Archive | Building Muscle

Isometric Strength Training – Old Strong Men Isometric Secrets Re-Discovered

What did the old strong men know that gave them super human strength?

The simple principle of a 7 second long isometric muscle contraction which stimulate muscle growth, build strength and have enormous health benefits. The father of isometrics “Alexander Zass” comes to mind. He snapped steel chains wrapped around his chest or remember the images of Alexander Zass catching a woman fired from a canon.

Today, isometrics is a scientifically proven method to sculpt your body and skyrocket your strength in just seconds. Sounds to good to be true but it works. How can you with a 7 second exercise accomplish what others can’t accomplish with an hour of daily tedious repetitive work outs in the gym?

Recent studies and studies in the past have shown that not length or duration of an exercise is important to stimulate muscle growth and build strength, but that intensity of an exercise plays a far greater role to stimulate muscle growth and build strength. During an isometric muscle contraction a specific muscle or group of muscles is contracted for 7 seconds with intensity.

This intense contraction causes a complete exhaustion of the muscle fibers. When these muscles are being relaxed, an increased flow of blood delivers an increase of oxygen and nutrition to these muscles. Each exercise is being done once for 7 seconds. A combination of several exercises for as little as 10 minutes a day produce astonishing results in muscle growth and well being. It is hard to believe but it does work.

The beauty of isometrics is, that it is done in a static position, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion. Which means that isometrics can be done anywhere, anytime without any exercise equipment. Many isometric exercises can be done sitting on a chair at a desk. No trip to the gym necessary. No expensive workout machines needed. This makes isometric exercises perfect for people working at a desk or in any restricted area. There are many isometric exercises that can be done sitting at a desk.

Isometric strength training is also very useful for martial artists, wrestlers and boxers who are looking for a superior method to improve their strength, increase mobility and energy level. You may have heard of Paul O’Brien online. Paul has re-discovered isometrics and increased his strength to super human strength which he demonstrates in videos online. Paul can bench-press and lift 400 lbs which is more than twice his body weight!

A wonderful resource on isometrics is Paul O’Brien’s E-book. 7 Seconds to a perfect body.

Isometrics was the secret of the old strongmen like Alexander Zass, Maxick, Mike Marvel and others.

Isometric training is an old method re-discovered.

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Chiseled Body Builders Use Hydroxycut to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle

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.

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Know Your Muscles – The Lower Body

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with your training partners. The more familiar you are with the muscles you’re working, the better you’ll be able to judge what’s needed to make improvements. In this article we’ll get to know the muscles that make up the lower body.

This is where you’ll find the big, strong muscles that allow us to get around. The main muscles found below the waist are as follows:

1. Quadriceps femoris – this is a group of four muscles found at the front of the thigh. These are the vastus lateralis on the outside, the vastus medialis on the inside, the vastus intermedius between them, and the rectus femoris above them. The role of these muscles is to extend the leg from a bent position.

2. Hamstrings – these are found to the rear of the leg and consist of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. The hamstrings are used to flex the knee in the act of pulling the heel towards the buttocks.

3. Gluteals – these make up the buttocks and consist of the gluteus maximus covering the hip joint and the gluteus medius and minimus on the outside of the hip. The gluteus maximus facilitates hip extension while the other two lift the leg to the side in an action called hip abduction.

4. Hip flexors – these are found opposite the glutes on the front of the pelvis. Consisting of the psoas major and iliacus they raise the leg to the front.

5. Calves – these consist of the gastrocnemius and the soleus. Their role is to extend the foot at the ankle.

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"Polynesian Bodies" – Why Polynesian Bodies Build Muscle Better

Polynesian people are descendants of those early mariners that crossed the great waters and became the original inhabitants of the South Pacific Islands. In order to survive those long cold oceanic journeys, their Polynesian bodies evolved to develop maximum muscle building capabilities as a means of generating and preserving body temperature.

This was a direct adaptation to an environmental factor. Those that could not adapt died, whereas the survivors carried with them genetic advantages, creating a hybrid body of sorts, capable of performing enormous feats of physical labor, on very little calories, and very little water.

Colonization of the Pacific Islands only encouraged the Polynesian body to propagate these gene characteristics, as the early Islanders literally hacked their homes out of the forests with their bare hands. Domesticating wildlife and horticulture, was a herculean feat, and the scarcity of fresh water developed a need for the Polynesian body to store fluids efficiently.

