Basics of Body Building

Bodybuilding is a sport of building muscle. Bigger and stronger is the name of the game. One of the great things about bodybuilding is that you can achieve great results with only very basic equipment and a few hours of training three to four times per week.

The key to building bigger and stronger muscles is to keep progressively adding more and more weight over time. Building bigger muscles is about consistent regular training, eating properly, getting plenty of rest, and lots of weight at low repetitions.

As a starting any new exercise program, is important a first check with your physician before starting a bodybuilding program. In the beginning is important that you start slow and learn proper technique. Time and time again professional body builders have said that technique is one of most important aspects of getting a good workout. It might be helpful to schedule a session with a professional trainer in the beginning so you start on the right track. If this is not an option for you there are various instructional books on the subject of bodybuilding. Above all take the time to learn proper technique.

Lifting heavy weight damages muscle fibres. It is only when the muscles repair themselves that they grow larger and stronger. For this reason it is very important that each muscle group is given plenty of rest following each workout. This is why most body builders alternate muscle groups. For example, you might work on your back on Monday, your legs on Tuesday, your chest on Wednesday, and your arms on Friday. Most successful body builders will recommend that you not work a particular muscle group more than twice per week.

The question may come up of whether it is best to use weight machines or free weights. The general consensus is that free weights are your best option for increasing muscle mass. Machines are typically used for isolating muscles and this is something that only professional body builders need to do before contest.

The following are some basic exercises for the major muscle groups.

Chest

1. Flat Bench Press

2. Dips

3. Incline Bench Press

Legs

1. Squats

2. Straight Leg Dead Lifts

3. Leg Press

Back

1. Pull ups

2. Barbell Rows

3. Deadlifts

Biceps

1. Curls

2. Incline curls

Triceps

1. Lying Tricep Extensions

2. Close Grip Bench Press

Shoulders

1. Military Press.

Remember to increase muscle size you will need to progressively increase poundage. Be patient. Overworking your muscles can actually have adverse effects. If you maintain a consistent regular workout routine coupled with proper nutrition and rest you will begin to see results in no time. Keep in mind it is common to see more obvious results initially and in overtime your gains will seem less apparent. This is because your body becomes used to your work out routine and in a sense knows what to expect. It is helpful to keep your body guessing by changing your workout routine on a regular basis.

Original Source: http://goarticles.com/article/Basics-Of-Bodybuilding/7633397/

Muscle Building

Muscle building is an excellent choice for a workout routine. If you are interested in building muscles look into specific routines that you can follow in order to build muscles in your body. If you are already a little on the heavy side, you may think it would be harder for you to build muscles since it would take you a lot of hard work and determination in order to have a body that you can boast to the world.

If you want to take Muscle Building seriously then you would want to remove the fat and replace it with muscles, therefore you need an exercise routine that will help you burn fat as well as build the muscles in your arms, chest, legs, and back. Remember each person is different, so ensure you do your research to find out the exercise sets dependent on your body type.

Another big factor is diet so you will more than likely need to change your diet, cut down on junk food and fast food, and try and to eat nutritiously. It is important to change your diet because; you will need to have the proper energy to do the regular workout plan. It is important for any bodybuilder to be aware that building muscles require lots of patience and determination. Muscles cannot be built and then stop the routine you have. You will need to stick to a workout plan that you will need to maintain up until you build the muscles and then gradually change the exercise routines according to how you see fit.

Muscle building is very easy, if you have access to the right tip and follow them as stated. Before now, most people have tried to build muscles and have been unsuccessful, this is very common. The reason for this is that, either they don't have access to the right information or are not following them seriously. There are some tips you must take note of, if you want to build muscles successfully and quickly. Some of them include working hard, eating the right food, training consistently and resting properly.

One of the most important ways to build muscle quickly is by eating the right food and in the right way. If you really want to build muscles, you will have to eat more of protein food and less of carbohydrates. Avoid unhealthy fat, eat healthy fatty foods. You can eat protein foods like boiled or baked chicken, beans and turkey. Also carbohydrate foods like brown rice and whole wheat bread. If you must use oil when cooking, use olive or coconut oil, do not use groundnut of vegetable oil. You should also consume lots of vegetables and drink plenty of water.

The second tip is to work hard, take your routine seriously. Try always to do your daily exercise until you are unable to continue, this will stress your muscles and provide more opportunity for growth. One very important exercise you must add to your routine is weight lifting, without this you won't be able to get a good result quickly. Also you will have to work out consistently; you can't do your routine once a week and expect to get the same result as someone who does his routine three to four times a week.

Another important bodybuilding tip is having enough rest. After your daily routine, it is advisable to rest for at least 24 hours as this will allow your muscle to heal and grow. If you don't allow your muscles to heal before you continue with your workout, you might injure them thereby making growth difficult. Do not lift heavy weights every day. Also you should sleep for 7 to 8 hours a day, because your muscle grows best during sleep. Another very important tip is to take a week off after 8 weeks of extensive workouts.

