Sure, it’s pretty easy to pick out a workout routine that you can use at any commercial gym, with so many pieces of exercise equipment to choose from. However, what happens when you decide to save that membership money and work out at home? Read this article to find out:
Most bodybuilding supplements are worthless, but there are one or two that could assist you in certain aspects of improving your overall health and well-being, especially if you don’t get those particular nutrients from your diet and nutritional habits. Read our latest article to find out more:
Many exercise regimens never start despite their good intentions due to the intimidation that some people feel over going to the gym. People, especially early on in their bodybuilding regimen, can get a little self conscious, especially when they see the guy next to them out-lifting them or if they’re not in the best of shape at the outset. Some people are genuinely uncomfortable with the idea of working out in front of strangers altogether. In these cases, it may take a little determination as to whether or not working out at home may be a better alternative than going to the gym.
While the gym offers a great variety of workouts that can be put in your routine, working out at home can afford you a better chance of doing your routine on your schedule and being able to do so privately. Home gym equipment per piece is comparably priced to a yearly gym membership in many cases, meaning that working out at home can be considered a viable alternative to going to a crowded area full of people and equipment. Ultimately, if the gym is an impractical option or one you might not be comfortable with in your routine, buying some home equipment and working out in your den or basement may be the best route to take.
Many think that once they get to a certain age that no matter how hard they go at it on their properly designed workout program and routine that they won’t be able to stimulate muscle building and weight gain. This article will show you otherwise:
If you partake in a regular, consistent, and intense workout program or routine, than pat yourself on the back…not just because you are well on your way to greater levels of muscle building and weight gain (assuming you are using the correct training and eating regimens), but also because you are not contributing to the huge money problem that occurs in the United States as a direct result of health related problems the government has to deal because of people who do not workout.
According to the World Health Organization it costs an estimated 75 billion dollars (yes, that’s a “b” in “billion”) every year in the United States of America in medical costs as a direct result of inactivity.
Now, this amount, 75 billion dollars, was what the US had to spend in the year 2000. Well, I bet it’s safe to say that now, eight years later (almost 9) the costs are a lot more than that. But, being that you’re an avid bodybuilder looking or the quickest way to build muscle mass naturally and gain weight consider yourself “part of the solution, not the problem”.
If I had a penny for every time I’ve written that when it comes down to eating to gain weight fast, build muscle mass naturally, or lose weight in the form of body fat, that it isn’t about macronutrient ratios or special “percentages”….that it’s about the overall calories, I’d be richer than Donald Trump.
And, I’m seeing that I’m not the only one. Bill Dobbins, in a recent article he penned in Planet Muscle, says “…nutrients…once broken down by the digestive system, all food is made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, with protein also containing nitrogen. While the three macronutrients are used differently by the body, at a fundamental level, a calorie of energy is a calorie of energy, regardless of the source from which it comes. This statement challenges a lot of widely held assumptions. For example, that carbohydrate makes you fat. That ingesting fat in the diet will cause you to store body fat at a disproportionately high rate.”.
I know this is going to cause a lot of readers to get all crazy and red faced, but honestly, there are millions of REAL WORLD examples that clearly prove and demonstrate that your overall calories is what most affects how much muscle you build, how much weight you gain, and how much strength and power you’ll be able to develop. Plain and simple.
IFBB professional bodybuilder Milos Sarvec, also known as very sought-after contest dieting guru, in which he has helped many bodybuilders hold on to hard earned muscle mass they have built from intense weight training from their workout routines…all while burning and shedding body fat to get well-defined and ripped, was recently quoted by Bill Dobbins in a recent article on his take about the whole “how to diet and what to cut out…carbs or fats…low protein or high protein, etc., etc.”. What he says should be a wake up call to any weight trainer who buys into the whole high protein / low carb / high fat craze that’s been brainwashed into many’s brains.