These early evolutionary patterns form the basis of the contemporary Polynesian body. It enables Polynesian bodies to:

1. Build muscle easily

2. Possess unique strength to mass capabilities

3. Withstand harsh environmental conditions more easily

4. Endure long periods with little food and little water

Unfortunately these adaptations also mean Polynesian bodies will

1. Store excess energy more easily in the form of body fat

2. Store excess water subcutaneously

3. Burn calories at a slower more gradual pace

In the absence of the extreme physical labors performed by our Polynesian ancestors, and the readily abundant food in western cultures, it is no surprise that Polynesian bodies have a tendency to gain unsightly body fat. This storage of excess energy was a survival adaptation for the days of leanness prevalent in the island cultures, but completely absent in western cultures.

Here are 3 of the best tips to improve a Polynesian Body

1. Exercise, choosing intense weight training over cardio.

Polynesian bodies are designed to work out with maximum intensity. Once or twice a week is sufficient. If you are weight training 5 – 6 days a week, I guarantee that you can train twice as hard once or twice a week. Another way of looking at it is this: If you can weight train for 90 min’s, I assure you, you can train harder for 40 min’s. Remember that you can train hard or you can train long, but you can’t do both. Always choose to train hard. Intense training triggers the release of muscle building hormones into the blood stream. Jane Fonda workouts do not. Polynesian bodies respond well to incredibly intense training regimes performed less often.

2. Don’t eat everyday.

This one may come as a shock to you, especially if you are Polynesian, but it is true. You may have heard that if you don’t eat every few hours then your body goes into starvation mode, yada, yada, yada. Who came up with this idea, did they get the rest of the day off for such brilliance? It is simply not true. Polynesian bodies have descended from a genetic strain of humans that could survive for weeks without food and rest and very little water.

Early man tracked herds over vast expanses, on foot, and when they finally engaged their prey they could somehow muster the strength and energy, in this depleted state, to run down and kill a beast more than ten times their size. I know one thing’s for sure. Put a bunch of these early hominids in the NFL and they would stomp the snot out of those juice heads. We need to tap into that power, and utilize the body’s stored energy.

The idea that you feel tired all the time, and that you need to eat constantly to maintain your energy levels are fabrications of the weak modern mind that prevent us from exploiting the vastness of our true human potential.

3. Eat real, natural, unprocessed foods indigenous to the islands, and eat just enough to be satisfied.

A Polynesian body can store more water, so drink plenty to discourage water retention.

Organic fruits, vegetables, seafood, coconut oil, taro, along with chicken, pork and beef are the mainstay of the Polynesian diet. These are the foods which Polynesian bodies have adapted to assimilate efficiently through hundreds of years of evolution. Polynesians should not consume processed foods. Canned foods and commercially packaged foods combined with the naturally high fat Polynesian diets create metabolic mayhem in the Polynesian body. Eliminate all processed and man made foods gradually.

Through the evolutionary process of natural selection, Polynesian bodies can become the ultimate muscle building powerhouse, or an unsightly storage system for excess energy and water weight. Polynesian bodies can build muscle more efficiently because they possess slightly lower metabolisms, and have a genetic propensity to store more water. Over 70% of muscle is water. This is a wonderful adaptation for gaining muscle mass, but slightly detrimental when the desire is to burn body fat, and flush subcutaneous water. Polynesian bodies also possess a unique hormonal environment that allows muscle gain to take place more effectively. A gift to the contemporary Polynesian body from their ancestors who survived some of the most brutal oceanic endeavors.

To approach genetic potential a Polynesian bodybuilder should train with extreme intensity, less often, control caloric intake and manage their water correctly.

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My Top 15 Non-Traditional, Muscle Building, Fat Scorching Workouts

If you have been a subscriber to my newsletter for some time, you know that I'm always trying to give you ways to make your workouts more interesting and fun, while also stimulating big-time results. Do not you agree that your training should be fun? This is what separates the people who jump on and off the "fitness bandwagon" a couple times every year without ever making any real progress from the people that actually adopt a true fitness lifestyle and finally achieves the body they have always wanted. Make it interesting, make it fun, and make your fitness a priority, and you'll have the body that you want.

What I have noticed over the years is that many people will train regularly for a few months and then either get bored with the same old weight training and cardio routines, or will get discouraged because their progress comes to a grinding halt after a while. In my opinion, I do not think your workouts ever need to get boring or stale. You just need to have an open mind to the huge world of various training styles and techniques that are out there. Seriously, there are so many different and fun training styles out there, that there is no reason you should ever get bored with your workouts and give up on that lean ripped body that you've been looking for. Also, mixing in various training styles builds stronger joints by reducing repetitive movement pattern overload and varying your training pressures.

