To sculpt a lean and toned body, depending on workout alone is not enough. You’ll also need to have proper nutrition. Nutrition provides us with the raw ingredients for energy recuperation and growth. Without a healthy diet plan, your goal of achieving a body you desire will be hard to realize. Below are 5 tips to help you plan your nutrition properly:

1. Your nutrition plan should be based on eating small and frequent meals throughout the day. Why? Because when you feed your body several times a day, your metabolism greatly increases. In addition, whenever three hours go by without any food consumption, your body switches to a catabolic state (a state in which your body starts burning muscle for energy).

2. Your meals should contain carbohydrates, protein and fats in the correct ratios. When you eat a meal that does not make up the proper balance of nutrients (for example an all carbohydrate meal; such as a pasta meal), you will not yield the desired results. Every macronutrient has to be present in order for the body to absorb them and use them properly and efficiently.

3. Increase your intake of protein. Proteins are the building blocks of all living organisms. If you are trying to build a structure such as the Empire State Building any construction contractor will tell you that they will need way more raw material to build such a large structure than to build a regular house. The same thing happens with body sculpting.

4. Reduce consumption of bad fats and bring on the good fats. Examples of bad fats are cooking oils, butter, and saturated fats which are often found in meats. Nevertheless, make sure you do not completely eliminate fats from your diet as good fats such as flaxseed oil, natural peanut butter and virgin olive oil are still essential for your body.

5. No smoking and limited alcohol consumption. Both offer health problems which are not in line with what you are trying to accomplish. Alcohol in particular adds 7 empty calories per gram to your diet, which is not a good situation when you are trying to control your caloric intake.

Following a proper nutrition plan may be difficult in the beginning if this is not something that you are used to. But with determination and consistency, you’ll soon be able to turn your unhealthy eating habits into a healthy one, and begin developing the perfect body you’ve always dream of.

It is difficult sometimes to begin a weight lifting program because of all the information that is available and all the muscle building tips you have to search through. If you are a beginner weight lifter and are anxious to get started lets take some of that excitement and dive right in.

There are several things you must realize about building muscle and the correct method to approach it. Once you understand the fundamentals and can carry out the exercises with strict form, then and only then can you start to try out some of the more advanced muscle building techniques? Below you’ll find a list for the beginner, which will assist you in setting up a solid foundation for you to begin building muscle and starting your path to a healthy fit body.

Set Your Goals

The main thing you need to do is set some goals for yourself. Ask yourself what you want to achieve. Where so you picture your body in six months from now and then in a year? Do you want to lift weights to gain strength for to compete in sports? Do you want to build muscle to look good at the beach? Do you want to lift weights to increase your overall strength and fitness? When you are able to figure out why you want to lift weights you will have an effective incentive to continue lifting weights. It all starts in your mind. What you are able to conceive you are able to achieve.

Proper Muscle Building Tips and Techniques

The next matter you need to discover is proper muscle building technique. I suggest that you start out using very light weight till you get used to to doing the exercises with as little difficulty as possible. There’s such a thing as muscle memory and if you condition the muscle to work through a full range of motion it will react more efficiently when you begin increasing the weight with less chance of hurting yourself. Do not fall prey to the “lets see how much you can lift” pressure. Do not pile on the weight until you’re ready, just to impress your friends. You will impress them more by getting big and strong. This can only be done by lifting the proper way.

Exercise Less To Gain More

The next muscle building tip I can recommend for the beginner weight lifter is to withstand the urge to exercise each body part more than once a week. Your muscles do not get bigger when you are working out; your muscles get bigger when you are resting. This is in all likelihood the single most significant piece of advice I can give you at the outset of your muscle building program. This combined with a good nutritional diet will help assure that you your hard work will be reflected in a great looking and healthy body.

Sample Workout Routine

* Monday: Shoulders

* Tuesday: Arms / Abs

* Wednesday: Legs

* Thursday: Back

* Friday: Chest / Abs

* Saturday: Cardio

These muscle-building tips are generally for the beginner weight lifter. Muscle building is a way of life for many of us, and you can’t expect to learn it all at once. It helps to follow the advice of people that have been there before, but you need to follow a program that will work for you and your body type. If you begin correctly and with all the right tools you’ll make incredible gains in both strength and size very quickly. Listen carefully to the advice in this article. The information will prove very important to you in the future. Keep on reading more of my muscle building tips and begin putting them into action. I know you will be successful and you will build the body of your dreams. Stay focused and follow these common sense muscle building tips.