In the article he says, “I’m not surprised by the findings of this study…Over the years, I’ve seen competition bodybuilders - whose training and diet programs are among the most rigorous in the world - try a lot of different diets. I’ve seen some very strange approaches to eating and weight loss, but the one thing they all had in common, if they were successful, was taking in less food — reducing calories. Some bodybuilders did more cardio, some less. But to get in shape they all had to eat less. That’s the unchanging common denominator.”
How interesting. And how true. If you’re trying to gain weight, build muscle mass naturally, shed body fat fast, or all of the above, don’t get caught up in the whole “macronutrients” (protein / carbohydrates / fats) game….because as I’ve said time and time again, calories rule at the end of the day!!!
That’s right, you’re beloved low-moderate carb diet you’ve been following, thinking that it will keep your body fat levels low while you focus on muscle building and gaining weight, is stabbing you in the back, chest, shoulders, arms, legs, etc., as you read this post. Avoiding sugars is one of the dumbest things you could do when trying to up your muscle growth.
An Australian published just examined this very dilemma, and you’ll want to read what they found Check my latest article:
A long shot connection between consuming calcium and burning fat, which you’ll always want since lower body fat levels helps show off and reveal more of the hard earned muscle mass and weight you’ve gained and built, has been debunked by Amy Joy Lanou. According to Muscular Development, she “reviewed 49 clinical trials and concluded that increasing consumption of dairy products or calcium did not help people lose weight. In studies finding a link, weight loss was probably die to increased exercise, reduced intake of high of high calorie foods, lifestyle changes, or increased intake of fiber, fruits and vegetables. Overconsumption of dairy products will probably make you fatter, not thinner”.
Finally, a researcher of studies that is able to sift through all the incorrect interpretations and see that it isn’t necessarily the ingredient of compound in question that is leading to the lower levels of body fat, and as a result higher levels of muscular definition, but in fact the good old fashion hard work that is put into intense workout routines.
Sure, more muscle mass and lower body fat is usually the top reasons why most engage in intense workout bouts. But that’s not the only advantage. As a matter of fact there are several health raising, potentially life-saving reasons why anyone and everyone should be working out with weights on a regular basis. A column written in Men’s Health emphasizes some of them. I realize that your main, and possibly only focus is to just grow bigger muscles naturally and safely, but those more to the picture than that. Hey, how many old time bodybuilders have we not seen in recent years die fairly young, or, if still alive, look years older and in poor health, when they should have been the epitome of health and longevity?
Check out the latest article to read about four of them:
Working Out Isn’t Just For Muscle Building
No, I’m not referring to drinking enough “alcohol”. Sorry. I’m talking about drinking enough fluids, especially water. Not drinking enough and keep yourself properly hydrated will no doubt cause a negative impact on your workouts designed to help you gain weight and build muscle mass naturally.
According to the Journal Strength Conditioning Research, something as low-to-moderate intensity inducing exercise as walking on a treadmill at 70 percent in heat will result in dehydration and will lower your upper body strength and power by 7 percent and your lower body’s by 19 percent. Imagine how much faster you’ll lose out if you are performing high intensity weight workouts, which are much more demanding on the body than just walking briskly on a treadmill.
Now, you don’t have to go out and spend a ton of money on all of these fancy little flavored waters or sports drinks. Good old water is enough, as long as you drink lots of it and have a balanced approach to eating as well.
Water is very important, as can be demonstrated at this time of year when professional football teams in the NFL are going through their drills, preseason training and conditioning, etc. How many unfortunate deaths have already occurred to some of these massive athletes that have died on the practice field from heat strokes suffered because of lack of adequate hydration under such extreme conditions?
If you’re someone that is primarily looking to build muscle naturally and gain weight fast, you may be wondering why you need to know a fact about calorie burning, since as you may know by my other writings that regardless of what kind of calories you’re eating you have to eat more than what your body burns to be able to gain mass.
Well, you still want to have an efficient metabolism, since you’ll want the majority of the calories you eat to go towards lean muscle tissue, and not body fat…..that’s why you want to know.
