Strength training equipment

Building muscle and strength, losing weight, staying in shape and carving out an impressive physique is something which everyone dreams of. Strength training helps to build muscle mass and strength, shed fat and beat weight gain which is a natural occurrence as we age.

The two basic methods of losing weight are known to all:

1. Cut down on our diet (Reduce calorie intake)

2. Burn our fat burning capacity (Burn extra calories)

Since its generally not good to cut down on our nutrition, the only healthy way to lose weight is by burning fat.

How does strength training help you to lose fat?The answer to this question lies in the fact that muscle is "active tissue" which burns a lot of energy just to maintain itself as compared to bones, fat or organ tissue. For example 10 pounds of lean muscle helps you to burn 60 calories per day which translates to a loss of 5 pounds of fat per month or 60 pounds per year! So, even without changing your diet, you can lose an extra 60 pounds of fat per year by gaining 10 pounds of muscle through exercise. This gradual way of losing fat is the best way to lose weight because other roller coaster methods of losing weight, such as spurts of sports activity or dieting, can be detrimental to our general health.

Whether our goal is to increase our strength or lose weight, building muscle becomes doubly useful.

So how do we gain lean muscle? The process is not as difficult as we might think. Generally, strength training plans involve a certain number of compound exercises (exercises that workout more than one muscle group) which are performed specifically for the purpose of enhancing either muscle mass OR strength as follows:

To increase muscle mass: You would want to use 50% of your maximum lift capacity for 12-15 reps; doing two sets of these. Then, you may wish to move down to 40% for 15-20 reps; doing two sets.

To increase strength: You would want to use 65% of your maximum lift capacity for 6 - 8 reps; doing two sets of these. Then, you may wish to move up to 75% for 2 -3 reps; doing two sets.

This rep scheme can be used for various muscle groups such as presses, lifts, squats, curls and so on.

Which equipment is best suited for strength training?

This question needs a very individualized answer because these equipment have taken enormous strides in recent years and today there are dozens of different weight training equipment available to choose from. Some equipment is good only for skilled fitness buffs because the techniques used are not easy to master and the risk of injury can be high if they are not performed properly. Luckily many of the newer strength training equipment are easy and quite safe to use even for beginners. Broadly speaking, the various strength training equipment are:

Free Weights

Weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are good equipment to have for skilled users and can be fun to use if you are trained in their proper use. However they require the exerciser to exhibit greater control over the range of motion used since there is no machine to guide you. So the risk of injury can be significant with this type of equipment, specially if you are working out without a partner to spot you. The free weights can start from a mere 2.5 pounds to a whopping 100 pounds and depend on the needs and requirements of the user. Even heavier weights are assembled by adding the weight plates on to the dumbell or barbell rods.

Curl Machine

These are the seated curl machines that work by utilizing a system of pulleys which enables a smooth and safe lift. The machines are designed to exercise particular parts of the body such as the legs or arms. While these types of machines may not allow the user to exercise the full movement of the muscles in the body, for those who do not have a high degree of muscle co-ordination needed to use free weights, these machines can be great lifesavers.

Bowflex

Bowflex is a type of weight room equipment that makes use of a patented system consisting of flexible rods and is customizable by changing the rods. The amount of force needed and the muscle building power is determined by the size and stiffness of the rods.

Machine Home Gyms (Smith Machines)

Named after their developer, Smith Machines are basically free weights that are operated through pulleys, cables and guides. So there is very low room for error or injury with these machines because the weights cannot come down on you if you happen to slip or drop them. The user glides the weight up and down along rails so the risk of injury or misuse because of improper range of motion is little to none. Depending on their requirement, the user can increase or decrease the amount of weights by placing the catch rod in different notches. The weights. These machines are a great investment because they are very sturdy and usually provide decades of worry free use.

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Weight training

Losing fat and gaining muscle should always go hand in hand. Unfortunately, if you only practice aerobics, such as walking, using a treadmill, etc. you will only lose weight and not gain much muscle at all. That is why it is so important to add weight training to your workout routine. Aerobic exercise combined with weight training is the key to losing weight and gaining muscle. Your body will do this simultaneously when you regularly (at least three times a week) practice weight training and aerobic exercise.

1) How fat loss and gaining muscle are essential to maintaining the ideal body weight and for a great physique - Fat loss and muscle gain are essential for getting you to your ideal body weight and maintaining a great physique. For each pound of muscle you gain, you will increase your metabolism, which is highly important in losing weight. The more muscle you have in your body, the more weight (fat) you will lose, even when you are doing nothing at all. When you increase your metabolism in this way, your body will help you burn off unnecessary fat even while you are sleeping.

2) Fat loss and muscle gain are best done in two cycles: muscle gain in the first cycle and fat loss in the second cycle. Since gaining muscle boosts your metabolism you will have more energy to workout and maintain your exercise regimen. Start off slow and keep increasing the weights or sets to help your body to keep gaining muscle. This doesn't mean that aerobic exercise is not important, it is. You should keep up with your aerobic exercise as well.

3) Tips and strategies to gain muscle mass through diet, exercise and supplementation - There are many ways to gain muscle and lose fat. One is through your diet.

You will need to make a lifestyle change in your eating habits. Make plans to clean out your kitchen of processed foods and other unhealthy foods and go grocery shopping. Shop around the perimeter of the store first. This is where most grocery stores keep all of the healthy foods such as dairy, fruits, vegetables, fish and meats. Use this space to do most of your grocery shopping in. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and fend off unnecessary hunger.

Second is exercise. You must maintain a healthy routine of both weight training and aerobic exercise in order to boost your metabolism, lose fat and gain muscle.

Third are supplements. These are important because they will help you get all of the nutrients you can from your healthy foods. Start with a daily multivitamin, but be sure to check with your medical professional as some have added herbs that can interact poorly with your body or medicines.

Fat loss and muscle gain are possible provided you are willing to put in the effort required in this endeavor. I'm not going to tell you it's easy and you will see results overnight. You won't. You need to work hard at this and stick with eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis.

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Weight loss

This article is being examined by two groups of people: People who desire to lose some fat and people who do not, but want to build muscle.

Which one are you?

There are far too many disadvantages to being overweight. It causes negative stress on our heart and weakens our organs. It does little for our figure, making us less attractive than we really are.

The great news though is that it is possible to lose fat. In order to reduce the amount of fat it is important that you remain dedicated. You will need to start and maintain an effective diet or workout routine that you have chosen.

Fat does not appear overnight. Fat is like pockets of fuel which your body has stored away. Until you get around to using these layers of fuel, your body is going to just keep carrying them. You will have to burn those unnecessary calories up to reduce the fat reserve.

As scientists have repeatedly informed us, ensuring a balance in your diet and exercise routines will allow you to lose weight. Sadly, most scientists fail to outline how exactly this balance should be attained. Consequently, a high number of people embark on wrong diets with the expectation that it will accelerate the process of weight loss. In the end, they hardly ever work.

However, there is one way that shows real fat loss and that is, the human muscle. If the human muscle is an engine, then calories is the fuel on which it is run. The existence alone of your muscle - not use, ensures that you burn more calories every day, even if you do not do anything. Increasing your muscle mass means you will be able to burn even more calories every day. This will allow you to effectively alter your muscle-fat ratio to healthier limits.

Virtually everyone can use this muscle gain, fat loss approach. It does not matter how old you are or what your sex is. With muscle up and fat off, your metabolism will improve. Gaining weight will be harder once you have an increased metabolic rate. Eating some sweets will no longer mean a sentence to the fat farm.

Obviously, for you to get a successful muscle up-fat off result, it is important that you include a tested fitness plan as your workout routine. Using a successful training program will get even greater results. There a professional coach will be able to guide you on all the ways you can go about getting your body into the right class of fitness. I definitely recommend checking out the muscle and weight loss [http://muscleupfatoff.com/quick-weight-loss/muscle-and-weight-loss/] principle.

