The original 300 workout has finally been made public. For all those who are a fan of the movie 300 are also a fan of the incredible shape that the actors were in for the movie. They got in this shape using the 300 workout.

The great news is that you can now use this workout and start building your body so that you have defined pecs and ripped abs.

The 300 workout gives you a guide on diet. It help tells you what you need to eat in order to create the perfect body. It gives a detailed diet plan that you can follow step by step. There is more to this workout than just a diet. There are also some of the best training tips listed for the creator of the 300 workout. His tips are not just any ordinary tips but they are secrets from within the fitness industry that help to build strong muscles.

There are many copies of the 300 workout, all over the internet you will see people trying to create their own versions or give their own exercises, but this is the original workout and it is truly amazing. If you want that body that you have always dreamed of then it is now possible. This workout is suitable for everyone from beginners to experts. The workout has been adapted and gives different tips and exercises depending on your level of experience in the gym.

If you want to look like a 300 Spartan, then now is the time. You have to check it out as it truly is incredible. The owner is only promoting the workout for a limited time before he decided to remove it. He is offering a massive discount to customers as he is keen for people to see the amazing success of this workout compared to standard and normal workouts.

>> For more information, checkout www.300theworkout.com.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Fat loss and muscle gain.

The more muscle you have the higher your resting metabolism. In turn, the higher your resting metabolism, the more calories you expend making it easier to lose subcutaneous fat (the visible fat under the skin).

Increased Strength.

Losing muscle and strength is a natural part of the aging process. Since a muscle only gains strength through proper use and overload, a good weight-training program can slow down the weakening process tremendously is executed properly and followed consistently. (Don’t worry girls, you won’t bulk up if you use light weights coupled with high repetitions. Instead, you’ll develop long lean muscles that are sleek and strong).

Improved Bone Density.

Weight training is a good defense against osteoporosis, a bone mineral loss disease that causes extreme weakening of bones. This disorder, as well as osteoarthritis and lower-back disorders, can be counteracted by weight training.

Fewer Joint Problems.

Attaining stronger muscles by weight training helps protect joints – such as the back, knees, hips, ankles and shoulders – and decrease risk of injury through increased support.

How Do I Begin?

Before you begin any exercise program – especially a weight training program – it’s important to first check with your doctor to make sure you’re up to the challenge. Next consult a local fitness trainer or aerobics professional who can introduce you to the weight rom equipment and safety features. (If you don’t belong to a health club, ask friends to get the names and numbers of trainers at their clubs who can help you after hours. Most personal trainers will also come to your home for individual sessions).

Another great way to start is with my Power Shaping II Video. This video uses light hand weights and takes you through a 45 min workout that teaches you how to use Power Shaping movements to shpe and sculpt your body.

The main thing is to start slowly at first using light weights and high repetitions no more than 3 times per week. Work hard and lift consistently and watch your body change shape before your very eyes!

About the Author:

Victoria Johnson is the nation’s premier Health & Fitness and Wealth & Spirit “activist.” Victoria is the owner and president of Victoria Johnson Intl., a personal training, consulting, marketing and management company. She is not only a fitness guru, she’s a born and bred entrepreneur. She believes everyone should be healthy and prosperous. She has produced and starred in over 24 award-winning exercise and dance fitness DVD’s and videos, produced and starred in her own television show entitled “Victoria’s Body Shoppe” and most recently authored her third book, Body Revival, Lose Weight, Feel Great and Pump Up Your Faith! 

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

The “Guns.” The “Pythons.” “Thunder” and “Lighting.” The “Rockweillers.” There is no other muscle group that has earned more nicknames than when describing a bulging and huge set of bicep! Bulging biceps – every guy wants them. Count me in this group.

The days are far from gone when you walk into the gym and see 9 out of 10 guys doing bicep curls all at the same time with the same determination to add even ¼ inch to their biceps. Training biceps has become almost an ‘obsessive addiction’ in the gym. I have seen guys do bicep curls in between sets just so they can ‘see’ a little bit of a pump in their arms. I have seen guys spend an entire hour bent over doing concentration curls while starring in the mirror. I have seen guys take weights on vacation so that they can do some bicep curls at their hotel before they go into the club! I have seen guys spend longer amounts of times shopping for t-shirts than girls shopping for a blouse with the hope that one of these shirts will make his arms look ‘good.’

Someone disagree with me that bicep training has become an unhealthy ‘obsessive addiction.’ for many. In the “Skinny Arms” defense, the allure of peaked, mountainous biceps will never go away. Why should it? The ‘guns’ are of a man’s most prized possession and one of many women’s most desired body parts on a man (of course)!