One pound of muscle burns, or uses up, 50 calories. That means that the more muscle mass you have on your body the more calories you’ll be able to properly use and handle. That’s why you can have a heavily muscled individual that can eat all kinds of so-called of forbidden foods, such as pizza, ice cream, and fries, without gaining any body fat.
It doesn’t matter how much weight you lift or how consistent you are with your workout training sessiones, if you suffer a back injury your muscle building efforts are going to come to a screeching halt.
Low back injuries in bodybuilders are usually sprains or strains in the lunbar area, according to Guillermo Escalante. Pressure on the low back can come from exercises such as squats, deadlifts, romanian deadlifts, and the like. When you push beyond failure, your spine often takes up an increasing amount of stress which may put you at risk, so don’t let momentum take over. Also, be sure to avoid performing these types of exercises in a flexed or rounded out position, since this increases stress on the discs.
In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition a recent study claims that those in the group that drank more skim milk actually gained more muscular weight than two other groups. However, does that mean that is all you need to do build more muscle mass…..add skim milk? Or is there more to the puzzle that is being overlooked by many that may read about this finding on the internet or in some bodybuilding magazine?
Read the latest article I’ve written concerning this as I pose a few questions that should get you thinking beyond the few facts this study reveals if you’re on a quest to build more muscle mass naturally and without having to rely on worthless, expensive supplements.
Sadly, for most bodybuilders in everyday life the road to building muscle and gaining weight is through a dietary supplement bottle, or so they honestly believe. Hey, the nutritional supplement business isn’t a multi-billion dollar industry for no reason. A study in Ipsos Reid Survey 2007 reveals that 52 percent of Americans claim to take nutritional supplements on a regular basis. A big percentage of those are for the purposes of building muscle and gaining muscular weight.
My question is if over half of exercise enthusiasts take some form of supplement, why don’t we see way more people walking around the streets and in the gym that have a body to show off???
Stop wasting your money on supplements and worry about getting the correct workout routine and eating regimen to help you in your muscle building efforts.
Better think twice before you spend your hard earned money on a bottle of water to help hydrate your muscle building workout. According to Janet Majeski bottled water may not be as safe or healthier than most people think.
Here’s just two eye opening facts:
1) More than 25 percent of bottled water comes from a public source (meaning that your tap water is better regulated).
2) Many of the plastic bottles used can leach chemicals into the water if the bottles get hot (which happens pretty often, wouldn’t you say?).
So, yes, drinking a lot of water to help build muscle and gain weight is very important, just because it comes out of the store doesn’t make it any better!
If you’re after pure strength (not necessarily pure muscle size), then using free weights are the better route because of the destabilization factors. However, machines can help boost muscular strength and assist you in your muscle building and weight gain efforts.
Bodybuilders who weight trained for ten weeks using a machine bench press gained about the same amount of strength on that particular exercise as those that used the barbell bench press, according to the study found in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Hold off on those oranges, buddy! Sure, as soon as you get the sniffles one of the first things recommended to you is to take some vitamin C. You need vitamin C, as it’s extremely vital, but not too much. Read the latest muscle building article that goes in depth concerning this:
In my latest article, ” ‘Bulgarian’ Doesn’t Mean More Muscle Mass”, make a couple of comments and observations as to why this obsession with Bulgarian routines has got to stop.
Men’s Health reports on how a French study claims that eating fat may help burn belly fat (which in turn would help reveal your hard earned muscle building and weight gain efforts). The study reports that when obese people ate a high fat meal before a 45 minute cardio workout, they broke down more body fat than people who fasted. Men’s Health goes on to report that scientists believe fatty acids released into your blood after digestion mix with exercise-related hormones to kickstart your metabolism.
This just goes to show even more how the long believed conventional form of nutrition, about fasting, etc., to build muscle, gain weight, and burn body fat is so skewed. Who would have thought that now a study actually shows that eating a high fat meal would help burn fat.