Follow the above tips strictly and in less than two weeks you will see a tremendous improvement in your muscle growth. You don't have to work out for months before seeing result.

Your workout routine will need to change to help you maintain muscle. Your focus should be on 8-10 repetitions per set, but the weight should be moderate, not moderately heavy. So, what does moderate weight mean? It means you should be able to fully complete all 10 reps without too much struggle, but enough struggle to feel a little burn. This is very hard to explain in words, but you will know the feeling when you feel it.

When you no longer want to gain muscle, you should have a good sense of your body and how it feels under physical stress. You should know when your muscles are fatigued. You should still feel a good pump, without taking your muscles to failure. Your goal is to give your new muscles a reason to stick around. The reason why your body gained muscle in the first place was because you placed unusual stress on your muscles on a regular basis, and the body responded naturally by increasing in size. Now, you must still give your body a reason to hold onto muscle because you still have a workout program that puts moderate resistance on your muscles.

Remember your body still needs protein to feed the muscle you have. If you deprive your body of protein, you will lose a good amount of muscle fast. Use a good quality whey protein powder daily and drink plenty of water. Your muscles also need lots of water to survive. Sleep should be your next focus. Surprisingly, your body won't need the same 8-9 hours of sleep to maintain muscle the way it did to gain muscle. You still need the recovery, but your body will now recover faster because your body will not be stressed to the same degree.

Original source: http://goarticles.com/article/Muscle-Building/7634736/

Weight Lifting Diet - Eat Right, Get Huge, Period

If the question is asked - what do you need in your diet to gain muscle and at the same time, lose fat, then the answer is almost always the same. Protein!

The fact is that protein consumption can add muscle bulk. Protein consumption also means you reduce your appetite, thus no need to stack up on the calories.

In reality however, protein is only one part of the puzzle. A diet for weight lifters and people in general begs a comprehensive intake of more than just a lot of protein.

According to scientific studies, the level of testosterone in men within the western world has dropped by 20% in the last 20 years.

Here are some nutritional basics you should understand in order to craft a hormonal balance that is worthy of a true alpha status male.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are very often the focus for diets, particularly the fat-loss diets. Ever since Doctor Atkins decided that we should not indulge in eating doughnuts any longer, carbs have taken a huge beating. Before Mr Atkins got involved, doughnuts were an accepted form of nutrition, but it had to be the reduced fat type. So, if we decided to partake in the lower fat version, we felt a lot better about ourselves.

Doughnuts aside, carbs tend to get a bad rap - much worse than they deserve. They come to us in a variety of forms - some are not so good, where others are much more beneficial.

The bad carbs come in the form of highly processed foods. In reality, they should not really be considered as foods, other than the fact that they are edible. For some people, they are delicious, but fact of the matter is that they've undergone some crazy scientific process.

Obviously, if you process the good stuff out of our food, then there's a point where it's not healthy any longer.

Getting down to basics, carbohydrates are merely a collection of sugar molecules. Once consumed, your body attempts to break this down into a source of fuel. Fiber, sugars, and starches are all basic forms of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are made up from two main types: simple as well as complex. There is another type, and that is fibrous carbs. Fibrous carbs come from green vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cucumber, peppers, and more besides. Nevertheless, for this discussion, we will not focus on fibrous carbohydrates.

Simple Carbs

What are simple carbs? Well, simple carbs include foods such as syrup, sweetened soda, table sugar. In an ideal world, it's best to avoid these types of carbs, other than on the "cheat" days whereby some may indulge themselves.

This type of carb is the "bad" carb that the fitness pros talk about on a regular basis. Included on this list are things like beer, cookies, puppies, snuggles, cakes, candy...

So, for most people, the very idea of fun eating is now off-limits.

So what is allowed, you may be wondering?

Complex carbohydrates such as apples, peas, oatmeal.

A Slightly-More "Complex' Point of View

For a long while most people considered that complex carbs were far better, but now we've changed over to believing that simple carbs are often the ones to fit the bill.

But it's not so much about healthy hormones and healthy metabolism that matters. It is about how quickly the body breaks the carbs down and also about how much the carb intake will spike your blood's glucose levels.

A more sophisticated way to qualify carbohydrate quality is by using the glycemic index (GI).

What the GI does is that it attempts to classify foods in terms of how fast they break down and also by how high they boost sugar levels within the blood.

For some time, people would argue that you could maintain insulin levels at a lower rate even if you eat a lot of carbs.

Well, for sure, this in some ways is true, the fact remains that there will not be too much difference to the size of your waistline if you stick to eating French fries instead of potatoes.

Both low-carb diets as well as low-GI diets are not going to provide a magic pill in order to lose weight. The idea though is that you eat the right amount of the "right" foods, in order to fuel your metabolism.

What's more however, you do need to consume carbohydrates, regardless of what some dieting gurus will tell you. If you don't consume carbs then your body will turn to breaking down muscle tissue in order to fuel your energy needs.