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Push ups

Is it possible to do push ups to gain muscle? Definitely. Push ups are one of the simplest and most common exercises around. Taught in school gym class and used by fitness models alike, push ups are among the most versatile of all exercises. They are both useful to lose fat and gain muscle. There are variations of the push ups to gain muscle that focus on shoulders, some on triceps, and many on the chest.

This said, push ups are a full body work out that affects multiple muscle groups. This is evident from the delayed soreness felt in several different muscle groups after performing this exercise. They are also a great work out because they do not require any gym equipment or anything more fancy than a bit of floor space. This article discusses the possibility, method, and use of push ups to gain muscle

Can you use push ups to gain muscle? Like any exercise when done with sufficient intensity muscle fiber tears result and repairing of this muscle fiber is what helps increase muscle mass. Additionally, since the several different muscle groups involved in the exercise are all damaged and then repaired additional muscle is built, not just in the chest region, unlike most people would believe.

How to do push ups to gain muscle routine: This routine takes you from a beginner level to the point where you will notice significant differences in strength and muscle mass. Initially you must begin with a few reps a day. Maybe just 50 reps divided between several sets; 5 sets of 10 reps. When you notice muscle soreness take a couple of days break. Once your muscles heal completely and you feel no more pain, you can begin doing the same amount of repetitions on a more regular basis. Maybe ever other day. Once you get into the comfort zone with this number of repetitions, you can gradually increase the rep and set number, pushing yourself further. The next modification is to perform all these repetitions within a certain time frame. By the time you've reached 500 or so a day you would probably already have noticed some significant positive changes in your body.

Ways to do push ups to gain muscle. Performed in many different ways it is possible to utilize push ups to gain muscle in certain areas more than in others. For instance with the hands closer to the body, the triceps and inner chest are stimulated more, while a wider grip can target the outer portions of the chest as well. The variations are endless just by changing the angles and positions of your hands and legs.

Doing calisthenics, at such a high intensity can result in an improved appetite that would result in a higher caloric consumption, which is absolutely necessary for muscle growth. Make sure that your diet contains plenty of water, vitamins, good carbohydrates and protein as these are essential building blocks for building muscle. Push ups to gain muscle are among the most effective way to gain mass at home without lifting lots of weight.

Though it is definitely possible to do push ups to gain muscle, this exercise alone can only take you so far and pack on so much muscle. Additional exercises with a great meal plan and plenty of rest are the other essentials to build greater amounts of muscle.

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Weight training

As a naturally skinny person it can often seem like no matter what you do or what you eat you never seem to gain weight. Your naturally fast metabolism makes any sort of weight gain tough, but weight loss easy - I'm sure you're often told how grateful you should be that you don't suffer from the reverse of that problem, but that doesn't really help does it?

Your biggest question is how to gain weight with a fast metabolism, but you don't want to get fat, you'd like to get a toned body that improves your shape and makes you look fantastic.

In this article I'd like to show you the 2 things you need to focus on to gain weight with a fast metabolism without the consequence of getting fat in the process.

Create A Caloric Surplus To Gain Weight

In plain English "eat more than you burn off". This sounds pretty straightforward and common sense, but most folks don't actually realize how many calories they should be consuming on a daily basis.

I can understand since much of our society is geared to weight LOSS, a lot of calorie requirements are much lower than a naturally skinny person with a high metabolism requires.

As a rule of thumb, you can multiply your current bodyweight in pounds by 24 to get a ball park figure - i.e. if you weigh 150 pounds then you'll need to be consuming around 3,600 calories per day (150 x 24). Obviously this is not an exact figure as other factors are involved such as level of daily activity, age, gender, etc. but it gives an idea as to how the bog-standard 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men, is totally inadequate for a person looking at how to gain weight with a fast metabolism.

These extra calories need to be split over 6 meals per day split 3 hours apart in order to keep your metabolic rate steady, and avoid the usual spikes and crashes that come from the usual 3 meals per day. The key to this is keeping that fast metabolism consistent and preventing long periods without food, where your body will resort to burning off your precious body fat.

"But won't all these extra calories and meals make me fat?"

The key to not getting fat on a high calorie diet is in performing weight training exercises to add bulk and muscle tone. Since muscle weighs more than fat our goal is to add muscle to gain weight and improve our overall appearance, shape, strength and health.

Weight Training To Gain Weight Quickly

The key to any weight training workout to gain weight with a fast metabolism is to focus on compound mass gaining exercises.

Exercises such as Squats, Bench Press, Deadlifts and the like are the best muscle building exercises going and so are great for gaining weight.

Make sure that the intensity in your workouts is high, and your weights heavy. This along with a high calorie diet will give you the best opportunity to gain weight with a fast metabolism.

"But I'm a woman...won't weight training make look big and bulky?"

This is actually a very common question, and the answer is that in general women do not have the natural testosterone or hormonal levels to get big and bulky unless they are doing extreme training routines. That's why a lot of the big female bodybuilders take some kind of hormone pills, to give them the boost that they don't naturally have.

Some weight training will help bring out your natural feminine curves, while keeping your stronger and healthier, and enabling you to gain weight with a fast metabolism.

Finding the right hardgainer workout is imperative if you want to build muscle and gain weight with a fast metabolism. See how this workout and meal plan has helped folks overcome their skinny genes and pack on weight and muscle without getting fat ==> How To Gain Weight With A Fast Metabolism

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LOSE weight

If you're a skinny girl and looking for information on how to gain weight for women then you're no doubt sick and tired of the media's constant barrage of TV programs and dieting gurus telling folks how to LOSE weight, but virtual neglect of what a person can actually do to put on weight.

What's worse is that I'm sure some folks even probably give you a jealous look when you say that no matter how hard you try and how much you eat you just can't seem to put on a few extra pounds. Most people just don't understand how frustrating it can be to want to gain weight and feeling like you can't.

Don't worry though, the good news is that there are steps that you can take when thinking about how to gain weight for women...and, believe it or not, you can take a lesson from the how the boys do it on this one.

The 2 Different Meanings Of "Weight"

When a woman says she wants to gain weight she doesn't really want to gain FAT, but she is often frightened of gaining muscle - and will often say "I don't want to be a bodybuilder or anything".

Unfortunately, there are only two ways to gain weight - in fat or muscle. And the problem with gaining fat is that it often distributes itself unevenly on your body, with little regard to where YOU want it.

Building muscle and making some weight training a part of your weekly workouts is the single best way of how to gain weight for women without getting fat. There's no need to frightened of it...you won't end up as a bodybuilder - in fact women's bodies simply don't produce enough testosterone to become really muscular.

Also, muscle mass weighs more than fat, so a little extra muscle can make a huge difference in your overall weight.

Avoid The Same Old Cardio Exercises

These are used to burn fat and LOSE weight, not gain it. As mentioned above, the best thing you can do is to add some weights into your routine and starting working past your comfort zone. That is the only way to gain muscle mass, and thus extra weight.

Loads of repetitions and many sets on light weights won't cut it either - that is better used for toning, and muscular endurance. You need continually increasing resistance to force the muscles to grow, so limit your repetitions to between 4-8 per set, and a total of around 8-10 sets per workout TOTAL (that's including all your exercises).

Eat More To Gain Weight

Consume more calories around 500-1000 more per day and have 6 smaller meals spread over the whole day - this will keep your metabolism consistent and keep a constant supply of energy feeding your muscles.

Increase your protein intake to around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (so if you weigh 150 pounds then you'll need at least 150 grams of protein per day).

Try adding protein powders to your daily diet and use them as one of your meals in the form of a shake with an added banana, strawberries, or other fruits.

