Many people think that they know how to build muscle mass and gain weight quickly. Do you know?

There are some people who are naturally born skinny. Muscle mass is not a natural part of their body make-up. You can try your hardest at the weight machine, gulp down protein shake after protein shake and still look slim as a willow.

If you belong to this group, then you need to be aware that to build muscle mass, you need to adopt a slightly different strategy. You cannot blindly follow the methods of those people who are able to build muscle mass easily. They are not the same as you.

To build muscle mass using drug free methods, you need to have a training program that is suited to your particular situation.

One of the first thing you need to understand about your training program is this – it will be much more intense than usual. Many people work out at the gym lifting weights that are so light, they don’t even break out in a sweat. You would be seriously mistaken if you think that spending time doing that will help you build muscles.

You need to bring a very high level of intense energy and focus to your weight training. Tackle every set of exercises as if you life depended on it. Focus on every single rep. Don’t just do it, really get into it.

When you take your rest, make sure you time it precisely. You have to be almost fanatical about it. Use a stop watch if necessary. Don’t allow your muscles to cool down and lose the benefits of your previous reps.

Focus. Do not get distracted by the other people. They can do their stuff. For you, it is just you and the weights. Get an MP3 player, wear headphones and block out all distractions.

Keep your friends away. Don’t bring your girl along, you can show off later, when you have real results. For now, your training should be the only focus.

This is just the settings and the mind set that you need to have. If you focus on the results that you want, you will be able to achieve it.

Besides focus, you must have commitment. Stop jumping from one training program to another. They are just fads. If you start on a program, stop after a few weeks, then it is no wonder that it does not work. If you do this, it might appear that you are serious and enthusiastic about your training, but the reality is that you are simply avoiding the real issues.

Every program will work, if you apply the right level of intensity, give it the appropriate amount of time to do its work. Take a program, study it well. Examine each and every aspect of it and make sure that is has the right intensity to help you build your muscle mass.

Be honest with yourself. Don’t stop a program simply because it is too difficult, or there is a “better” program. Focus and commit to a good training program.

You will find weight machines at every health club but some people find them really complicated. This article explains what these machines are, how they work and what their advantages are.

Weight machines are easy to operate. You start by adjusting your seat and then either push or pull a bar or a set of handles. The handles are connected to a chain, cable or lever that are connected to a stack of rectangular-shaped weights, weighing 5-50 pounds. To lift 20 pounds you simply stick a metal peg through the hole of the 30-pound weight.

Advantages

Here are some of the reasons why you should use weight machines in your workout:

• They are safe. They are ideal for beginners because if you run out of strength during an exercise you can let go without fear of a heavy weight dropping on your body.
• They require little balance or coordination. Most weight machines hold your body in the correct position unlike “free weights.” For example, if you do a shoulder press on a weight machine you just sit on a chair and push the handles up but with a barbell you have to not only push the bar up but stay steady and balanced at the same time.
• You can work on specific muscles. Traditional weight machines let you focus on one muscle, which is great if you’re trying to correct a specific weakness. An example of this is where you want to strengthen your hamstrings or rear thigh muscles. There is a weight machine that holds your body in position while you bend your legs and target your hamstrings. If you use free weights to accomplish the same task you’ll probably end up working your front-thigh and butt muscles too.
• Faster workouts. With weight machines you can set up the exercise much quicker than you can with free weights. You simply adjust the seat (if necessary) and stick the metal peg through a hole instead of removing free weights off a rack and sliding them on and off a barbell. Also, gyms and health clubs usually have weight machines grouped together, which make it quick and easy to move between them and enables you to complete a whole body workout in about 20 minutes.

Disadvantages

• Can be boring. After a while, you and your muscles will probably get bored of using machines. So, mix in some free weights after a while and learn to strengthen the same muscles with different exercises.
• Don’t fit every body. Most machines are designed for people who are between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall. So, if you’re outside this range the machine may feel uncomfortable. If that’s the case, try another machine or choose free weights to target the same muscle group.
• Isolate each muscle group. This can be an advantage (see above) but it can be a disadvantage because it’s not how our muscles work in our daily lives. In everyday life, our muscles work in groups so it makes sense to work them in the same way in the gym.
• You can’t take them with you. If you’re going away on business or vacation you won’t be able to take weight machines with you, so take some free weights with you and you’ll have no excuse not to workout!

Hopefully, after reading this article you’re not intimidated by weight machines, are persuaded that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and are ready to incorporate them in your workouts.

This weight loss supplement speeds the metabolism and also helps decrease appetite. Made by Iovate Health Sciences, Inc., Hydroxycut helps body builders lose weight 4.5 times faster than just diet and exercise alone.

