There are many things to learn when it comes to building muscle. There are three, however, that are considered to be the most important. Without any one of these your results will be minimal. Be warned, these three things sound ridiculously simple but aren't taken as seriously as they should be.
The first secret muscle building ingredient is to know your body type. Sure, it sounds simple and maybe a little cliché, but this is vital. If you don't know your body type you might as well quit right now.
Imagine that one day you decided to go on a vacation to Hawaii and you live in Michigan. Lets say that you have never been to Hawaii, you don't know where it is, but you have seen many pictures of it and have been dreaming about going for a long time. So you decide to pack your bags jump in the car and start driving in hopes to find this beautiful place. Sounds crazy, right? Absolutely it is. You need to know where you are in relation to Hawaii so you can create a plan to get there. The same goes for building muscle. You need to know where your body is in relation to where you want it to be. Only then can you come up with a plan to get there.
The second secret ingredient needed to build muscle is the most obvious and yet many people get it wrong. We're talking about an effective workout plan. A plan that works with your body type and your goals at the same time. So often people will go to the gym without a plan, let alone the right plan. It's important to have a workout plan and to know whether or not it is capable of forcing your muscles to grow.
Your workout is the vehicle you will take to get to the body of your dreams. Just like you could not simply drive a car from Michigan to Hawaii, you would not use a fat burning workout to build muscle.
Last but certainly not least, you need a muscle building diet plan. This is probably the most overlooked part of muscle building but it can many times be the key ingredient. Your body simply cannot do what it is asked of unless you provide it with the correct fuel. In order for your muscles to grow they need not only the right food, but they need it in the right amounts as well.
Not to sound to repetitive, but using the dream vacation to Hawaii scenario again, can you imagine what would happen if the airline you chose decided to use banana peels for fuel instead of the airplane fuel designed specifically for your plane? Exactly, you wouldn't go anywhere. That is precisely what happens when you put the wrong stuff in your body and try to use it for muscle building fuel.
So if your serious about experiencing maximum muscle growth you need to know your body type, use an effective workout plan designed for your body type and goals, and feed your body with the right food in the correct amounts. Don't let the simplicity of it all distract you. Going back to the basics is almost always a safe bet.
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Showing posts with label Muscle Mass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Muscle Mass. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
DIET, EXERCISE AND WEIGHT LOSS MYTHS
There's a lot of misinformation out there about diet, exercise and weight loss management. The following useful information should clear up some of the common misconceptions that prevent many of us from achieving our fitness goals.
Myth #1. In Order To Lose Fat, You Need To Eat Less
On the surface, this may seem correct, but let's really think about it for a minute. Given, in order to lose fat, the calories ingested must be less than the calories expended. But (pun intended) there are loopholes to this grand axiom in that there are many ways to accomplish this calorie imbalance. When you exercise, you burn calories. On a simple level, if you are burning more than you?re eating, you will lose fat.
Since muscle is active, and fat is inert, the metabolic rate (metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories) is basically determined by the ratio between fat- and lean-bodyweight. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. So, you can burn more fat by adding more muscle. In order to add more muscle, you need to eat more. Again, simply put, you can actually lose fat by eating more.
Myth #2. In Order To Lose Fat, You Need To Do Lots Of Cardio
Again, this seems right. But look at it this way: When you exercise, you burn calories. Now where these calories come from is the basis as to whether you will lose fat or muscle. Without going into a tremendous amount of science, let?s take for granted, that the body prefers protein sources over fat for its fuel. Muscles are made of protein. If you are not ingesting enough protein in your diet, and you do an extreme amount of cardio, the body may feed on its muscle and you will lose lean bodyweight. (Just look at Olympic-class runners - very lean, but very little muscles, too.) Now when you lose too much lean bodyweight, what happens to your metabolism? It takes a nose-dive. Then what? Well, my fluffy friend, the two-thousand calories a day that used to make you lose weight, is now causing you to gain fat! Hmmmm?