Now before I start with some of my favorite non-traditional training styles, I will state that I think one of the best ways to achieve a lean, muscular and healthy body is through a consistent weight training routine with free weights. You can choose to integrate some of these alternative training techniques with your weight training routines on the same day, as alternate workouts on separate days of the week, or even as separate training cycles where you try some of these techniques for a few weeks at a time before cycling back to a traditional weight training workout. Try some of these training styles out and you'll be on your way to never being bored again with your workouts … and your body will thank you with muscles popping out that you never knew exhausted!

Alright, here are some of my favorite non-traditional training techniques:

1. Staircase Workouts – This is great because stairs are everywhere. You can go to a football field and do stadium stairs, any building that has stairs like a hotel (most people take the elevator, so you will not even have many people looking at you while you're working out), or even the stairs in your own home. For an awesome full body workout, try mixing stairs sprints with an upper body exercise like pushups or pull-ups. If done with a high enough intensity, stairs workouts help to create changes throughout your entire body due to the muscle building and fat burning hormonal response and metabolism increase that you get through working the largest muscle groups in your entire body. If you thought that going up and down the stairs was the only way to get a good stairs workout … think again. My fellow trainer and friend, Virgil Aponte, has developed a website that focuses on creative stairs workouts using all kinds of exercises you never would have thought of before. You can find out more info on stairs exercises workouts at my 'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

2. Wind Sprints and Hill Sprints – Find any open field in a park or athletic field and try 50, 75, and 100-yard all-out wind sprints. After each sprint, rest long enough to catch your breath before the next one (generally 1-2 minutes). Try workouts of anywhere from 6 to 20 wind sprints for a great "cutting" workout. Also, if you have a hill nearby, hill sprints are also great workouts. Sprint up the hill as fast as you can and walk down for your rest interval. Repeat until you're whooped (a 20-30 minute hill workout is plenty). These sprint workouts are so amazingly effective at changing your entire body for the same reason as stairs exercises … by vigorously working the largest muscle groups in your entire body, you greatly stimulate your metabolism while simultaneously increasing your fat burning and muscle building hormones.

Just look at any world class 100-meter sprinters and notice how ripped-to-shreds those guys are. Now compare that to the emaciated weakling physiques of many marathoners, and you'll see that sprinting is where the action is at for a healthy, ripped, powerful body! Now I do not want to upset all of you distance runners out there. Hey, if distance running is something you enjoy, then go right ahead. But do not say you're doing it for the health benefits, because I might just have to disagree. You can read my full story on why I believe variable intensity training is far superior to steady-state endurance training in one of my other ezinearticles.com articles at Cardio-Enthusiasts: Discover a More Effective Training Method for Fat Loss and Heart Health!

3. Kettlebell Training – If you've been reading my articles for some time, you've probably heard me train kettlebell training many times before, but I will have to repeat that it has been one of the best training methods that I've ever tried and has taken my physical capabilities to a whole new level. Kettlebells are an alternative type of free-weight training instead of barbells and dumbbells. Their unique construction and weight distribution (basically a cannonball with a handle) allows for a whole different realm of exercises that's available compared to dumbbells and barbells. Kettlebells have been typically used for training hard-core athletes, military units, martial arts competitors, and other tough individuals, but there is no reason that anyone looking to get stronger, bigger, or more cut can not learn the exercises and benefit from them.

It's been a little over a year now since I've incorporated kettlebell training into my routines, and I'll admit that I'm hooked for life! At between $ 100- $ 150 per kettlebell, they are definitely not cheap, but they are well worth the money. Just one or two kettlebells and you've literally got yourself an entire home gym that you can use for the rest of your life … worth every penny in my book! If you want to give these body-hardening kettlebells a try, you can find more info at my 'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

4. Bodyweight Workouts – For a change of pace, try adding to your routine one or two workouts a week at home with just bodyweight based exercises. These can be great because you can get a high intensity workout done in only 15-30 minutes without having to go to the gym on days that you might not have time for a trip to the gym. Try alternating bodyweight squats, pushups variations, lunges, and floor abs exercises continuously for 15-30 minutes. Try to take very short rest periods or none at all to really amp up the intensity since this will be a brief workout. If you're more advanced, you can even incorporate more challenging exercises like handstand pushups, one-arm pushups, and one-legged squats into your bodyweight training routines.