Body builders use Hydroxycut as a natural way to kick off their weight loss which gives their metabolism a much needed boost. By combining this diet supplement along with a healthy diet and dedicated fitness program, body builders are seeing dramatic results.

Body builders are experiencing the following results due to Hydroxycut: loss of fat and weight; increase in energy (stronger workouts), regulates blood sugar levels; decreases appetite; and increases metabolism.

Body Builders Combine Weight Loss Supplements with Training Goals

Hydroxycut is comprised of herbal ingredients that help weight lifters build muscle in a natural, safe way. Its key ingredients include Hydroxagen (Hydroxycut’s unique weight loss formula): Garcinia cambogia extract, Gymnema sylvestre extract, and chromium polynicotinate. It also combines HydroxyTea (which is made up of green, oolong and white tea extracts).

These combined ingredients help to reduce fat and build muscle tone which are crucial for body builders who need to increase muscle bulk. Some of the enzymes found in Hydroxycut slow down appetite and cravings.

There are three different formulas including: Hydroxycut, Hydroxycut 24 and Caffeine-Free Hydroxycut. Hydroxycut also makes Instant Drink Packets (doesn’t contain sugar) which helps increase energy, and Instant Energy Weight-Loss Shot which helps increase metabolism.

When combined with a body building workout and healthy eating, metabolism can be increased and weight loss occurs at a faster rate for body builders. A faster metabolism also helps to build muscle which is beneficial for professional body builders.

Hydroxycut is Sold Worldwide and Supported by Health/Fitness Professionals

This weight loss supplement was created and endorsed by doctors including Jon Marshall, DO, and Marvin Heuer. It’s America’s number-one selling weight loss supplement and is being sold to over 70 countries across the world.

Fitness trainers, especially those who train body builders, are also reporting that Hydroxycut is a safe, alternative for weight loss and is one of the better weight loss supplements sold on the market.

Hydroxycut is sold in major health food stores like GNC and drugstores such as Walgreen’s and Wal-mart. It can also be found on TV advertising. Body builders can afford its reasonable prices and reap quick results–losing fat and building muscle a lot faster than just diet and exercise alone.

In today’s society most people use a couple of different ways to get themselves into what they call shape. In reality most people have no idea what getting fit really means. Getting fit is not driving to the gym to walk on a treadmill than doing some curls in hopes of getting bigger arms to impress the ladies.

Being fit means to be able to answer when your body is called upon. If you look around you will find person after person jogging up and down the streets in the name of fitness. Jogging takes a lot of time up and in my opinion does little other than make you a jogger.

I can give you just two exercises that if done would bring massive benefits in total body development as well as build a lean attacking type body and lower body fat.

Problem is people jog because it’s the easy way out. The easy way out never works. The two exercises’ I want to tell you about will amaze you and results will come extremely fast but at a price. The price is sweat.

Each exercise is a king of exercises in their own right, but together they make up a killer combination.

Jumping rope and pushups are a combination that will have the fittest man or woman in a pool of sweat in just a few short minutes. Both these exercises combined or alone are enough to get you into great shape without ever leaving your home.

Both the pushup and jumping rope have been used by great athletes for decades. But with the media the basics have been thrown aside for more complicated glamor type pretty boy workouts that focus on the six pack of abs.

A quick short workout using a jump rope and pushups will put you back to simpler times, times when people worked out to get into shape not to just look good.

Both exercises will work almost the entire body and with only two exercises and the speed of the results, you will become more athletic, leaner and more explosive than using the standard health club training routine put together for you by some trainer who hasn’t earned the sweat yet. Remember it’s the simple and hard work that get the results.

The workout: Jump rope as fast as possible 100 times then drop down for 25 pushups doing them as fast as possible. You will repeat this back and fourth with no rest for 10 rounds meaning you will finish off with having jumped rope 1,000 times and doing 250 pushups. See how many rounds or how many times you can do this circuit.

Conditioning is a word that is used a lot in the fitness industry but what does it really mean to have conditioning? There are those that are ripped from strength conditioning, marathon runners have to go through a type of stamina conditioning and then there is the conditioning that is necessary for fighters and martial artists.

Conditioning can come off as this hard core concept of hard work and training to build your body up so it can perform or endure what the sport demands of it.

And it’s true.

However, that is not the whole picture of what it means to be a conditioned athlete. Building your body and it’s performance potentials is only the outcome associated to having “great conditioning”.

The other half of the definition of conditioning is more about the discipline, the standard and the values that you adopt.

“Great conditioning” is the result of adopting and integrating habits, standards and values that slowly, over time changes and transforms the conditions of the body.

Conditioning isn’t so much about building yourself up but rather more about adopting a specific way of being that will serve you in the long run which is beneficial for the performance and execution of the skills in a given sport or physical activity.