My question is if 9 out 10 guys are obsessed with seeing their biceps grow and dedicate so much of their workout volume to isolating their biceps and using every technique from forced reps, drop sets, and 21′s which are ‘promised’ to be the most effective methods confirmed by pro bodybuilders, why do they still have little to show for their efforts?

Let’s examine five of the most common problems with bicep training before I offer a step-by-step program to take your bicep peak to new heights.

Problem #1 with bicep training – More is not always better

If doing 4 sets is better than 3 sets, why don’t you just do 10 sets? Even better, why don’t you just train them all day? It has been said before, but it obviously needs to be said again: “Less is often more.” Especially if you are not gifted with “muscle-friendly” genes.

Your goal of each weight training workout should be to simply ‘out do’ your last workout. Once you achieve this with an extra pound or a few extra reps, then it is time to move to the next exercise. Not to Nazi-torture the muscle for another hour.

I have found this a hard concept for many skinny guys to grasp because they are fixated on the instant gratification of making their biceps ‘look’ big during the workout and not what they look like when they leave the gym, which leads us to our next problem.

Problem #2 with bicep training – Being more obsessed with how they look while you train rather than when you are not training!

Problem #2 ties in with problem #1. The truth is that the longer you train your biceps, even if the weights are not extremely heavy, you can achieve a fairly decent pump that can turn a few heads while in the gym. This attention and perception that you are doing something beneficial is deceiving. Yes, there is something to say about keeping blood in the muscle as long as possible, but if the workout is done with weights that do not overload your muscles and emphasize an increase in strength, your biceps will quickly deflate back to normal with no true muscle growth.

Problem #3 with bicep training – Not focusing on increasing your overall strength

Some of the biggest guys I know rarely even train their arms. What they do though is put a strong emphasis around increasing their chest, back and shoulder strength. If you simply focus on increasing the weights on your rows, pull ups and chin-ups, rest assured that your biceps will come along for the ride and grow proportionally.

However, if you are always blasting and ‘smoking’ your biceps, they will always be fatigued when you train your back muscles and, as you should know, you are only as strong as your weakest link. This is another reason to take a lower volume approach to arm training.

Problem #4 with bicep training – Using the same bicep exercises every time

Every pro bodybuilder will put their money on two of the simplest exercises for building huge biceps – barbell curls and dumbbell curls. According to the pros, these two exercises have built more huge guns than any other exercise in the world. I definitely agree that these ‘simple’ exercises are a safe foundation to build a program around, but let’s also remember that pro bodybuilders using steroids are going to have a strong response to practically any exercise they do.

I have no problem using these two exercises under one condition – you are getting stronger from week to week. As long as you are increasing the weights and reps relative to perfect form, then your arms should continue growing. Aim to build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds for a few “slow speed” sets and your dumbbell curls up to 50 pounds for a few “slow-speed” sets that involve zero rocking and swaying.

Once you build your barbell curls up to 110 pounds, you will be ready to try these two different angles on the bar. You will have to drop your weights a bit, but stick with these two variations until you build back up to 110 pounds:

Bicep Exercise 1: “Stress” the outer portion of the bi’s by placing your elbows outwards and using a super-close grip.

Bicep Exercise 2: “Stress” the inner portion of the bi’s by taking a super-wide grip on the bar and digging your elbows into your side (and don’t let them move.)

Bicep Exercise 3: To “stress” the brachialis and brachioradialis stick to good old fashioned hammer curls and reverse curls. Don’t underestimate these two exercises in the slightest.

Problem #5 on biceps – Not enough tension on the muscle

I think many weight trainees do not fully grasp the concept of isolating and actually training a muscle. They do not know how to make the muscle work and fatigue. Instead, you see a lot of swinging, momentum and sloppy lifting used to move the weight from every part of the body except the one they are actually trying to train. The biceps have a very strong response to “constant tension,” which means you should never give them a chance to breathe. Keep the bar constantly moving without pausing at the top or bottom. Focus on squeezing the heck out of the bar and never let your biceps relax until the set is over. Your entire goal is to not allow any oxygen into the muscle which creates a spike with your anabolic hormones to promote muscle growth. Resort to a slower 3-0-3 or 4-0-4 tempo to get the job done.

About the Author:

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 by using the correct cardiovascular and weight lifting techniques.