5. Ring Training – This type of training basically uses portable gymnastic rings that you can take anywhere with you. You throw the straps up over any high bar like a pullup bar, the top of a power rack, or even over a football field goal crossbar. Then you can quickly adjust the rings to do exercises like ring dips, ring pushups, ring pull-ups, hanging leg raises, horizontal body rows, L-sets, and more. Dips and pushups on the rings are my favorites and the rings really make them a hell of a lot more difficult, while also incorporating your stabilizer muscles to a much greater degree. The rings allow your joints to move in a more natural pattern and can help you prevent or even recover from shoulder injuries. Personally, when I try dips on a normal dip stand, it hurts my shoulders. However, dips on the training rings feel perfect, and also give me a much better muscle pump. The training rings are one of the best training devices I've ever bought. Give them a try … I think you'll like them if you're up for a challenge. I found my rings, which you can hang up easily on a power rack, pullup bars, or at a park, at ringtraining.com.

6. Swimming – A great full body workout that stresses the muscles and joints in a much different way than most resistance training. Incorporating swimming workouts once or twice a week into your normal training routines can really strengthen your physique. I recommend trying a "sprint" style swimming workout, which will help more for building muscle compared with endurance long distance swimming. For sprint style, swim as hard as you can to the other side of a 25-meter or 50-meter pool (or sprint swim similar distances in a lake or the ocean if you like to swim outdoors). Rest enough to catch your breath between sprint swims (about 20-40 seconds). Try to keep the rest intervals fairly short with swim sprints. You can also mix different strokes (crawl, breaststroke, sidestroke, backstroke, butterfly) on each swim sprint. I've found that sprint swimming gives me a great muscle pump (especially in the upper body), without any soreness the next day as is typical with weight training. This is because swimming has no eccentric movement (the negative portion of a lift), which is what causes muscle soreness. Keep in mind that even though swimming works your muscles well and is a nice alternative workout to mix in once or twice a week, it does not strengthen your bones. You still need to do regular weight training to do that.

7. Sandbag Training – This form of training is a nice variation to mix in with your strength training. It works your body with an unstable object, which makes muscles that might normally be neglected get in on the action to perform the movements. I've been mixing some sandbag training into my routines for over a year now, and I've found it a very intense method of training that works your muscles in a different way and gets you huffing and puffing like crazy. You can make your own sandbags to train with filling various various duffle bags with sand, or you can use those construction type sandbags that come in several shapes. Sandbag exercises can be done as squats, cleans, presses, lunges, shouldering, throws or heaves, carrying up hills, etc. Make no mistake, training intensely with sandbags will get you ripped in no time flat! I've actually found an entire book devoted to sandbag training, which has given me some great ideas for doing sandbag based workouts. If you're interested in this type of training, you can find more info at my 'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

8. Mountain Biking – As you may have figured by now, I'm not a proponent of steady pace endurance exercise, but rather, highly variable intensity exercise that works with bursts of exertion followed by recovery intervals. Well, mountain biking fits this bill perfectly. You get the leg pumping exercise during the uphill climbs, while also getting the adrenaline rush of the downhill acting as your recovery intervals. Mix it all together and you get a super-fun, high-intensity, leg burning workout that will melt fat off of your entire body and build awesome legs at the same time. The climbs can be tough and will challenge you both physically and mentally as you pump away trying to make it up steep hills without having to resort to getting off of the bike. Then after you make it up the challenging climbs, you get rewarded with the adrenaline rush of flying down steep hills while jumping off of boulders and logs and trying not to stumble or fall off the bike. It's such an addicting thrill … I love it! See, who says that working out has to be boring!

9. Indoor (or outdoor) Rock Climbing – This is yet another fun way to get in a great workout that will also challenge you both physically and mentally. Indoor rock climbing gyms have starting popping up all over the place in recent years and will be more accessible than outdoor rock climbing to most people. Rock climbing is a great workout for your legs, arms, shoulders, and your entire back. It also really works your grip strength and forearms like crazy. Whenever I go indoor rock climbing (which is only on occasion), my forearms are sore for about 2-3 days afterwards. Give it a try if you've never done it … it may be just what you're looking for to spice up your fitness routine.

10. Stick Wrestling – This is a killer full body workout and can also be a great competition between you and your friends. This is probably more of a guy thing for most people. You could even come up with your own "fight club" and have stick wrestling competitions with your buddies to see who is toughest. There are actually sticks designed specifically for stick wresting, but you can even just use a strong broomstick cut down to about 30-36 inches long and taped up with some athletic tape to prevent splinters. For your stick wrestling workout, stand on a soft mat or carpeted area (or grass if outdoors), match up with a friend or foe. You'll both grab the same stick toward the ends with your hands on the outsides of your partner's hands, on the inside, or staggered. Then you simply push, pull, jerk, and thrash your opponent around trying to knock them off balance until they either fall or lose their grip of the stick … and you win that round! Be careful not to get the stick up high and knock each other in the face. Use common sense. You can do this in 1-2 minute rounds or just keep going until someone gives up. Be creative and keep going until you've gotten a killer workout. Your forearms and legs will be screaming!

