Unlike the general idea of ‘weightlifting’ which is just about picking up or moving large amounts of pounds at once, we are looking more at building out bodies. By utilizing resistance training we have the unique opportunity to reshape how we look. Muscles can be made bigger and shapelier to change the overall form of our body. That is a wonderful thing, having so much control over how we look.

Of course there is a lot of hard work involved.

Flexing & Stretching

The process of properly working a muscle involves a positive and negative motion. Most people understand the positive, or flexing, motion range of an exercise. In barbell curls you flex and contract the biceps to curl the weight upward. This stresses the muscles on the concentric portion of the contraction.

Conversely, when you lower the weight you are in effect stretching the muscle back out. This is also known as the negative range of motion or the eccentric contraction. Both are vital to building muscle size and shape.

The truth of the matter is most people pay far too much attention to the flexing. They load on a lot of weight and grunt and groan to curl it up. Then they let gravity do most of the work to lower the weight back down. But by doing this they are missing out on getting a good stretching, or negative workout. This basically means you are doing half the workout you could.

Getting a Good Negative Workout

So why do people skip the negative portion of a workout so much? Usually it is a lack of knowledge about how much extra strength and size you can gain from focusing just as hard on the negative portion of the range as you do on the positive. More advanced practitioners have learned this important tip and include negative work in their routine.

But many people use it sparingly. It is very easy to cause incredible soreness from causing a lot of hypertrophy in a muscle that isn’t used to a lot of weight stretching work. The key is to start slow, just like you did on the flexing side, and build up strength slowly.

One of the best ways to get a good stretch workout is to use a slower lowering or eccentric motion. In the case of our barbell curl example you would simply double the amount of time it took to curl the weight when lowering it. For example, if it took two seconds to curl the weight then slowly control the weight on the way down over a four count. If you need to reduce your weight then do so.

The muscle will be getting an intense workout from focusing on both the flex and stretch, so do not be overly concerned with how much weight you use initially. It will go up later and you should be able to quickly exceed your previous maximums as your negative strength increases.

Summary

This focus takes time and discipline. But when the end result is added size and muscle strength then it easily becomes very worthwhile. So try a little flex and stretch during your next workout and see what it does for you!

Ben Sanderson is an author for Nutribomb Bodybuilding Supplements. Ben is dedicated to providing the best fitness information available on the internet. Visit Nutribomb.com for more.

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1. Experiment
The first tip is to make sure that you practicewith the different sizes of the weights before you decide which size is goingto be right for you. This means that a person is going to need to start offwith the lighter weights, like 5 lb, or perhaps even 2 or 3 lb. Most of thetime, the average guy is going to have more upper body strength than the averagegirl, so keep this in mind. However, it is going to depend on the exercise too.It is very important to pay attention to how many repetitions you cancomfortable do with any weight, because if it is a challenge to even do half adozen, you likely need to change the weight.

2. Set up repetitions
In order to get the most out of an exercise, youneed to be able to do at least 8 repetitions at one time. This is going toallow a person to build up enough muscle to eventually move up to a heaviersize. Therefore, you are going to see a lot more benefits. If a person can domore than 15 repetitions at a time, they should probably move on up. If youwant to really build muscle, then you should do 8-10 reps of pretty heavyweight. If you aren’t as focused on this, and you just want to stay active,burn calories and strengthen your joints, you should try to do 11-14reps of lighter weight. Aim for 3 sets, perhaps 4, if you have it in you, fromtime to time.

3. HeavierDumbbells
Practice with heavier dumbbells once you haveused a comfortable size for a long period of time. However, only do so if youcan maintain the same form that you had when you first started off. If it’svery hard to do so, then stick with your normal weights. However, never beafraid to challenge yourself. Once you’ve got proper form ingrained into yourhead, you should be trying out heavier weights once a week, just to push yourself.

4. Keep a notebook
Keep a notebook with the number of sets andreps that you do each day. Mark down how you feel afterwards, and whether ornot you it was easy or a challenge. This is going to help you to know how manysets that you will need to do next time. This will also help you to diversifyyour workout. You should be doing as many different exercises as you can, andnever settle for just a few select movements. Writing what you do down willhelp you avoid overdoing anything.