>> Click here to download the Insane Muscle Gain Report – Avoid The Top 20 Ways To Screw Up In The Gym free ebook -or- Click here to download the Perfect Posture in 30 Days free ebook.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Think putting yourself on a muscle building diet has to be a painful process? Whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building, getting proper nutrition is at least 80% of the game. If you don’t have that figured out, you are going to be a long time away from seeing results.

The good news is that your tastebuds don’t have to suffer if you don’t want them to. There are plenty of ways to get in your proper nutrition while keeping things interesting. If you think gaining muscle means suffering through can of tuna after can of tuna or pounding back a protein shake as fast as humanly possible, you need to think again.

Give one of these recipes a try and you’ll be surprised just how easy it is to eat right, achieve your goals and actually ENJOY your food at the same time.

Protein Fudge Nuggets

These are great to take to the gym as a post-workout treat or just for a snack to eat between meals. When you are trying to gain weight many of you really need to packing in the calories so you need calorie dense foods. These chocolate treats have it all.

8 scoops chocolate protein powder

1 cup oatmeal (can be ground depending on the consistency you’d like)

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

3 tbsp honey

½ cup milk

3 tbsp crushed peanuts

First mix together the protein powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, honey and milk. Form into small balls and then roll in the crushed peanuts to finish. Note that these can easily be frozen in plastic bags and consumed on a later date.

Nutritional Info (1/10 of the recipe)

234 calories

6.7 grams fat

18 grams carbohydrates

25 grams protein

Pumpkin Pancakes

When you’re craving a good home-made pancake breakfast, give these a try. They are filled with slow digesting carbohydrates that will keep your blood sugar steady throughout the morning.

¼ cup oats

1/3 cup canned pumpkin

5 egg whites

1 tbsp ground flax

½ tbsp cinnamon

Splenda to taste

First heat a frying pan until hot and then reduce to medium temperature. After mixing together all the ingredients drop by spoonful onto the plan, flipping when bubbles start to form.

Makes about 5 – 4″ pancakes.

Nutritional Info (per recipe)
217 calories

23 grams protein

26 grams carbohydrates

4 grams fat

Protein Jell-O

When you’re craving something sweet but are on a very low carb diet, there often is not a lot of options. This recipe is the perfect dessert that will give you plenty of protein and not much else. Great for those on a very strict diet.

1 package sugar-free Jell-O (any flavour)

1 scoop Syntrax Nectar protein powder (any flavour – to match Jell-O)

Mix 1 cup boiling water with the Jell-O powder then stir in one scoop of the protein powder until dissolved. Once that’s finished, mix in one cup of cold water and allow to set. Serve with low fat Cool Whip if desired.

Blueberry Cookies

Everyone needs a good cookie now and then but not everyone needs the damage to their diet. Luckily with these not only will you be getting a great dose of protein, you will be getting plenty of antioxidants from the blueberries.

2 scoops vanilla protein powder

4 egg whites

½ cup oats

1 cup blueberries

First combine all three ingredients so they are blended well. Then mix in blueberries and drop by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degree Celsius for approximately thirteen minutes. Makes 10 cookies.

Nutritional Info (per cookie)
54 calories

6.5 grams protein

0.7 grams fat

5.5 grams carbs

Intramuscular Buffering Capacity

Finally, the last adaptation that’s seen with sprint training is the buffering capacity of the muscle. During glycoglysis, various byproducts are created such as lactic acid, and when these accumulate, it causes the extreme feelings of fatigue in the muscle tissues.

This then forces you to stop exercising as the fatigue sets in and often will be the end of your workout.

Overtime, sprint training will increase your ability to buffer these byproducts so that you can then workout for a longer period of time while maintaining that intensity.

So, next time you’re debating about whether to do a sprint training session or a moderate paced cardio session lasting for 40 minutes or so, opt for the sprint session.

The benefits you’ll receive are far more numerous and fat loss will be kicked up a notch as an added benefit. Keep in mind that for these type of benefits to occur, you want your sprints to last somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 seconds to 40 seconds, with a work to rest ration of about 1:2. Repeat this process a total of 6 to 8 times and begin and end with a five minute warm-up and cool-down.

About the Author:

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 by using the correct cardiovascular and weight lifting techniques.

>> Click here to download the Insane Muscle Gain Report – Avoid The Top 20 Ways To Screw Up In The Gym free ebook -or- Click here to download the Perfect Posture in 30 Days free ebook.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

You wake up in the morning and look in the mirror. Pleased with your appearance? If you more resemble the appearance of a long distance marathon runner than a world class sprinter, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. You just need to start following these weight lifting rules.

