with high functional carryover, but it is also a safe exercise if performed correctly (and that includes full ROM!)
• Drawer tests are performed at a knee angle of 90 degrees because there is a greater amount of laxity in the knee joint at that specific angle. So, does it make sense to only go down half way where you are most vulnerable especially when greater loads can be used (because you are much stronger in this partial ROM?)
• According to Ironman contributor, George Turner, the fulcrum moves to the knee joint in a parallel squat as opposed to the muscle belly of the quadriceps in a full squat.
• Think about it, if you constantly trained in a limited ROM, the likelihood of injury increases if one day you happen to squat beyond your trained ROM.
• Partial squats performed on a regular basis will decrease flexibility.
• There is a low incidence of lower back pain and knee injury in Aboriginal and Oriental societies which perform full squats on a regular basis.
• Even Olympic weight lifters who practice full squats have quite healthy knees compared to other athletes.
• Although you may find some research that indicates full squats as potentially harmful to the knees, only one study has ever proved this to be true. However, it was performed on a skeleton - the same results do not hold true with surrounding connective tissue. On the other hand, numerous studies show the benefits of full squats.

Unfortunately, many personal training certification courses are teaching half squats as a safe version suitable for all individuals and this has now become written in stone. God forbid that you deviate from this golden rule to do something that our bodies are meant to do! Read this carefully: squatting should be performed in a full ROM where the hamstrings make contact with the calves (so that no light can be seen passing through your legs at the bottom position.) It is okay for your knees to travel beyond the toes (just do not relax the knees in the bottom position.) In other words, keep the legs tight and try to stay as upright as possible throughout the exercise. So, next time some fitness instructor approaches you in the gym and advises not to go deep while squatting tell him/her that they do not know squat!