That’s right, caffeine has its huge upside, but for skinny weight lifters, too much of a good thing could slow down your weight gain. Read the new article to find out why and how to get around this:
Flex magazine printed a quote by IFBB professional bodybuilder Armin Sholz regarding the connection between getting a strong pump in muscle building and weight gain.
He says “I never use extremely heavy weights. I’ve tried many times, but at the end of those workouts I cannot honestly tell myself ‘I’ve trained that muscle enough’. At all times, my goal is to have a really good feeling in the muscle and a deep burning pain at the end of the set - by any means necessary”.
Very interesting comment by the muscle mass monster. Here’s a man that obviously knows how to gain weight and build muscle mass, and he even recognizes that it isn’t about pushing heavy weights, but in fact what’s going on inside the muscle!
Sure, certain individuals may lose a ton of “weight” in the first 2 weeks or so of a low carb diet, but it isn’t fat that they’re burning off! And if you are trying to build muscle mass while maintaining low body fat levels, then this new article I’ve just posted is a must read….Australian study included and all.
Muscle Building Article - Low Calorie vs Low Carb For Fat Burning
According to M&F, a new study in the journal Cell Metabolism details how when researchers caused obese mice to grow muscle, they found that the genetically reprogrammed rodents lost fat and showed signs of metabolic improvements. The study suggested that replacing fat with muscle fibers helps increase the metabolism.
Well, if you’ve read this blog you know by now that the most effective way of building muscle is the proper weight training program coupled with the correct form of eating. All of which is not only going to help build muscle, but also burn body fat. This really isn’t earth-shattering news, as we’ve always known that a byproduct of hard and intense weight lifting in the correct style of routine works at both muscle building and fat burning. This study just pretty much backs that up.
A huge stereotype that has been around for some time now is that many believe that bodybuilders and athletes in general that are black are more genetically predispositioned to build more muscle mass than white individuals.
Well, Muscular Development cites a study that’s reported in the Medicine Science Sports Exercise of research done at the University of Maryland. They took nearly 200 black and white individuals. For ten weeks they were made to perform leg extensions on only one leg, that way the could compare the results against each other. After study was finished, they measured any muscle built or fat lost in the trained area…..and discovered that there was absolutely no advantage in gains in muscle mass or fat lossed amongst the different races.
Yet another long-believed bodybuilding myth that many have had their heads in the sand about for the longest now.
IronMan magazine reports how IFBB professional bodybuilder Mark Dugdale had to be brought down to earth in regards to the exercise technique he was using in his muscle building workouts…..and by none other than multi-Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates.
The magazine goes on to mention how Dugdale had traveled to England to train with Dorian during the filming of Mark’s workout DVD “A Week In The Dungeon” (which is what they refer to Dorian’s muscle building quarters). Mark is one to be known to like to use super loose form and throw the weights around, but Dorian pointed out to him, “If you can’t hold the static contraction then you weren’t really lifting the weight with pure muscle power”. This was to point out Mark’s weakness in the contracted position of all rowing movements, used to build muscles in the lats and overall lat region.
This just goes to show that muscle building doesn’t come down to throwing around heavy weight!
Well, not work, per say, but not provide any advantage in building muscle mass. We’re talking about IGF-1 here. This hormone happens to be used by many to gain more muscle tissue, but a study in Maryland may prove otherwise.
The big problem with anabolic / androgenic steroids is that not only do they help to gain weight and build muscle mass, but they affect in one way or another, positively or negatively just about every organ in the body……and that’s not good. In addition to working on muscular tissue, they also place a strain on organs like your livers and kidneys (dosage, frequency, time on, time off, etc…..of course, all affect to what degree the effects are).
Well, presently, labs are working on SARMs, which stands for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators. The humongous upside to this is that these chemicals are designed to work on “selective” or specific areas of the body, not overall like regular steroids. So, they can literally designed a chemical that will work on increasing your muscle tissue, yet not affect other organs.