There are quite a few guys who simply have trouble packing on the lean muscle mass. Whether their hormonal environment isn’t quite as favourable or genetics was just out to get them at birth, one thing is for sure and that’s that they need to follow a slightly different set of weight lifting methods than those who seem to grow muscle overnight.

Luckily for you, you’re taking the time to do your research about weight lifting so you won’t be destined to a life where it seems like a strong wind might knock you over.

First, one of the key factors that skinny guys need to remember is that they must avoid volume work at all costs.

Rule #1:

Get in the gym and get out! That should be your motto from this day forward. Repeat it. Breathe it. Live it. Weight lifting is a calorie expensive activity and you need all the calories you can get at this point. If you are burning it up in the gym every single day, how do you expect to grow? You won’t.

You grow when you are resting and generally, the skinnier you are, the more rest you are going to need.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should park it on the couch for a few days in between your workouts. It simply means that each weight lifting should not consist of set after set after set. Followed by a rest break to talk to that hot receptionist and then back to another twenty sets.

No, you’re workouts need to consist of ten-twelve or fewer sets where you are pushing yourself to the MAX. There is no room for sissy, light-weight work in your weight lifting program.

Which brings us to Rule #2:

Ditch the isolated exercises. Who needs them? You certainly don’t.

If your workouts normally include bicep curls, followed by tricep kickbacks, followed by leg extensions, followed by chest flys, followed by… you get the picture, you’ve got to change this pronto. Remember, you’ve only got so much time you are allowed to be in the gym for. Don’t you want to get the biggest bang for your buck? Likely you do, so that means focusing on compound lifts only. This includes weight lifting exercises such as squats, bench presses, deadlifts, rows and military presses.

Become friends with those exercises and you will have new muscles in the picture soon enough. Toss the five day split program, get yourself on a good upper/lower or full body workout program and you have found the key to unleashing new muscle mass.

Now onto the next significant point. Cardio. Rule # 3.

I know, I know, you want to be big, but you don’t want to be fat. Let’s not worry about that at this point, because you and I both know you are a long ways from fat.

Gaining fat weight is going to be more a concept of diet than anything else so as long as you are being smart in the kitchen, you don’t need to perform hours of cardio to remain lean. Cardio is just going to further burn off precious calories that could have gone towards building you new muscle mass. For you, calories are a hot commodity and should not be spent on the treadmill.

If you want to keep up some cardio for general health sake, fine, but limit this to two or three twenty minute sessions per week – TOPS. And make it low to moderate intensity as well. The only place you are to be intense is in the weight room.

This leads to rule #4.

REST! You’ve put in your effort at the gym, fed your body with some good food and now what? Plans to go out partying all night with your buddies? You might want to rethink that. While you definitely want to maintain your social life while trying to gain weight – and you should – it should not come at the sacrifice of sleep.

Sleep is primetime when it comes to your body repairing itself and growing stronger so short-circuit sleep and you are short-circuiting your results. Just don’t do it. Period. It’s that simple.

Get ready for rule #5.

Technique. Ever seen that guy in the gym who is hoisting so much weight on his barbell for barbell curls that it looks like he’s got more momentum going on than the Gravitron at the fair? He’s pretty much working every muscle in his body except his biceps. Not so beneficial. Not only that, but give him two weeks and a hundred bucks says he’s out with back pain.

You must maintain proper form throughout your weight lifting, not only to prevent injuries but also to see the muscular gains you are looking for. If you cheat form, you are only cheating yourself. If you don’t know what proper form is yet, book a session with a trainer or find yourself a spotter who can help you.

And now, bonus rule #6

Find a mentor. You want someone who’s been there, done that. They used to be a skinny bastard just like you and they’ve managed to overcome the curse and now tip the scales and dominate the weight room. This guy will do wonders for your motivational levels. Don’t feel like lifting? Have a good look at his body. You’ll want to pick that weight up after that. Furthermore, he can let you in on some of his tried-and-true secrets that just might be key for you as well.

So to sum up your new approach to your weight lifting sessions – get in, train hard and with proper technique, get out, eat and rest. Repeat this process over a few months without getting distracted or becoming too much of a party animal and you will make this the year you change your dreaded skinny image.

About the Author:

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

He teaches skinny guys a new set of weight lifting rules, without supplements, drugs and training less than before.

>> Click here to download the Insane Muscle Gain Report – Avoid The Top 20 Ways To Screw Up In The Gym free ebook -or- Click here to download the Perfect Posture in 30 Days free ebook.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Do you want to reduce your body fat? If so, then you must focus on getting a sufficient amount of exercise rather than only decreasing your food intake. This is critically important! Studies published in Internationally recognized scientific journals as well as my own personal experience from years of exercise and nutrition counseling have led me to understanding an interesting and significant relationship between lack of physical activity and body fat. Not surprisingly, the more sedentary you are, the more body fat you will carry.