11. Strongman Training – This type of training is a little more hard-core, but it's a blast for those who are into trying something different. The premise is based on the types of exercises competitors perform in the "worlds strongest man" competitions. If you have a yard, you can even set up some of these exercises in your yard and do some outdoor workouts to have a little fun. Your neighbors will probably give you some funny looks, but it's fun, so who cares! You can get one of those giant tractor tires and do tire flips (which is basically a deadlift followed by a push-press). You can also try your hand at log lifts, boulder lifts and carries, keg lifts and tosses, weighed sled dragging … anything that involves pulling, pushing, lifting, or maintaining any types of odd objects. You do not need to be a monster to enjoy this type of training … just handle whatever size objects are challenging for your individual strength. Strongman training works your entire body in a very intense fashion and could easily spark some new results. If you're interested in finding out more ideas for strongman training, check out my 'fitness products' page at truthaboutabs.com at the link below.

12. Rope Climbing – This goes back to the old high school days of climbing the rope in gym class. Seriously, if you have access to a rope, either at a gym or somewhere outdoors, rope climbing builds a powerful and ripped upper body like no other exercise. A great way to incorporate rope climbing into intestinal workouts is to do a climb up, then lower yourself back down. Then while your upper body is recovering for the next climb, you can do a lower body exercise like squats or lunges, or go up and down stairs. Keep alternating the upper body rope climbs with the lower body exercises in between and you'll get one hell of a full body workout.

13. Bag Boxing – You can use a heavy bag, a speed bag, or even one of those rebound bags to get a great workout. Among the three, the heavy bag is the best all around full body workout, while the speed bag will test your rhythm and timing and give you a great upper body workout. If available at your gym or if you have a bag at home, try mixing these in as a good warm-up or as an intenet finish to your strength routine.

14. Rope Skipping – You can not beat rope jumping as a great full body exercise. I like to use it as a warm-up for my weight training workouts. I prefer to use the really cheap "speed" routes with a plastic rope instead of a fabric rope. Once you get good, you can jump rope much faster with the plastic routes than the fabric ones, which will allow you to get a more intense workout. And do not mess with the weighted handle routes … they're just slow you down. Your goal is speed when rope skipping. Try mixing together two legged jumps, one-legged jumps, arm crossovers, double jumps (rope passes under feet twice for each jump) to keep things interesting and increase the intensity. Also, try alternating 15-20 second high intensity bursts where you jump as fast as you possibly can, followed by 15-20 second recovery intervals where you jump slowly to get ready for your next burst. Keep repeating until you're whooped, which might happen pretty quick!

15. Jumping exercises – squat jumps, box jumps, lunge jumps, and broad jumps are some of the best ways to incorporate explosive jumping exercises into your routines. The explosive and powerful nature of jumping exercises works your leg muscles in an absolutely different way than most normal slow grinding strength training moves. I've even seen a university study cited once that found squat jumps to elicit the greatest testosterone response of all exercises studied. That means more muscle and less fat on your entire body, not just your legs. Try super-setting jumping exercises with upper body exercises for some really intestinal workouts.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed all of these ideas for ways to really shake up your workouts and make them fun again. I know some of them may seem a little "out there", but open your mind to the possibilities and you'll never be bored again … and your body will respond with new found results!

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The Diet Plan of Female Wrestlers

Hello young ladies, hope all are doing great. Today I would like to discuss with you the diet plan of female wrestlers in India. As we all know how the amazing ‘Phogat sisters’ made India proud with their atypical interest in ‘wrestling’ a predominantly male sport. The famous saying, “Behind every independent and successful woman is a father who blindly trusts their children and not the society” rightly describes the dedication and undying faith of an enthusiastic father for his children.

Now let’s discuss the detailed diet plan with health benefits:

Diet Plan In detail

First thing in the morning is a glass of water on an empty stomach followed by some stretching and warm up exercises. Drinking water in the morning helps cleanse your bowel, detoxify your body and helps boost immunity. It increases appetite and raises the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) by 24% thereby aiding in weight loss and muscle tone.

Breakfast:

Sprout salad: The sprout salad can be easily prepared by a variety of sprouts available such as gram sprouts, moong bean, kidney beans, split peas etc. Sprouts are naturally nutritious wonder food, a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Biotin, Iron and Zinc.

Including sprouts in your diet has varied health benefits like rejuvenating your skin, enhances collagen production, helps in detoxification process and prevents premature aging. So, go ahead and enjoy the mix and match of various sprout recipes to reap its benefits.