As a general rule, the ideal is to avoid simple carbs and high-GI foods.

The worst thing to do is to eat carbs on their own. Eating carbs with protein will slow down the rate of digestion of the carbs, and also lowers the glycemic or insulin response, as well as off-setting a number of the negative connotations that comes with the consumption of too many carbohydrates.

Fats

For a very long time, fats have been blamed for every food-related health problem you can think of. For almost 20 years in recent times, low-fat was regarded as being healthy. It's how many people determine if food is safe or not - if it's low fat, then it surely has to be good for you. Or, if there's no saturated fat content, then that's about okay.

Oddly enough, within North America, as the word spread around about the "fact" that fats were bad for us, and as the consumption of fats decreased drastically, the rates of obesity increased.

There's no single reason to be piling the blame on here, but there are some reasons that do stand out. Higher frequency of snacks and meals. Larger food portions. Too much sugar consumption - regularly in the form of "low fat" foods and drinks.

What's the bottom line though?

Fat is a necessary part of our diet, and it's very possible that you are not consuming enough fats. Fat in general is good! It's good for the heart, it's good for testosterone production, and it's also good for building muscle.

But these things aside, fat also plays a very important role in your overall body functions. It coats the nerve tissues, thereby making them more "productive" and efficient. Fat also serves as a substrate for a group of hormones termed as "eicosanoids". Eicosanoids help to regulate functions such as blood pressure, blood clotting, and inflammation. Fat is a requirement for basic human physiology, so it's a most thoroughly necessary constituent of our daily dietary needs!

What's more however, not all fats are the same. So here's some info about the different types of fats, and why they should be a part of your diet, with the exception of one - the trans fats.

Good Fat - Monounsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated fats are to be found in nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and also in high-fat fruits like avocados. It's also found in olive oil.

This type of fat helps to raise good cholesterol while lowering the levels of bad cholesterol. They're said to also be beneficial in helping to lessen weight gain.

Good Fat - Polyunsaturated Fat

Similar to monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated help to fight against bad cholesterol. They can be found in foods like sunflower oil, various seeds, fish oil, and salmon. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are also termed as essential fatty acids, or EFA's.

EFA's have to be ingested because our bodies are unable to manufacture them. The body requires these nutrients in order to remain healthy and function optimally.

Good Fat - Saturated Fat

Saturated fats are one of the most misunderstood substances that we consume. And this is partly because a number of studies linked saturated fat to heart disease.

Nevertheless, in more recent times, it's been concluded that the findings of those early studies were in fact flawed and there is no link between heart disease and saturated fats.

There are several more recent studies conducted on hunter-gatherer tribes that gained 50-70 percent of their daily diets from saturated fats, but yet they did not suffer any health issues. Oddly enough, when the original studies were conducted, these tribes people were totally ignored.

After a 20-year review, the chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard - Walter Willett, publicly claimed that saturated fats have no link to heart disease and are not responsible for the high rates of obesity currently seen in North America and beyond.

Saturated fats are one of the very best sources of energy that your body can get, and that is why carbohydrates are stored naturally in the form of saturated fats.

Research has shown that foods that are higher in saturated fats are often the ones that are actually lower in total calories. And what's more, saturated fats have the ability to boost testosterone levels.

So, assuming that you are not vegetarian or vegan, you should make sure you eat lots of red meat, dairy products, as well as eggs in order to get enough saturated fats in your diet.

Bad Fat -Trans Fats

Trans fats are the only bad fat available for consumption. They are in fact one of the worst types of food that can be consumed. They are found in foods such as potato chips, French fries, in addition to a variety of other fried foods.

You will find trace amounts of trans fats in meats and some other foods - they occur naturally. However, most trans fats to be found are not naturally occurring at all. They are man-made so to speak, and they are manufactured through a process called hydrogenation. What happens is that a good monounsaturated fat, in the form of liquid oil, is packed full with hydrogen atoms, and thus the original oil is converted to a solid fat.

It possesses a high melting point as well as a smooth texture, and may be reused over and over in the deep-fat frying process. And this is what makes it an ideal product for the food industry.

So, the main concept behind trans fats is that they are over-processed foods which offer the vendor and consumer an oil that has a long shelf-life. In reality, you should try to avoid these oils as much as you possibly can. The health risks far outweigh any benefits.

Nevertheless, if you must partake in consuming junk food, then so be it. After all, most of us like the occasional binge on our junk food. And in which case, it's best to also make sure that overall your diet is good, and that you also achieve a good amount of regular exercise.

Protein The Alpha-Macro

Both fats and carbohydrates have been rated as number one and number two in terms of the public enemy, whereas protein has enjoyed a slow and steady rise up the charts and now sits prominently right at the very top.

Definitely a favorite among bodybuilders, and pretty much everyone who is involved in fitness and health in some way, protein is used within the body to repair damaged tissue - muscle, hair, teeth, bone. It has other functions too of course - you can think of it as mortar for which to lay bricks upon - a foundation, in a sense. Without protein, your body will begin to break down.