So, how do you integrate a great conditioning ritual? One that will meet your athletic needs based on the sport or physical activity of your choice?

A good place to start is by looking at where your values are placed in your sport. By looking at the components that you already have a natural inclination to favour and value, then you have a platform where you can design for yourself a discipline that you are more than likely to commit to.

If for example you naturally favour cardio, then use that as a base to develop a discipline to condition, not only great cardio but also as a way to condition better form, more strength and greater endurance doing the activity that is the source of cardio. It’s also a great way to develop secondary attributes. If, for instance you typically rely on jogging for cardio but you would like to develop another physical skill or work on some upper body, than you might consider cardio boxing. Or you might want to develop better foot co-ordination and do some skip rope.

By focusing on what you already prefer, you are much more likely to build on it and develop a discipline and from a place of discipline is where conditioning can flow from the best.

Also, using discipline is a powerful way to predispose yourself to growth and improvement in a specific skill or attribute. Once you have established a discipline on a particular practice, then it’s only a matter of pushing yourself and upping the ante in order to improve and refine that conditioning.

Let me leave with one final thought, and that is, when thinking in terms of the type of conditioning you feel you may need for whatever fitness goal that you have, think about what habits you need to adopt and how you need to be in the process of the training rather than what you need to do to reach and achieve a goal to finally arrive at. Chances are that when you arrive at that goal, in order to maintain it, you will need to sustain the conditioning by maintaining the practice that got you there in the first place.

Conditioning is a process.

Biceps curls are the classic bodybuilding exercise used to add mass to the biceps. Furthermore, they’re used as assistance exercises by weight lifters and other strength athletes. If you spend any amount of time training for bodybuilding or athletics, odds are you’ll do some biceps curls.

The problem is that biceps curls done incorrectly can damage your elbow joint.

This happens at the bottom of the movement, when the arm is extended, and it usually takes a long, long time to heal once the pain becomes noticeable. What’s more, once you get elbow damage, you will continue to injure yourself further if you try to ‘train through the pain’ or ignore what’s happening in hopes that it will all just go away.

Three types of elbow injury caused by biceps curls

All elbow pain isn’t indicative of the same problem. There are three injuries related to curls that might cause elbow problems.

One is ligament damage. The ligaments are tough, fibrous bands of connective tissue that hold your elbow joints together, and limit you to a proper range of motion.

The second elbow injury is tendon damage or inflammation to the biceps tendon (and, less commonly, to tendons associated with muscles in the forearms).

Finally, you might experience actual elbow joint damage. But this usually only occurs when you refuse to let an injury heal. It’s more a symptom of stubbornness than it is of improper curling technique.

How to do biceps curls so you avoid elbow problems

The first sort of elbow problem — caused by ligament damage — is usually the result of hyperextension of the elbow joint during biceps curls. The weight of the barbell or dumbbell forces your joint past it’s proper range of motion when your arm is straight, causing the ligaments to stretch (or worse).

This is a common injury when people use a preacher bench without an ez-curl bar. The preacher bench makes it easy to get a full range of motion during high-intensity curls, but it also puts your elbow into a dangerous position. If you’re not experienced with the preacher curl, you are in danger of hurting your elbow. The ez curl bar keeps your elbows oriented properly, reducing (but not eliminating) the danger.

The second type of elbow pain — tendon damage — is usually a result of overtraining. But it also happens when you “cheat” during a curl. The extra weight can cause a repetitive-stress injury to the elbow tendon as you lower the weight. Again, using an ez-curl bar keeps the elbows “locked into a groove” and helps prevent this sort of injury. Young guys who are obsessed with the appearance of their biceps in a tight t-shirt often fall prey to this sort of overuse injury. Performing endless sets of high-rep biceps curls will pump up your upper arms, but it won’t build true strength and size. It’s better to stick to a sensible number of sets and make sure to keep your reps below 12.

Finally, damage to the elbow joint is caused when ligament damage is present. People who continue to work out despite having stretched-out ligaments are going to damage the joints. This is something you shouldn’t ever do. If you are so obsessed with working out that you push through elbow pain, you need the services of an exercise psychologist. Be sensible and allow it to rest and heal.

First things first, decide whether a treadmill is for you. Before you invest several thousand dollars in a treadmill only for it to end up being a clothes hanger, you have several things to consider. With so many people purchasing exercise equipment that they don’t use, the market is full of used exercise equipment in excellent condition and some in not so excellent condition. We’ll address this in later paragraphs. Where do you start? Try checking your local newspaper for individuals selling their equipment, yard sales, and estate sales. You can also find some real bargains via online sources such as online classifieds and eBay. Many areas also have second hand sporting goods stores that sell used fitness equipment. Why not pay them a visit and see what they have to offer? The savings can be significant.