Fresh Fruits, Vegetables: Consuming fruits and vegetable rich diet provides your body with all the necessary nutrients vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Fresh vegetables are naturally low in calories and rich in dietary fibre, Vitamin A and C, Folic acid and Potassium.

Intake of food rich in Potassium like Soybeans, spinach, Lentils and Kidney beans etc helps maintain normal blood pressure. Dietary Fibre from Most vegetables reduces blood cholesterol levels and helps in forming the roughage which aids digestion. Folic acid rich food like broccoli, avocado, lentils etc stimulates the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin C rich citrus fruits have wound healing properties.

Milk, Soybeans: Cow’s milk is considered the best diet for stronger bones and teeth as it offers a rich source of calcium and Vitamin D. It also has supplements like Potassium which helps in vaso-dilation thereby lowering your blood pressure. The most important dietary change a healthy person should opt for is reducing the intake of sodium and optimizing the intake of potassium. The optimal quantity of 4069 mg of Potassium per day reduces the risk of heart diseases by 50% approximately. Cow’s milk is also designed for muscle-building.

Whole Soy foods are an excellent source of fibre, Calcium, Vitamin B Complex and omega 3- fatty acids. It is the only complete non-animal protein as it is a plant source of eight of essential amino acids. These foods provide us with high quality protein and are very low in saturated fat making it a healthy and complete meal in itself. Whole soybeans are the best as they contain isoflavonoids, and a diet rich in isoflavone phytochemicals forms a base for a balanced diet.

Dry Fruits: Raisins are high energy food supplements for wrestlers. They are well-known for gaining weight in a healthy way. They are ideal food for maintaining an athletic body as they provide the wrestlers with powerful boosts of energy. The high content of Iron and copper in raisins helps in the formation of red blood cells.

Almonds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and contain filling fiber which keeps you full for a longer time. They are best consumed as snacks in between meals to keep your hunger pangs at bay. These beloved nuts contain a unique and protective phyto-sterol antioxidants and a plant protein as well. When consumed along with raisins they complement each other.

Cheat days: Sometimes the wrestlers like to have breakfast of their choice like aaloo paratha with curd or other healthy variations. These cheat days are allowed to satisfy their cravings and follow the diet plan with utmost discipline.

So, this was all about the breakfast and snacks. Now let’s discuss the meals in detail.

Main Course Regular meals: Wrestlers are prompted to eat regular meals which constitute of ‘daal’ the nutritious and appetizing lentil preparation. These come under leguminous food, very rich in protein. It is advisable to include a mix of all dals in your diet without which a typical Indian meal is incomplete. White rice has some rich mineral content and can be consumed in moderate portion along with daal.

Various green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, turnip etc are cooked by simple methods to retain their nutritional value, color and flavor of food. Some vegetables are preferred to be eaten in their raw form and mixed together to form various salad preparations.

Chicken is included in diet plan of wrestlers for its high protein content. Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of our muscles. 1 gram per kg of body weight is the recommended amount of daily protein. The best part of eating chicken regularly is its provides the wrestlers with high protein content for making their body more muscular and firm also keeping their body weight in control.

Indian whole wheat bread or Roti is consumed in dinner along with veggies, dal, chicken and salads for keeping fuller for longer time and still feeling active and light at the same time.

Mid Time Evening Snacks: A glass full of milk and seasonal fruits are good enough to keep your hunger pangs at bay. Almonds and raisins should be taken to give energy shots whenever required.

Pre Workout Diet: Milk and Seasonal fruits provide the wrestlers with the energy required for the rigorous workout sessions.

Post Workout Diet: A post work out meal of soy protein, fruits and lots of water is what required for replenishing the muscle glycogen depleted during workout. Fruits and water hydrates the dehydrated body tissues.

Last but not the least, a glass full of milk before bed time relaxes your tired muscles and makes you fall asleep like a baby. Milk contains Tryptophan (an amino acid which helps induce sleep) and melatonin (a hormone that regulates sleep cycle).

A wrestler’s diet is a versatile and balanced one devoid of high calorie and junk foods. Fresh and seasonal food is of much relevance. Wrestlers are advised to avoid food which is excessively sour and spiced like pickles, chutneys and chat as they are thought to cause lethargy and sensual arousal.

Hats off to the Dangal sisters for their taboo smashing move to become successful wrestlers and the unquenching thirst for achieving their goal. More power to you women, go ahead and catch your dreams.

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How To Tone Your Lower Chest Using 2 Simple Exercises

If you want to get a bigger chest one of the best ways to do so is by learning how to tone your lower chest as opposed to working on another portion of this muscle group. Although you may not have heard this tip before it is very effective in bringing out definition in the chest area.

