Many people think that crunches are the best abs exercise and the most effective way to get toned abs is to do lots of crunches every day. While crunches do work the ab muscles they are not the best exercise for your abs. In fact research that recorded the muscle activity of the abdominal muscles during different exercises has shown that crunches are not even in the top ten most effective exercises for both upper and lower abs.

So what is the best abs exercise? Here are the top ten based on the amount of muscle activity during each. The top two best exercises are the same for both upper and lower abs.

For upper abs the best abs exercises are:

1. Bicycle Maneuver

2. Captain’s Chair

3. Exercise Ball

4. Vertical Leg Crunch

5. Torso Track

6. Long-Arm Crunch

7. Reverse Crunch

8. Crunch with Heel Push

9. Ab Roller

10. Plank

The best abs exercises for the lower abs are:

1. Captain’s Chair

2. Bicycle Maneuver

3. Reverse Crunch

4. Plank

5. Vertical Leg Crunch

6. Exercise Ball

7. Torso Track

8. Crunch with Heel Push

9. Long-Arm Crunch

10. Ab Roller

The results were very similar for both muscle groups and the best exercise came in at the top of both lists. The bicycle maneuver and captains chair create more muscle activity in the abdominal muscles than any other tested exercise. If you want to get sleek, toned abs these two exercises are some of the best to add to your workout routine because they have been proven to be the best abs exercises.

The bicycle maneuver is the best abs exercise because it is easy to do and does not require any type of equipment. To perform this exercise you lie on your back and put your hands beside your head. You bend your knees to 45-degree angle and start a pedal motion by touching your elbow to your opposite knee while alternating each side.

The captain’s chair is also one of the best exercises to work your abs and only requires a sturdy chair with arms or a dip machine. This is the best ab exercise and is often overlooked because it is not a traditional type of floor exercise. Never the less it is very effective. First, sit on a chair and grip the handles. Make sure you keep your lower back straight and stable. Then press your back against the pad and slowly lift your knees towards your chest. If you want toned abs this is one of the best exercises you can do.

Getting sexy toned abs takes work and the right exercises. It is important to do the best abs exercise otherwise you will be doing more work with fewer results. You also need to make sure to incorporate cardio into your workout and eat a healthy diet so that you can lose any fat that will obscure your tones muscles.

Perhaps the single biggest characteristic that separates the best from the rest is that they have all set compelling goals for themselves. In this article, I will show you one of the best processes for improving yourself in the weight room, as well as improving the quality of your life.

First, You need to create a work out regime/log that you follow. Tracking your work is very important. A lot of people don’t keep a log when they start a workout program which is something that one should need. For you to be able to get Muscle mass, you need to get stronger and in order for you to do that you need to write down your max repetition for a certain exercise and you need to try your hardest to increase that number by 1 or 2 reps every time you do that exercise. When you can exceed your max rep, write it down and try to increase it next time you work out.

After you’ve compiled your workout log it’s time to decide how many reps you should perform for each set of exercises. If you are looking to get Muscle Bulk you’ll want to keep your reps between 6-12 reps per set.

The last thing you need to remember is to eat a lot and eat frequently. Your body builds muscle between workouts and not during them, the amount of food and the time in between meals means a lot. Your body needs Protein and essential amino acids in order to repair/rebuild itself after workouts. You should eat roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (do not include body fat). You should also eat every 2-3 hours to ensure that your muscles are constantly being fed.

What I have given you is one of the best ways to set yourself up for achievement, so you can get more out of your workouts, and make a difference in your life.

After you’ve put yourself on a good muscle building program, the next step is designing a diet that is going to get you adding pure muscle mass to your body.

This is usually the area people tend to struggle with the most, not necessarily for lack of effort, but because for some, it really can be quite hard to gain muscle weight.

Are you one of these people? Let me ask you this question. Have you stuffed yourself for days on end to only find out at the end of the week that the number on the scale has gone down? Frustrating, isn’t it? The reality of the fact is that for some guys, it is hard to gain weight. They try, and try, and try. Nothing happens.

It’s not that you aren’t giving it your all – you are, it’s just that it seems like your body is working against you.