Protein is also good in aiding fat loss and building muscle. It helps to create an anabolic hormonal environment, and provides "materials" in order to build muscle bulk.

Protein is made from amino acids. From the 22 standard amino acids, only nine can be obtained through the consumption of food, and the body manufactures the remaining 13. The ones that have to be ingested are called "essential amino acids", and these include:

• Threonin
• Methionine
• Valine
• Leucine
• Tryptophan
• Lysine
• Phenylalanine
• Isoleucine
• Histidine

A whole or complete protein will contain some amount of each of these essential amino acids, whereas an incomplete protein lacks one or perhaps more essential amino acids.

Amino acids play another role - they help with the creation of hormones within the body. These hormones aid in the regulation of blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels, which is, in turn, responsible for muscular growth and metabolic rate. Thus, proteins are immensely important, particularly those to be found in eggs, cheese, fish, red meat, and poultry.

In Conclusion

As something of a brief conclusion, do you, if you read through this article, sense some sort of trend going on here? Processed foods that are sold with the words "healthy" or "natural" printed on the side of the packaging - well, it's pretty much downright lies being told here!

Getting back to nature is the way that we should proceed, so it's far better to build your diet (and your health) around nature's own food - whole foods that are unprocessed. Although, the addition of something like whey-protein is not such a bad thing either.

Reference: http://ezinearticles.com/?Weight-Lifting-Diet---Eat-Right,-Get-Huge,-Period&id=7712481

The teenage guy’s guide to gaining muscle

The toned torsos, six-packs and rippling biceps of sports stars and celebrities can’t do much for the body image of the average teenage boy, but if you’re a guy in your teens, you have body-building advantages they would love to have.

During your teenage years, you’re in a phase of your life when your body wants to grow. You’re churning out hormones that are specially designed to help you get bigger. And, right now, you may be able to take in a huge amount of food and use it to build a strong body.

However, it's easy to make mistakes in your quest for muscle. Here's how to avoid those pitfalls:

• Get leaner, stronger and fitter with cross-training
• Do these five things now

Following these steps will help you give your muscles the exercise and the fuel they need for getting bigger.

1. Get a checkup

If you’re new to exercise or you have any health issues, especially heart problems or conditions that affect your muscles or joints, get a once-over by your GP before you start a muscle-building programme.

2. Skip the shortcuts

As you’re starting on your path to bigger muscles, focus on the basics.

Don’t even think about taking anabolic steroids. They are a Class C drug, and are illegal to own unless with a medical prescription. They make the body over-produce testosterone, so increasing muscle size and strength. Not only are they illegal, they can give you mood swings, moobs and small testicles and, according to the NHS, could make you infertile.

During puberty, your body naturally pumps out testosterone. This hormone encourages your muscles to grow.

Personal trainer and ex-professional footballer, Ian McCaldon says: "When building muscle, there are no shortcuts. Just long, hard consistent hours in the gym. It's like learning a language. You don't just build a vocabulary in one week; it takes months and years to really build and understand the language.

"Building muscle is the same; it takes time for that muscle to build and, along the way, you'll start to understand your body and your character."

3. Build a solid programme

When you're starting out, avoid just trying out bits and pieces from different weight-lifting programmes you see in magazines.

Ian says: "Working to a well thought out programme is vital.  You need to know you're working all the right muscle groups proportionately.

"It’s no good having a big upper body and skinny legs - looking like a carrot!"

At first take it steadily. Build a basic core programme that includes bench presses (for your chest), squats (legs), deadlifts (legs and back) and shoulder presses (shoulders and upper arms).

Sports nutrionist Gavin Allinson says: "You can do resistance training from an early age. You can practice the movement patterns, like bench press, squat and deadlift.

"There’s a lot of supervision if it’s done correctly," he says, "so parents shouldn’t be over concerned about injury."

4. Eating well

You need calories for growth and performance!

Gavin says: "The main thing is to have a good diet. Teenage boys are still growing so they have to make sure they eat enough."

Edinburgh-based Ian, who is also a youth fitness coach agrees. "Eating right is the cornerstone when trying to build muscle. It's like a car: if you don't fuel it then it won't work!

"Muscles are the same. If you don't fuel them properly then they don't perform and grow."

His advice is to eat the right sort of food. It’s no good eating loads and loads of pasta and expecting it to give you endless supply of energy. The same goes for protein. The body will only process food and use it when it's needed.

If you load up with too much carbohydrate (like pasta) the body will store what is not used as fat. If you load up on protein (like meat or protein shakes) then the body will just get rid of it (pee it out!) or store it as fat.

There is a fine balance between what the body will use in relation to how you work out.  

Experts say have breakfast every day and eat a healthy diet, with protein from lean meat, chicken, eggs and fish and plenty of carbohydrates from foods like wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread, fruit, vegetables, milk and low fat dairy products.

As you are exercising and building muscle you can have more calories, but don’t eat junk food. Make it the right type of calories from real, healthy foods.

