You can check Burn Fat, Lose Weight to Get Ripped and Save Muscles

Best Bodybuilding Workout Tips for Everyone

1 / Know Your Limits

Seriously, know your personal limits. I can't tell you how many times I've seen somebody give up too early or get hurt during training or racing because they simply had no idea what their real thresholds were. The whole idea behind training and/or competing is to push your thresholds to the limits to fulfill your potential. If you don't know what your limits are, how can you possibly know what your potential is?

How do you figure out your limits? It's not easy, and it's the #1 reason why people hire coaches. Experiment with training variable until you establish your comfort zone, and then systematically push out of that zone to force adaptation. If you're competing in your comfort zone, then you're not trying hard enough.

2 / No Pain, No Gain

You would think that this myth has been beaten to death or at least shooed from popularity, but I hear it surprisingly often from people who honestly believe that they need to kill themselves every day during training to maximize their workouts.

Don't do that.

Is your resting heart rate jacked up today? Are you too sore from your last workout to walk? Did you only sleep a few hours the last night? Skipped breakfast and lunch? Congrats, you just earned yourself a rest day. In other words - go home. You aren't going to get anything but an increased risk of injury by training in any one of these conditions.

Forget about fighting through the pain.

Discomfort is your body telling you that you've stepped well out of your comfort zone. Pain is your body telling you to knock off whatever you're doing. If you're an endurance athlete, listen to it.

3 / The Farce Of The Low-Carb Diet For Athletes

True, monitoring carb intake is one of the best ways to play around with your weight, I don't dispute that. I do it myself, and it can be a powerful tool for people who need to lose a significant amount of weight. But the everyman athlete has no need to go bonkers cutting out all kinds of carbs just for the sake of it, because that sort of eating behavior is not sustainable for an endurance athlete.

Atkins crazed low-carb lifestyle promoters need to buy a clue. Carbohydrates are absolutely essential to your diet, especially if you're an athlete.

There are no such things as good carbs or bad carbs - just too much carbs! If you're an athlete on a low carb diet, you're basically sabotaging yourself. Good luck topping off your muscle glycogen stores by eating a protein and fat centric diet.

Put the proverbial fork in this one - this fad diet has finally bit the dust amongst athletes who know better. Next time your spin instructor starts touting the amazing low-carb lifestyle he or she leads, throw your used sweat towel at them and switch gyms.

4 / Create Variety In Your Training

Any good training regimen needs to include variables that can be toggled to alter training for specific purposes. A weight lifter, for example, would take into consideration their specific exercise techniques, pounds lifted, sets per lift, reps per set, tempo per rep, rest between reps, rest between sets, emphasis between concentric, eccentric, and/or static contractions, number of sets, set order, supersetting, and so on, ad nauseum.

That's a lot to take into consideration, and by adjusting just a few of those variables you can focus your training down to hone in on your strengths or weaknesses.

Perhaps most important though, is that creating variety in your program keeps you from getting bored with what you're doing.

Obviously though, no matter how many variables you might switch around during, say, your bench press, if you are just plum bored with bench pressing, you're still stuck.

So don't be afraid to completely switch around your workouts to keep yourself entertained and sharp. If you're an endurance runner, toss some speed work into the mix, or vice versa. If you're a power lifter, mix in some yoga.

Adding variety is the best way to keep yourself on track without getting bored, as well as a great way to keep your body sharp by forcing it to adapt to something new. 

5 / Always Second Guess Yourself

That's right; always second guess your motives, your training, your goals, and your accomplishments. Keep a running tally of where you are, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get there. Don't kid yourself into thinking you can do this on autopilot - this needs to be a conscious effort.

Always ask why. Why am I running stairs? Why am I doing this particular exercise? Why is my 400 meter split time still not improving? Why did my trainer/coach have me do this? (If your coach can't answer this, get a new coach.)

Why did I just eat that whole pizza?

You get the picture.

6 / You Cannot Spot Check Fat

If I had a nickel for every time I heard this myth, I would be a very, very rich man.

The fact of the matter is that fat goes on to, and comes off of, your body the way it wants to, not the way you want it to. The only way around this is targeted liposuction.

A brief, fairly unscientific explanation will do for this one. You cannot work the fat off any specific area of your body because, well, you cannot work fat. People mistake that good old muscle burn for something that magically removes adipose proximally from wherever it burns. Those were your oblique abdominals being worked, not the love handles next to them.

There are only two ways to shed those lbs, and they work best in tandem; diet and exercise.

