Shoulder muscle exercises have to be dynamic in nature in order to be effective. As a strength and conditioning professional I can think of no better exercise than the overhead kettlebell press as the lift to give you superior shoulders. This exercise looks simpler than it really is. You see pressing the kettlebell feels drastically more different than trying to press a dumbell or barbell. The reason for this is because of the design of the kettlebell and this is also the reason for all of the benefits.

To begin, pressing the kettlebell involves a total body effort. In order to properly press any weight overhead you must learn how to push from behind your lats and properly tension your core. This is what protects your shoulders and gives you greater power by utilizing larger muscle groups to control the heavier loads overhead. In order to push from behind your lats when you press overhead you must suck your shoulder into the socket. Retract your shoulder and lock out your elbow overhead whenever you are pressing a weight overhead. This is especially important when using the kettlebell for this drill because of the awkward design of the weight. You see the spherical design of the kettlebell causes it to constantly pull away from your body causing you to counter-react to the pulling away of the resistance. This is what makes you stronger along with just handling the resistance. So strength is the first big benefit.

The second big benefit from the kettlebell press is the improvement of mobility. You see when you press the kettlebell overhead it lies over the back of your forearm, unlike a dumbell which fits closely into the angle of your hand. With the bell draped over the back of your forearm it makes it easy for your joints to “pull away” from your body. This “pulling away” doesn’t only make you stronger, but it improves your shoulder range of motion as well. The press for mobility is the second benefit of this awesome ancient exercise.

The third biggest benefit is flexibility. If you are going to improve your mobility then you are more than likely going to improve your flexibility. The press also allows you to stretch your shoulder when you are “locked out” with the weight overhead. You see as you properly “lock out” you can simply lean your body into the bell and further assist the bell in the pulling away from your body by pulling it at an angle back away from your head. This will give you a great stretch through your shoulder, lat, and abdominal wall. As you start to truly master the press you can attempt the same lift with a pair of bells in each hand to get the same stretch. If you haven’t taken the time to include this great shoulder exercise into your equation for a great shoulder workout then you are missing out. Remember that anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend!

For those of you who don’t know, secretagogue is a human growth hormone (HGH). Building up the muscles is one reason why people turn to HGH products such as secretagogue, but one of the main reasons is so they can grow taller.

HGH is actually the hormone that makes us grow taller. We naturally produce HGH in our bodies, but when we reach around our twenties we stop producing human growth hormones as much as we use to.

Secretagogue is a great supplement for dealing with old age and muscle mass, but not so much for helping you grow taller. Taking secretagogue will only help your growth hormones a fraction and will focus more heavily on elements you don’t have an issue with.

When I tried taking secretagogue to increase my height, I quickly realized I was getting more fatigued and my height was not improving as much as I thought it would. I soon after abandoned using secretagogue or any other HGH to increase my height.

My health was the main reason for this decision. I thought began to think I was doomed from ever being the sizable height I desired to be. However faith would have it that I stumbled upon a grow taller program that changed my life.

I knew I was witnessing a miracle when I began to see my height increase by 2 inches within 3 weeks. I don’t regret trying secretagogue, because it is what led me to a program that has increased my height dramatically.

In conclusion, HGH supplements such as secretagogue is a reasonable thing to look into if your trying to grow taller. However, secretagogue is an expensive thing to get involved with, but even though it didn’t work out for me it might work great for you.

Bodybuilders and hard core weightlifters are constantly trying to find better ways to overload the muscle during workouts. There are several definitions for muscle overload, but the best way to sum it up is the principle for muscle overload is pushing your muscles beyond their limit, reaching complete exhaustion of the muscle. This means not stopping at a certain determined rep count, but doing as many as you can with heavy weight and going beyond. You definitely need a trusted spotter for this type of workout.