DannilyKlastchi likes to write about fitness, self-empowerment and saving money at http://www.dentalinsurance.net/.

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C25K

This is all about running, and a lot of people haven’t done much of that lately. If you’re part of the clique that hasn’t run since gym class, it’s okay. You can become the kind of runner you’ve always wanted to be by following the C25K program. It literally stands for Couch to 5K — that’s 3.1 miles. If you think you can’t go from being a couch potato who gets winded jogging to the car on a cold morning to being able to run a few miles a day without much trouble, all you need to do is give this program a chance.

Pushup Challenge

If you dropped right now, how many pushups could you do? There is strong evidence to suggest that the average person, properly motivated, can get to the level of doing 100 consecutive pushups within a fairly short time. A few months can change your body and your understanding of what’s really possible.

Armstrong Pullup Workout

Developed by Major Charles Armstrong of the USMC, the goal of this program is to work your way up to doing 20 or more consecutive pullups. After a few weeks of doing this program in earnest, your body will start to look better and your strength level will rise considerably. All you really need is time, a goal and the discipline to actually go through with it.

Situp Challenge

Situps aren’t the only kind of ab work that will help you flatten your stomach and improve your regularity, but they work very well. How many situps can you do consecutively? A lot of military situp challenges prescribe workouts that operate in tandem with pushup challenges to build your entire upper body. The bonus is that full situps also work your hip flexors, recruiting your lower body into the operation.

These are just a few incredible challenges that will help you to meet your goals. Give them a try (one at a time) and you’ll be amazed at how much improvement you can achieve!

About the Author: Rolando Vanbenthuyse is a personal trainer who works with people of all fitness levels, whether they want to learn how to get ripped fast or simply get into better shape. Take your time and work to your own level and you’ll be in great shape in no time flat!

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Image Source: Espen Faugstad

Sports and Health

• A physical activity in the form of sports contributes to the physical, mental and emotional well being of the participating person. Do you remember the adrenaline rush when there is a sharp clap for the beginning of an athletic event? A person’s spirit soars when he/she hears the national anthem being sung at sports events as it connects all humans on a equal emotional platform of mutual respect.
• Sports help in building strong bones, maintains the rate of heart beat and improves muscle tone and strength. It reduces the risk of illnesses and serious diseases like cold, flu, cancer, heart attacks etc. It strengthens the immune system to fight diseases.
• Sports such as base ball, basket ball, cricket, rugby, hockey, swimming, cycling, running, weight lifting, jogging, sprinting and aerobics etc build your endurance levels. It helps in reducing blood pressure, managing weight, lowering the diabetes and cardiac risk. Sports help in burning up the calories that are piled on due to a sedentary lifestyle.
• The muscles are strengthened due to vigorous endurance exercises weight lifting and training, as well as athletics builds your muscle strength. Experts believe that these exercises also contribute to the higher production of human growth hormone that is released by the pituitary gland. A regular physical exercise involves an increase in the mass of lean muscles, flexibility of joints, stronger and enduring tendons/ligaments and an overall improvement in the body balance.
• The emotional advantage of sports is that it elevates the confidence level, reestablishes self -esteem and increases the level of endorphins responsible for a happy state of being. Thus it helps fight depression as well, to a certain extent combined with other factors.
• Sports is also played in order to learn, cooperate with fellow beings, for controlling emotions, feeling calm, for recreation, for focusing our physical and mental energies, to overcome challenges and a sense of achievement as a part of competitive spirit.

Sports For Kids:

The physical requirements of kids are different than those of adults. Children learn to fit in a peer group, learn and co-operate while playing small games and hard core sports. Sports help inculcate values of sharing, caring, belongingness and fair play among children of all ages – toddlers to adolescence. It helps to boost their self – image in a positive manner. It helps them to learn to become more disciplined and organized which is useful for a healthy positive attitude in adult life. It teaches children how to deal with disappointment and moving on. It helps to develop the feeling of kinship, brings out the leadership and organizing qualities among the kids.