Myth #3. In Order To Lose Your Belly, You Need To Do Lots Of Sit Ups
Okay, a little earlier we established that when we exercise, we burn calories. Let's assume that we really nailed our nutrition plan, so these calories are going to come from the stored fat in our bodies. But, exactly where is the fat going to "burn off" first? Good question. The real answer, though, is in saying where it will not come from first. When you perform bicep curls, a lot, and heavy, to the point that your body is using calories, you, according to the logic above, are burning fat. Are you burning the fat only on your biceps? Of course not. The body does not care where it gets the fat to burn, and doing a particular exercise for a particular area does not guarantee that the fat burned will come from that area. Again, plain and simple. Following that truth, does performing a lot of sit-ups burn the fat off your middle? No way. Well, maybe it will, but not just off your middle. It's going to come off pretty much everywhere. There are certain reasons pertaining to biology, anatomy, body types, etc, that dictate where the fat comes from first, and how much where, but generally speaking, it's going to come off everywhere. The same logic would apply to the various electronic muscle-stimulating devices that are flooding the infomercials. Go, ahead, give yourself some electronic stimulation. It may be a great way (I doubt it) to exercise and tone your abs. But that is not going to guarantee that the flab is going to come off of them. About the only thing that it is going to guarantee, is that you spent too much. So, what's the best way to get the flab off of a certain area, and only that area, of your body? Try liposuction.
Myth #4. Carbs Are Bad For You
You should know by now that almost any generalized statement is a lie, and subject to my attack. Our bodies need carbs (technically "carbohydrates") to exist. They are one of the preferred fuel sources for energy. Certain carbs, eaten under specific conditions (i.e., starchy white carbs eaten less than three hours before bedtime) may cause you to gain or hold onto extra weight, but certainly, by no means are all carbohydrates bad for you.
Myth #5. Eating Pasta Makes You Fat
Being Italian, I have to wholeheartedly object to this. Eating pasta, in itself, does not make you fat. Overeating, (anything) makes you fat. Period.
Myth #6. Drinking Water With Meals Makes You Bloated And Retain Fluid
Exactly when water is ingested has no effect. And drinking too little water actually causes water retention.
Myth #7. Fat Is Bad For You
See Myth #4 above. The same logic applies. But apply it to saturated and unsaturated fats. Take unsaturated whenever there is a choice.
Myth #8. Losing Weight Fast Is The Best Way
You should know better. Losing weight fast usually means losing water and lean weight. Losing water weight in itself is harmless, but not even close to permanent. You will gain it all back very quickly as soon as the body re-hydrates itself. Losing lean weight, on the other hand, is counter-productive. As we saw above, losing lean weight will in turn lower your metabolism, and we know what comes next. (See #1 and #2 above)
Get muscle and lose weight in Huntington Beach at FitnessWorkx.com
Myth #1. In Order To Lose Fat, You Need To Eat Less
On the surface, this may seem correct, but let's really think about it for a minute. Given, in order to lose fat, the calories ingested must be less than the calories expended. But (pun intended) there are loopholes to this grand axiom in that there are many ways to accomplish this calorie imbalance. When you exercise, you burn calories. On a simple level, if you are burning more than you?re eating, you will lose fat.
Since muscle is active, and fat is inert, the metabolic rate (metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories) is basically determined by the ratio between fat- and lean-bodyweight. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. So, you can burn more fat by adding more muscle. In order to add more muscle, you need to eat more. Again, simply put, you can actually lose fat by eating more.