There are many ways to achieve muscle overload. A few techniques that are commonly used are negatives, drop sets, and forced reps. Negatives are when you focus on the descent taking several seconds on the negative portion of the movement. For example, if you were doing barbell bench press, the negative would start at the top of the position where your arms are stretched out then you would slowly lower the weight towards your chest. Negatives are normally performed on your last set or two, and the last rep or two. Drop sets are best described as one giant set, usually two to three sets in one. You’ll do one set for as many reps as you can do, decrease the weight about 20 percent and do another set with no rest in between, then possibly repeat, decreasing the weight each time. Forced reps are having a spotter assist you with a few more reps once you have reached failure and can do no more on your own.

The techniques described above are all great tools for helping you reach muscle overload. However, I’ve discovered a unique technique that has worked quite well for me. When I say discovered, keep in mind that almost every method advertised as a new technique has been said and done by someone, in some form. Therefore I’m not claiming that this is some new magic technique that will instantly put 10 pounds of muscle on you in two weeks or anything like that. However, I have gotten much stronger and have noticed my muscles being much fuller when using this technique.

I call it the mega muscle overload technique. This method involves performing a set with heavy weight and rep range from about four to six reps until muscle failure, then resting for 20 twenty seconds and doing another set with the same weight. Like negatives, this is only done on either your final set, or last two sets. The 20 second rest period is only done once, unlike typical drop sets where you may repeat more than once. Basically by using this technique you will be able to perform eight to 10 reps overall with a weight that you are normally only able to do four to six reps with. This principle allows you not only to reach muscle overload, but to get used to handling heavier weights. Now there are a few who believe heavy weights aren’t necessary, but for most people who want to build mass, training heavy is going to be the ticket (and this is vital if you’re wanting to get stronger, obviously).

Here’s a sample bench press workout utilizing the mega muscle overload technique:

Set 1: 135 lbs x 15

Set 2: 185 lbs x 12

Set 3: 225 lbs X 8

Set 4: 250 lbs x 6

Set 4 – Mega Muscle Overload Set:

250 lbs x 6, rest 20 seconds, 250 lbs x 3

Try the mega muscle overload technique on your first heavy compound exercise, implementing the technique on the last set as listed above. Your straight sets will require normal rest time in between, such as one to two minutes. This often varies from person to person; just remember you’re not performing an endurance event so may sure you rest long enough to push heavy weight for the following set. You can do this for any body part and most any exercise, but I recommend keeping this to heavy free weight exercises or Hammer Strength machines if you don’t have a spotter. Train heavy and grow!

In hockey agility is of the utmost importance. Speed is great, but it’s worthless if you’re only fast in a straight line. Being able to quickly change direction while maintaining speed and balance is something that every dominant player can do. Here are three great tips to help you become more agile on the ice.

1) Start slow but make speed the ultimate goal.

If you can’t do a drill properly there isn’t really any point in doing it. And rushing to do a drill at full speed if you haven’t mastered all the aspects of it will do you far more harm than good. Re-enforcing bad habits is not something you need. Start your drills at a speed where you can execute every aspect perfectly, but always be working to increase your speed from your last run.

2) Break drills down into multiple aspects.

It can be advantageous to work on certain aspects separately from one another at first. For instance, if you’re going to do a slalom style drill where you have to make a lot of tight turns, you might benefit from doing it without a puck until you nail the skating down. Then add the puck in once you’ve mastered the first aspect.

3) Work agility into every drill you can.

It isn’t hard to work agility training into drills, so try and add it in as much as you can. All it takes is adding in some fast stops and starts or some quick turns to a drill to get your agility working. Instead of just doing a straight lap of the ice, add in quick stops and starts at the lines. Small changes like this can make a noticeable difference over time.

These three tips will help you increase your agility on the ice, and constantly working on agility will have serious effects on your game. For the best results, consider investing in a good hockey training manual, or consult with coaches or trainers to help design full agility workouts. Hockey agility is a skill no player can afford to be without, so make sure not to ignore it!

Clinical trials are still being conducted on humans to see the real benefits of this supplement, however, tests on mice have been very successful in proving the health benefits of well publicised natural compound. For a long time now scientists have been working hard to discover why the French have very low heart disease statistics compared with many other countries when their diet is often worse.

They now think they’ve found the answer – red wine – or more specifically an ingredient of red wine called resveratrol. The following are some of the results of tests that have already been conducted.