Pharmaceutical company Merk & Company signed a $500 million deal with another company GTx to produce, develop, test, and market SARMs. They are the only ones that have the rights to this, so ignore any shady bodybuilding supplement company that begins to claim that they are releasing any kind of “SARMs-like” muscle building / weight gaining supplement!
Getting in fiber, preferably via vegetables, is one of the biggest things you hear about maintaining and / or improving your health and overall muscle building efforts. Well, eating raw vegetables at least three times a month can reduce your risk of contracting cancer in the bladder by 40%, according to a column by Beck Holman.
My take: Again, fiber nor veggies, whether they be raw or cooked, have anything “magical” about them in regards to gaining weight and building muscle mass, however, getting in some fiber here and there does help keep your digestive system in tract, which is directly responsible for having to process all of those calories you’re supposed to be eating to gain weight and build muscle.
Yeah, yeah. More good news about red wine. It has now been shown to be a good thing for your teeth. It has now been discovered that it is great at reducing dental plaque. So what’s that got to do with building muscle mass? Well, you’ll have a prettier smile while you’re posing for your pictures showing off your hard earned muscle!
Yes, when you get your blood drawn at the doctor to get a full panel check-up, some of those liver and kidney function tests can be thrown of if you workout to gain weight and build lean muscle mass.
Find out why:
Gain Weight - Weight Lifting & Liver Tests
According to Becky Holman, fish in your diet may cut Alzheimer’s risk in half. Just three servings a week will do it….salmon, herring, or even mackerel will get the job done.
My Take: Hey, anything that MAY help prevent any type of illness is a good thing to keep in mind, just don’t become obsessed about it.
The very popular bike-building show, American Chopper, which airs on TLC, will be airing an episode that features the supplement company BSN, the same company that endorses ex-Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, on April 24th, 9:00 pm, eastern time zone.
For anyone that’s a big bodybuilding fan, and fan of Ronnie Coleman, this will be an interesting episode to watch, whether you’re chopper fan or not.
That’s right, all of those pro bodybuilders from the 60’s and 70’s may have been right all along, with their massive eating of foods high in saturated fat. Even though for decades this fat has been considered a huge enemy against gaining weight and lean muscle mass, my latest articles states the opposite.
Read my latest gain weight and build muscle article.
Just goes to show how shady and untrustworthy most muscle building / weight gain supplement manufacturers are;
According to mlive.com, federal agents seized more than $1.3 million in illegal dietary supplements from a Brighton business that markets products to bodybuilders, authorities announced Friday.
U.S. Marshals confiscated the items Wednesday at a warehouse of LG Sciences, LLC, located on Whitmore Lake Road, because the products contain unapproved food additives or dietary ingredients that violate the law, according to a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Products seized were marketed and distributed online and in retail stores under the names Methyl 1-D, Methyl 1-D XL and Formadrol Extreme XL.
The FDA said the seized products previously were tested and found to contain one or more unapproved food additives and/or dietary ingredients that had not been studied to ensure they wouldn’t cause illness or injury.
In March 2006, the FDA warned a company called Legal Gear - the predecessor to LG Sciences - to cease distribution of another product that was marketed as a dietary supplement but was actually an unapproved new drug containing synthetic steroids, the government’s statement said.
……incredible!
Did you know that you can raise your natural growth hormone levels 3 - 5 times higher from an intense weight lifting session than you can from any expensive HGH muscle building / weight gain supplement?
Read my latest article to find out why you shouldn’t burn your cash on any of them:
Growth Hormone Bodybuilding Supplement Article
Growth hormone, aka HGH, is found naturally within the body. Some of its roles are the increase of using fat as fuel, which leads to more muscular definition, as well as increased muscle building and quality weight gain.