5. Feed your muscles when they’re hungry

Another muscle-building hormone your body produces is insulin. Roberta Anding from the US Dietetic Association says: "It makes your muscles soak up sugar, proteins, and other components that make them bigger and stronger."

Insulin is extra-effective right after a workout. So within 30 minutes after a workout, eat a blend of carbs and protein. Some options:

•     Turkey sandwich
•     Peanut butter and jam sandwich
•     Nuts and seeds
•     Smoothie with yoghurt and fruit

Skip these five mistakes

Here are five things NOT to do when you're working on building strong muscles:

1. Don’t hurt yourself trying to look cool

You know those guys who always moan and strain in the gym until they’re red in the face? Don’t be one of them.

Ian says: "I see this all the time in the gym. Scrawny teenagers all pumped up on testosterone and a fuelled ego trying to look the hero to impress their friends or the girl on the cross trainer.

"Heavy weights + poor technique = injury and bad posture in teenagers. Not a good look boys."

The advice is, stay within your limits.

2. Don’t try to figure it out on your own

If you are just starting out, don’t assume you know how to do everything.

When you don’t get the technique right, for example, leaning back and jerking up the dumbbells while doing biceps curls, you’re not focusing the load on your target muscles.

Instead, you’re bringing in other muscles into play and making them do the work.

Find a qualified trainer with good credentials at your gym, or talk to coaches at your school who know what they’re doing in the weight room.

Ask for lessons on how to properly do all the common lifts.

Ian says: "Learn from the experts how to exercise with the correct posture and technique. You'll look good and look as if you know what you are doing."

3. Don’t overdo protein

Teenage guys read about high protein diets in the muscle magazines and go over the top.  If you train a lot you do need protein but not half a cow and protein shakes as well.

Ian, who used to play football for Livingston FC and Oxford United, says: "The body will only use a certain amount of protein depending on how hard you've trained the muscles. Protein is needed for muscle repair after a seriously hard workout but don't overdo it by necking gallons of protein shakes."

"I'm a great believer that unless you're a professional athlete and training 4-5 hours a day, then your protein should come from a natural source like red meat, chicken or fish." 

"I see it all the time in the gym: guys throwing back protein shakes and they can't see their toes for their big, fat bellies!" 

4. Don't skimp on rest and sleep

The experts we spoke to say don’t train every day. Your body needs to time to rest and recuperate. Your muscles will benefit from having a break.

Most kids like to stay up late but sleep is essential so you are energised and ready for your next training session.

"This is important because this is the time when the body is relaxed and has time repair itself," says Ian, who would also recommend yoga relaxation too.

5. Don’t rush it

"If you are eating right, doing the right training and accelerating muscle growth, you are making progress," says Oxford-based Gavin Allinson. "When the time is right, depending on your age and development, you will put on muscle."

Trainer Ian McCaldon is more philosophical. "If working out and building muscle makes you feel good and energised, then let that energy be the catalyst for your dreams and goals. After all, gold medals and world records were not achieved by sitting on the sofa watching others fulfil their dreams!

"Building muscle is for life, not just for looking cool on the beach!"

Reference: http://www.webmd.boots.com/fitness-exercise/guide/the-teenage-guys-guide-to-gaining-muscle

Six tips for successful weight-lifting workouts

Weight-training techniques that will help you get results.

It seems simple enough, just pick up and toss around the equivalent of a couple of tins of beans a few times a week and change your body and maybe even your life. This very simplicity is at the heart of weight training, which is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of exercise today.

The sport that was once confined to bulky bodybuilders is now being embraced by the average bloke looking to drop a few pounds and beef up his physique, as well as the average woman looking to tone and strengthen bones and muscles as she heads into middle age, experts say.

"Weight lifting not only helps you to look better, but it can play an enormous role in your quality of life as you age, particularly for women since it definitely helps increase bone density, which diminishes with age", says Cedric Bryant, vice president of scientific affairs for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).

Plus, unlike other forms of exercise that burn calories only while you're working out, weight lifting keeps on incinerating calories for hours after you stop.

"It increases your metabolic activity for the entire day, not only when you are challenging your muscles, but also during the repair process that occurs when you stop working out", says Alex Schroeder, an exercise physiologist and trainer at Form and Fitness, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, gym and rehabilitation centre.

Of course, a successful weight lifting workout does involve a bit more than just moving those tins of beans from the kitchen counter to the cupboard a few times a week. To help put you on the path to success, Bryant, Schroeder, and Mike Ryan, a weight expert from the Gold's Gym Fitness Institute offered some tips on how to start a weight lifting workout and stick with it until you meet your goals.

Weight lifting workout rule 1: Define your goals

For any exercise programme, it's important to start with a realistic goal in mind. However, for weight training, experts say, it's essential. Why?

"Setting a goal that’s attainable is important to not only give you a sense that you are accomplishing something, but, in the case of weight lifting, to ensure you don't overdo it when you first begin", says Schroeder.