There are some great protein powders on the market, like 100% Whey, and others specially tailored to a woman's nutritional requirements. Go to my site for more info on protein powders for women

Discover the secrets of how a frail ex-runway model packed on 10 pounds of strong muscle in 3 months becoming a top fitness model in the process ==> How To Gain Weight For Women

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Supplements

In the past decades, we witnessed our generation evolve from being skinny and small-built people to being plump and overweight ones, and at times obese people. We are still continuously hitting the benchmark of the generation with the highest number of obese and overweight people because of our own misdoings. As a result, there has been an upsurge of diet products and supplements claiming to be effective in helping us lose those extra weight. In fact, in the last twenty years, the rate of obese people already hit 60% of the world's population. The question that most of us ask is "Will taking fat burner pills affect muscle gains?"

We can choose from numerous supplements that we have nowadays. This has both positive and negative effect; positive in the sense that we have the prerogative of trying what works best for us; and negative because there is a possibility that we get the fake and substandard ones. Concrete examples include Ephedra and Ephedrine, which are the most prevalent ones. Many people spread the news that these supplements help us burn calories. However, after some time, the Food and Drugs Act banned these because of adverse effects and safety issues. Though there are still many supplements out there in the market promising to help us get rid of those pounds because some may really work; they are not as effective without diet and regular exercise. On the other hand, they may do us well in terms of muscle production because as these supplements burn our body fats, and as we exercise consistently, these burned fats become muscles.

Hence, the answer to "Will taking fat burner pills affect muscle gain?" is yes but only if you take them with regular exercise and a healthy diet. So think about it, these supplements only help a bit but what does the entire work is exercise and diet so make sure you do both plus these products. One good product that burns our calories fast is the Acai Berry Supplement.

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Muscle building

One of the toughest parts about bodybuilding and working out to get great results is eating. Something eating literally becomes a chore between shopping, cooking, and wondering what to eat next. Muscle building foods should be enjoyable and easy to make. If you want to build muscle fast you must simply be prepared and get organized so that you can keep eating without skipping on meals.

Breakfast

This one is easy and must never be skipped. The first meal of the day is critical to get yourself out of the fasting state because the body starts breaking down muscle tissue for energy. Take some time to enjoy breakfast with eggs and a whole wheat toast. Have a side of fruit to add antioxidants and more calories. Breakfast is a meal where you can overeat a bit and not worry about gaining fat. It is important to balance the meal with protein, fats, and carbs as well as fiber to slow the digestion giving more sustained energy for the day.

Meal ideas - Omlettes, Frittata's, Egg Scrambles with Veggies, Oatmeal are great starts to help gain muscle mass.

Lunch

Lunch is another critical meal as you are at the middle of the day and need something to keep you going without slowing you down. If you work or go to school it is important to plan ahead on this one and make sure you have packed something full of muscle building foods. One of my favorites is tuna salad sandwiches. It only takes a minute to pop open a can of tuna, add a couple tablespoons of low fat mayo and slap it on some slices of whole wheat bread. Add a slice of cheese, lettuce, and tomato and you have nearly a complete meal. Throw some fruit or raw veggies in there also to add fiber and more antioxidants for good health to aid in recovery of muscle building.

Meal ideas - Tuna sandwhiches, Buffalo Chicken Salads, Turkey Chili.

Dinner

The best muscle building foods for dinner should be loaded with lean protein, fibrous carbs, and healthy fats. This is one meal where you may want to watch the amount of complex carbohydrates depending on how late you eat and if gaining some fat along with the muscle is an issue or not. If you have a fast metabolism go ahead and load up on lots of carbs at night because you probably won't turn any of it to fat. If you are prone to fat gain watch the carbs at night because depending on how much fat you gain during your bulk up stage it could be tougher to lean out and there is always a risk of some muscle loss during a fat loss stage.

Meal ideas - Lean Ground Beef Burgers with a side of sweet potato fries, whole grain pasta with chicken breast and asparagus, steak with potatoes and broccoli.

Use a variety of foods to build muscle to make it fun and interesting. There are plenty of recipes on the internet so there is no shortage of free meal ideas to be had. Try to make sure you have at least 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass a day. Some say go to 1.5 or 2 grams per pound a day but if you eat a well balanced diet 1 gram per pound should be fine. Make sure you have a high quality fast absorbing protein drink immediately after your workout as the timing of protein for muscle building is critical.

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Gain muscle

This is How women lose body fat gain muscle - they plan well and are prepared to be patient. Women who are patient have long term views to eat sensibly and train hard on a consistent basis to get the body they want.

There are no short cuts or miracle cures for a lean body - but if you can keep fat loss simple, you will lose body fat and gain muscle over time!

Below are 8 tips on How Women Lose Body Fat Gain Muscle -

1. Understand your 'how' and 'why' behind each exercise and food choice. That way, you'll more likely stick to with a program.
2. Eat Slowly - it will help overweight people lose weight because one tends to eat less, instead of overeating at a fast pace. Eating fast without chewing food properly makes you eat more calories - Because your stomach does not register how much food you actually consume. This is why you keep eating without feeling full and consuming extra calories.
3. Eat more fresh wholesome foods. And say no to eating out, take-away foods and junk food.
4. Drink less sugary beverages - best yet cut it out completely. Sugary drinks including the diet kinds just adds unwanted body fat. So Stick to drinking plenty of water or green tea.
5. Whole fruits such as apples are more filling than dried apples, and much more filling than apple juice. A glass of juice provides around 500 kilojoules but an apple or orange (205 kilojoules) will save 295 kilojoules, have more fiber and still meet your daily vitamin C quota. Fiber expands in the gut, makes you feel full and helps stop you over-eating. The rule - try to get 2 servings of fruits a day - and 5 servings of veggies. Both fruits and veggies are great sources of fiber and carbs!
6. Make meals more satisfying by including two to four portions of high protein foods (like poultry, fish, low fat dairy foods, beans, eggs and tofu) daily. But don't overdo it - eating more protein than you need won't help you lose weight faster. Comes down to eating in moderation.
7. Be consistent and make the new found habits as part of your lifestyle. Do it consistently, and it will become the norm for you.
8. Never Stop Challenging Your Body - Every week, mix it up - create new routine by varying the moves, the intensity, the number of reps and sets. For your body to keep changing, your workouts have to keep changing too - and must include strength training to tone your body. The best workout for women are a combination of interval training and challenging resistance training. If you need the best fat loss program for women, The Truth About Six Pack Abs covers a range of the most effective workouts and nutrition tips designed for women to lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time!

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Building muscle

Many people may be surprised to know that you can effectively build muscle without weights. When you think of building muscle the first thing that probably comes to mind is a bunch of big muscular guys in the gym grunting during each repetition until they let the weights come crashing down to the ground. What you may not know is that you can get even bigger and more muscular than these guys without lifting weights and without ever stepping foot into the gym.

Here are my top 3 exercises to build muscle without weights

Exercise #1 - Push ups

I'm sure that everyone is familiar with push ups but it seems like so few people actually do them anymore. Push ups are one the best ways to build up your chest and arms. Anyone that's been to a military base knows that all those guys with huge chests and giant arms got that way from doing push ups. This is one the most effective exercises at building muscle without weights and it's one of my favorites.

Exercise #2 - Pull ups

Pull ups are the very best way to build up your back muscles both in and out of the gym. To perform pull ups you will need a bar to hang from. These can be found in stores that sell exercise equipment or online and aren't very expensive. Pull ups can be tough to do at first, if you're having trouble try starting on your knees instead of hanging and pull yourself up from there. And don't worry you'll be doing "real" pull ups in no time!

Exercise #3 - Squats

Squats are one of the very best exercises out there. They're the best exercise for building muscle in your legs and they really work to strengthen your core. To perform squats stand with your feet shoulder width apart and with your arms sticking out straight. Slowly lower your butt to the floor until your thighs are parallel to the ground and then push off your heels and squeeze the muscles in your butt to return to your starting position.