Researchers at Loughborough University, which is located in England, found that growth hormone levels in sprint-trained athletes reached 25 times their resting levels around 30 minutes after they completed, get this, a 30 second all-out, super-high intensity sprint. Pretty interesting.
I remember reading about this same finding, perhaps by some other university, many years ago in a bodybuilding magazine. Interesting indeed, but I honestly don’t know if an all-out 30 second sprint is actually going to make a significant difference in the amount of weight you gain or muscle you build. Sure, the sprint was found to raise your growth hormone levels 25 times higher than normal……BUT is this still enough to cause a visible change. Is 25 times more than normal enough, or does the body require 100’s of times above normal.
Test and see.
Alli is the latest body fat lowering drug, aka Xenical, that many are placing the hearts and souls on to keep their fat levels at bay while they try to gain weight and build muscle mass. Well, check out my latest article to discover the truth about this over the counter medication:
According to GetBig, there have been some new, major signings of two of the most popular competitive bodybuilders joining new muscle building magazines.
First off, Dexter Jackson, who’s on a hot streak of winning the last 3 professional shows, has left Muscular Development, where he was at for several years, and has gone over to Flex magazine. This is somewhat surprising to some, knowing the immense popularity of Muscular Development, but I wonder, just wonder, him leaving MD has anything to do with the rumor going around that Muscle Tech supplements will no longer have an ad relationship with MD. We all know that Dexter is sponsored by Muscle Tech. Could the two have correlation???
Second, Lee Priest will be apparently leaving MuscleMag International and will be going back to Muscular Development. Very interesting, seeing as how that ended pretty ugly the last time around.
Regardless, us muscle building fans are simply happy that they will be somewhere, regardless of what magazine. Keep up the good work, gents!
MH has written in a recent column some very interesting information regarding good old butter. It mentions that most of the fat is composed of palmitic and stearic acids. Research shows these saturated fatty acids either have no effect on your cholesterol or actually improve it.
Well, take a further look at some of these facts and figures:
1 pat of butter contains just 36 calories, and the fat it provides helps you feel full longer
Butter is one of the top sources of CLA, a natural fat that’s been shown to fight cancer
Studies show the fat in butter improves your body’s ability to absorb vitamins A, E, D, and K.
All’s I got to say is “Can ya please pass the butter?!”
Now a days, anything that’s “white” or “refined” is instantly labeled as being bad for muscular definition and quality weight gain, when it comes to bodybuilding / fitness nutrition. For example, white bread, white potatoes, etc. One of the main reasons for this is because they feel that anything white and refined causes huge spikes in your insulin levels, which many feel helps store body fat.
Well, according to a column in Men’s Health, white potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassiu.
As for the scam known as the Glycemic Index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren’t eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter. These toppings contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.
The form in which you consume a potato, continues to report the column, for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that’s used to make chips, is more important than if it’s a white potato or sweet potato.
So much for the whole “white / refined” bashing!
One of the biggest selling muscle building supplements known as ZMA is nothing but a good way to burn a deep hole in your wallet. If you are using it thinking it’s helping you build muscle mass and gain weight by raising your natural testosterone levels, you need to read my latest article:
Dexter Jackson, fresh off of a third Arnold Classic win, has taken the crown once again at this year’s Australian Pro. Dex once again brought his incredible display of sinew, muscular definition, and mass…..all with awesome symmetry. The rest of the results are as follows:
Melvin Anthony finished second, while Moe Elmoussawi (third), Toney Freeman (fourth), Troy Alves (fifth) and Ronnie Rockel (sixth) rounded out the top six.
Sun exposure increases levels of hormones called melanocortins, which cause the skin to darken, otherwise known as tanning. These hormones work with leptin to control appetite while helping to increase the signals that stimulate fat burning in your cells. There is plenty of evidence from animal studies and laboratory work that supports these effects.
Now, just because building muscle mass or gaining weight is your primary goal, that doesn’t mean that you are going to throw muscle definition, aka “cuts”, to the wind. Although right now you may be focusing on getting physically bigger in mass / size, you don’t want to turn into a “chubykins” either. So, building muscle while maintaining low levels of body fat are a must.