Kettlebell swings are a very dynamic and highly effective method for you to achieve a superior cardiovascular and strength training workout at the same time. A kettlebell swing workout is one that is certainly in it’s “own league,” especially when comparing it to other so-called traditional forms of cardio training such as running on a treadmill or rowing the elliptical trainer. This is about total body strength and cardiovascular conditioning.

Kettlebell Swings Cardio!

More and more everyday I get questioned about the training exercises that are possible to perform with the ancient kettlebell. I basically end up explaining that the possibilities are endless. You see there are so many variations of drills that can be done with the ancient iron bell to cater to just about any form of training irregardless of your purpose or goals for training. However, the one constant variable that tends to get noticed first is the superior cardiovascular conditioning that can be gained from this device.

Both new clients and potential prospects all acknowledge the rapid elevation of their heart rate after executing a bout of swings. The swing lift is the base strength endurance lift of the kettlebell and is wonderful for showing people that there are alternative ways to achieve a superior cardiovascular workout. The common thread is that with this lift and most all kettlebell lifts there is a quick elevation of one’s perceived level of exertion. This is accomplished with the kettlebell because it involves such effort and coordination of such a large amount of the musculoskeletal structure in order to pull it off. There is just simply not that many resting parts when pulling off a set of kettlebell swings. This single lift is great for helping you achieve a mind blowing level of cardiovascular conditioning for this very reason. So many muscles and total effort must go into being able to efficiently and successfully move the kettlebell along it’s arc of motion when performing the swing lift.

The great thing about this particular lift is that it can be altered many different ways in order to achieve different levels of cardiovascular intensity. This can be done by either swinging a single bell with both arms, a bell in each hand, a single bell in one hand, or by manipulating the range of motion by swinging the bell a full 180 degrees from between your legs all the way up to above your head. By executing the swings and altering the variations you stand to achieve an amazing level of fitness that you probably would never thought would be possible. As a strength and conditioning pro I can tell you that this is the absolute truth!

If you haven’t already started to implement the use of kettlebell cardio into the structure of your workouts then you are missing out. Take the time to learn more by accessing more of my articles on the subject for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend!

People usually call the fat as jelly belly, dunlap disease etc, but it doesn’t look pretty. The excess fat around your midsection which wiggles and jiggles in all the wrong places and it doesn’t look attractive. Belly fats look unattractive and it can be downright dangerous to our health. The risk of heart disease is increased with the increased fat around our waist and abdomen. People get confused with so many pills, potions and programs which are flooding the weight loss industry in recent times. People get so confused with these products that they are unable to come to the conclusion that which product is effective and which is helpful in reducing the weight successfully.

The first thing to be kept in mind is that losing the weight is not a magical process. We have to work hard to achieve our goal effectively. Three pronged approaches are required for reducing our weight or belly to its exact position. It is not so easy just to popping diet pills or gulping down foul tasting drinks. Only doing sit-ups and crunches are also not responsible to reduce the belly fat especially at the spot. So it is advisable not to waste your precious time. It may be reduced with the help of healthy pills, cardiovascular exercises, lift weights in addition to the effective herbal and diet pills.

There are five types of diet pills which makes you to lose your weight fast.

1. Fat burners help to lose your weight faster as they increases the fat burning metabolism naturally, they help to suppress your appetite for faster weight loss and they also provide more energy to workout for longer and intensely helps you to burn more calories which result in more weight loss.

2. Colon cleansers also help you to reduce your belly effectively and it also saves your money.

3. CLA, Omega-3’s, and GLA are very helpful fat burners. Weight loss foods like fish and nuts are very effective and faster.

4. Multi vitamins are very essential for the person undergoing the process of weight loss. It must be taken regularly. Ladies must take one women’s multivitamin in a day and men have to take one men’s multivitamin in a day.

5. Meal replacements also help you to lose weights if some people don’t have time to prepare meal. It is a powdered drink mixes which are very easy and quick to prepare. It contains perfect amount of carbs, protein and fats which help us to lose weight.

What’s the best muscle building supplement available today? You might not like the answer.

And if you don’t, you might want to consider getting away from all those “steroid-like” results ads you are bombarded with in all the magazines.