I strongly recommend that if you want to lose weight, you should increase your activity as your first strategy. Even being more physically active in general (such as climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, mowing your lawn with a push mower instead of a riding mower, moving around instead of sitting still, sitting instead of lying down and even showing some excitement and enthusiasm instead of boredom), will all help to burn calories and reduce body fat more effectively than slashing your food intake with crash diets.

Consider this: A half-hour aerobic workout accounts for far less energy expenditure than our minute-to-minute movement patterns that accumulate over a daytime in the office or at home, including things as simple as washing your dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher. It all adds up.

It seems that almost everyone has lost sight of the value of being physically active. What happened? I’ll tell you – the diet industry happened!

Millions of Americans are trying to lose weight, spending approximately $30 billion plus a year on diet programs and diet products. Often, they do lose some weight. But if you check with the same people five years later, you will find that nearly all of them have regained whatever weight they lost! I recently read about a national panel that sought data to determine if any commercial diet program could prove long-term success. Not a single program could do so.

Being overweight, and especially being obese, predisposes you to a number of diseases and serious health problems, and it’s now a known fact that when caloric intake is excessive, guess what happens to the excess? It’s stored as body fat.

Elevated blood sugar is one of primary culprits, because most people are sedentary while eating an excess of carbohydrates, of both the simple and complex variety. When this happens, a cascade of hormonal actions occur in order to maintain balance in the body. The more this eating pattern continues, the more fat you accumulate and the more difficult the fat becomes to remove. I cannot emphasize enough the need for human movement – exercise sufficiency – above calorie deficiency!

The lack of movement has many negative effects on your body. For example: a lack of movement causes many negative effects on your joints, ligaments, bones, muscles and your heart such as shrinking of the joint capsules, increased compression loading on your joints, decreased thickness of collagen fibers for failure rate of your ligaments, decreased bone density and bone spurs, decreased muscle mass, decreased mitochondrial content, decreased thickening of collagen fibers for your muscles, decreased maximal heart rate decreased the O2 Max for your heart.

According to Seaman and the Journal of medical physical therapy, "The two main promoters of degeneration are repetitive strain and sedentary lifestyle."

People who diet without exercising often get fatter over time. Although your weight may initially drop while dieting, such weight loss can usually be attributed to elimination of excess fluid. As stated above, when the weight returns, it comes back as fat and more stubborn fat.

As you lose weight via diet only, your body’s calorie burning furnace is reduced. What happens is your physiology interprets the dramatic decrease calories and moves on its innate starvation instincts. To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising regularly.

In one of my recent articles, I talked about walking as one of the best exercises for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining good posture and improving positive self-concept. Increasing your daily movement can be as simple as walking more.

Another great way to reduce body fat is by resistance training. There are many types of resistance training that are very effective at building muscle (and muscle burns body fat). These programs can be fun and engaging at the same time.

One program I highly recommend is what I call" the spin routine." The routine incorporates all different movement patterns, aerobic and interval training in addition to fat burning.

Here is an example of a level one spin routine:

Spin Training Routine One

Perform all exercise one after the other with no rest
Ex: A1-A2-A3-A4-A5 rest 90′s repeat for desired sets

Core Routine

Cardio Workout: 15 minutes hard after the above resistance training session. You have a choice of which activity you would like to do. Choose from: Exercise Bike, Elliptical machine, Treadmill, Stair climber, Versa climber.

Circuit training is performed without any rest between exercises. Only rest after each circuit of exercises in this case 1 and ½ minutes or 90 s.

You can also put together your own routine using the exercises in this section. Just make sure you can do the exercises in proper form and never go to failure (muscular fatigue) like in bodybuilding. Always do core conditioning last. This prevents stabilizer fatigue and possible
injury.

All exercise should follow the basic protocol as described below.

Exercise:
The exercise to be performed in the core routine. Each exercise is placed in order of execution.

Rest: This is the period of time you rest between exercises or if given more then one set between sets of the same exercise. Min or sec can display the number.

Intensity: This is the amount of workload or how hard you are going to work. BW indicates bodyweight. You will find out what intensity you should use with regard to the amount of weight by the repetition number. If you see -2 then this means stop two reps before your maximum effort.