Research indicates that children who participate in sports are less likely to take to drugs and have a healthy attitude towards life.

Conclusion:

Sports is not mere play. It has multi pronged benefits. It is an exercise with another name; the one that contributes to the overall health of human beings be it mental, physical or emotional. Make sports a part of your routine to benefit in all walks of life.

The author takes keen interest in subjects that cover health, sports, and types of exercises. She has written various blog posts and articles that cover the spectrum of Growth Hormones, Yoga, FDI and Lifestyle to name a few.

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A journal is just as important as your workout clothes, your music, and other things you bring with you to the gym. Why? Because within the pages of that book you get to keep track of your progress. Let’s face it, with all of the other stuff we have to keep track of in a day it is silly to bother trying to remember how many sets you did of squats and at what weight last Monday.

A journal is just a simple tool for keeping track of things. It is like a grocery list or a to-do list at work; it just makes things easier. On top of that a journal can help charting a path towards a specific goal much easier.

What to use

A small, simple notebook is the best idea along with a pen. From my experience you don’t need anything bigger than a 3 x 5 notebook. It is small and cheap so losing it isn’t the end of the world. While smart phones and PDA’s can be used there is also the danger of someone dropping a dumbbell on it.

What to record

Typically it is best to include your diet and workout on a daily basis. Think of it like a daily diary of your health. Depending on your level of enthusiasm for the project, this can be a lot or a little bit of information. An entry might look like this:

• Monday the 8th
• Woke up at 7am feeling refreshed – 7 hours of sleep.
• Breakfast – Oatmeal, banana, juice
• Snack – Coffee and bagel
• Lunch – Turkey sandwich, water, chips
• Workout – Felt good before starting – Chest & Arms
• Started with 10 mins of light cardio followed by 5 mins of stretching
• Bench Press 5 Sets – 12 x 135  10 x 185  8 x 215  6 x 255  6 x 255
• etc..etc..

For some people this will be too much information and other it will be not enough. Do whatever is comfortable. But the point is to include all the factors that go into a workout which include proper rest and fuel. Mood plays a part as well which is why it was noted prior to the workout. Then you track sets, reps, and poundage to help track your gains.

After tracking your workouts for a few weeks you now have a valuable tool you can use to chart your progress. Over time you can see what effect rest, food, and mood have on your workout. Along with using the previous workouts to gage your progress, you can look at all the other aspects if or when any problems occur. “Let’s see, it seems like my gains stopped right around the time I stopped eating such a good breakfast and was sleeping less.”

A workout journal should be used for anyway who is serious about training. It doesn’t matter if it is cycling, running, or weightlifting. All types of training can benefit from the use of a training journal. You can’t see where you are going until you know where you have been.

Ben Sanderson writes about Bodybuilding Supplements and Fitness For Nutribomb. At Nutribomb we strive to supply you with the best supplement information on the internet.

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A great way to help you get fit is to start incorporating intervals into your cardio workout. Going all out for thirty seconds and then resting for thirty seconds, is much more effective than if you were to just perform at a steady rate. Cardio with intervals is also going to require allot less time.

How To Get Fit

Another great tip to help you get fit is to purchase a blender. Sometimes it can be hard to eat enough fruits or vegetables and with a blender, you can consume them all at once. You can make your own custom protein shakes by adding whatever ingredients you want.

A great way to help you get fit is to start doing compound lifts. Compound lifts are lifts such as the bench press, squat, pull-up, and deadlift. These lifts are better than isolation lifts because they use more than once muscle group. Isolation lifts tend to only use one muscle group.

A great way to get fit is to stop drinking whole milk and switch to non-fat milk. While whole milk does provide quality nutrition, it’s high in fat, which won’t aid you if you’re looking to get fit. Non-fat milk is a much better alternative to whole milk.