If you get a chance, take a look back at all the muscle magazines from eight to ten years ago. What do you see?

I’ll tell you. You see a lot of ads for “wonder” supplements, many of which were called the best muscle building supplement available at the time. Only problem is, you don’t see any ads for those muscle building supplements today. Why is that?

Because they just don’t work! Eventuall, consumers figure that out and the supplements stop selling. So the supplement companies come out with the latest, greatest, cutting-edge, best muscle building supplement for you to spend your hard earned money on.

There are a couple of supplements that you still see ads for today. But they aren’t sexy, they aren’t new, they aren’t cutting edge, and they aren’t “drug-like” grey area supplements. So I give two answers to the best muscle building supplement question – protein and creatine.

If you want to make outstanding muscle building progress, put together a solid weight training program, train with a high level of intensity, add poundage to your exercises as often as possible, eat six high protein meals every day, and make sure you are out of the gym often enough to recover from your workouts so that you can build the muscle you are triggering into growing.

Oh, and add the dual “best muscle building supplement” to your program – protein and creatine. Protein powders make it extremely easy and convenient to eat six meals a day and to get enough quality protein into your body.

Use Protein Shakes – This will make it easier for you to consume enough calories and protein each day, as well as making it much more convenient to have 6 meals a day.

Here’s a sample weight gain drink you can make up with the best muscle building supplement and use in your muscle building diets.

100 grams of protein powder

2 quarts of whole or 2% Milk

2 cups of skim milk powder

2 cups of chocolate ice cream

4 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 banana

Mix in a blender and drink throughout the day, in addition to your regular food meals. Add or subtract ingredients based on individual taste preferences and number of calories needed.

High quality protein, aka, ‘the real best muscle building supplement’ should be the center point of all your meals. Intense exercise increases demand for protein, which support muscle repair and growth.

When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you weight 150 pounds, try and take in at least 225 grams of protein each and every day.

I know this sounds like a lot and you could probably do okay with 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. But if you find it really difficult to gain muscle, this extra protein can help.

You don’t have to have carbs or fat at every meal, but you must have protein. When I say protein, I am referring to high quality protein derived from animal sources.

For getting bigger and stronger, the only protein you need to be concerned with are those found in whey, casein (cottage cheese), eggs, beef, poultry, and fish. This is the best muscle building supplement and the cornerstone of your muscle building nutrition plan.

Through in a high quality creatine product and you are good to go. As for the rest, save your money and stick with the dual stack ‘best muscle building supplement’ for massive muscle mass gains.

Gregg Gillies

Wondering on what the best cardio workout for weight loss & to lose that belly fat? Summer is fast approaching and we will want to pick up the pace on doing fat burning cardio workouts and exercises to melt away those that build up accumulated over the cold winter months.

HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training – For some time now, it has been accepted that low-intensity cardio was the best in burning and melting away those fat. But there is a new and exciting way to perform cardio has risen, and it is through High Intensity Interval Training, and this is a pretty simple concept. With HIIT, you can burn more fat while spending less time in your workout. You will transition to very high intensity intervals from low-moderate intensity intervals. In the readouts on the given exercise machines, you will see that low intensity for about 30-45 minutes would burn more calories than 15 minutes or less using the high intensity training. But lots of the calories you burn come after you leave the gym using HIIT.

Doing 15 minutes of HIIT seems to good to be true to lose weight, but it is no easy task, and it is very demanding but time-saving and very rewarding. You will expend more calories by choosing HIIT. High intensity interval training can be performed on different machines, or outdoors. First, start with 30 seconds at a moderate pace, then after 30 seconds, go that extra mile and go as hard as you can. Then when you are done, just repeat. Make sure to increase the intensity level on exercise machines other than treadmill so that it is challenging for you. Now Complete a total of 5-8 intervals in your first time, and you will find it more difficult than it sounds. Take another 3 to 5 minutes to cool down once you are done, or once you are spent, and that’s all you need to do. This will only take about 5-8 minutes of actual working sets, and you are on your way for weight loss and to get rid of those fat.

The program design of a fat loss exercise program needs to be considered. Not all exercise programs are the same; you need to find one that works for you. Weight training and interval training are great fat loss exercise techniques that will give you great results.

When we train using a program that is poorly designed and doesn’t give us what we want, in terms of results. We must make changes and see what we are doing and how we are doing the exercises. Sometimes reassessing and making changes will get you better results and you will be more effective during your training sessions.