Take comfort in knowing you aren’t alone. There are plenty of people who have this problem, BUT if you are smart with how you go about creating your diet, you can overcome your body and finally get that muscle mass you have been trying to gain for what seems like decades.

Here are the top muscle building foods you should be consuming on a daily basis.

-Steak

-Nuts

-Nut butter such as peanut butter, almond butter, or chocolate flavored hazelnut spread

-cottage cheese

-bagels

-pasta

-low-sugar granola cereal

-flax seeds/flax seed oil

-chicken breasts

-trail mix

-dried fruit

-dry oatmeal (eaten like regular cereal)

-whole eggs (include those yolk – three or four yolks per day, when trying to gain muscle can actually help to increase your testosterone production!)

-sweet potatoes

Here are the top foods you want to avoid. Not because they are not necessarily healthy, just because they will fill you up too fast and won’t give you enough total calories. Keep amounts to a minimum – just enough to give you the nutrients you need.

-lots of vegetables (while some vegetables should be eaten for nutrients, avoid large quantities)

-puffed rice cereal

-cooked oatmeal (again, a healthy choice, but if you eat it raw, you’ll get twice as many calories!)

-egg whites

-watermelon

-sugary candies (while calorie dense, these are empty calories and will send your insulin levels too

high – which encourages fat storage)

-low-fat products

-rice chips/crackers

-popcorn

So, have a look at your current diet and see how it stacks up. You should be aiming to eat every 2-3 hours if you are the type of person whose metabolism is running at an incredibly fast pace and as such, cannot seem to gain weight.

Remember, as long as you consume more calories each day then you burn off, you will gain weight.

When you couple this calorie surplus with a smart weight lifting program, you will gain muscle mass.

1) Hanging Knee Raises – Do these by grabbing onto a pull up bar with your body straight. Then lift your knees up to your chest and back down. It may be hard at first because you need to prevent yourself from swinging but this is an effective exercise for your lower abs.

2) Reverse Crunches – These are way more effective than basic floor crunches. Instead of doing crunches you learned in gym class do these.

Start by laying on the floor with your legs straight up in the air. Then bend your knees at about 90 degrees. Bring back your knees so they touch your chest and then forward again to the starting position. That is one rep. These will be hard at first if you have never done these but try to do 2 sets of 12-15 for a start.

3) Swiss Ball Crunches – These are just crunches on an exercise ball. The reason why these are so effective is because they actually target your lower and upper abs since you have more range.

Doing regular sit ups on the floor strains your neck while doing them on an exercise ball eliminates the strain and works your abs better. To make it more challenging you can hold a dumbbell above your chest and make sure you arch your back as far back as you can.

These are some of the most effective ab exercises you can do to sculpt your mid section. But to be honest there is more to losing belly fat and building muscle than that.

There is also cardio and other exercises that will really burn belly fat and make your six pack abs pop out. The most effective exercises are compound exercises like squats, chest presses, rows, and deadlifts.

Also you cannot just rely on six pack ab exercises. Your diet may be the most important factor between having a beer belly and six pack abs.

Your diet should be made up of natural foods like lean meats, fruits, vegetables, oats, beans, and nuts. To burn belly fat very fast then adapting to a new lifestyle including all the above is how to do it very fast.

Learn More Here

It is more difficult for skinny guys to build muscle mass. This has led to many skinny guys thinking that they can’t gain anything. Fortunately this is far from the case, in fact once you learn how to gain muscle on a skinny body, it is pretty easy.

The first and biggest step is your nutrition. You need to eat a lot more if you want to gain some weight. I am not talking about fast food either, try to increase the normal or clean amount of foods you intake. This way you won’t make the same mistake I did and gain a lot of fat when you began gaining muscle. (Trust me going to Carls every day isn’t smart, it doesn’t mean you can’t cheat once a week, just don’t make it daily).

The next step for learning how to build muscle for skinny guys is your protein. Protein builds muscle and you need a lot of it. Include this in your meal plan, eat about .5 to 1 gram of protein per every pound of body weight you have. I promise nice big muscle mass will appear quicker then you would believe possible if you do this.