A great tip to get fit is to stay active when you get home from work. A lot of people come home from work feeling tired, and make excuses to be lazy. You don’t want to fall into that trap. Go for a walk or meet up with some friends.

How To Get Fit

A really good way to get fit is to start using free weights at the gym. A lot of people are intimidated by free weights and tend to stick to machines. Free weights are better than machines because they utilize more muscle fibers. Just make sure that you know how to properly perform lifts.

A great tip to help you get fit, is to invest in some body fat calipers. Scales only tell you how much you weigh and it’s common knowledge that muscle ways more than fat. Body fat calipers will tell you what percentage of your body consists of fat.

Improving your strength is important while trying to get fit. Lifting heavy weights for shorter periods of time is better for the muscle and it will lessen the chance of getting muscle strain. This applies to running as well. Running harder for shorter periods, with breaks, will help you get stronger in a safe and healthy way.

How To Get Fit

A great way to get fit is to consult with a professional bodybuilder. A lot of bodybuilders have their own web sites where they offer a service that gives you the opportunity to pay to have your own consultation with them. You can get their experienced advice on your diet and workout routine.  Good luck with your fitness weight loss program.

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Because gym membership and personal trainers can be expensive, a lot of people prefer to workout at home. 

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is a great way to stay healthy and fit.  This workout equipment for the home will help you strengthen your abdominal muscles and your back. 

There’s no need for you to go to the gym everyday if you can exercise on your Stamina Ab/Hyper Bench at home.

Versatile Home Gym Equipment

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is designed to help strengthen the abdominal and lower back muscles.  You can also set up the bench to support your elbows while you do bicep curls using free weights.  When doing ab crunches, the bench can be adjusted to four positions, from flat to a 30-degree angle.  This allows you to vary the intensity and challenge of your abs workout.  The thigh support is easily adjusted to fit the user’s height.

You can target the muscles in your lower back with standing hyper-extension exercises.  The Stamina Ab/Hyper Bench is padded for comfort and the pivoting foam rollers hold your ankles in place to keep your body in position while you exercise.

Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench Features
    •    Vinyl covered upholstered bench
    •    Comes with high density foam pads for comfort and support
    •    Contoured bench can be adjusted to 4 levels
    •    Support pad can be adjusted to 4 levels
    •    Frame and undercarriage are constructed from 2-inch steel
    •    Can be folded for easy storage
    •    Non-slip frame caps keeps the bench in place
    •    Pivoting ankle pads are more comfortable

Durable Construction

The body frame of the Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is made of strong 2-inch thick steel.  This makes the exercise equipment sturdy and durable.  You can be sure the bench will not easily fall apart any time soon.

For maximum comfort, the bench is well-padded with thick upholstery and foam padding.  Your back, buttocks and elbows are protected from the hard metal by high-density foam pads.

Click Here To Buy It Now!!

Strengthens Core Muscles

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench comes with everything you need to build your core strength.  You’ll get terrific, ripped abs and powerful back muscles.  With a strong core you’ll have a trim physique, great-looking abs, and superior inner strength.  Working out regularly will also build your stamina and improve your over-all health.

Stronger Back Muscles

A strong core includes powerful back muscles.  A strong back supports and regulates many of your movements.  It keeps you agile and mobile.  You can use the Stamina bench while standing to workout your back muscles.  The machine can be adjusted to your height so you can workout comfortably to build your lower back and body.

Ripped Abs

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is a fantastic product that helps you develop your abdominal muscles.  The Stamina bench can be adjusted to 4 levels suitable for a beginner or a pro to provide a workout that is intense and challenging enough for you.

You can change the angle of the bench from flat to a 30-degree decline.  Changing the setting allows you to adjust the workout intensity.  Adjusting the setting also allows you to target different areas of your abdomen.

The bench is designed to provide optimal support for your thighs.  Likewise, the non-slip footrest and pivoting foam ankle support gives you a comfortable and more effective workout.