Weight training not only gives you bigger muscles, but they also increase your metabolism. The resistance that we train with increases our body’s metabolic activity well after our exercise session causing the body to increase its fat burning capacity throughout the day and night.

Bicep curls, leg extensions, and hamstring curls are exercises that focus on a one joint motion. When you isolate the movements, you are not effectively burning much fat. Exercises that optimize more joint movements are better at burning more fat.

Studies confirm that low repetition weight training helps increase the body’s fat burning activity. In addition, exercises that use more joints such as, split squats, push ups, chin ups, rows, step ups, lunges, dead lifts and squats have shown to burn more calories and result in burning more body fat,

High intensity interval training is better than slow aerobic exercise. The quick burst activity have residual effects and promote metabolic activity even after the exercise session.

Interval training causes the body to function in a lowered oxygen state. This causes the body to work even harder to bring oxygen to the muscles to repair, replenish and remove waste from the muscles. The increased metabolic activity of the muscles increases its energy consumption and promotes greater fat burning.

Program design needs to be assessed in order to get the fat loss exercise results that you wish. Finding the perfect program is the key to getting ripped abs. When you incorporate weight training and interval training, you will be better able to get fat loss results quicker and easier.

One of the most challenging (yet convenient) workout routines for men that I’ve come across is the training that we find in the arena of military service and particularly the special requirements and operational duties placed upon members of the warrior elite, the special operations community.

There is often such a lack of information about what Navy SEALS, Marine RECON, and Army Special Forces operators do in their daily jobs and training that we wonder what exactly they’re up to. What are they physically capable of? Could I do it? Would I have what it takes to carry on after seven days without sleep, 800 calories of food, and carrying 150 pounds of gear through the extreme stimulatory environment of a war zone?

So perhaps we’re not all cut out for the physical, and more importantly, mental demands that these service members qualify themselves for. However, we can make an attempt at their physical training in an attempt to satisfy a small piece of our curiosity.

No, these are not workout routines for fitness beginners. But the beauty is that this often secretive corner of our world is open to explore (at lease with regard to their physical training) and you can try it out for yourself. You can gauge your fitness against some of the fittest men on the planet. Trust me; in a sick way, you’ll enjoy it!

This is my favorite “spec ops” workout routine that I’ve used on and off for two years. This is a modified version, meaning it’s a little more accessible for most of us than standard spec ops preparation routines.

WORKOUT OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular conditioning, weight loss, lean muscle mass

WORKOUT DURATIONS: 30-45 minutes

Day 1: Marine Corps PFT

We always begin the week with the standard Marine Corps physical fitness test, or PFT, to gauge our progress. There are plenty of calculators out there to show you what your score is and rank it against real Marines, but I just use it as a gauge.

3 mile timed run

Maximum number of abdominal crunches in 2 minutes

Maximum number of pull ups before dropping

Day 2: Swimming

800 meters of freestyle or sidestroke

If you don’t have access to a pool, substitute your choice of cardiovascular workout such as running, cycling, elliptical training, etc. This workout should be 30 minutes at a moderate pace.

Day 3: Upper Body Circuit

I typically do this workout routine in a park at a playground, but if you have access to a fitness facility, you can complete it there as well. The key here is keeping the pace up.

Warm up with a 10 minute moderately paced run

Pyramid Circuit

1 pull up, 10 push ups, 1 dip

2 pull ups, 10 push ups, 2 dips

3 pull ups, 10 push ups, 3 dips

4 pull ups, 10 push ups, 4 dips

5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 5 dips

50 abdominal crunches

5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 5 dips

4 pull ups, 10 push ups, 4 dips

3 pull ups, 10 push ups, 3 dips

2 pull ups, 10 push ups, 2 dips

1 pull up, 10 push ups, 1 dip

50 abdominal crunches

Add or subtract repetitions as your strength increases. For instance, once you can complete this circuit, add a 6th level in (6 pull ups, 10 push ups, 6 dips) and so on, then work your way back down.