Here are the some great reasons why to buy a treadmill:

1. The treadmill will save you time. You can set your workout schedule and you don’t have to worry about getting to a gym early enough to find an open machine, yours is always available.

2. No excuses, it’s in your house, get off your butt and use it.

3. The treadmill will create opportunities for your kids to be present while you are exercising. Your son or daughter can work on a homework assignment or coloring book and there’s no daycare or babysitter to worry about.

4. No more gym fees. Investing in a treadmill at home means no more spending $25 to $30 a month on a gym membership just to use their equipment. Or even worst spending that money every month and NOT going.

First Things First: Treadmill History 101

Believe it or not, treadmills weren’t always meant for human use. The first treadmills were invented in 1875. Called “level power” treadmills, they came in either large or small, the large ones were used by horses to power threshing machines, and the smaller variety were used by dogs and sheep to power butter churns. It wasn’t until 1952 that cardiologist Robert Bruce, along with his colleague Wayne Quinton, developed a treadmill designed for humans to use. Quinton eventually sold his interest to Stairmaster and the rest was, well, history. You may have heard of Quinton treadmills. The world has proven that the human treadmill was a great idea, its longevity and popularity speak volumes. Sears alone is reported to retail over a billon dollars worth of treadmills a year. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers’ Association maintains that consumers spend more money on treadmills than any other fitness equipment designed for home exercise. There has never been a single year since their first commercial production that treadmill sales have declined. If you require further proof, take a look in any gym. You won’t find many of the pieces of equipment peddled by personal trainers on late-night infomercials. They may be surrounded by much hype, but aren’t always as glorious as they claim to be. And usually cannot not take a real exercise regimen. Treadmills, on the other hand, have consistently proven their usefulness and solid construction over the years, which is why they’re staples in every workout facility. Does not matter if it’s a commercial gym or your local apartment building workout area, chances are you will find a treadmill.

According to a study conducted by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, a sixty-minute run on a treadmill will burn an average of 705 – 865 calories – more than other standard fitness equipment such as rowing machines (at 606 – 739 calories per hour), stationary bicycles (595 – 604 calories), cross-country ski machines (595 – 678 calories), and stair machines (637 – 746 calories). But that’s only the beginning of the benefits offered by the treadmill.

The news is in, and medical experts agree that walking is great exercise. Whether it is a daily power walk around the neighborhood or just a stroll around the block, walking is a great way to lose weight and gain fitness. Unfortunately, however, the weather does not always cooperate when it comes to getting the exercise we need. When it is too rainy, too cold, or too hot outside, it can be quite difficult to keep up with even the most well intentioned exercise regimen. That is perhaps why a treadmill can be such a great purchase, and why treadmills are such popular pieces of exercise equipment. A quality treadmill has a number of important advantages over many other kinds of exercise equipment.

They’re good for any fitness level. Whether you’re just starting your exercise regime or are an old pro, you can find a speed setting that will give you a great cardiovascular challenge.

They’re adjustable. Maybe you feel that you need only a light workout or two or three times a week with a treadmill, you can vary your intensity accordingly.

They’re versatile. Technology has made it possible for today’s treadmills to offer a variety of options. You can choose programs that focus on cardio or fat burning. You can work to improve your speed. You can simulate running uphill. There are pre-set programs, or you can combine varying levels of incline and speed. You may also want to program your own workout.

They’re low-impact, but not impact free. You won’t reach your goal of cardiovascular fitness if you can’t exercise, and you can’t exercise if you’re injured. Running (or walking) on a treadmill is a safe bet. Their surfaces absorb impact and lessen pressure on critical joints much better than running on concrete or asphalt. The chances for injury are greatly lessened with low-impact exercise. Most treadmills have a safety key or safety shut down system just in case you should fall, they will turn off instantly.

They’re convenient. Raining? Snowing? Blistering heat wave? No problem. Treadmills can be used under any weather condition, so you’ll never have to get a rain jacket or sweater in order to use one. Plus, most treadmills available on the market today have places to keep your water bottle, towel and reading material. On some of the new treadmills you can plug your MP3 or iPod right into the treadmill console. Some have TV’s and the internet on them. And, of course, a workout will always fit into any schedule. For example if you get home from work, it’s already dark outside, and you don’t feel comfortable walking alone, you can always hop on the treadmill. No excuses!

If you’re in the market for a treadmill, you may be confused (and surprised!) by the different types and terms you’ll encounter. There are residential home treadmills, light commercial and commercial treadmills. Folding ones, motorized and non-motorized it’s enough to make a novice want to buy a pair of running shoes and hit the road. Let’s break it down a bit and compare the ins and outs of each.