Energy and muscles – lab tests on mice have shown that those using the compound are able to run twice as for as those who aren’t. This is due to the increase oxygen consumption of the muscle tissue.

Heart – red wine drinkers are approximately 50% less likely to get heart disease. This is due to the compounds cholesterol reducing properties.

Brain and kidneys – It has been shown that mice fed on red wine and a high cholesterol diet seem to be protected against oxidative stress and high blood cholesterol

Prostate cancer – experiments showed an 87% decrease in prostate cancer. Additionally for those who already have it can slow down the progression.

Lung cancer – A 3 year study on men between 45 and 69 revealed that those who drunk red wine had a 2 % lower chance of lung cancer where those who drunk beer and white wine showed no reduction at all.

Antioxidants – Just like green tea it has high levels of antioxidants that can help prevent many diseases.

Anti-aging – The life span of middle aged mice increased 33%-60% when small amount of restervol were added to their diet. It kept their hearts healthy and slowed the signs of aging

Cell protection – It’s been found to inhibit the production of several cancer cells including stomach, colon, breast, thyroid and pancreas cancers.

Liver disease – Heavy alcohol consumption causes fat to accumulate in the liver which sometimes leads to fibrosis and other liver diseases. Excessive alcohol drinking inhibits the production of a couple of proteins vital for breaking down fats in the liver.

One of the most common diseases in America is Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). People who took red wine daily reduced the risk of NAFLD by 50% but those who drunk moderate levels of spirits and white wine were 4 times more likely of getting having suspected NAFLD.

The discovery of all these resveratrol health benefits is very exciting and offers us all the potential to live longer and healthier. Imagine what it would be like to still have the vitality to run around after you grandchildren or maybe even your great-grand children. To find out more about how you can incorporate resveratrol into your diet visit my website.

The body’s metabolism is the key to any successful weight reduction. The faster the metabolism, the faster excess weight can be dropped. To boost your sluggish metabolism, you need a metabolic accelerator that works. One ‘simple’ metabolic booster is exercise but there are also metabolic products out there that can help you increase metabolic rate.

What is a Metabolic Accelerator?

If it took you years to pile up those extra pounds, you’ll have to sweat it out a while to lose them and maintain your new figure. Crash diets are not the solution to your weight problems. Your SLOW metabolism is. If your metabolism is lazy you can jumpstart it with some help from a metabolic accelerator like the good old exercise regimen. As its name suggests, a metabolic accelerator increases your usual metabolism rate when you need to continually burn calories.

A metabolic accelerator may take on many forms. It could those natural metabolic products made from animal and plant proteins or from the carbs of whole grains or a combination of both.

Or your metabolic accelerator could be specific exercises directed towards the development of your muscles. It has been scientifically established and proven that when one goes on a low-calorie diet, the body senses and is alarmed at the change. To protect itself form calorie deficiency, it goes on a calorie lock-down.

The calories are ‘reserved’ for the time when your body will need these most. This is alright during famine or war but never when you are on a diet to lose weight. This is when you need a metabolic accelerator to set things right.

Diet and Exercise

No amount of dieting can budge those unwanted pounds if you continue to eat foods that slow down the body’s metabolism. You might be eating too much high protein food, oils and fats when your body’s metabolism would perform better with whole grains or carbohydrate rich foods or an equal combination of protein and carbs. The correct diet to increase metabolism is another key factor to successfully lose weight or develop body mass as in the case of athletes who need strength and bulk.

To lose weight faster, a metabolism accelerator diet will prompt your metabolism to work but you do have to exercise to keep your metabolism working in the right direction – using up the stored energy not only on your muscle tissues but also on all other bother parts. A metabolism accelerator will benefit your efforts to free the hoarded energy to lose weight effectively.

But this cannot happen overnight. The body, fearing starvation, works the muscle tissues to release energy through the metabolism process and this energy must be used up before the body releases the hoarded energy, hence the slowing down of your metabolism rate. That’s exactly why everyone needs an effective metabolism accelerator.