Those are my top 3 exercises to build muscle without weights [http://workoutstobuildmuscle.org], they've worked awesome for me and I'm sure they'll work great for you too. These exercises work great but they're not what used to transform my body from a wimpy 150lbs to big and muscular 185lbs.

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Gain muscle

When I was just a youngster in my twenties, I desperately wanted to gain muscle mass. Like many guys at that age, I longed to have big arms, wide shoulders, powerful and sweeping thighs, and a V-shape that tapered down to a small waist.

Unfortunately, that's not how I looked. When I glance at old pictures, it appears that I was fooling myself into believing I looked less like the Pillsbury Doughboy than I really did. What was wrong? I pumped iron, downed high quantities of protein, ingested carbs during the so-called "two-hour window" after my workout. And most importantly in my mind; I kept my calorie intake high because all the available information said I needed to "bulk up" - to eat many more calories than I was burning so I could gain that desired muscle mass.

Now in my forties, I'm easily gaining natural muscle that I longed for twenty years ago. Not only that, I'm doing it while staying lean. Just recently, I decided to lean down even further - getting my body fat down in the mid-single digits. I was actually gaining strength and muscle while doing it.

How can that be? We're told over and over that in order to gain muscle size, we need to eat a lot. Oh... and if you have a "fast metabolism" (i.e. blessed with really low body fat), they'll tell you to turn yourself into a gorging pig because that's the magic bullet for "getting big"... right? Well, that will get you "big", but not with the kind of size that helps you land dates on Saturday night.

The fast metabolism people are being told to eat a lot more calories than they burn so they can gain muscle. They are assured by their muscle building gurus that they'll go to a different phase after they've gained the muscle; a phase in which they'll burn the fat.

Those with unwanted body fat are being told they'll need to focus on losing the fat before they can gain any appreciable muscle. It's said that the restrictive diet they'll need to adhere to will prevent them from gaining muscle size.

So here's a quiz question: If the skinny person can't gain muscle without eating a lot of excess calories and the fat person got fat by eating excess calories, how is the former fat person ever going to gain muscle without gaining back fat and how is the skinny person going to lose fat once he's "bulked up" without ending up skinny again? Maybe someone's feeding us something other than food.

The answer: Fat and muscle are completely different tissues sitting side-by-side on the body. Don't confuse the method by which one is gained or lost with how the other one is. If you're slender and you shovel down truckloads of extra calories while inadvertently missing the ideal muscle breakdown/recuperation ratio, you'll just end up fat.

Here's a question for the "fast metabolism group". Have you ever followed the advice of bodybuilding experts and didn't gain the muscle you expected? You know the advice I'm talking about; eat A LOT of food, train "HEAVY" (relative term - how about "make heavy weights into light ones"?), use big compound exercises, try to sit on your ass as much as possible, and uh... set your alarm to go off in the middle of your sleep so you can chug some 2AM whey protein. Ugh... I don't know about you, but you'll never pull me out of a good night's sleep just to force down some chalky powder.

Would you like to know what doing tons of compound exercises, forced reps, three, four and five-day splits and eating a lot of calories did for me? It turned me from a slim guy into a fat guy. When it was time to lose the fat, the muscle gains were disappointing. Anyone who's been to my website can attest; whatever muscle was lying dormant under my body fat - it didn't amount to much.

So the big question: How did I recently gain strength and muscle size while getting super lean?

I did it by eating slightly more protein than usual. I used 45 minutes of low-intensity cardio work to burn fat as soon as I got up in the morning. Above all, I made sure my muscles continued to be trained and recuperated at the ideal ratio and in my unorthodox manner. That's what's more important than adhering to some precise caloric regimen.

I'll never again listen to anyone who claims you can only do one or the other; you CAN gain muscle and lose fat (or remain lean) simultaneously.

Scott Abbett is the author of HardBody Success: 28 Principles to Create Your Ultimate Body and Shape Your Mind for Incredible Success. To see his personal transformation, visit www.hardbodysuccess.com

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Muscle building diet

When building muscle mass, the workout is only half of the battle. The other half is your diet. Without a good diet, is impossible to gain any measure of lean muscle mass. That is because the workout serves as stimuli making your body build muscle tissue. However without protein stores and the proper diet, your body will not have any building blocks to make this possible.

Therefore, it is important that you make sure your body is stocked with the right muscle building diet to help in your goal of a leaner, more muscular look. Here are a few muscle gaining diet tips to help you build a diet that is sure to fuel that metamorphosis in your body.

1. Lean meat. Lean meat is rich in protein and is a good basic building block for more muscle. Meat such as steak and other protein-rich foods has been a staple of many bodybuilding experts for over the past few decades. However, make sure you avoid the fat as it could compromise your bodybuilding goals.

2. Fiber rich foods. Fiber has long been known to help those wanting to lose weight. First of all, it prevents the body from absorbing too much fat. And, it also helps lower cholesterol and is a source of slow-burning carbohydrates, which is ideal for those wanting to lose weight.

Examples of fiber rich grains are oatmeal, wheat, vegetables and fruits. You could also buy them as supplements at any health store.

3. Water. Most professional bodybuilders go on diuretics just lose body liquids so that there muscle cuts can be more pronounced. However it is important for anyone going for in the look to drink enough water since workouts deplete natural body fluids.

4. Soybeans. Soybeans are a great source of protein and are low in fat and contain virtually no cholesterol. Many have been heralding soybean as one of the saviors of muscle building and weight loss.

It can be eaten as tofu, bean curd desserts and others. It is also cheap and easy to procure.

5. Whey protein. Whey protein is ready available at any health shop. It can be taken in as a supplement and mixed with soups, vegetables, and shakes. Whey protein is easy to absorb and is one of the best sources of protein available.

6. Egg whites. The protein of eggs resides in its egg whites. So, if you want to bulk up and get your protein from eggs, eat the whites and avoid the yellow part of the egg. You may also want to purchase processed egg whites from help stores. They are also good sources of protein.

For more muscle gaining tips and diets, please visit http://www.burn-fat-lose-weight.info/

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Body fat percentage

So It's Time To Reduce Body Fat

If you are like many people working out, you probably have a bit more body fat than you would like. There are tons of guys in gyms that lift hard during the year to gain mass, but they also have put on a bit of fat during this time. If you want a pleasing physique, you are going to need to get down to a respectable body fat level.

Tip Number 1: Continue to Lift Heavy During This Dieting Period

The common mistake that many people make is that they want to "lift for high reps" to tone the muscles. Tone is mainly caused by having a low body fat percentage, not the type of lifting you are performing. The reason you want to continue to lift heavy and make strength gains is that you want to make sure your body holds on to that hard earned muscle. If you lift light for high reps, your body doesn't have any reason to keep that muscle mass.

Tip Number 2: Reduce Body Fat at A Slow Rate

Give yourself plenty of time to get lean. Many people decide they want to get in shape two months before summer or a vacation. I recommend at least 3-4 months, if you want to get super-lean without losing muscle mass. The slower you reduce body fat, the less likely you will lose muscle mass. This makes sense because in order to lose body fat you need to eat less calories than what you burn and you need to perform a significant amount of cardio. In order to drop fat quickly, you have to go too low in calories to maintain the current amount of muscle you have. You will lose muscle mass. If you create a slight calorie deficit and lose only 1 to 2 pounds a week, you are much better off.

Tip Number 3: Perform High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training is the most effective form of cardio to burn body fat without losing muscle. To see the evidence, let's compare these two types of cardio in a real world situation. Sprinters have much more muscle than marathon runners. Sprinters perform a quick burst of effort, followed by a period of resting. Marathon runners train using the "slow and steady cardio" that is recommended by most trainers. I don't know about you, but I would rather look like a sprinter! When you hit cardio, alternate intense sprinting type efforts for 30 seconds followed by a minute or so of a less intense effort. Continue this pattern for 15 minutes. You will burn body fat while keeping that hard earned muscle.