“Because successful weight training involves small steps, having short-term goals will keep you from giving up too soon,” he says.

Ryan agrees with this strategy. "It's extremely important to set realistic, achievable goals so that you don’t get discouraged, and so that you don't try to do too much too soon and increase your risk of injury", he says.

What's more, he cautions that this advice is as important for seasoned athletes as well as fitness beginners.

"No matter how much you've accomplished in another sport, if you haven't done weight lifting, you're still a beginner, so don't expect too much too soon", says Ryan.

Weight lifting workout rule 2: Choose the right equipment

One of the best things about weight training is that your muscles don't know the difference between a £1000 machine and £25 resistance band. So you don't have to spend a lot to get a lot of results. All you have to do is to challenge your muscles.

"The really nice part about that is if you are on a tight budget, you don't have to feel you are getting a compromised weight training workout because you can accomplish your goals without spending a lot of money", says Bryant.

Whether you're using hand weights, barbells, or resistance bands, Ryan says, look for whatever size allows you to do 12-16 repetitions. If you can't, they're too heavy.

However, if you can do more than 15 with good form, then the weight load is probably not quite challenging enough, Bryant says. "So look for something a bit heavier or add on more resistance", he says.

Weight lifting workout rule 3: Don't try it on your own

When it comes to weight lifting, how you do the exercises can be as important as which ones you do. That's why having even one session with a personal trainer can definitely get your weight training programme going in the right direction, experts say.

"This is particularly true if you are working with dumbbells", says Schroeder. "It's important to have someone overseeing you at least the first few times, so you can achieve the correct form and function".

If that's not possible, the next best thing is using strength-training machines. These work well for beginners, Schroeder says, because they force your body into the correct position.

"It's still a good idea to have someone looking over you the first few times, to make sure the machine is adjusted correctly for your weight and size, but generally, the machines do help keep your body in line", says Schroeder.

If your time or money budget is extra-tight, Bryant says, pick up a weight training DVD from a well-known trainer, or visit accredited web sites to get technique tips.

"You can find pictures that show the starting and ending positions for weight lifting and tips for keeping your body properly aligned during the activity", Bryant says. "It's definitely worth your while to spend your first weight-training session learning the proper technique and form".

Weight training workout rule 4: Learn the power of slow

When it comes to weight lifting, experts say, the tortoise beats the hare every time. The reason?

"The key to success in weight training is known as A-B-C - which stands for always be in control", says Bryant. The best way to do that, he says, is with slow, deliberate movements.

"I don't want to give the impression that you are working in slow motion, but you do want to make certain that your muscles are what are responsible for controlling movement in both direction, lifting and lowering", says Bryant.Ryan agrees. "A lot of sports rely on high, fast motion, but when you’re doing weight training, it's slow, deliberate motions with controlled breathing", he says. "Don’t hold your breath and do the reps, and don't move too quickly".

Further, Schroeder says, beginners will benefit more from doing more repetitions with a lighter weight than trying to use heavy weights they can lift only a few times.

"In the beginning you have such a huge adaptation phase, you're using muscles you never used before, and you're shocking your system, even with a light weight so you are much better off, and much safer to start much lighter with more repetitions", he says.

Starting with lighter weights mean you're less likely to end up with the kind of muscle pain that could end your weight training workout programme on the spot.

"It's a discouraging scenario when you hurt all over and starting slow means you are less likely to feel the kind of pain that causes you to get discouraged and stop after one or two tries", says Bryant.

Weight training workout rule 5: Rest and recover

Although it has little to do with form or function, experts say the real key to successful weight training is to understand the importance of rest and recover. At the core of weight training is a tearing-down and building-up process that ultimately makes muscles strong.

Schroeder explains: "In order for muscles to build, muscle fibre has to be torn, which is what happens when you stress the muscle with weights".

While that tearing-down process is vital for the muscle building activity to begin, it's really the respite that follows in the next 48 to 72 hours that ultimately results in muscle strength.

"Think of it like paper being torn", says Schroeder. "You've got to stick it back together before you can rip it up again, and that's what a rest and recovery period allows you do - it allows the torn muscle fibres to come together so you can tear it again". Each time you do, he says, the muscle gets stronger.

If you try working out every day, you'll not only increase your risk of injury, but also work against getting the results you want. Ryan says that one of the key reasons some people don’t see results after eight to ten weeks of weight training is because they are simply not giving their bodies adequate time to recover.

"If you don’t see any change in your body after a few months, don’t think you need to do more. You probably need to do less", he says. "If you over-train, all you are getting is breakdown and no buildup".

So how do you know when you're ready to hit the weights again? Ryan says to use muscle soreness and fatigue as a guide. "If you feel significant soreness, if your muscles feel fatigued, then it's too soon", he says.

Bryant says that as long as there is no injury, for most people, the recovery process occurs within 48 to 72 hours after a workout. If you want to work out more often than that, he says, simply switch to a different area of the body for each workout.

Weight training rule 6: Eat well to build up!