The chest muscle group is divided in the following manner: top chest, middle and lower chest. Often times guys focus on either the middle or sometimes the upper chest to bring out definition and develop it to its potential.

The Bottom Heavy Myth

In weightlifting there is a myth that working on the lower chest will create a “bottom heavy pecs.” The belief is that as more muscle is developed in the lower chest gravity will eventually cause the pecs to hang lower. I do not agree entirely with this belief if you are working the chest area properly.

The Proper Way To Work The Chest

In order for the pecs to look their best they have to be exercised from each angle as mentioned earlier. Simply choose exercises that will target each area of the pecs. Because of the fear of getting bottom heavy pecs many guys will ignore the lower part of the pec area.

The Best Exercises For The Lower Chest

  • Dips: Perform dips using your body weight. As you lower your body keep your chin tucked in and touching your upper chest. This tweak will force the lower chest to become more involved.
  • Decline Bench Press: Use dumbbells or a barbell when performing this exercise. When bringing the weight down do not over stretch the muscle. For best results have the arms form a 90-degree angle at the lowest point.

Simply adding these two exercises will help you tone your lower chest. Include these exercises along with exercises that target the middle and upper chest and you will have great definition in your pecs.

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MMA Specific Strength Training – Movements and Muscles

Unfortunately, most mixed-martial artists follow a strength training program designed for bodybuilders. If your program consists of chest, legs, and arms days, or any other body-part split, then you fall into this category too. So if you’re following a bodybuilding routine, let me ask you this, is your goal to walk around the ring, flexing your biceps, or is your goal to knock your opponent out? If you want to have sexy biceps, stop here. But if you want to knock your opponent out, read on.

If you’re a mixed-martial artist, there are 3 pitfalls to following a bodybuilding routine in they gym:

1) The routine will require high volume and thus take time away from martial arts training.

2) The routine will leave your muscles tired and sore, which will take away from martial arts training.

3) The routine promotes muscular hypertrophy, which means that if you follow it properly, you’ll have to move to a higher weight class.

Now for most athletes, if you’ve got to learn wrestling, boxing, muay thai, grappling, and deal with life on top of all of that, a 4-5 day strength training routine is not going to enhance your performance. Add endurance training on top of that and you’re probably setting yourself up for overtraining and potential injury.

Even if you can get it in, and it doesn’t leave you too sore, you still don’t want to add too much muscle. Instead, your goal is for relative strength and power, which means that you want to stay the same weight, but get more and more powerful.

Since your goals are different, your strength training routine needs to be different to address those goals.

That’s where you want to begin to think about training movement patterns first and muscles after.

Six basic movement patterns exist:

1) Squat

2) Lunge

3) Bend (aka deadlift)

4) Twist

5) Push

6) Pull

If you integrate these movements into your program, you’ll be working every muscle in your body to some degree.

Additionally, when you perform these movement patterns, you may notice deficiencies or strength imbalances. One example is during a lunge – if your forward knee caves in, this means that your glutes (medius and maximus) are either not firing when they should or they’re relatively weak. Either way, you know that you’ve got to do some isolation work to bring up the lagging muscle.

Isolation exercises are not categorized within the movement patterns listed above, but there are some that mixed-martial artists need to be doing, such as isometrics (planks, hangs, etc) and single-joint exercises (external shoulder rotations, bicep curls, etc), in addition to any corrective exercises.

So instead, focus on training movement patterns first, then isolate later.

Now, since you’re on the movement pattern paradigm, the biggest benefit for the mixed-martial artist is that you want to train 2-3 times per week to get the most benefit. Since you’ll be hitting every major muscle group each time you workout, training more than 3 times a week will interfere with your recovery and leave you too sore and tired to be effective in your MMA training. A sample 2-day split would be:

Day 1: Forward lunges, bench press, chin-ups, skull crushers, and prone bridges.

Day 2: Deadlifts, arnold press, 1-arm rows, bicep curls, and woodchops.

Here you’ll be hitting all movement patterns and all major muscle groups. You’ll still be making strength gains by following effective rep, set, and rest schemes, you won’t be left too sore, and you’ll be fresh and ready to absorb effective MMA techniques.

Remember, you’re a mixed-martial artist, not a bodybuilder posing in a speedo, so train with one goal in mind – improving your performance in the cage.

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Building Muscle – How to Build Up Your Biceps In a Short Period of Time

Building muscle is hard work but it also depends on the genetic structure of the body. Some people seem to build muscle in no time, while others need month after month to see any positive result. Biceps are perhaps the most widely used judging tool in people’s hands to determine the progress of your work out. A few exercises are designed specifically for this muscle group and if we do these exercises systematically with concentration and dedication, you can surely have an eighteen-inch bicep within a very short period.