Tip Number 4: Eat a "Realistic" Strict Diet

If you try to go too strict on your diet, you won't be able to maintain your diet for very long. My rule of thumb is this...I try to make sure that at least 75% of my meals are really clean and low calorie. If I do decide to eat a bit junky, I will try to make sure it is after a long and hard workout. Also I will eat pretty low carbs during the day before my workout, to maximize the amount of fat burned in my workout. If you have too much carbs in your system while working out, your body will burn carbs instead of the fat off your body. This really makes a big difference in your quest to reduce body fat.

Give These 4 Tips To Reduce Body Fat a Try!

Rusty Moore is a trainer who gives advice to men and women who want a body that has "The Hollywood Look". Download his FREE 56 page report... Vacation Body Blueprint. Get the slim & toned physique like Cam Gigandet, Brad Pitt, Jessica Biel, or Penelope Cruz. Click here to see the video and download the Free Report ----> http://vacationbodyblueprint.com

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Weight training

No matter what age, weight, height or metabolism a person is; the key to gaining muscle fast comes down to a few very basic but very important facts:

1. Weight training: types and techniques
2. Rest: Between exercise and sleep
3. Food; The most important thing when it comes to quick muscle gain. Calories and nutrients.

Weight training;

Quick muscle gain is achieved through exercising 3- 4 times a week, and this takes dedication and commitment. It is important to continue your exercise routine week by week to achieve your goal of gaining muscle fast. The 2 types of weight lifting are;

1. Isolation exercise

Isolation exercise is when you use only one joint in motion at a time. This includes such exercises as bicep curls, leg extensions and hammers. Isolation exercise is good for maintaining the muscle that is already built.

2. Compound exercise

Compound exercise is by far the ultimate way to gaining muscle fast. This includes bench press, squats, and dead lifts. Exercise like squats will work a whole range of muscles and joints at once like your back, ankles, hamstrings, knees, quads and hips. It also improves core strength! The true way to quick muscle gain is compound exercises.
Technique during your exercise is vitally important. This will greatly reduce injury but also increase the rate of gaining muscle fast. There are many programs outlining the correct techniques for types of weightlifting.

Rest;

1. Quick muscle gain will only work when you actually give your muscles a chance to rest! Every time we work out we are actually ripping our muscles and they will only recover to build in between workout. To do this try focusing on particular types of muscle groups during weight training like back legs and abs, and then alternate to another particular group the following day. Like chest biceps and shoulders. By doing this the first group have been given a chance to recover and are definitely gaining muscle fast!

2. Resting also involves sleep! Sleeping from 6 to 8 hours a night is important when weight training. This gives those tired muscles a chance to recover and build even faster, also improving cognitive function and overall energy level s. So make sure you find the time to get sleep in your busy regime your body will thank you! Plenty of rest and exercising properly will top bodybuilding supplements anywhere providing you with the quick muscle gain you desire.

Nutrition:

What we consume and how much we consume is by far the most critical piece of information we must know when it comes to gaining muscle fast. Understanding your daily caloric intake and what the right nutrients are to eat is the key to a ripped physique.

Calorie intake is important and can be calculated through age, weight, gender, height and overall metabolism of an individual. There are many programs out there to help us with our own calorie intake.

Nutrition involves protein, carbohydrates and fats these are the vital ingredients that will top bodybuilding supplements anywhere producing quick muscle gain and are simply found in all the foods we eat! The key is choosing the correct sorts of food

- Protein such as eggs, lean meat, poultry, fish, nuts, beans and lentils are great for building muscle and is not stored in the body either, so whatever we don't use will simply remove as waste. Protein is known as a macronutrient which is good energy for our bodies.

- Carbohydrates are extremely important when it comes to putting on the weight needed for quick muscle gain. Although there is a lot of confusion when it comes to this subject, complex carbs such as vegetables, sweet potatoes only, whole grain rice and breads, oatmeal, beans are perfect sources of this helping the skinny guy get those results!

Are you serious about quick muscle gain? Below is some excellent information I have found regarding nutrition rest and weight training. It will top bodybuilding supplements anywhere providing you with all the information and programs needed for gaining muscle fast.

http://bodywealth.org

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Bodybuilding Diet

You may have read about some bodybuilding diets in a number of fitness magazines, but these are different from the natural bodybuilding diet that we will talk about, that will be productive for gaining muscle with little fat gain. It is unfortunate, but these magazines should not be considered reliable sources for such information. These magazines rely financially on the companies purchasing advertising in their magazines, and the goal of these advertisers is to sell large amounts of their supplements. You should also realize that many of the models, from the moderately sized to the extremely muscular, that appear in these magazines, use steroids to enhance their appearance.

The Secret to a Productive Natural Bodybuilding Diet is Appropriately Timed Consumption of Nutrients

This means that your objective is to eat the bulk of your carbs and protein at times when your body is best equipped to digest them. This is an essential factor when working toward gaining muscle and not fat. You can avoid having your body store nutrients as fat for later use, if your body is prepared to utilize them at the time that you consume them. Although the principle of timing meals appropriately seems quite obvious, it is a concept that is not taken advantage of by many individuals. Let's take a look at the best way to plan meals to work in conjunction with your exercise regimen.

1. Your Largest Meal Should Take Place One Hour After Your Workout: Your muscles will readily utilize nutrients consumed at this time. In fact, this meal may contain as much as 50% of the calories that you consume in a day. Although a large number of individuals believe that you should eat as soon as you have finished exercising, this is unwise, as the release of HGH from the body is prevented by the rise in insulin that is produced at this time. HGH is a highly effective fat burning hormone, and therefore, you do not want to eat when this hormone is not doing it's job. You may consider taking several branched chain amino acids(BCAA) pills, which will not influence HGH release, but will provide protein to prevent muscle loss.

2. Following Your Largest Meal, Wait One Hour And Then Eat Again: Do not consume as much at this meal as you did in the meal an hour ago. For this meal, you should focus on eating foods rich in protein, and restrict the amount of carbs you take in. You can avoid the calories that you would get from excessive carbs, and still maximize the muscle gain with the high protein content.

3. The Remainder Of Your Meals Will Contain Fewer Carbs And Less Food Overall: This does not mean that you should cut out carbs all together, but you want to eat the majority of your carbs at the 2 meals following your workout. You should restrict your amount of calories and carbs, if your larger meal is in the evening.

New Evidence Shows That How Often You Eat Is Not As Critical As Once Believed

The theory that 6 meals a day is ideal, has been proven false in recently conducted research. If natural muscle building is your goal, eating every couple of hours is not necessary. Follow the above guidelines for eating your largest meal so that it can benefit from your post-workout metabolism, eat smaller meals thereafter, and the muscle building will happen without large gains in body fat. For a highly productive natural bodybuilding diet, this method will provide the greatest success.

A solid Body Building Diet is a good start in getting the lean "Hollywood Look". Gain Muscle without becoming a Meat-Head, by visiting http://gainmusclenow.net

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Cardio workouts

When looking to get the ripped cover model body that drives women crazy and makes you the envy of the gym then we have to look at how you should be training and how you should be eating. In this article we will deal with the training aspect and how you should be structuring your workouts so that you not only retain all that hard muscle but actually build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Why the high rep and light weight strategy is not the way to go

Most people will think that to achieve muscle gains while trying to get ripped you must go for the pump and train with lighter weight for more reps. However all this really does is create an illusion that your muscles are getting bigger. Yes in the gym when fully pumped they will appear more toned but after the pump has gone so has the muscle tightness. Therefore if you want your muscles to look tighter and bigger all the time then you need to think heavy.