Day 4: Running

½ mile warm up

¼ mile sprint

¼ mile rest

¼ mile sprint

¼ mile rest

¼ mile sprint

¼ mile rest

¼ mile sprint

¼ mile rest

½ mile cool down

Day 5: Lower Body Circuit

10 minute moderate run

Squat Jumps x 15

Lateral Hurdle Jumps x 15

Split Squat Jumps x 15

Repeat sequence 3 times

10 minute moderate run

I use this workout routine quite a bit when I travel including at resorts when I have access to a pool and want to keep the all-inclusive calories moderated. They key to this routine is that it’s highly adaptable to your current fitness level. You can alter the circuits, swimming, and running to suit you. Best of all, it’s convenient.

Taking the resistance training approach to cardio training creates a bigger metabolic response in your body than traditional forms of cardio workouts. When you think of doing cardio training what do you think of? More than likely you probably have visions of treadmills, running or some other machine type workout. And if that is what you really like to do and you stick with it then I would be the last person to tell you to stop. All I ask is you have an open mind to the possibility that there may be a more effective and less time consuming way. Resistance Training Cardio What exactly am I talking about?

Hopefully you know that resistance training involves the use of weight training, kettlebells and bodyweight exercises.

So now you may be thinking I thought they are all used for muscle building? And they are. The advantage to using resistance training cardio is the lean muscle gains you get from this type of training. And so I’m clear here I am not talking about bodybuilder size muscles here.

The lean muscle you will gain is that of an athlete or think of Ryan Reynolds or Jessica Biel type of shape. Get The picture?

What Is The Resistance Training Cardio?

1) It involves using total body exercises

2) Tri – Sets

3) Giant Sets

4) Alternating Sets

So let’s start at the top. 1) Total Body Exercises

A) Clean and Press

B) Lunge and Press

C) Squat and Press These are just 3 examples of total body exercises that will cause a dramatic metabolic boost to your system when you do resistance training cardio.

How To Use Total Body Exercises and Tri – Sets – Giant Sets – Alternating Sets

Tri – Sets are very simply, 3 exercises done one right after the other with minimal (if any rest at all).

Giant Sets are 4 or more exercises done one after the other (as with tri-sets)

Alternating Sets take 2 exercises for antagonistic body parts and going back and forth between the 2. As an example Incline Dumbbell Bench and Bent Over Rows.

Using this resistance training cardio (such as the alternating sets, tri-sets, giant sets, circuit training) it keeps the heart rate super elevated and produces the greatest metabolic post-workout burn possible. You’re taking the benefits you’d see from high intensity cardio and adding it to a proper resistance training workout using total body exercises to get an all-inclusive workout that will take your fat burning and fitness to levels you never thought possible.

It is extremely important for people who are in the sports world to have a very healthy and fit body as they need to put long hours of practice to be able to accomplish the perfection required. Many current health articles emphasize on the necessity of taking supplements and calories to keep the body healthy, however, it is even more important to have a very balanced diet.

Not all current health articles give us the information on how to go about having the right diet to maintain a healthy balance, especially when we need it the most. It is very common to have vitamins and minerals deficiencies when we are pushing our bodies too hard and this will affect the balance in our energy. Without energy we will not be able to practice and become the best at the particular sport that we are trying to perfect.

Current health articles are also giving lots of emphasis to the maintenance of a fitness program which will help the sports people perform better. For example, if you are a basketball player, you can use a fitness program which will incorporate weight lifting and leg muscles exercises to give your limbs better strength to fulfill the requirements of the game of basketball. If your muscles of your legs are not strong enough you will get tired easily and that will not give you the outcome you are looking for. This goes for all kinds of sports and having a fitness person who is capable of understanding your needs and who is knowledgeable enough to get you in the right shape may be the key to your success.

Diet and nutrition also play a very important role in making sure you are fully fit for the task ahead. Many current health articles recommend a low carbohydrate diet to keep yourself slim and fit, especially if you are into sports like swimming, where you want to look your best, however some current health articles also mention that the amount of food intake is really not important if you are a very active person and that the quality of your diet should be what really matters.

Eating too much junk food may not be the solution. You wish to have a very balanced diet which will include fruits and vegetables on regular basis. Of course, French fries or a pizza from time to time will not really make much of a difference, as your metabolism is working overtime to burn that extra fat at the earliest. Many current health articles give very good examples of what you really need to look into when it comes to diet and sports and how to keep the balance.

In fact, there are many current health articles which are advising people with obesity problems not to be too rigid about their food intake. Research has shown that the body can act in a different manner towards diets which are too rigid and that the whole mechanism goes into an emergency situation if not given the proper amount of foods or the foods it likes to have from time to time.