To get strong and big biceps, you need to lift heavy weights at low repetitions, anything from 2 to 8, depending on the exercise. The most effective form of arm training and build big biceps is pre exhausted training. When you eventually move on to train the muscle of choice it will tire very quickly and you will increase your gains in a shorter period of time.

• USE STRAIGHT BAR: Use a straight weight bar with a light amount of weight on it and curl the bar to your chest. Hold the weight for about 1 second and then release the weight back down only half the speed that you brought it up. Take a 40 second break than repeat it 4 times.

• USE HORIZONTAL BAR: Grab a fixed horizontal bar with your palms facing you and leave 4-7 inches of space between them. Lift your self up until your chin is level or over the bar than bring your self down half the speed that you came up. Take a 40 second break and repeat this 4 times.

• USE DUMBBELL: Take a set of dumbbells with a decent amount of weight. Turn your hands so your thumbs are up. You bring the weights up just like you have done with the straight bar curls. Take a 40 second break and for 4 times!

Bicep curls using dumbbell can be performed, either with both arms simultaneously or with one arm at a time. Lock the elbows into the sides of the abdomen for weight support. Slowly lifts the weight from an extended-down arm position to almost reach the shoulder, then stop, and then slowly lower the weight.

Biceps are one of the smaller muscles in your body so don’t over do them. Give them a lot of rest and that is how you build your biceps! The biceps should be worked out once every 4 to 5 days and no more.

USEFUL TIPS FOR BICEP WORKOUT

• Warm up by using a light set of dumbbells.

• Control the weight at all times.

• Perform all repetitions (reps) s to failure. This means performing the exercise until you cannot lift anymore weight.

• Do not arch your back or swing the weight up.

• Do not lock out your arms at the bottom of the curl.

In order to get big biceps, you need to eat a lots of protein (meat, eggs and fish) rich food. Protein is what makes up your muscles, and you need a lot of it for building muscle. Eat as much protein as you can; your body needs to have an excess of calories each day before you can start to build muscle. Make sure to have a protein drink or a good meal after your biceps workout. Enough rest and good food is necessary for building muscles.

Get plenty of sleep (9 hours would be good, but 8 is fine) and limit your cardiovascular workouts to 1-2 per week.

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Perfect Pushups For Women

Pushups are the best exercise for women to define their muscles. Why? adding pushups to your workout not only hardens your chest but it will give you great muscle definition in your shoulders, triceps, deltoids, as well as traps. You will get that sexy definition you’ve always wanted, looking better and feeling great. Trust me women, men love your arms, you need to get muscle definition to gain more attraction toward yourself.

Pushups are the best and safest way to build your upper body and back. You need to do pushups reason being you can do this every single day without injury. From handicap pushups to incline, the advancement in pushups is up to how in shape you are and can handle. Excess pushups won’t give you bulky, ugly male muscle in-fact, you’re going to look way better than you ever though you could by increasing the reps with your pushup routine.

You will shred off calories and even give yourself an extra boost. When you do pushups in the gym, men are attracted to the hardness of your workout routine and you will see more men starring in awe when you do pushups and you have a nice physique.

Beginner pushups are for anyone starting out, you simply make your arms squared to your shoulders and your feet together. Start by going down and pause for 1 second than you want to go back up and repeat 12 times.

Handicapped pushups are usually for out of shape, obese women and you simply use your knees instead of your feet, keep your hands squared to your shoulders and you go down, pause for 1 second, go back up and repeat.

Decline pushups are more advanced pushups, for women who are in decent shape and want a tougher course of a workout routine. You find a chair or bench chair, put your feet up together and you slowly go down, hold your position for 1 second and come back up repeating this 12 times in 5 sets.

Incline pushups are the opposite, you simply find a chair or bench chair and you put your hands on top of it and your feet on the ground. You go down slowly and back up, make sure you hold your down position for 1 second.

Advanced stability pushups is where you use a medicine ball, put your hands down on top of it as the ball will support your weight, keeping your feet on the ground. When you are 2 inches from the ground hold your position for 1 second and raise back up slowly repeating this 12 times.

You should pick which type you are most comfortable with, after you do this everyday and you start gaining resistance to the workout, you can increase your reps or difficulty. Your getting stronger if you can’t feel pain after the workout, it’s time for you to upgrade your pushup routine and go for a more advance workout.

Stick to pushups everyday you will start to see the desired results you’ve always wanted. Your going to look great and feel go when you are dedicated to doing pushups.

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