Lifting Speed or Tempo: This indicates speed of movement. The first number indicates the first movement of the exercise, the second number indicates isometric part of the exercise and the third number indicates the final part of the exercise. For example: 323 simply means three seconds on the first movement, hold for two seconds and three seconds on the final part of the movement. Also there are times when it will be displayed in 10-second hold (H) and 10-second rest. Plus there will be times when you see slow, medium and fast.

Reps: This is the amount of muscular action you do within a set. When you can complete more then the described amount of reps with no muscle soreness, increase the weight by five percent. A – sign may be in front of some repetition suggestions in the exercise table. The – sign indicates to not go to the maximum amount of reps. A – 2 simply means do not go all the way to 10 if the rep window is 8-10.

Sets: This is the amount of workload for a given exercise sequence. For example: if you see an exercise that says sets 1-3, then begin with one set of the exercise. You can add sets as long as you have no muscle soreness at the next scheduled workout date.

When it comes to good health and weight loss, exercise and diet are inter-related. Exercising without maintaining a balanced diet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining inactive. However, decreasing calories taken in from food is not the same thing as increase calories burned through exercise. Movement sufficiency, not calorie deficiency has far greater power to get you lean and healthy for life.

About The Author

David Grisaffi majored in physical education and is a certified high performance exercise kinesiologist with the prestigious CHEK institute. David holds a total of 6 certifications, he is a high school wrestling and baseball coach as well as an independent trainer and strength coach, known especially for his work with professional boxers and golfers. David is the author of Firm And Flatten Your Abs an online best seller which teaches you how to lose body fat and develop "six pack abs’ while improving strength, function and athletic power at the same time. You can contact David or learn more about his programs at www.FlattenYourAbs.net

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.

Building muscle mass is going to require you to take in a surplus of calories because, well, let’s face it, you can’t build muscle out of nothing (unless of course you have some chemical help going on).

Losing fat mass on the other hand is going to require you to be in a negative calorie balance because that is what will get your body burning off additional body fat as fuel for its tissues.

Striving to accomplish both goals at the same time is rarely a good approach because more than likely you will just end up spinning your wheels and getting nowhere.

Most weight lifters will have to accept some fat gain when they are looking to gain weight, however how much fat gain they need to add is question. It is this variable that we are hoping to influence.

Can you really gain weight without getting fat?

When adding muscle mass there are two approaches you can take.

Some take the approach of just eating as much food as they can possible cram into themselves. Their life suddenly becomes one long 24-hour buffet in their quest for muscle mass as they are under the thinking that the more food that goes in, the more muscle synthesis that will go on.

This thinking is heavily flawed. The body can only assimilate so much muscle tissue at once and after it has done so, any remaining calories are simply going to be stored as body fat. Plain and simple. You my friend, are no exception to the rule.

For those guys who are out there taking in five thousand or more calories per day, this is obviously going to be way more than they need and will result in a considerable amount of unwanted fat weight over a period of three to six months (how long most people will ‘bulk’ for).

The second option is to adopt a more moderate approach and only eat so many additional calories to support this muscle growth and that’s it. This will allow you to hopefully get as much lean tissue gained as possible without the accumulation of a monstrous rise in body fat.

So that leads us to the next question you’re probably wondering. How much muscle can you build? How many calories over maintenance should you be eating?

You’ve probably already heard of the guy who claims he’s added 20 pounds of muscle in the short timeframe of six weeks. While this may be a very rare occurrence among an individual who is brand new to weight lifting, has insanely good genetics and utilized an excellent training and nutritional program, the fact of the matter is that most guys are simply not going to be able to come even close to adding this much muscle tissue.

A natural trained individual can hope to achieve about half a pound to one pound of muscle per week – if he’s doing everything correctly. If he doesn’t have the greatest genetics or isn’t feeding himself optimally, this will decrease even further. So as you can see, at a measly two to four pounds of muscle growth per month, you aren’t going to be needed to eat insanely high calorie intakes.

The higher your intake is, the more you risk putting on additional body fat. As a general rule, keep it to about 250 to 500 calories above maintenance in hopes of putting on mostly muscle without too much body fat. Keep track of your current body fat levels and appearance and if you see that too much of your weight gain is coming on as fat mass, reduce your calorie intake slightly.

It is always best to go by REAL WORLD results since you are in the real world after all. You can read as much as you like as to how many calories you should be eating, but this does not mean that’s going to be the exact number that will produce results. Different people have different metabolisms that will respond to an increase in calories in various ways. So as you go about your bulk, adjust according to the results you are getting.

Remember that the more patient you are with your muscle gains and the slower you go, the more time you can spend adding muscle mass and the less time you have to spend dieting off the additional fat you gained – which as I’m sure many of you already know, is not a pleasant experience.