Lifting Heavy weights is the secret to gaining muscle tone for longer

By lifting heavier weights we improve the efficiency of our nervous system and keep progressively overloading our muscles forcing them to get denser and more toned. When losing fat we can't expect to gain a lot of muscle but we can make them look bigger and more defined and this can be achieved by going for a more strength workout approach.

A great way to do this is to lift for 3-5 reps for 5 sets or so. I also like to mix in supersets of opposing muscle groups such as chest and back. This way I can go heavy on both muscle groups without fatigue but I get the added benefit of burning more fat as well due to the extra intensity. It also makes my workouts a hell of lot quicker. This is the method described in Craig Ballantynes excellent Turbulence Training for Fat loss program. Highly recommended for those looking to build muscle and lose fat.

When it comes to cardio high Intensity Interval Training is best

Any fat loss strategy is going to have to include a cardio element and I am a firm believer that when you want to lose fat but retain muscle then high intensity intervals are the way to go. This will help you get more fat burning results in less workout time, and you won't have to do any long, slow boring cardio workouts anymore. If your not sure what interval training is a quick explanation is that you perform a period of intense effort followed by a period of easy effort and keep repeating this cycle for a certain length of time but generally between 20-30 minutes. There are many ways to do this but my preferred choices are on the stationary bike or treadmill. For maximum results do them immediately after your strength training session.

If you're still not sure about HIIT then have a good look at a top class sprinter. Both the men and woman have amazing ripped muscular bodies with low body fat and they get like this doing short intensive bursts of effort.

So to build muscle and lose fat we need to follow a basic strength-training program and hit cardio hard. Train like an athlete and you will create an amazing body.

I am Howard Standring a Personal Trainer who lives in Southern Spain. I coach and advice men and women of all ages to help them achieve a lean attractive body that lasts for life.

For more workouts, advanced fat loss tips and muscle building advice to look like a Hollywood star or fashion model visit my blog http://www.energiafitness.com.

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Muscle tissue

Are you trying to gain muscle mass without the added body fat that comes from big eating? Do you struggle to find the fine line between eating too little for muscular gains and spilling over into fat gain? It is true that you'll probably have to gain some fat to get big, but it doesn't have to be much. With these five tips, you can gain muscle not fat, and avoid having to cut a bunch of fat after gaining your hard-earned muscle!

1. Time Your Carbs

If there's any nutrient that makes people gain fat with amazing speed, it's carbohydrates. This doesn't mean that they're all bad, though. In fact, you need carbs to build muscle! The key is to eat them at the right times, when your body is best suited to use them to gain muscle, not fat.

The best time to eat carbs is after your workout. Hard weight training alters the way your body uses food so that all nutrients and especially carbs are channeled towards muscle gain instead of fat storage. Sugar and starch alike, carbs can only help you in the hour or two after you train. Make sure to down plenty of them, along with some protein to both help you stay lean and increase your muscular gains.

2. Eat Your Protein!

Whether you're trying to lose fat or gain muscle, protein is the most essential nutrient for a weight lifter. This is especially true if you're trying hard to gain muscle, not fat! Not only does protein help you build new muscle tissue, it boosts your metabolism and is nearly impossible to convert to body fat. If you replace some of the calories you're currently eating from fats and carbs with more protein, you will likely get leaner AND build more muscle!

Unlike carbs, there is also no perfect time to eat protein. You should always be eating it! Every meal you eat throughout the day should have an appropriate portion of your ideal daily protein intake. Going too long without protein can cause your body to cannibalize its own muscle tissue - that won't help you stay lean!

3. Cardio for Cuts

You often hear bodybuilders advising other lifters to steer clear of any and all forms of cardio while trying to put on muscle mass. In fact, some guys get downright lazy when they're trying to gain, fearing that any extra movement is hurting their progress! Not only is this nonsense, it doesn't do any good for gaining purely lean muscle.

To add cardio into your routine without hurting your weight training, do low intensity walks in the morning on an empty stomach. At the time of day, your body has no food in it and is primed to burn body fat as you walk. Keep the intensity low, and you can keep the fat gains at bay without cutting into your recovery from weight lifting. Save the sprinting for when it's time to diet!

4. Don't Skimp on the Fat

Pretty much everyone these days realizes that eating dietary fat is NOT what makes you gain body fat. This is especially important to remember if you're trying to gain muscle, not fat. Gaining muscle mass takes a lot of calories, but eating too many carbs makes you fat. What are you to do, then? Eat more fat!

In order to gain muscle not fat, you must consume some fatty foods. Healthy fats like those found in nuts, oils, fatty fish, and even some lean red meat are great for your skin and hormonal functions, and they are a great source of calories, as well! They won't jack up your insulin levels and lead to instant body fat storage the way eating lots of sugar or starch will, but they can still help you meet your caloric needs for muscle gains.

5. Body Fat Gains vs. Body Fat Percentage

In the end, remember that you're going to have to gain SOME fat, but you can still maintain a good body fat PERCENTAGE. Consider this example. Joe weighs 200 pounds at 15 percent body fat. That's 30 total pounds of fat. Let's say he gains weight, both muscle and fat, to arrive at 250 pounds at 15 percent body fat. Now he has 37.5 pounds of fat. That's a gain of 7.5 pounds of fat, but he's still the same body fat percentage!

In simpler terms, Joe gained lots of muscle and a little bit of fat but still looks just as lean! Remember this example if you're still worried about gaining fat while building muscle. Some fat gain is going to be necessary if you want to gain faster than a snail's pace, but it doesn't have to affect how lean you look if you're strict with your diet.

Stick to these 5 tips when wanting to gain muscle not fat and you should be successful.

Justin Woltering is a fitness model, personal trainer, and author of Bigger Better Faster Now.

With 5 certifications and world recognition, Justin is helping skinny guys everywhere to achieve massive gains. To learn more bodybuilding tips and nutrition advice, visit Justin's blog at http://www.JustinWolteringsTheory.com.

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High protein diet

You are most likely looking at the title of this article Build Muscle without Lifting Weights and thinking to yourself I did not even think that was possible, I mean is it even possible? Well yes it is possible but it may not be the kind of muscle that you think.

You can not get a bodybuilders body without lifting weights, but you can build muscle. Anyone can build muscle without lifting weights by doing other exercises and eating a high protein diet.

If you want to get into the sport of bodybuilding then I would suggest that you lift weights but if you just want to build muscle and get rid of fat there are other exercises that you can do instead of lifting weights that will actually build muscle without lifting weights.

Actually any exercise you do whether it is walking, running, biking, aerobics, Pilates, yoga, whatever exercise you do builds muscle. So if you do exercise on a regular basis then you are going to build muscle. Combined with a high protein diet you can build muscle but it will not be muscle mass.

If you are a female I suggest this type of exercises instead of lifting weights because this will build your muscle but in a sexy way. Although it is easier for men to build muscle mass woman can still look muscular when lifting weights so if you do not want to look muscular but you want to look toned and sexy then you can do other exercises besides lifting weights.

You also will want to eat a high protein diet because protein builds muscles. If you are a woman then this is easier then for men because woman tend to weigh less then men do. You should eat a gram of protein per pound of your body weight per day to get all the protein that your body and your muscles need to build muscle.

If you do this you should see yourself change and you should lose fat and gain muscle. Remember you can lose inches without losing pounds. Muscle weighs more than fat and so do not get discouraged because you are gaining muscle.

Allthough you are not getting huge muscle mass like you may have thought you now know that it is possible to build muscle without lifting weights. Doing walking, running and bike riding are great exercises that will build your leg muscles, also Pilates and yoga although they do not seem like it build strength and muscle and burn fat.

So try these exercises to build muscle and stick to a high protein diet and you will start building muscle without lifting weights.