Myth #2. In Order To Lose Fat, You Need To Do Lots Of Cardio
Again, this seems right. But look at it this way: When you exercise, you burn calories. Now where these calories come from is the basis as to whether you will lose fat or muscle. Without going into a tremendous amount of science, let?s take for granted, that the body prefers protein sources over fat for its fuel. Muscles are made of protein. If you are not ingesting enough protein in your diet, and you do an extreme amount of cardio, the body may feed on its muscle and you will lose lean bodyweight. (Just look at Olympic-class runners - very lean, but very little muscles, too.) Now when you lose too much lean bodyweight, what happens to your metabolism? It takes a nose-dive. Then what? Well, my fluffy friend, the two-thousand calories a day that used to make you lose weight, is now causing you to gain fat! Hmmmm?
Myth #3. In Order To Lose Your Belly, You Need To Do Lots Of Sit Ups
Okay, a little earlier we established that when we exercise, we burn calories. Let's assume that we really nailed our nutrition plan, so these calories are going to come from the stored fat in our bodies. But, exactly where is the fat going to "burn off" first? Good question. The real answer, though, is in saying where it will not come from first. When you perform bicep curls, a lot, and heavy, to the point that your body is using calories, you, according to the logic above, are burning fat. Are you burning the fat only on your biceps? Of course not. The body does not care where it gets the fat to burn, and doing a particular exercise for a particular area does not guarantee that the fat burned will come from that area. Again, plain and simple. Following that truth, does performing a lot of sit-ups burn the fat off your middle? No way. Well, maybe it will, but not just off your middle. It's going to come off pretty much everywhere. There are certain reasons pertaining to biology, anatomy, body types, etc, that dictate where the fat comes from first, and how much where, but generally speaking, it's going to come off everywhere. The same logic would apply to the various electronic muscle-stimulating devices that are flooding the infomercials. Go, ahead, give yourself some electronic stimulation. It may be a great way (I doubt it) to exercise and tone your abs. But that is not going to guarantee that the flab is going to come off of them. About the only thing that it is going to guarantee, is that you spent too much. So, what's the best way to get the flab off of a certain area, and only that area, of your body? Try liposuction.
Myth #4. Carbs Are Bad For You
You should know by now that almost any generalized statement is a lie, and subject to my attack. Our bodies need carbs (technically "carbohydrates") to exist. They are one of the preferred fuel sources for energy. Certain carbs, eaten under specific conditions (i.e., starchy white carbs eaten less than three hours before bedtime) may cause you to gain or hold onto extra weight, but certainly, by no means are all carbohydrates bad for you.
Myth #5. Eating Pasta Makes You Fat
Being Italian, I have to wholeheartedly object to this. Eating pasta, in itself, does not make you fat. Overeating, (anything) makes you fat. Period.
Myth #6. Drinking Water With Meals Makes You Bloated And Retain Fluid
Exactly when water is ingested has no effect. And drinking too little water actually causes water retention.
Myth #7. Fat Is Bad For You
See Myth #4 above. The same logic applies. But apply it to saturated and unsaturated fats. Take unsaturated whenever there is a choice.
Myth #8. Losing Weight Fast Is The Best Way
You should know better. Losing weight fast usually means losing water and lean weight. Losing water weight in itself is harmless, but not even close to permanent. You will gain it all back very quickly as soon as the body re-hydrates itself. Losing lean weight, on the other hand, is counter-productive. As we saw above, losing lean weight will in turn lower your metabolism, and we know what comes next. (See #1 and #2 above)
Get muscle and lose weight in Huntington Beach at FitnessWorkx.com
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Athletic Conditioning
Rise above the rest. Train like a pro. No matter what the sport, FitnessWorkx can prepare you to do it better. We apply proven methods of training to give you an unsurpassed competitive edge that will not go unnoticed. The key to success in any sport is mental and physical preparation, which paired with reducing your risk of injury will enable you to deliver maximum performance. From improving your golf swing to preparing for a mixed martial arts fight, we can help you enhance your skill and overall performance with our Sports Specific/Athletic Conditioning Programs.
Find a Personal Trainer Huntington Beach at FitnessWorkx.com
Find a Personal Trainer Huntington Beach at FitnessWorkx.com
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