Motorized vs. non-motorized. On a non-motorized, or “manual,” treadmill, your feet do all the work. If you slow down or stop, so does the treadmill. Manual treadmills can be difficult to get started, and if you desire a change of incline during your workout, you have to stop the machine, get off, adjust the incline level, and get it started again. In a nutshell, there’s really no advantage to buying a manual treadmill as opposed to a motorized one. The reason cited most often is the cost. Manual machines are much cheaper than their motorized counterparts, but it’s important to remember that they’re not usually constructed as well, either. If it’s cost-effectiveness you’re concerned with, it isn’t hard to find slightly used motorized treadmills for a fraction of what they’d cost brand new. We’ll discuss this at more length in a minute. Think of all the people who buy treadmills then never use them and are willing to part with them just to get them out of the way! My thought is if you are looking for a manual treadmill just walk outside or inside and save yourself some time and money.

Some other considerations that you must address before purchasing any exercise equipment would include number of users, maximum weight of the users, and frequency of use. Also know that all treadmills are rated for a maximum user weight. A user exceeding the maximum weight rating chances cracking the walking deck or at worse burning out the moving parts rather quickly. Lower end models generally are rated at a maximum of 250 pounds. It is also recommended that you purchase a treadmill with a CHP (Continuous Horsepower) motor as opposed to a THP (Total Horsepower) motor. Lower end treadmills will have a DC powered motor, while many commercial treadmills may have AC powered motors.

Also check the application of the treadmill, most residential treadmills are labeled for “In Home Use” only. The warranty will be void if used in a gym or other commercial type setting i.e.: condominium or apartment workout rooms. Most residential treadmills will use a regular 110 volt outlet, while most commercial treadmills may use 220 volt outlet. If you’re confused about which type of motorized treadmill to buy, it pays to do a little research and comparison. Ideally, you’ll want to purchase a machine that has 1.5 – 2.5 CHP motor.

OK, after all this you still want a treadmill?

1. Before You Head Off To Make A Purchase

Take into account how much space you have available. Obviously, if you live in a small apartment or have a limited amount of space, you’re not going to want a large treadmill. You need to know how much space you have to store and use the equipment. Fortunately, there are pieces of fitness equipment available that you can fold and easily store. If you’re pressed for space, these can be an excellent alternative to bulky equipment. You must realize that most full size treadmills will take up a foot print (floor space) of 3 feet wide by 6 feet long. Most ICON Fitness treadmills do fold, you will find these treadmills at your big box retailers like Sears, Costco and Wal Mart. Also at specialty retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Sports Authority. They are sold under many of the following brand names, Nordic Track, Pro Form, Weslo, Weider, Epic, Healthrider, Gold’s Gym, Free Motion, ICON, Reebok, Body Fit, IMAGE, iFit.com, Sears, Horizon, Ironman and Smooth, just to name a few. As a side note in 2007 some of the manufactures also starting making ellipticals that fold, but that is a totally different subject.

2. Consider The Expense Of The Appropriate Treadmill

This sounds like a no brainer right, the cheaper the better. But you need to consider how much would the treadmill you “need” cost new. When I say “need” I mean, “runner vs. walker”, “Usage vs. number of users”. Don’t be penny wise and dollar foolish. Not every less expensive treadmill is a good deal. The phrase “you get what you pay for” most certainly applies to exercise equipment. If you are a serious exerciser or runner you will need to spend more money to get a model that will last and offers features that most runners expect. If you want a treadmill and you are a serious runner then a budget for a new treadmill might be in the $ 1500.00 to $ 3,500.00 dollar range. This would be considered a Light Commercial Treadmill. If you are a walker, a few times a week, for only 30 minutes at a time then your new treadmill budget might be in the $ 700.00 to $ 1,500.00 dollar area. This is considered a Residential Treadmill. So if you are a serious exerciser the new treadmill average would be $ 2,500.00 dollars. On the other hand a purchasing a used light commercial treadmill you might consider spending in the $ 800.00 to $ 1,500.00 dollar range.

If you are a walker your new average treadmill budget would be $ 1,000.00 dollars. Then you should consider spending $ 400.00 to $ 700.00 dollars for the used residential treadmill. No one says you have to have the fanciest equipment in order to meet your fitness goals. Even if you’re on a tight budget, you have lots of available options. A few sets of dumbbells may be all you need to build and tone muscle and something as simple as a jump rope can give you an excellent cardiovascular work out. Don’t underestimate these simple solutions! You may want to give them a try before investing in a treadmill that takes up space. After all, who wants to spend money an elaborate treadmill that may become a clothes hanger?