Mike Parker reveals what women really want at his how to build up muscle website for ways to build muscle and attract women. Get your free copy of "How Your Physique Affects the Female Mind" right here now. http://www.musclyjerk.com

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Muscle building

If you are new to lifting or muscle building you are probably hear the term lean muscle a lot. If you are wonder what that means it is muscle built without gaining fat. There is a fine line when trying to gain a lot of muscle because you will most often gain some fat in the process. We will show you how to build lean muscle so you will gain only muscle and not fat.

Fat is such a dreaded thing. We as lifters think of fat as the devil. We want muscle growth without the fat. We have some tips for how to build lean muscle that if you follow will help you in your quest.

1. Whole Wheat and Lean Meat- Eating is incredibly important when it comes to lean muscle building. You want to eat enough calories to support growth, but not gain fat. The easiest way is to eat all natural foods like whole wheat breads and boneless skinless chicken breast. You body will process these best and leave you with less fat.

2. Cardio- Make sure you hit the cardiovascular exercises two days a week for 30 minutes so that you get rid of any extra stored calories

3. No Carbohydrates Past 7pm- This little trick keeps your body from storing fat while you sleep. Make sure that all food after 7pm is either lean meats or protein shakes.

4. Exercise- Of course you are already exercising, but we put this in here because some people think you can build muscle without lifting. Make sure you are hitting each body part one time per week and do not leave out the small muscles like forearms.

These are the best tips for how to build lean muscle that you can find. Just make sure you do them consistently. Consistency is the key to success in everything in life especially gaining muscle. If you keep using these tips you are going to be on the right track.

CLICK HERE [http://www.gainmusclesupplemnts.info] To Get A Free Trial Of The #1 Muscle Building Supplement (while supplies last)

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Gaining Muscle Mass

Exactly what troubles you the most about your physique? Flabby arms, jiggly rear or skinny, stick-like legs?

Do you have a tendency to dwell on your appearance so much to the point that it depresses and frustrates you?

Do you consider the reflection you see in the mirror to be unattractive?

You're not alone; it happens to the best of us so don't let it get you down! However; letting oneself go is not the answer either. So don't take on a, "Oh just screw it!" mindset either.

What you will need to do is to get positive about the situation and then resolve to enhance your body as an excellent first step towards a greater self image.

Pinned up on the wall right above my work desk, is an image of a woman's rather nicely toned physique... the body that I want and will HAVE someday soon!

And you must do the exact same thing. Grab an image of what you'd like your body to look like and place it in a location where you'll see it every day.

Then once you've done that, say to yourself, "I will have this body! I'll be healthy, fit and trimmed!" After that, take the necessary measures (gradually, you don't have to make it so daunting that you quit mainly because it's too darn difficult) in the direction of reaching your goals.

The following tips for gaining lean muscle certainly are a step in that direction, so keep reading on, please.

Workout Ideas for Gaining Muscle Mass

- Setting a strict schedule for your workouts will prevent injuries and assist you to get muscle.

- Men and women that are new to working out, particularly bodybuilding-type workouts, should restrict their workouts to two to three times a week. Much more seasoned individuals can freely endeavor to go about three to five times per week.

- Establish a steady instruction routine that is adapted to your objectives. Even though some may recommend that you do the same routines day-to-day, it's best to work one or two muscle groups and then allow that group to rest since it's during that resting period when muscle growth and regeneration takes place.

- Maintain your focus on workout routines such as squats, dead-lifts and bench pressing. These important workouts form the foundation of any great bodybuilding routine.

- Create balance with your bodybuilding plan. Not sticking to your workout plan can result in loss of muscle tone and the muscles becoming weak and small, but at the same token, you don't want to overdo it either. Remember, they need to rest and recover in order to grow!

- A post-workout stretch is as critical as stretching just before you start. If you're under the age of forty, you need to stretch for at least 30 seconds. If you older, try and keep your stretch for about a minute total. This can help prevent injuries.

Dietary Tips for Building Muscle

- You will need to watch your diet, especially on the days that you intend to work out. Consume a large amount of nutritionally dense calories about one hour before starting your workout.

- The idea here is to consume an adequate amount of fuel for the workout, not to overindulge.

- Protein is a really essential element of muscle tissue, so boost your intake to help your muscle tissue grow. During a biological procedure referred to as protein synthesis, amino acids are arranged into proteins and that protein is stored inside your body for future use. Through this process, muscles get bigger and stronger.

You'll find protein in a number of foods, like meat, poultry, fish, nuts, beans and much more. Don't make the same mistake that many others make by increasing your intake of protein too fast in an effort to build muscle.

This can raise caloric intake which may bring about unwanted, excessive weight gain if not working out frequently. Increase your protein consumption gradually.

- Don't cut out carbs when developing muscle. Good carbs are essential for energy in order to last an entire workout. If you do not get an adequate amount of carbohydrates, your body converts your stored protein for energy as an alternative.

Consume sufficient carbs to ensure that the body is capable to function, and you find that you'll have an simpler time finishing your workouts.

- Alcohol should be consumed in moderation or preferably not at all when you are in "bodybuilding mode". Having the occasional glass of wine is fine, but nothing too much more than that... leave the "hard stuff" alone.

Added Suggestions for Gaining Muscle Mass

If you're having difficulty staying motivated, you may find it helpful to set short-term, mini-goals for yourself. As soon as you've got met your objectives, reward yourself and then go on to the next goal.

But you will definitely need to stay motivated in order to build muscle, given that it may take a while to get to the finish line. Set rewards that will reinforce healthful muscle improvement behavior. Some examples of rewards could be a massage, which will aid in increasing your blood flow, in turn, benefitting muscle growth.

Whew! Well, you've gotten some really great recommendations here and your new appearance will give you extra self-esteem while, at the same time, make you healthier. But it's not going to help you to just read-N-nod, it's essential that you actually ACT on what you have just read!

As soon as you do, your biggest "problem" will be how to keep your head from swelling from all the compliments you'll be receiving!

So what are you waiting on? Turn off the computer and get moving!

Follow the above tips for gaining muscle mass and make changes that will benefit you for years to come.

Cherie King has been involved in natural health and wellness since 2004. She learned how to help people improve their health through dietary changes and other natural choices. She was also trained and certified as a living food chef. For more information and resources please visit: www.gethealthycleanandlean.info

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Bodyweight workouts

I remember being a struggling student years ago and not wanting to spend the $10 for a day pass at the local gym. It was frustrating to want to work out but not being able to have thousands of dollars of equipment at my disposal. Plus, I didn't want to be stuck in any stuffy old gym when it was beautiful weather outside.

But even back then I knew that I could train my entire body effectively in less than 30 minutes with the right bodyweight exercises. I was doing push-up variations, doing rows and chin-ups from various ledges in my parent's house, taking advantage of one-leg exercises to train my legs almost as hard as I could in the gym.

And there's more to bodyweight training than basic pushups and endless crunches. In fact, there are many types of different pushups you can do: decline, spiderman, elevated, close-grip, off-set, and more.

Add a stability ball to your bodyweight workouts and your exercise selection goes through the roof. You can increase the work done on your abs with jackknifes and the dreaded "Plank with Arms on ball", and you can really hit your hamstrings with the stability ball leg curls.

Plus, bodyweight workouts are fast and effective. The commute to your new "gym" is as short as can be...just find some empty space in your house or backyard...or even your office or a park.

When I first started bodyweight training, I picked the exercises and ran through them in circuit and superset form (just like you should) and I did them in my bedroom. And now I've added more exercises and routines to my repetoire and I do these workouts anytime, anyplace. Effective bodyweight workouts are based on scientific training principles and techniques I've learned over the years, so that you'll gain muscle, lose fat, get lean, and improve your stamina without having to go to the gym once in the entire 4-weeks of the program.

If you are looking for more help with bodyweight training, track down a gymnast or martial arts coach. Or find an experienced bodyweight trainer that will help get you fit, fast without spending money or space on unnecessary equipment.

Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com

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Calories per day

This is the simplest advice you can use to BULK UP FAST without getting fat at the same time!

I used the same formula when I lived at home with my parents and gained over 50 pounds of muscle mass over the course of a year. My Mom was a tough negotiator and only agreed to shop for my breakfast, lunch and dinner. Those three meals covered about half of my caloric intake getting me close to 3000 calories each day. My meal plan required a consumption of four to five thousand calories so I was still a few dozen calories short from new muscle growth.

If you are like me and work 8-12 hours a day than it is easy to become apart of the 'Lame Blame Club' that defaults to the most convenient excuses in the book. If you are trying to build more muscle mass than you must have a easy strategy to get in those extra 1000-2000 precious calories that you are missing.

The 'See' Food Diet Is Not The Answer

Too bad it's not as easy as picking up a box of five dollar pizza or four cheeseburgers on your way home from work to make up those extra calories. Actually, it is that easy, if you believe that a calorie is a calorie.

If building muscle was as easy as stuffing 8,000 calories of pizza, fries and burgers than I don't think anybody on this planet would have a problem gaining huge muscles! The extra calories I am going to recommend are based on clean calories. These extra calories are for the guys who want to build slabs of new muscle without a fat gut, love handles and a double chin!

Most mass diets wreak havoc on your health because they are based on unclean calories. Sure you climb the scale quickly but you also run the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and hundreds of others health risks associated with poor diet. Will your time in the gym offset these health problems associated with carrying too much fat? A little, but not much, and not in the long run.

Right now your body needs a certain number of calories to grow. Let me ask you a simple question. Are you as muscular as you want to be right now?

Yes. Than keep doing what you are doing!

No. Than most likely your body needs a strategy to ingest an extra 1000-2000 calories per day. How are you going to do that?

Store Bought Weight Gainer Shakes Are Not The Answer

Most guys resort to weight gain shakes. The weight gain shakes at health food stores are usually made with very poor protein quality and loads of sugar. Not good, but the idea of a weight gainer shake is an excellent one. Liquid-calories are easy to consume and ideal for in between meal feeding. But you got to make your own unless you want to look like a pregnant power lifter!

The Home Made Weight Gainer Is The Answer! Here's what you will need:

Three-four large 1 L water bottles

A blender

Couple bags of frozen berries from Costco

A tub of natural peanut butter

A tub of protein powder

A few bags of low fat milk

10 minutes of your day

No, you are not mixing all these ingredients exactly but you can mix the following:

1-3 cups of low fat milk - 300 calories

1-2 cups of mixed berries - 200 calories

40-60 grams of protein powder - 160-240 calories

1-2 tbsp of natural peanut butter - 200 calories

As you can see, this adds up quickly to over 800 clean calories and they are all healthy foods. You will notice that these shakes have no junk sugars and no 'bad' fats. So for all those whiners who complain that they can't get enough food each day - throw that excuse out the window. You now have a solution.

If calorie counting is not your thing than simply monitor the number of cups, scoops and tbsp. I would suggest starting with portion sizes of 1 for everything while the 40-60 grams of protein always is consistent i.e. 1 cup, 1 scoop and and 1 tbsp of the above ingredients and than build to two and and three where recommended.

Your Are In Complete Control Of How Big You Get

These shakes are completely flexible and you are in control of how much weight you gain and at which rate. Don't be surprised if the volume of the these shakes make you part with your wash board abs and result in canceling your Calvin Klein photo shoots. Throw a couple of these shakes into your daily meal plan and you'll fill that gap towards new muscle growth. No drive through required!

Remember, the title of this article was how to bulk up fast, not how to stay lean all year. I believe that bulking up is the most effective way to gain mass muscle. Taking the stay lean all year approach might help you build 5 pounds of muscle a year if your lucky but taking the bulk up like you mean it will help you skyrocket 20-30 pound or more and actually make you look like someone who lifts weights! Which one do you want?

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain found at http://www.VinceDelMonteFitness.com/

He specializes in teaching skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

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Major Muscle Groups

In order to gain mass and weight, you will need to focus your muscle gaining workouts towards heavy free weight exercises. While there are other ways to stimulate muscle growth and weight gain, in my opinion, none are more effective than high weight / low repetition weight training workouts.

Follow these basic weight training tips for maximum muscle gain...

•Train each body part only 1 time each week

•Train each body part to failure each workout

•Train no more than 2 body parts per workout

•Each workout should last no longer than 1 hour

•Each workout should consist of basic compound exercises.

•Each set should be in the 6 - 8 repetition range. Heavy enough weights that you could not possibly perform more than 8 reps with decent form.

Workouts To Gain Muscle Mass

Alright so what kind of muscle gaining workouts should you be doing in the gym?

Well, you should stick to all the compound exercises like Squats, Deadlifts, Bench press, Pullups (or rows), Overhead pressing.

These movements will stress your entire body and cause it to grow as a unit, with no weak links. Other than that, all you need is a bit of running or other high-rep work for your calves. Heavy squats and deadlifts will stress the soleus muscles of your calf complex, but calves are probably not suitable for direct.

Squats

Major Muscle Groups: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back

Minor Muscle Groups: Lower legs, upper back, core stabilizing muscles, hip complex

Deadlifts

Major Muscle Groups: Grip, lower back, hamstrings, traps, back of shoulders

Minor Muscle Groups: Lower legs, core, upper legs, isometric work for biceps, and virtually everything else.

Bench press

Major Muscle Groups: Pecs, triceps, front of the shoulders

Minor Muscle Groups: Serratus muscles at side of ribs, side of shoulders, neck

Pullups (or rows)

Major Muscle Groups: Lats and upper back, biceps, grip

Minor Muscle Groups: Core, neck

Overhead pressing

Major Muscle Groups: Shoulders, triceps

Minor Muscle Groups: Core stabilizing muscles, neck

Compound Exercises

Compound exercises is that set of exercises that create multi-joint movements and the entire exercise depends on the coordinated actions of various muscle groups so that the end-result is that two or more joints move with the help of a range of motion. You will be surprised to note that with the help of just a half-dozen exercises, you can in turn carry out a full-body workout and you can not only achieve overall fitness of your body in this manner but can also develop muscle mass and the entire exercise regimen will lead to strengthening of your body.

The main purpose of performing muscle gaining workouts like the compound exercises is that they help in developing the body as a whole and do not consider the body as a collection of unrelated parts. Body cannot be referred to as a collection of unrelated parts and if you train it in such a direction, you are sure to hurt yourself.

Here's an example of a good muscle mass routine. You need to switch things up every couple of weeks, and at the longest, every four weeks.

Day #1: MONDAY

Bench Press - Perform 1 set each of 12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Incline Bench Press -12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Military Press -12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Lateral Raise -3 Sets of 12 reps

Triceps Ext -3 Sets of 12 reps

Triceps Kickback -3 Sets of 12 reps

Day #2: TUESDAY

Lat Pull Down -Perform 1 set each of 12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Seated Row -12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Shoulder Fly -12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Shrugs -3 Sets of 12 reps

Preacher Curl Palms Down -3 Sets of 12 reps

Hammer Curl -3 Sets of 12 reps

Day #3: WEDNESDAY

Take a day off. Eat plenty and sleep.

Day #4: THURSDAY

Squat - Perform 1 set each of 12 reps, 10 reps, 10 reps.

Lunges -3 Sets of 12 reps.

Dead Lift -3 Sets of 12 reps.

Leg Curl -3 Sets of 12 reps

Toe Raise -5 Sets of 12 reps

Days #5,6,7: FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY

Eat, rest, and eat more! Remember, your goal is to build mass. You may start working out on Saturdays after a couple of weeks, but keep it light!

After four weeks of following this muscle gaining workouts, switch to another weight lifting routine.

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