So next time you decide you are going to do a ‘bulking’ phase, take a slower approach. Not only are you much more likely to maintain a favourable appearance this way but your mind will thank you as well. Nothing kills confidence levels faster than seeing all muscle definition go out the window in a matter of weeks, so keep the weight gain under control so you don’t have to deal with this.

About the Author:

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

He teaches skinny guys how to get big muscles, without supplements, drugs and training less than before.

>> Click here to download the Insane Muscle Gain Report – Avoid The Top 20 Ways To Screw Up In The Gym free ebook -or- Click here to download the Perfect Posture in 30 Days free ebook.

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In this video, Craig shows you how these 3 minute arm sets are a great way to get in a little extra arm pump at the end of your workout!

Here is the video on YouTube

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook

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Moms have mistakenly believed that resistance training shouldn’t be the foundation of their fat loss program. Here are the three most common myths about resistance training and the “truth” about each.

1. Moms believe the answer to Fat Loss lies in CARDIO

Can’t blame you, Mom! The fact that we are being bombarded with misleading ads and articles on a daily basis boasting that the best way to burn fat is to simply DO more cardio.

From a Popular Beauty Magazine:

“The formula for great abs is crunches + cardio = results. Cardio burns fat, uncovering the incredible abs you’ll have thanks to those crunches. So hop on that exercise bike, elliptical or treadmill for 30 to 45 minutes at least three times a week…”

The “cardio burns fat” myth is so rampant, that the very support groups and forums women turn to for answers are littered with faulty advice.

From a Forum:

“We do 15 mins on the bike, 15 on the elliptical, 15 on the treadmill, 1000 metres on the rowing machine (we’re building that up slowly because we hate it).”

Who has time for this? We are Moms, we are busy, we do not have the time, energy or patience to attempt a fat loss program that is solely based on cardio. And if you “hate” something – how much longer are you going to keep up with it – especially if you are no longer seeing results?!

Cardio is only ONE piece of the Fat Loss puzzle. When it comes to Fat Loss cardio’s role is much less important than resistance training. More is simply not better. Cardio does very little to boost your metabolism and extended sessions not only eat up your precious time with little to show for it, but also eat up your lean muscle, slowing your metabolism to a crawl.

2. Moms are scared of “Bulking Up”

Just the mention of the word muscle makes a lot of women cringe. Images of huge bodybuilder-type bodies make them run in the opposite direction. Yet amidst this protest, Moms want to look lean and toned. Well without muscle, it is impossible to attain this desirable physique.

Women simply do not have the ability to bulk up. Men, however, are able to add lots of muscle because:

One – they have the hormones to do so (we do not, well not naturally)
Two – they lift weights in an entirely different fashion
Three – they must eat a tremendous amount of food – muscle need a LOT of calories to grow and get bigger.

So Moms, unless you are taking Testosterone boosting supplements, lifting VERY heavy weights and eating an upwards of 5,000 calories a day – you will NOT bulk up.

3. Moms think Resistance Training is just TOO Complicated!

“It’s so much easier.” “It is less intimidating.” “It’s less complicated.” These are the very attitudes that lead busy moms to jump on a treadmill and walk or run for 45-60 minutes. The thought of picking up some weights seems complicated and undesirable especially when there are more “mindless” options from which to choose.

Sure, if you are new to the concept of Resistance Training, an introduction to this type of workout can make you throw your hands up in frustration…..what exercise, what weight, set, super sets, repetitions, rests….Oh My!

The best way to begin a resistance training program is to use your own body as weight. No gym membership, no fancy equipment….just a small space and a few minutes of your time.

Movements such as squats, lunges and assisted push ups are great examples of effective bodyweight exercises that any Busy Mom can do. Establishing a place to begin builds confidence, boosts energy levels and in turn increases metabolism. Moms naturally want to do more!

From there it is quite simple to keep your workouts challenging by using equipment many moms already have at home; a stability ball, dumbbells and a medicine ball.

When you have an effective resistance training workout plan, that not only fits your fitness goals, but your lifestyle, your plan becomes a priority and you achieve a lean, fit body before you know it!

Now you understand not only the importance resistance training plays in your fat loss efforts, but also how easily it can be integrated into your routine. It is time to adjust your mindset and your priorities. When you put your time, energy and effort into a resistance training regimen you guarantee yourself a faster metabolism and a toned, tight, energetic body.