Create a reasonable caloric deficit as often as you can while eating in a manner that's in line with your nutritional needs (a third curtain call please for the low-carbers) and get yourself into an exercise regimen that will help you maintain your lean body mass and prevent catabolism.

7 / You Need To Supplement Your Diet

Because of the specific training many enduroletes employ, many supplements are basically useless, or at best, cost prohibitive for endurance athletes. It's a much different game than, say, bodybuilding, where intensive supplementation is absolutely critical. The key is to understand the basics and use supplements that have real application for an endurance athlete.

It is quite difficult to achieve competitive success without proper supplementation. For example, you could easily replenish your carbs on an Ironman course with white bread and Fig Newtons, but you'd have to carry a backpack full of the stuff to ensure your calorie intake was adequate. It's much easier to supplement with a carb/sodium replacement gel.

If you're going to consider supplementing your diet, keep it simple. Think natural whey, soy, and caseinate proteins, creatine monohydrate, electrolytes, BCAAs, recovery formulas, a multivitamin etc.

But just because you take a vitamin, don't think you can skip out on those leafy greens. Remember, the multivitamin is supposed to supplement your diet, not replace any part of it.

As a general rule of thumb, if you can't pronounce the ingredients, don't ingest it until you've done your homework to understand what it is! Take responsibility for what you put into your body.

8 / Play The Mental Game, Too

The best athletes in the world train not only their bodies, but their minds, for success in their sport. Why not take a page from their playbooks and do the same?

Visualize your goals, and visualize yourself achieving those goals. Imagine the emotions you might experience during a competition, and think how you can prepare for them. Visualize possible setbacks and visualize how you'll overcome them.

Visualize your success. Now give yourself an imaginary high-five.

9 / Plan For Adequate Recovery Time

You can't train 24/7, unfortunately. If we could, we'd all be stellar athletes. Between those beatings you place on your body, it needs time to recover.

Fill up your glycogen tank after a workout with carbs (do I have to even say it, carbophobes?) to prepare yourself for recovery and your next workout, get enough sleep every night, and drink more water than you think you need. In fact, if you think you've had enough water, drink more, because odds are you haven't.

Periodize your training - you can't go up, and up, and up, forever. You have to build in rest days or rest weeks to allow your body to get its bearings and adapt. Every season has to also have an offseason.

Train. Overreach. Recover. Adapt. Repeat.

10 / Set SMART Goals

This is simple enough, just like the nifty little acronym that helps us to remember proper goal setting, SMART. Make those goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound.

Your goals must be all of those things for you to succeed. Write them down if you have to, and keep track of your progress. 

Courtesy: Andrew Beck, Bodybuilding.com 

You can check Burn Fat, Lose Weight to Get Ripped and Save Muscles

Burn Fat, Lose Weight to Get Ripped and Save Muscles

Most of the fitness freaks and gym rats always look forward to being shredded and ripped. They try to follow their favorite bodybuilders, fitness models and many celebrities. It's really easy to burn fat but it's quite tough to burn fat and maintain the muscle mass at the same time! Many people ever complained about the fact that they are losing weight and muscles altogether. Now I am going to tell you the main deal. I will tell you how to lose fat and save the muscles at the same time. Follow these rules:

    Cardio in Empty Stomach: Cardio is the king of the weight loss training. Do cardio. But in the morning with empty stomach. In the morning, when we get up, our body stays in Catabolic state. So, that was the best timing to burn more fat. You can have a cup of black coffee before the cardio session. Caffeine from the coffee can torch up your fat burn process. Do 20-30 minutes of cardio in the morning. You can keep another session of cardio too. Another session will be after your weight training session in the gym. Do elliptical, treadmill, cycling, swimming or whatever you want. To boost your fat burn, you can follow High intense cardio rules. Let's say for example: first do 2 minutes of regular jogging or walking and then do another 1-2 minutes of the sprint, then again 2 minutes of slow jogging and again 1-2 minute of the sprint. Do it for 20-30 minutes.

    Have a liquid form of protein before your cardio: Before the morning cardio, you can have a glass of protein shake with coffee. But make sure that you are taking the shake at least 30 minutes before the cardio session. If you do not have protein powder then NO PROBLEM! You still can have some protein. Consume 3-4 egg whites 1 hour before the cardio session. Yes 1 hour. Because egg whites are way heavier than your shake. So, you have to give those egg whites sometimes to get digested. Having protein before cardio is the perfect way to save your muscles. In the second cardio session, you can do it for 15-20 minutes after your weight training.