Suitable for All Levels of Users

Beginners are usually reluctant to start a workout program because they are afraid the exercise might be too intense for them.  With the Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench, you can choose the level of difficulty that is just right for you.  Even those who are suffering from lower back pain can workout safely on the Stamina bench.  Before starting your exercise program, however, it’s best to consult your doctor especially if you have health concerns.

The Stamina Ab Hyper Bench lets you workout with light or heavy exercise.  Even if your goal is only to tone your abs, this exercise bench can help you achieve your fitness goal for a healthier lifestyle.

Pros
    •    Affordable price
    •    Easy to assemble
    •    Can be folded for storage
    •    Sturdy, durable and stable
    •    Compact and light; easy to move around
    •    Constructed from quality materials
    •    Can be easily adjusted to suit different levels of users
    •    User weight limit: 250 lbs
    •     Well written instructions

Cons
    •    Not suitable for shorter people
    •    Bench could be longer for more comfortable sit-ups

What Customers Say

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is a steal at $149.  It is durable, sturdy, and very versatile.  The Ab/Hyper bench can be used for crunches, back raises, leg lifts, curls, and other exercises.  The padding is thick and comfortable enough for all your exercise routines.  Not surprisingly, customers at the Amazon website give it a score of 4.5 stars out of 5.

One of the best things about this bench is its adjustability, allowing users with different fitness levels to use it effectively.  It has all the features you need for great-looking abs, improved core strength, and stronger back muscles.

Click Here To Buy It Now!!

The main drawback with this machine is that it is not ideal for shorter people, as they can have trouble leaning over the flat pad for some exercises.  Very tall people will also find it difficult to do sit-ups on the machine.

Overall, the Stamina Ab Hyper Bench is a quality product that is affordably priced.  It can accommodate most users and is an excellent addition to any home gym.

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Juice fasting

How Does Juice Fasting Work?

Juice fasting involves eliminating all solid foods from your usual diet that typically lasts for up to 3 days. You will go on consuming juices made from fruits and vegetables to help supply your body with the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that will sustain your health.

Juice Fasting and its Benefits

Here is a list of the benefits that you can get from this type of detoxification process.

   1. It cleanses and removes harmful toxins out of the different systems in your body.
   2. Juices from fruits and vegetables instantly boost your immune system because of their high-nutrient contents.
   3. It increases your body’s ability to repair itself and promotes healing.
   4. It is a process that helps you lose weight in short time.

Juice Fasting and Weight loss

The process of juice fasting has become popular among weight watchers who are constantly looking for ways on how they can instantly drop unwanted pounds. This process has been found out to effectively help dieters lose weight fast.

When your body goes on a fasting stage, it tends to use up stored fats to fuel your daily activities. But prolonged fasting leads to a slow metabolism. This makes it harder for you to lose weight. Fasting also makes you dizzy and unable to concentrate more often until you lose your focus on your goal, which is to lose weight.

Juice fasting helps you keep going on your weight loss journey. Despite the fact that you do not consume solid foods, juices act as sources of vitamins and nutrients that boost your energy. You also prevent your metabolism from slowing down. Constantly keeping yourself hydrated with juices will prevent episodes of headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.

Combine this process with regular sessions of exercises and you will definitely achieve weight loss results in no time.

Juice Fasting and Its Side Effects

Before engaging yourself in a detoxification and weight loss process by juice fasting, it is important that you take note of some of the pointers that you need to know and the possible side effects and implications of juice fasting to your health.

   •     Consider your overall health status. It is strongly discouraged to juice fast if you have any of the following conditions such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, stomach ulcer, and low blood pressure.
   •     Pregnant and lactating mothers will compromise their nutritional health status as well as their babies’ if they undergo this process.
   •     It is important to seek professional consultations and medical advices from licensed dietitians and doctors. They are the ones who know what is best for your health and whether or not you are fit to engage in a juice fasting activity.
   •     Take note when you will start your juice fasting and for how long you will follow this type of regimen. Depriving yourself too much from other sources of foods will lead to episodes of headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, and electrolyte imbalances.

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The fact is, everyone chooses what to do, or not do, in this area of life. You can totally turn your life around and create “the most fabulous transformation imaginable” with simple and regular exercise. Think hard about that one because it is completely true!!