Holly Rigsby, CPT, MAT America’s #1 Fat Loss Expert for Busy Moms and the author of www.FitYummyMummy.com. Holly has worked with over 300 Mom’s to help them lose the stubborn baby fat, get their pre-baby body back and reclaim their yummy-ness. Don’t miss her Free Report: Top 5 Busy Mom Metabolism Boosters.

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Choosing the best type of workout program that will stimulate the muscle fiber type that will get you the results you’re looking for is extremely important.

Unfortunately, all body building programs are not created equally when speaking in terms of muscle fiber types.

While you can’t differentiate between muscle fibers from your outside appearance, on the inside of the muscle tissue body, there are three main different fibers present.

Type A Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers

The first type of muscle fibers are known as Type A Fast Twitch and are responsible for the most forceful contractions generated, however, will fatigue the fastest.

For example, if you were to perform an all out set of 3 reps for bench press, you would predominately be using these type A muscle fibers.

They tend to have very large motor neurons and very low mitochondrial density. They also have a low oxidative capacity, meaning they will not be able to utilize oxygen very well. It is for this reason that they are not suited to endurance type of activities, because during these exercise variations, oxygen must be present in order to sustain the muscular contractions.

The major type of fuel that these muscle fibers are going to rely on is creatine phosphate and stored muscle glycogen (glucose). They will not utilize stored body fat at all due to the fact that they are only able to continually contract for between one and about 20 seconds.

Type B Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers

The next muscle fiber is also classified as a fast twitch muscle fiber but not to the extent that type A are.

This muscle fiber type is mostly utilized in activities that are relatively short in duration, but are not at an all out pace.

For example, if you were to sprint 100 meters, you’ll be using mostly type A. If on the other hand, you are to do a running interval at about 80-90% of your max capacity for 30 seconds, this would utilize the type 2A more.

Some of the characteristics of the type B muscle fibers are that they still have a large motor neuron (not as large as Type A though), they are on the intermediate scale as far as being resistant to fatigue, and they have a high degree of mitochondrial density.

These muscle fiber types are also able to use oxygen to a great extent, as demonstrated by their higher resistance to fatigue and longer duration of contraction abilities.

Slow Twitch

Finally, the third type of muscle fiber that you have in your body is classified as slow-twitch.

This is the muscle fiber type you would use if you were to run a marathon or any other extended duration, medium-to-low intensity activity.

These muscle fibers have a very high ability to resist fatigue and have a large oxidative capacity.

They are also relatively slow to contract, therefore you cannot expect a great deal of force generation from these muscles, and thus, will not be intended for exercises requiring a high degree of power.

They are very high in terms of mitochondrial density and have a large number of capillaries running throughout their bodies. This is to enable sufficient oxygen to get to the muscle tissues so that they can carry on the extended duration of muscular work they are intended to do.

These are also the muscle fibers that will also rely more on fat as fuel, as opposed to strictly using carbohydrates or creatine phosphate.

Training The Muscle Fiber Types

So, now that you’re familiar with the three major classes of muscle fiber types, it’s time to recognize how you would train each effectively.

Since type A are your primary force generators, if you wish to get a higher performance from them you’ll need to train using exercises that require you to max out your effort for a short period of time.

Think sprinting at full speed, 1-5 rep sets for lifting, and any type of plyometric activities.

Next, to train your type B muscles fibers you’ll want to slightly decrease the force with which you are to contract while simultaneously increasing the time over which you contract ever so slightly.

For example, perform 30-45 intervals repeated ten times with about a minute or a minute and a half at a low to moderate pace. For your weight training activities, aim to target the 6-10 rep range to utilize the fact these muscle fibers have a higher oxidation ability.

Finally, to improve your slow twitch muscle fibers, think endurance. This type of fiber will usually require the greatest amount of time to train for improvement because you’ll want to focus on simply going ‘longer’.

If you’re a runner, try and run longer. If you’re a biker, bike longer. If you’re a swimmer, swim longer – you get the point.

This type of muscle has the ability to go for extended periods of time so this is exactly what you want to train it to do.

So, next time you are trying to sort out your training plan make sure to take the various muscle fiber types into consideration.

Doing so will allow you to make the most out of your training program so you get the exact results you’re looking for.

About the Author:

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 helping you understand all the principles behind muscle fibers and gaining muscle and weight quickly without drugs, supplements and training less than before.

>> Click here to download the Insane Muscle Gain Report – Avoid The Top 20 Ways To Screw Up In The Gym free ebook -or- Click here to download the Perfect Posture in 30 Days free ebook.

Copyright © by Supertraining blog.com. All Rights Reserved.