While good nutrition is vital to getting the most out of any exercise programme, it's especially important for weight training. If you're thinking fruits and vegetables, you're only partly right. Experts say muscles also require protein. 
"You need protein for your muscle to recover", says Bryant, who advises everyone doing weight training to have a snack containing both protein and carbohydrates after every workout. 

Ryan says that adding some extra protein to your diet, while cutting down on refined carbohydrates, sugars, and "bad" fats like saturated and trans fats, can help you see results sooner.

Reference: http://www.webmd.boots.com/fitness-exercise/guide/6-tips-for-successful-weight-lifting-workouts

Weight Training - Beginners

Properly performed strength training can provide positive functional benefits and improvement in overall health and well-being. This includes increased bone, muscle, tendon and ligament strength, joint function, reduced potential for injury, increased bone density, a temporary increase in metabolism, improved cardiac function and elevated HDL (good) cholesterol.

Strength training mainly uses the technique of progressively increasing the force output of the muscle through small increases of weight, elastic tension or other resistance, but also uses a variety of exercises and types of equipment to target specific muscle groups. Strength training is primarily an anaerobic activity, but some trainers have adapted it to provide the benefits of aerobic exercise through circuit training.

Terminology & Principles

Strength - To manipulate the number of repetitions, sets, rest, tempo and resistance to cause a positive change in the level of force the body is able to apply to a mass/weight, by progressively overloading a group of muscles.

Endurance - To increase the stamina & capacity at which the body can operate at for a longer period of time. Many people think endurance is all about cardiovascular training, but by mixing cardio with a carefully selected programme of high reps, low weight, it can seriously increase your overall endurance not just aerobic endurance

Hypertrophy (Build Muscle) - To increase the size/volume of muscle tissue through the theory of progressively overloading the muscle and them repairing bigger and stronger.

Power - Strength x Speed, in other words performing a strong movement at speed. This is crucial for nearly all sports. To be powerful you need to be strong, but also have good co-ordination and balance to direct and control this power.

% of 1RM - This is the percentage of the weight you should be able to do for a single maximum lift.

Reps - The number of times you lift & lower a weight in a controlled manner.

Sets - The number completed repetitions without a break between them.
Speed per rep/Tempo - Time it takes to complete each rep. This can be varied to increase/decrease intensity

Rest - Time taken to recover at the end of each set, before proceeding onto the next set.

Training goal

Variable Strength Power Hypertrophy Endurance
(Build Muscle)

Load (% of 1RM) 80-90 45-55 60-80 40-60
Reps per set 1 to 5 1to 5 6 to 12 15 to 60
Sets per exercise 4 to 5 3 to 5 4 to 8 2 to 4
Rest between sets (mins) 2 to 6 2 to 6 3 to 5 1 to 2
Duration (seconds per set) 5 to 10 4 to 8 20 to 60 80 to 150
Speed per rep (% of max) 60 to 100 90 to 100 60 to 90 60 to 80
Training sessions per week 3 to 6 3 to 6 5 to 7 8 to 14

Table reproduced from Siff, 2003[9]

Basic All-Body Training Program

The most important part of starting a training program is to understand the basics and understand them well. The “good form” when performing the movement, this has 2 benefits, (1) Reduce the chance of injury (2) Maximise outcome from training.
Many of the weight exercises which are to performed can be learned using bodyweight, in order to build a base strength before proceeding on to lifting weights.

Here at YORK we're strong believers in being functionally strong. This means being able to move in natural patterns, with correct form and in a controlled manner.

We advise starting out your training journey with bodyweight and light dumbells, to learn the movement patterns and “feel” the body working.

Before each workout, thoroughly warm up the body with light cardio work such as jogging or cycling. Perform a complete body stretch, not bouncing the stretches or forcing them past comfort.

  
Exercise           Reps Sets Rest between sets
Press-ups           10         3 1m 30secs
Lunges Alternate Leg   10           3 1m 30secs
Crunches           15         3 1m 30secs
Bench Dips           10         3 1m 30secs
Step-Ups Alternate Leg 10         3 1m 30secs
Dumbell Bicep Curl    12         3 1m 30secs
Body Weight Squat     12         2 1m 45secs
Dumbell Shoulder Press   15            2 1m 45secs
Crunches             15         3 1m 30secs


The above program can be performed 3-4 times a week, but you shouldn't train if you're still sore from the previous training session. As you become accustomed to this training program you can begin to decrease the rest period between each set, before increase the number of repetitions to the next level up and increasing the weight on the dumbells being used.

Once you are happy that you can perform this basic workout with “good form” it is now time step up-to the next level.

Reference: http://www.yorkfitness.com/explore/training/?/Beginner-Training-Articles

The Definitive Guide to Weight Lifting

What is Weight Lifting? Lifting barbells or dumbbells with the goal of increasing your strength and/or muscle size. Weight lifting can take several forms:

• Weightlifting Sport. The sport of Weightlifting is part of the Olympic Games. It consists of 2 lifts: the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk. The goal is to lift more weight than competitors in the same weight class.
• Strength Training. Lifting weights to increase your physical strength. More muscle & a lower body fat are byproducts of strength training.
• Bodybuilding. Weight lifting with the goal of increasing your muscle mass. Strength increases too, but isn't the primary goal.