You should visit your doctor before exercising if you haven’t been active for a long time (please read that sentence again).

If the doctor tells you it’s a good idea (and it almost always is), you should start as soon as possible. It’s good to work out every day, or a minimum of three days per week, focusing on smaller goals at first.

Once you start feeling better and seeing some results, then that will serve to motivate you even more. Consider the following physical fitness benefits and make sure you actually make use of them.

Did you happen to know that exercise is a proven way to “improve your emotional health”? In the modern world, so many people are depressed, anxious or distracted. Some people, of course, are going to require some special treatment for these conditions.

There are some studies out there that have shown that in quite a few cases exercise is at least as good as some medications for certain conditions like depression, without the side effects. Consistent and steady exercise can actually lessen symptoms of depression and anxiety

To get the maximum benefits from exercise, do something you find interesting, but also something that really gets you moving. You want the kind of exercise that really makes you work hard so you can burn off all the negative energy and stress.

That fact that you can have fun while exercising is one of the most overlooked benefits. For those with a family, you can make physical activity a family fun event. Even single people can do the same thing.

You can plan your group activities to have a fitness component. This allows you to have fun while getting in some exercise. You will get to socialize, network, or any other positive purpose you can think of. Physical fitness and training does not have to always be like boot camp. You can manage several things at once.

You will also notice improvements to your “mental outlook” and well being when you exercise regularly. You burn off the day’s tensions when you exercise, leaving you feeling more fresh. You will notice improved confidence and vigor, as well, with regular exercise.

There are many reasons for this but what’s really important is feeling good. If you can squeeze a work out or exercise activity in during the day, then when you return to work you will feel great. You will reap psychological and physical benefits from regular exercise.

Being consistent about your fitness program is going to be the best way of gaining the longest lasting benefits from it. People who take up exercise programs that they actually enjoy tend to stay with them for the long haul.

There are just way to many people out there who have made it much harder on themselves by choosing something for reasons other than liking it. Don’t do that!! Why make it harder than it has to be?

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Diet and nutrition is a whole big subject involving a lot more than we could ever cover here. However, knowing some of the basic principles of nutrition will help you to improve results from your fitness training.

Supplementation is a hot topic these days. In society in general, many people are against taking any form of supplement. However, supplements are not all the same.

Bodybuilders know that supplementing with protein and certain other nutrients can help the muscles to develop faster. This is because protein is required for the repair and building work that happens after a hard training session.

Even if you do not want to develop your muscles to that extent, it is still true that certain supplements, combined with a good fitness routine, can help to keep your body trim and fit.

Of course, it is also important to eat the right food. People who are trying to lose weight often concentrate on calories and the quantity of food that they are eating, but in fact if you take care of what types of food you eat, the quantities will not matter so much.

What I mean by this is the importance of removing high glycemic foods with low nutritional value from your diet and replacing them with nutrient rich foods. For example, replacing white bread and pasta with whole grain bread and pasta, white rice with brown, etc.

It is also a great idea to cut out anything that contains added sugar. Sugar has no nutritional value and adds nothing but calories to your diet. The same is true of most alcoholic drinks. You can replace these with whole fresh fruit.

On the other hand you can eat as many non starchy vegetables as you can fit into the stomach! This includes all green vegetables as well as tomatoes, eggplant, onion, mushrooms and bell peppers.

Starchy vegetables like carrots, pumpkin and potatoes are good for you but if you are trying to lose weight, you need to be a little careful with the quantities.

For protein you can eat peas and beans as well as lower fat animal protein foods like white fish, skinless chicken and egg whites.

Most other animal protein foods come with a high quantity of fat, so that is why many people prefer to limit their intake of meat and cheese, replacing them with supplements.

Diet is vital in any fitness training program. Why not take a little time now to think about how you could improve the quality of the fuel that you are putting into your body?

Even if you do not agree that this is the best diet for fitness article that you have read, you have to at least agree that it is a good one.

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