According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the key to which exercise, between the bench press or the pushups, is better for isolating the chest, lies in your hand position. A recent study revealed that for both exercises the triceps are more active with a narrow hand position. The pectoralis major, on the other hand, is more active with a narrow hand position for pushups only. During a bench press the pectoralis major is more active with a wide grip. By changing your grip on the bench press you’ll change the emphasis from one muscle to the other.
I feel that the more you isolate a particular muscle that you’re trying to build, the more likely you are to develop it. So if muscle building and weight gain is what you’re after, isolate, isolate, isolate!
According to Allergy and Asthma Solution by Dr. Dean Mitchell if you leave your gym sneezing, wheezing, or feeling congested, the facility could be making you sick….literally. A lot of weight lifting gyms are humid, enclosed environments that aggrevate allergies because of subpar ventilation systems (HVAC). If you symptoms aren’t the result of a cold, consider checking it out with your doctor for an allergy test to determine the cause of your symptoms. Gyms full of dust and / or mold may force you to change the gym you currently workout at.
I remember when I used to be a member of a certain weight lifting gym. The place was fairly old, so their ventilation system was down right horrible. I used to always end up feeling sick to my stomach, and almost light headed when working out. I used to have to go outside once or twice just to get some fresh air. And that was by far the only location that I would get that way when training to building muscle and gain weight. So the physical environment does have an impact on your muscular performance.
As reported in a column in MuscleMag International, the average cutting board has 370 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. When you purchase a cutting board, go with pine, which has been proven to harbor 20% fewer E. coli colonies than plastic and beech wood. Cut down your risk of food poisoning by ditching that old cutting board and starting fresh with a new pine board. You should also use different cutting boards for vegetables and meat to avoid cross contamination. Soak boards after use in hot soapy water to kill bacteria.
As I’ve always written, calories from regular food is what will really make a difference with your weight gain / muscle building goals…..so you’ve got to make sure that you aren’t pushing contaminated food into your stomach.
According to a column in Men’s Health, narrowing your grip while performing presses for chest reduces your risk of injury, states a new study in Strength and Conditioning Journal. The reason is that you can’t over-rotate your shoulders, which is a mistake that plays a role in almost 20% of weight lifting injuries.
The narrow grip won’t reduce your strength or muscle building gains. Place your hands no farther than shoulder width apart. Also, be sure to keep your elbows tucked in at your sides at a approximately a 45 degree angle to your torso. This also reduces stress on your shoulder joints and rotator cuffs.
My take: As many of you already know, I’m not a fan at all of the barbell for almost any upper body exercise. Cables, dumbbells, and machines are much safer and effective (…..yes, I said even “machines”). You are going to get any weight gaining or muscle building done if your rotator cuffs are shot, trust me!
Read my latest article on another waste-of-good-money supplement, namely creatine - amino acid supplements. In this article I cite a brand new study that has revealed its ineffectiveness.
Check it out:
Don’t Waste Your Money On Creatine - Amino Acid Supplements!
According to a report released by Reuters, researchers have concluded that energy drinks may give you not only a but of energy but also an elevated heart rate (pulse) and high blood pressure. If you suffer from high blood pressure or heart disease, you should avoid energy drinks because they could interfere with your prescriptions meds.
I’d also like to add that you shouldn’t be wasting any of your hard earned cash on energy drinks to begin with. They are one of the biggest scams going around. Take a look at what the main ingredient is in all of them and you’ll be surprised to find out that it is caffeine. So basically you’re over-paying for sugar flavored coffee when you buy these things. I understand that in order for muscle building to take effect and to set the weight gain wheels in motion intense weight training is a must, and getting psyched up for these training sessions are important. I agree, caffeine is excellent and cheap………..just don’t get it in the form of an “energy drink”.