Make sure to keep your workouts correct. Workout 3 times a week and target a different muscle group daily. Give yourself enough time to rest afterward! Sleep often, your muscles actually build while you sleep, not while you are awake.

I hope these things have helped you learn how to build muscle for skinny guys. Just remember to keep working and you will get there!

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.

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

Gym workout programs can vary dramatically from bodybuilder to bodybuilder. One gym bodybuilding workout for one bodybuilding enthusiast can deliver outstanding results while another gym workout can be a disappointment for another bodybuilder.

After thousands of bodybuilding fitness consulting sessions, and publishing a popular weight training guide, I constantly teach bodybuilders a results proven gym workout routine that builds muscle fast.

All you have to do is follow my 8 Gym Workout Bodybuilding Tips and you will soon see your muscle building results double.

8 Gym Bodybuilding Workout Tips

1. Have a clear weight training routine purpose.

Upon entering the gym it is imperative to have a clear cut bodybuilding routine plan of action. You should know exactly what exercises you will perform, how much weight you will need to lift, and how many reps you must beat. Therefore, your whole bodybuilding routine is 100% planned, set in stone, prior to beginning your gym workout. You must walk into the gym with a definite plan, and purpose.

2. Be in a “warrior” high intensity weight training state of mind.

It is crucial to enter the gym workout focused. I can remember entering the gym and instantly beginning to perspire. I mentally had worked myself up into state of high intensity weight training desire. This is even before I lifted one weight. It is called focus, and anticipation.

Bodybuilding results are only seen when you force yourself to grow. That takes high intensity weight training, as well as ultra high mental focus. Your mind should be totally focused on conquering the next rep. It is important to imagine yourself forcing out that one additional muscle building repetition.

In an effective gym workout, your attitude, and drive will determine your altitude of muscle development.

3. Focus on effective pre- gym workout bodybuilding nutrition.

Make sure you ingest a small amount of complex carbohydrates, and protein approximately 2 hours prior to beginning your gym workout. This will assure you of getting the adequate amounts of energy producing nutrients to expel in your high intensity weight training session.

Another extremely important gym workout tip is to make sure you are properly hydrated with, preferably, water. You should be consuming at least one-half of your bodyweight in ounces each and every day.

Bodybuilding training preparations are similar to space shuttle preparations. Your goal should be to get your system ready for a high intensity weight training blast off.

4. Did you bring your bodybuilding workout log to your gym workout?

One of the biggest mistakes bodybuilders consistently make is neglecting to track their weight lifting progress. Without measuring progress, there generally is little improvement. How do you know what you are suppose to beat if you have no data? How can a department store set sales goals if they don’t track sales? It is just absolutely silly seeing bodybuilders completing their gym workouts without recording any data. That what is not measured will not improve.

5. Gym workouts are for training, not socializing.

Remember, you are in the gym to get muscle building results. If you are talking and goofing around, how in the world can you be ultra focused on going to war with the weights? Get your work done, and then socialize if you wish. I tell my clients to stay focused, and don’t allow distractions. Focus on conquering that near impossible, muscle growth repetition.

6. Use only proven bodybuilding program principles.

Don’t listen to Joe Bodybuilders newest theory on building muscle. Stick to what has been scientifically proven to work. Beware of all the gym chatter floating around. To discover all of the most advanced proven bodybuilding principles visit my muscle building weight training guide presented in digital audio. Bodybuilding Done Right is a how to bodybuilding audio revealing the proven scientific bodybuilding program principle the pros use, but refuse to share.

7. Avoid Overtraining.

Once you have completed your pre-designed 100% high intensity bodybuilding routine, it is time to get out of the gym, and go home and grow. Hold yourself back from doing one extra set. Remember, more is not necessarily better. Stick to your plan. With high intensity weight training you need less volume of work. Any extra basic weight training exercises could be counter productive to your bodybuilding muscle growth.

Get out of the gym, and let your body compensate, and later overcompensate with added fat burning muscle tissue.

Also, make sure your body has fully recovered from the previous gym workout before you train again.