When selecting employees to move into management trainee positions, you have options. You could hire an employee with ample experience from outside the company and hope they can fit the needs of the business properly. On the other hand, many companies are focusing on moving employees up within the company instead. If you are ready to fill a management position with an employee you already have, it pays to know what to look for to ensure the process goes well.

Focus On Personality First

Before you consider any job candidate for a management position, you need to think about personality traits that could help to make or break this position. For example, is the individual short tempered and unable to focus enough to get job tasks done on time now? If so, that personality trait will affect your management trainee throughout this process. Look for personality traits that contribute to your success such as self-monitoring, motivation and professionalism.

Implement A Key Training Program

If you do not have a management training program in place yet, now is the time to develop one. This management training program should be something designed by a hiring manager with ample on the job experience. The program should encompass all aspects of the job that the job candidate needs to perform well in order to move up. It should have a stepped learning system that teaches the individual information and then tests those skills. It should include both book learning as well as on the job training.

Teach Communication

In order for your manager trainee to do well, communication has to be a successful component of this training process. That’s a two way street, though. You need your employees to communicate with you and you need to communicate with your trainee. You also need to ensure there is a feedback method in place to encourage communication. Then, you need to teach your management trainee the proper way to talk to those who will work under them, including teaching the basics of instruction. Don’t assume that great employees have the interpersonal skills to manage.

Management trainee programs need to be effectively designed by a hiring manager or a human resource manager with ample on the job experience within the company. At the same time, there is a key component to focusing on the development of a management trainee program that can accomplish the goals of the organization. After all, the time and money you are putting into managing your staff is critical to the success of your company.

Creatine is a fairly new supplement, which has its fame among the athletic community. To the general public, it’s a workout supplement, but what it really is and does is unknown by most. Creatine is considered to be an ergogenic aid, a substance that allows enhancement of athletic performance. All supplements and performance enhancing methods affect the body’s homeostasis. Homeostasis is referred to as the body’s way of keeping internal systems constant, even is external changes. When a runner trains at high altitudes, there is less oxygen available for red blood cells. Creatine is similar but unique to the high altitude method. Chemically, creatine allows more energy to be available. Hence, it can be very useful for sports and fitness.

An example of how creatine would affect the body’s homeostasis could be taken from body building. Bodybuilding works due to the one putting stress on the muscles and muscle cells. To handle the extra stress, the body creates more muscle. This happens to be what body builders want. How much stress can be brought upon also depends on the energy available. With more energy being accessible, one can work out further, leading to more stress and in turn more muscle mass.

So you hear about all this creatine intake, but what good does it actually do? Well it starts off with the little bursts of energy that lead to further benefits. Often studies have shown increase in performance during constant or repeated exercise. Many of these benefits are advantageous to even the average human as creatine is already made by the body. The Dietary intake for humans would be about 1-2 grams/day. Most of this comes from eating the daily meat or fish, but that is how a vegetarian would be lacking creatine intake. To keep creation levels constant, vegetarians can take small doses of the supplement as it promotes ATP regeneration. Studies have shown that vegetarians have a greater increase in PCr storage from creatine ingestion than their fellow meat eaters. When performing, often what limits the extent to which something can be kept being done is the energy available. Energy can only be generated at a certain rate, but with extra creatine available, the rate can be increased, therefore more PCr is available.

Muscular performances such as bench press and jump squats showed enhanced performance during studies. This adds to the reputation creatine has from other research, which shows higher work outputs, maximal strength and fat-free mass. Often, sportspeople who take part in analysis’s demonstrated escalated work outputs. One specific study resulted in a raise of PCr by 6%, the maximal strength by 20-25% and furthermore a 60% fat-free mass increase. Results of creatine intake frequently rely on the dosing prior to doing the activities. There are two stages, one named the “loading” stage, in which a higher dosage of creatine is ingested. This usually lasts 4-7 days. The loading stage is often when the overall PCr content increases largely. The following stage usually consists of much less quantity of creatine intake. This part is to keep the PCr level constant. As for sports a simpler example could be derived from soccer. In soccer, or football in many parts of the world, a player constantly has to sprint in various directions according to the motion (and projected motion) of the ball. This can require the player to sprint forward, slow down for a few seconds and then continue running again. During this process, the player uses up many adenosine triphosphate molecules, and the phosphate’s break off and bind to the creatine molecules creating PCr. Now PCr, as stated earlier, is constantly breaking off the phosphate group as ATP is generated. This means that with a higher PCr content, ATP can be generated quicker, or in other words, more often than a normal PCr level. If the creatine supplements allow a greater pool of PCr to form, then in theory ATP has the ability to regenerate more rapidly. This leads to more energy available for the soccer player to continue using during the sprints. It also reduces fatigue caused through energy usage.