    Consume BCAA or Glutamine: Having a spoon of BCAA (branched chain amino acid) or Glutamine (kind of amino acid) powder is the best idea. Amino acid saves your muscles from a serious breakdown. Well, if you do not have any of these amino supplements then follows the previous rule. Have your shake. Because, protein powder has some amino acids (BCAA) in it. Even egg whites have 18 types of Amino acids.

    Avoid fast food and bad carbs: Try to ignore fast food and foul carbohydrates. If you are dying to have those then get a cheat meal once in a week or twice in a month depending on your body fat percentage. If your body fat is around 7%-9% then you can have one cheat meal in a week and if your body fat is higher than that then get your cheat meal twice in a month max. Remember! Only one cheat meal but not for the whole day.

    Drink enough water: Try to eat at least 4 liters of water daily. Water will keep your body and muscle cells hydrated and will clean all the unwanted junk from your stomach.

    Patience: Be patient. Do not overdo or run for every single hour! Just keep that in control. You can't burn 10 kilos of weights in a day. Even nobody can't. So, be patient and go up to the mark.

These are some basic and truly working tips to burn fat and maintain muscle mass. Follow them. You will lose more fat and gain more muscles for sure.

Know Your Body Type

In the human race, there are three different types of body. Training and dieting routines are also different for each body type. I mean, if you are an ectomorph and following a workout and diet routine of an Endomorph, then it will be worthless and total waste of time or money. Because, an Ectomorph will never have the desired result by following an Endomorph’s routine.

So, First of all, know your body type, know how to do, from where to start and what to follow.

Three body types are:

1. Ectomorph.

2. Endomorph.

3. Mesomorph.

1. Ectomorph

* Lean and long body frame.

* Faces difficulties in building muscles. But have to be patient and avoid over-training.

Do:

> Train with compound moves.

> Use isolation moves as a “workout finisher” or the last move of the workout routine.

> Eat enough high-protein foods or protein supplements.

Don’t:

> Do not keep too many isolation moves in the routine.

> Do not do too much cardio.

> Do not over-train or work hard on weight training to gain toned physique.

If you are an Ectomorph, then you have got a Sprint/Marathon runners lean physique and short on muscles. It will be hard for you to gain muscle mass. So, be patient and keep on working. Get enough rest, eat more and more complex or good carbohydrates, eat more protein and enough healthy fats. Keep your eyes on compound moves rather than isolation moves.

2. Endomorph

* Wide and fatty body/Pear shaped.

* High storage of body fats.

Do:

> Train with high intensity(hardcore).

> Watch your carb and fat intake.

> Build strong shoulder(traps and delts) for a perfect body.

Don’t:

> Don’t do excessive abs workout.

> Cardio for an hour or more.

> Excessive carb, sugar and fat intake.

If you are an Endomorph, you’ll have trouble in terms of managing bodyweight. You’ll often face this weight management problem because of the high amount of fat stored in your body, wide waist size and large bone structure. But don’t be frustrated. Follow high-intensity workout routine, do enough cardio(not too much), eat a good amount of protein, keep your eyes on the carb and fat intake(do not eat too much of them). If you follow these suggestions, you are bound to have an amazingly well-built physique with bigger muscle mass.

3. Mesomorph

* Not fat-Not skinny, healthy and well-built body frame.

* Good metabolism with fast responsive muscle cells.

Do:

> Follow an ideal and good workout and diet routine just like a good athlete generally does.

> Do your workout on time and regularly.

> Change your routine and shock your muscles very often.

Don’t:

> Excessive workouts/ over training.

> Do not eat too much “SHIT” like alcohol/ fast food/Soft drink etc.

If you are a Mesomorph, here is the good news!!!! you are a “By Born” fit guy/woman with perfect genetic. You actually were born to be a Bodybuilder or a Fitness idol. So there is nothing to worry about. Just do your workouts, get enough rest, eat a good amount of protein carbs and fats but not too much. Use your genetics advantages in a proper way. Do not misuse your good genetics. So don’t rush, don’t be over smart and don’t be careless. Be wise and careful. Do not do or eat “Whatever” you want. Because, remember, you are mesomorph, doesn’t mean you will always be able to maintain a good physique!!! Your carelessness can destroy your long cherished dream.

ATTENTION : compound move= move/exercise, which works for two or more muscle groups.

isolation move= move/exercise, which works for one muscle group only.

I hope my today’s article helped you enough. Now I am sure that you have a basic idea about your and other body types.

You can prepare your fitness exercise routine and diet plan. You have wasted too much time reading this already.  You don’t have to do it anymore. Enough for today.

-i