8. Begin the recovery process with optimal bodybuilding nutrition.

You have an hour after your high intensity weight training workout to replenish your glycogen levels, thus, aiding in the muscle building, and recovery process. Take in two parts complex or simple carbohydrates with one part protein. This is an important bodybuilding tip that has been proven to aid in the muscle recovery, and building process. So power your gym workout with these proven tips.

These are 8 important gym workout tips that should be followed. Following these bodybuilding workout tips will do wonders for your weightlifting, muscle building results.

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There are of course hundreds of exercises for building muscle. In my experience, however, the three best muscle building exercises are Bent-Over Rows, Deadlifts, and Clean and Press. These are free-weight exercises; compound movements that are designed to work large areas of your body. They enable you to work out through a full range of motion, which is not possible when you are using most machines. Barbells and dumbbells are all you will need to perform these exercises. You can include them in your overall routine or use them exclusively for your normal workout regimen.

Bent Over Rows

One of the proven best muscle building exercises, the bent-over row works not only your back, but your glutes, legs, biceps and the core of your body. Be sure to keep your back straight. Hyperextension or flexion could cause you injury. This is one of the best back exercises for building up the lats. The exercise can be done with either barbell or dumbbells. Try the same exercise with your palms facing away from each other. It works different muscles. Perform bent-over rows as described below:

1. Stand erect with your feet spaced at hip width and your knees bent slightly.

2. Keep your back straight and bend at the hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing each other and suspend your arms straight down toward the floor.

3. While keeping your elbows close to your body, pull the dumbbells up to your body and squeeze your shoulder blades together at the top of the motion.

4. Return your arms slowly to the start position.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are the best muscle building exercises for developing your hamstring muscles, your lower back, and your entire core region. It is unquestionably a good mass building exercise and one of the best muscle building exercises that can be practiced.

1. Stand straight with your feet space apart at should width and your knees inside your arms and your feet flat on the floor.

2. Grab the bar with your shoulders positioned slightly over the bar, and pull by extending the knees.

3. With the angle of your back constant, lift the bar straight up. Keep the bar close to the body with your shoulders directly over the bar.

4. Return your body to the start position.

Clean And Press

If you’re looking for the best muscle building exercises for developing the strength in your upper body and shoulders, there is no better compound exercise than the clean and press. You’ll often see this procedure used during strong man competitions, as it works the entire body. This can be a difficult exercise to get just right. Be sure that you understand it thoroughly before trying it.

We are frequently receiving emails from individuals inquiring how it’s possible to build muscle quickly. Obviously people are eager to see themselves ripped as rapidly as they can, so how about we have a closer look at this subject.

You can quickly build muscle by observing a few basic measures. If you are committed to getting ripped and looking magnificent, you can notice some spectacular results by following the right measures.

Going to the gym at least five times each week is critical to building muscle fast. Your exercise sessions shouldn’t take more than one hour – if they’re longer you are body will not be utilizing the extra time in a useful manner.

It is so key that you always have proper form when lifting weights. I notice way too many people at the gym trying to lift far too much weight which makes them throw their body all over the place. To gain muscle fast, you need to ensure you are targeting each muscle properly. You have to make sure you are isolating the muscle and using proper form. It doesn’t matter that you may have to lift a touch lower weight because you will get far better gains if you follow this tip.

Another recommendation to gain the most from your weight lifting is to use a three day rotation for your workout routine. Organize your routine so that you work every muscle throughout the three days. By just taking 3 workout sessions to work on each of your muscles you will gain results much faster.

Finally, you must eat well and eat often. Make certain you consume 6 meals a day. Out of the six meals, three of them will be your main ones and the other three should be smaller snacks that give you about 250 calories in total.

Taking a protein supplement is a great idea – you need to be getting plenty of protein to help your muscles grow and repair themselves. If you don’t use a protein supplement, make certain you are eating lots of protein rich foods if you aren’t (cottage cheese, chicken etc).

Gaining the physique you desire isn’t difficult when you put forth the effort. With some commitment and by using the above techniques, you can develop muscle and strength rapidly.