What makes creatine more beneficial in sports like soccer is that the recovery time is shortened immensely, so any assistance in regaining energy will be well utilized. This example actually explains a very important fact in creatine function, rather than increase the maximum strength at a given time, it increases performance, such as how long maximum strength can be achieved.

Creatine is fairly new and research on creatine is not too advanced as with other supplements. No severe side effects have been recorded which were caused due creatine intake. One negative aspect as opposed to other performance enhancing drugs would be that creatine does not affect how much of something can be done, such as creatine does not affect things like how fast one run (other than caused by increased mass) but more, how long one can ran at that pace with minimal breaks. Another negative outcome due to creatine is increased body mass. Often times this is what athletes such as bodybuilders prefer, but what they don’t know is that the increased mass could be due to the retention of water. With increased creatine levels in cells, osmosis of water across a cell membrane and into the cell increases. This leads to water being retained within cells, increasing their size and general physical view. The higher rate of osmosis can also cause further implications such as dehydration or muscle cramps or even tremendously high concentrations of urine. With this, athletes ingesting creatine are often recommended to drink more water. Being a dietary supplement, the production on creatine is not tested by the FDA, due to which the conditions in which it was produced cannot be guaranteed. Unsupported and evidence-less claims have been made, which state the use of creatine has caused problems such as seizures, anxiety, vomiting and such. Without proof of a direct connection, these claims are considered false, as many of the individuals who suffered with them also indicated usage of other substances.

Medical usage is a question put on many, if not all substances. How a certain substance can be used is constantly being analyzed for human benefit, and creatine has its own share too. Not to researched, but creatine portrays advantages to many patients such as those suffering from neurological disorders. Patients who have muscle dystrophy, a disorder where their muscles a weakened in various ways, benefit from creatine supplements as it increases the strength in muscles. In addition, creatine also offers increase in endurance for patients suffering from heart problems and other muscle related diseases. Creatine also changes blood lipids (cholesterol), which allow a reduction in the risk of a heart disease.

Creatine usage is quite controversial in the athletic community. Many drugs and performance enhancing substances used in sports today are getting banned because of their negative side-effects. Creatine is not a big “danger” supplement, as it does not lead to dangerous situations, but it is thought that creatine usage leads the user to utilize other substances, substances that can be far more dangerous than creatine. But creatine is also naturally synthesized in the body, so if it were banned, it would be difficult to test. Creatine supplements can be considered similar in nature to a method many athletes call carbohydrate-loading, a method where the athlete stores up on glycogen prior to performance to allow more sugar to be accessed when needed.

Through analysis of creatine usage in sports and its effects I say creatine is ergogenically great. The minor side-effects can be avoided through proper use. The benefits with correct usage exceed advantages of many other performance enhancing drugs, from which I conclude should be accepted as a proper aspect of training. I feel that creatine should continue to be sold over the counter as it is a nutritional supplement which enhances the average life, and should also remain an allowed substance in competition.

Visit my Supplements blog for the article with references, and many more ergogenic aids!

The general belief is that there is some magic secret to losing weight, looking better, and feeling great. The myths people believe are that a complicated diet must be followed and you have to spend all waking hours at the gym. The reality is actually quite simple, although most don’t want to believe the truth. Most people don’t want to look for the answers, but rather hide behind a set of complicated excuses.