3. Establish Your Exercise Goals

This should always be a high priority. Exercise goals should be clearly thought out before considering the purchase of any type of fitness equipment. You don’t know how many customers I ask, how often do you use the treadmill? They will tell me at great length the amount of usage the treadmill is getting and then I will check the “hours used” function on the treadmill, only to find out that after 5 years of ownership, the treadmill has less than 100 hours usage. Is your goal to achieve better cardiovascular health or is it to build and tone muscle? If cardiovascular health is your primary goal, a treadmill, stair climber, elliptical, upright bike or a recumbent bike might be the best option. If you want to tone or build muscle, choose a machine that allows you to do resistance training, preferably with weights. This could be a cable system, free weights or resistance bands.

4. Features, Features, Features

Decide what’s important to you. What is the maximum speed? Does the treadmill incline? If so, how high of a percentage? Do you need programs? Do you want to make your own programs? How about items like fans, TV’s, orthopedic walking belts, large console displays, book holder. Does the treadmill only have front rails or does it also have side rails? Heart monitors, did you need this feature for medical reasons? Do you want a model with a wireless heart rate detector? If so, is the treadmill capable of this feature and if it is, will this be an additional expense?

5. Ok, Ready Set Shop

Hit the used exercise equipment stores, if you need to feel and touch your purchase. Some areas have “Play It Again Sports” stores which specialize in used equipment. Check the Yellow Pages. But you may find better discounts on-line. Just like shopping for a new car, the best time for purchasing a used treadmill is when the new models start coming out for the Christmas shopping season. The Christmas to New Year’s Eve time is the “season” for retailers of exercise equipment. This is due to the fact that most exercise equipment buyers find a need to get in shape for the holidays, with company parties on the horizon, and New Years resolutions right around the corner. They may want to trade up to a better model and you may get a great deal on a used one at this time. Purchasing a used or reconditioned treadmill from a dealer can definitely be a smarter purchase. The exercise equipment dealer will usually have done all the maintenance and replaced any needed parts. They will clean the treadmill and make sure it is safety ready for its new owner. The dealer will usually offer delivery, setup and some type of limited parts and labor warranty. You may have to pay a little more money to purchase from a reputable exercise equipment dealer, but the added expense may well be worth it. Especially if they include a warranty, delivery and setup all for one price. Can you purchase an extended warranty? I’ve always believed that extended warranties are money well spent, especially since treadmills can be expensive to repair.

Always be cautious on purchasing a used treadmill from a private party. Have you heard of “Buyer Beware”? Well if that saying ever was appropriate it is here and now. Do you know that most consumers when purchasing a treadmill whether new or used only “test” it for an average of 30 seconds? That’s right; they walk on the treadmill for 30 seconds and make a major decision. Large manufactures have timed customers without them knowing and this is a proven fact, 30 seconds. Now, why do I mention this, because treadmills tend to take a beating, and one of the biggest technical problems a treadmill can have is that it will shut down after 30, 40 or 60 minutes. It’s over heating, it may have a bad motor, worn walking belt or other electrical problems. So will your 30 second test run tell you that this “Great Deal” of a treadmill won’t be such a great deal when you get it home and it shuts down during your first workout? Treadmills can be big and heavy, not for the average person to be lugging around.

You may have to pay a little more money to purchase from a reputable exercise equipment dealer, but think of the time and effort you may save. Are you shopping on eBay, Craig’s List or some other internet sites? Check closely, many internet deals are for “Local Delivery Only”. Do you have to pick it up and set it back up once you get it home? How will you get it home? Do you know how to un-assemble the treadmill and re-assemble it without breaking it? You may have to un-assemble the treadmill just to get it through doorways. How old it the treadmill? Even though you may be hearing that it was only used once by my grandmother, beware, especially if it’s over 10 years old. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase a treadmill over 10 years old, so be careful. And of course no matter where you are buying the used treadmill from negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

Bottom line, if you’ve decided that a treadmill is for you, you must remember that not every less expensive treadmill is for you and it may not necessarily be a good deal. It pays to be well educated with well defined fitness goals before making a purchase of an expensive piece of fitness equipment you may never use. After all, do you really want to look at that abandoned clothes hanger for a treadmill every time you go home? But you can get a “Great” deal with a little education and patience.

Ready to get as fit as a fiddle and lean as a…erm lobster? OK well then you’re ready for HIIT or High intensity interval training. It’s what all the slim jims are doing to get fit and super lean. The good news is you get the benefits of this type of training in as little as 20 minutes; the bad news is it’s jolly hard work!

This type of training consists of short intense bursts of activity followed by longer recovery periods of steady state activity. To get the real benefits from this method it’s important that you can push yourself beyond your upper aerobic system, into your anaerobic system. Dipping into your anaerobic system means working at 80-90% of your max heart rate (MHR). A crude way of working out your MHR is to minus your age from 220. So mine would be 220-21(ahem) = 199 beats per minute(bpm). So the range for a 21 year old would be 159-179 bpm.