Benefits of Weight Lifting. Lifting weights has several advantages over machines & body-weight exercises.

• Accessible. Pull-ups & Dips force you to lift your own body-weight. Weight lifting is easier: start with an empty bar, increase the weight by 2.5kg/5lbs each workout. You'll get stronger as the weight increases.
• Versatile. You can do plenty of exercises with only one barbell. No need for expensive machines.
• Builds Strength. You get stronger as the weight on the bar increases. Weight lifting also teaches you to balance the weight.
• Builds Muscle. The stronger you become, the more muscles you’ll have. Your muscle mass increases as the weight on the bar gets heavier.
• Burns Fat. Muscle burn calories. The more muscles you build, the more calories you’ll burn. Your body fat will decrease.
• Increases Health. Increased testosterone levels, increased flexibility, increased cardiovascular fitness, stronger joints, etc.
• Safe. Weight lifting is the safest sports. Machines are not safe: they force you into a fixed, unnatural movement pattern. Couple that with heavy weights & you risk injuries.

Weight Lifting Safety. Weight Lifting is the safest sport. Unlike soccer, rugby or football, no one will get you injured. You'll injure yourself. Statistics from Sports Injury Rates (Hamill 1994)

Injuries in weight lifting happen for 3 reasons:

• Bad Technique. Learn how to do the exercises correctly before adding weight. Start with an empty barbell & add weight gradually.
• Pre-existent Problems. Lack of flexibility & bad posture can prevent proper technique. Past injuries can rise up if not treaten correctly.
• Ego. Correct technique is hard to maintain with heavier weights. Learn correct exercise technique first, then add weight.

Weight Lifting. Image credit: Dehwang

Weight Lifting Exercises. Barbells are versatile: plenty of exercises you can do with 1 barbell. Most exercises can be done with dumbbells too. Here's a non definite list of weight lifting exercises:

• Squat. Should be part of any routine. Squats work your legs, but also the rest of your body. They are key to building strength & muscle.
• Front Squats. Variation of the Squat. Front Squats start with the bar on the front shoulders instead of on the back.
• Bench Press. The most popular exercise in the gym. The Bench Pressworks your chest & triceps muscles.
• Overhead Press. Push weight overhead while standing. The Overhead Press works your shoulders, triceps, back & abs.
• Deadlift. Besides working the legs, the Deadlift builds a strong back by teaching you to keep your spine rigid against a load.
• Barbell Row. Pulling weight from the floor against your lower chest. The Barbell Row works your back & biceps.
• Pendlay Row. Variation of the Barbell Row. Pendlay Row involve arching of the upper-back on the way up.
• Power Clean. Olympic Lift. The Power Clean is done by cleaning the barbell from the floor & putting it on your front shoulders.
• Jerk. Olympic Lift. The Jerk is done by lifting the weight from the front shoulders overhead while dipping under the weight.

Weight Lifting Equipment. Gyms like Fitness First don’t have the equipment you need for weight lifting. Build a home gym if you don't have access to:

• Barbells. Olympic barbells are 2m20 long, weigh 20kg, have knurling & 50mm sleeves. Barbells of 15kg exist for women with smaller hands.
• Dumbbells. Dumbbells with steel handles & knurling work best. Stay away from dumbbells with plastic handles.
• Plates. Plates have 50mm holes to fit the bar. Metric plates are 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 & even 45kg. Smaller plates of 0.5kg exist.
• Squat Rack. Power Cage or Squat Rack or Squat Stands. Facilitate getting the barbell into proper position for the Squat & Front Squat.
• Bench. Necessary for the Bench Press. Standard upright support bench or one you can use in the Power Cage.

Weight Lifting Apparel. You don't need fancy stuff for weight lifting. Only a good pair of shoes, cotton t-shirt, stretchy pants & a notebook.

• No Gloves. Let grow calluses. Once you have calluses your hands won't hurt anymore. If grip is a problem use chalk.
• No Belts. Only useful for maximal attempts with heavy weights. Belts add abdominal support but are unnecessary for sub-maximal weights.
• Shoes. Running shoes with air/gel filling impair stability & cause power loss. Wear shoes with an incompressible sole, like Chuck Taylor's.
• Clothes. Cotton t-shirts & stretchy pants like gray sweats work best. Clothes can not restrict movement & mess with your technique.
• Training Journal. Necessary to track progress. Get a A4 notebook & start a training journal. Take it with you to the gym.

Getting Started into Weight Lifting. StrongLifts 5x5 is a strength training program that uses barbell exercises. It will help you build strength & muscle while decreasing your body fat.

 

Reference: http://stronglifts.com/weight-lifting-101-the-definitive-guide-to-weight-lifting/