So what’s the big fitness secret that is so incredibly simple? Eat better and go to the gym. Sorry, it really is that simple. Does eating better need to be a highly complex process with all sorts of hard to find foods? Not by any means, rather increasing fruits and vegetables and avoiding processed food is a great way to start. Fruits and vegetables have been what mankind has been eating since the dawn of time; not a diet rich in fast food. It is also a really good idea to avoid things that are carbohydrate heavy like pasta and bread. Lean meats are preferred and it is best to avoid super sugary sauces if possible.

What about going to the gym? Ideally, most people should aim to be at the gym three to four times per week, and perhaps a day or so of cardio. Most of us leave fairly sedentary lives, spending far too much time sitting down. This is largely in part due to spending most of our working hours seated.

There are a multitude of gyms and it is best to find the right type of gym for your personality. Group fitness classes are growing in popularity right now, and they are a great alternative to some of the traditional “big box” gyms. Group fitness classes, like Crossfit, are a great way to meet new people and get a total body workout.

Although it isn’t often associated with weight, loss sleep is a very important factor. It is best to get eight or more hours of sleep every night. We all have busy schedules, but our bodies need time to rest and recover, and sleep is a great way to this. Do your best to try to get as close to eight hours of sleep, and cat naps are also very beneficial.

It is important to remember that big changes in the body don’t happen overnight. No one goes from 50 pounds overweight to being completely toned with an amazing body in an instant. It takes time, but if you can stay disciplined and focused, you will see results. Remember that it isn’t a complicated process and there are three important factors to abide by: eat healthy, go to the gym, and get plenty of sleep.

How’s Your Physique?

Many times men tend to work the upper body, chest, and arms to the neglect of the lower body and midsection. This is a mistake for a number of reasons, not the least of which is how it makes the body look unbalanced. There are many guys, whether they work out at the gym, or at home, who have spent a lot of time hitting the bench or push ups, and have made some substantial progress, but, their legs look like they belong to someone else. In addition, I have heard several women make comments about how this very fact is a turn off when it comes to the area of physical attraction. While women do like to see a guy with big guns, they also like symmetry. While they may not talk about it openly to men they are very much impressed with how a guy’s jeans fit him.

Now two lower body exercises that will definitely address this are the dead lift and the squat. These exercises are targeted specifically to the lower trunk, hips, quads, and hamstrings. They both are excellent ways to build muscle mass and improve the appearance of the lower body. Before you start doing these, contact a health professional or professional trainer to determine if you are ready to start either of these.

Exercise #1: The Deadlift

The dead lift is about as primitive an exercise as you can find. It primarily involves movement at the hip, and that’s all. You basically lift something heavy from the floor to your mid thigh level. It’s typically done in the gym with a barbell and is a concentric motion only. Once you pick up the object, you don’t lower it back down, you simply drop it back in place. The deadlift can be done with anything really. It doesn’t have to be a barbell. However, using a barbell does make it easier because of how it’s made. But, creative people can come up with other options. To do this particular movement correctly, the low back needs to be kept straight and in the “neutral position”. This means that your hamstrings need to be fairly long to do the exercise correctly and avoid injury. A stretching program may be needed. Also, when beginning, one should concentrate on form rather than resistance. This means avoid using much weight at all until your body is accustomed to the movement.

Exercise #2: The Squat

The Squat is a more dynamic exercise than the dead lift in that you lift and lower the weight. You’ll be getting movement in the ankle, knee and hip with this one. In addition, the upper body works to a degree because the weight rests on the upper back and shoulders or the upper chest and shoulders. Because the squat is dynamic, the amounts of weight may be limited due to things like knee pain or ankle or knee tightness. As with the dead lift, you will want to start off pretty conservative when it comes to weight. Again, because you need to know how your body will respond. Using your bodyweight, or the weight of the Olympic bar will be fine for this. To do correctly, whether using a bar or not, stand with your feet shoulder width apart or slightly wider. Then, lower your body toward the floor bending at the hip and knee. Your hips will move backward as you keep your knees above and slightly in front of your feet. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the ground and then rise to the starting point.

Your chances of avoiding injury are greatly increased when either of these exercises are done in a controlled and consistent fashion. Because of the nature of these exercises and the muscles targeted, they are a great way to increase lower body muscle mass and add symmetry to any physique.