All well and good if you have a heart rate monitor, this makes it easy to see how hard you’re working but if you don’t have a monitor then you need to rely on your own perceived amount of exertion. The RPE (rating of perceived exertion) scale is used for just this with 0 at zen like meditation state and 10 going all hell for leather. You should aim to be 8-9 on here. Easy to cheat this way but really what would be the point? As Mrs Lund (my old math’s teacher) used to say ‘you’re only cheating yourself!’ she was right. I’m rubbish at math’s now. You’ll know when you hit your maximum effort as the tell tale muscle burn will kick in.

So to go over the benefits before you decide to opt out after reading of muscle burning: If you do HIIT training you will:

1. Burn more calories during and after the session as it takes your body longer to recover.

2. Get metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more fat as fuel

3. Improve endurance levels

4. Get lean

5. Limit muscle loss (which often happens during steady state cardio training)

6. Feel more energetic

7. Save time

Try this 20 min interval for starters. If you’re just beginning with this type of exercise then its best to keep the recovery periods quite long. Do this program three times during the next week, then start to decrease the recovery times by 1 min every week. This applies to any type of cardio training – running, elliptical, rowing etc.

Warm up: 5 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

Interval: 1 min at 80-90%MHR or 8-9 RPE

Recovery: 4 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

Repeat the interval and recovery again

Cool down: 5 mins at 60-70%MHR or 6-7 RPE

I’d love to know how you get on. Let me know.

‘It’s a deep burn!’ Name the movie and the actor…

In today society, a lot less people have started bodybuilding, and more people have started fitness model programs. Not a lot of people want to be huge with massive biceps and big chest anymore. Instead, they would rather want to have a lean, ripped physique of a cover shoot model. How has bodybuilding popularity declined in the last twenty years? I’ll show you how and why people shun bodybuilding and how you can make a difference.

Back in the “Golden Age” of bodybuilding, people were fascinated at how men can develop their muscles in way that makes people want to start bodybuilding themselves. Take a look at Eugen Sandow, the “father” of bodybuilding. He had a lean, muscular, ripped physique with insane ab muscles. Then came along other bodybuilding icons, like Steve Reeves, Reg Park, and many other famous athletes. But the real bodybuilding craze began with Arnold Schwarzenegger, after appearing in the bodybuilding movie “Pumping Iron”. Widely considered to be the greatest bodybuilder ever, he made bodybuilding and himself a household name. From that point on, people opened many gyms everywhere to start bodybuilding, whether it’s to go professional or just to build muscle. Movie directors recruited bodybuilders like Arnold to star in their movies. For a long time, the bodybuilding era was spreading all over the world.

But what went wrong? How did this era slowly dwindle away? Simple. People started getting “too big, too muscular”, which made people think that it looks impulsive, overbearing, and to add it all up, disgusting. Today, bodybuilders want to be bigger and muscular than their opponents. Bodybuilders like Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman are perfect examples of people are “overdone” their muscle growth and development. What really put a stop to this era was the movie “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt, where the lean, muscular body was introduced, and people realized that you don’t have to big, you just have to get lean. My opinion is that men have become “feminized”, meaning they want a body that will look more attractive to a woman and people start modeling like women, which is easy to understand why men today wear pink t-shirts or shirts that say “Real men wear pink”. This is absurd!

Let’s talk about Arnold for a moment. Why do you think he was considered the best bodybuilder? Was it because he had the biggest muscles? Or than he had a confident presence when he went on the bodybuilding stage? Maybe it could be that he gave the best advice on building muscle? It was any one of these three reasons. In the movie “Pumping Iron”, Arnold talked about having the perfect physique. He said, “You have to get you proportions right. If you look in the mirror and say “Okay, I need a little bit more deltoids. So you would go to the gym and put those deltoids on. Where as an artist would just slap his brush on a picture there it’s done. We have to do it the hard way because we building the human body. Now some people will look at you funny like you’re doing something strange, but it’s not really something a lot of people know about. And once you find out about it, you understand so much about bodybuilding that you haven’t realized before”.

You see? Arnold had the perfect proportional body, and bodybuilding enthusiasts knew that. He differs a lot compared to today’s bodybuilders, who build their bodies out of proportion. So how can you make a difference in building muscle? Get you proportions right. Let every muscle be just right, not smaller or bigger than it needs to be. Hope you enjoyed this article and will properly make the best in building muscle.

Nitric Oxide products have enjoyed a long history as premier muscle builders. Along with creatine, they define the pre-workout market! I am going to define “nitric oxide” a little differently than most, because I view nitric oxide products as ones that don’t contain creatine. There is nothing wrong with creatine, but it isn’t a nitric oxide product just because it contains some arginine. Most of these kitchen sink products on the market contain everything from neurotropics to arginine to creatine in an effort to boost performance, but to me they miss the mark completely. I feel that mixing everything together in one big scoop just isn’t effective! That being said, luckily there are true NO products on the market that don’t rely on creatine to boost their pumps and use the power of arginine and arginine co-factors to give you wicked pumps in the gym. Unfortunately the studies on Arginine products are not very supportive for their desired function, increasing NO2.

First on the list is NO2 (R) from MRI, the company that put NO on the map! NO2 is currently sold as NO2 – Black and it contains the same basic formula of L-Arginine AKG as the original formula along with some new co-factors that help supposedly improve the conversion to Nitric Oxide. NO2 – Black contains Arginine alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG) 3000.00 mg along with the NO2 Black Proprietary Blend 150.00 mg Alpha-Lipoic Acid (thioctic acid) ACTINOS2 Whey peptide Fraction. Let’s look at these ingredients one by one to discuss their role in NO production. A-AKG is a staple performer for NO products, it is simply L-Arginine mixed with a krebs cycle intermediate alpha-ketogluterate. It probably has some absorption benefits over straight L-Arginine, since I believe that peptides are better than singular amino acids for passing through the intestine. The other ingredients are a bit of a mystery. Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a great anti-oxidant, and is certainly good for you but I am not exactly sure how really benefits NO production. A quick literature search does show that it could help with NO production in diabetic patients, so it is possible it helps. The ACTINOS2 is a whey protein fraction that is supposed to help upregulate eNOS, which is an enzyme that converts Arginine to Nitric Oxide. Unfortunately, I am not sure what this fraction is, so we will have to take their word for it. Still, NO2 Black is a solid choice for an NO product and since it started the revolution it is the “champ”.

Force Factor (R) is a brand that was completely born on the internet. They have some seriously outrageous advertising, but that aside, let’s look at the ingredients and see what they have to offer over NO2. It contains some very familiar ingredients such as Arginine alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG), Arginine Ketoisocaproate (A-KIC), L-Arginine Monohydrate, which are all similar forms of L-Arginine bonded to krebs intermediates. This I hate, they use ingredients like Di-Potassium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate and magnesium stearate as “active ingredients” when in fact they are the binders that hold the tablet together and don’t do anything as a supplement. It does have some cool things like NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) and L-Citrulline Monohydrate but the last ingredient, the L-Citrulline is last on the list, making it a very, very small quantity. Too bad, because Citrulline is a very cool ingredient that can help boost NO. NAD is an energy co-factor and a pretty cool ingredient, that can give you natural energy, which is a good addition.

The final product is Anadraulic Pump from LG Sciences. It is a bit different, since it is a drink vs pills, but it has some interesting ingredients for building pumps and increasing focus. It includes the usual suspects for boosting NO, L-Arginine HCL and L-Arginine AKG, but also L-Arginine Nitrate which is a new ingredient that combines the power of natural nitrates in foods like beets with L-Arginine. It’s pretty new, so there is no true data on it, but the manufacturer of this particular ingredient swears you can “feel” it. Anadraulic Pump also contains other amino acids meant for increasing performance like L-Taurine, L-Alanine, L-Aspartic Acid, all of which are shown in the literature to increase athletic performance. Taurine is popular in energy drinks for its energy boosting benefits, L-Alanine is similar to Glutamine, being used up when you exercise and Aspartic Acid may increase stamina and physical performance. Finally it has Quercetin, which may boost athletic performance and will also stop the body from reducing the enzyme responsible for destroying L-Arginine. This enzyme reducing effect should really help the conversion of Arginine to NOS, which is the point of pump products. Finally, it contains Geranium Oil Extract #105-41-9, which is a stimulant that will give you a natural energy boost prior to working out. Being a powder, it has a flavor called “Citrus Blast” which tastes similar to weak “Tang(R)” I suppose. It is pretty tasty and I actually looked forward to drinking it.

Each product delivers on it’s promise to give you NO boosting Arginine, along with co-factors. I feel the best are NO2 – Black and Anadraulic Pump, then it comes down to whether you want the simple formula in NO2 or the more advanced powder on Anadraulic Pump, specifically the inclusion of the Geranium Oil Extract, that gives you a stimulant boost. If you want a pill, stick with NO2, but if you want a powder, with some cool free form amino acids and a razor sharp stimulant, you should try Anadraulic Pump. Both products have a healthy dose of Arginine, which can also help with fat loss and are consumed with lots of water during the day to make them active. There are lots of products with creatine in them that take on the “NO” title, but I still don’t feel that those are TRUE nitric oxide products, since they tend to have everything thrown together and should be put into the creatine category.