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Minggu, 11 Mei 2008

Two Day Fat Burning Programme �

The most effective and painless way to shed weight over 2 days is to just eat fruit, vegetables and very lean protein.

This programme is designed to ensure you not only drop between 2-4lbs it will also ensure that you are not bloated, have a flatter stomach and shed the weight and inches predominantly from your waist, stomach and hips, perfect if you want to look good in little black dress. Its particular combination of foods and spices specifically work together to minimise sugar cravings, burn fat and lower the levels of sugar in your blood while satisfying hunger.

It is quite simple to drop a few pounds by just eating fruit or fruit and vegetables but adding lean protein keeps your energy levels high throughout the day and keeps you full. The amino acids and catecholamine in protein send a message of fullness to our brains. Protein-rich foods encourage the production of the hormone peptide YY which is known to suppress appetite.

The body works hard to properly digest protein the longer and the more effort put into digesting protein, the more calories your body uses up and the more your metabolic rate will increase. Lean protein has 2-3 times the thermic effect of carbs or fat meaning it elevates metabolism by up to 10% more than when carbs or fat are eaten.

This 2 day programme is based around lean fish and vegetables as most people who crave sugar are low in magnesium. Magnesium-rich foods lessen sugar cravings these include apples, celery, parsley and fish. A diet deficient in magnesium can cause weight gain as well as sugar cravings, as an added bonus the fish is very nourishing for your skin so will look glowing rather than haggard as a result of this 2 day detox programme.

Day one

Breakfast: Any kind of water based fruit like apples, pears, grapes, peaches, plums or berries don't have more than 3 varieties as too much variety stimulates the appetite.
Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, cinnamon reduces sugar levels in the blood and reduces sugar cravings. Warm the fruit in a little water if you like hot food for breakfast. If you don�t like fruit have 2 hard boiled eggs instead or scrambled in oil no milk or butter.

Drink herb teas, cinnamon, rooibos and green tea are the best. No milk, cream or any dairy products at all. Japanese Green Tea can burn fat more rapidly. The catechins in Green tea can reduce waist circumference and abdominal fat by boosting metabolism. Drink several cups a day hot or iced and several glasses of water with lemon, orange or lime slices or a strawberry added for a little flavour.

Lunch: Spicy salad a mixed salad of green vegetables, peppers, celery, parsley, tomatoes and a fist sized serving of prawns, prawns are naturally rich in zinc which lessens craving for sugary foods add ginger and cayenne pepper if possible as they can help to stimulate thermogenisis (heat generated by the body) and promote weight reduction, add chillies if you like them. Chillies speed up the metabolism and reduce hunger. Hot spices can boost the rate at which calories are burnt by up to 15 per cent for a few hours after eating

Dinner: spicy fish and vegetables Steamed or stir fried vegetables (with the tiniest amount of oil) with cooked prawns parsley and the same spices as above, serve them on shredded lettuce. If you can�t face prawns twice have a fist sized serving of sardines mackerel, tuna or salmon (canned in water not oil) with cumin, ginger, cayenne pepper and chillies to further boost your metabolism. You can add a sauce of canned tomatoes and garlic for extra flavour.

Snack on fruit, again no more than two varieties (apples are the best), or cherry tomatoes, raw vegetables or soy beans without salt (you can buy birds eye frozen soy beans) Soy protein slightly increases your metabolism. The isoflavones, glycine and arginine in soya milk can accelerate the breakdown of fat, especially stomach fat and reduce the levels of sugar in the blood.

Day two

Breakfast: As day one, any 3 types of fruit with half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Lunch same as day one but you can replace the prawns with any fish.

Dinner same as day one any type of fish and vegetables or salad with tomatoes and spices. If you hate fish replace with eggs or skinless chicken.

Snacks same as day one

Absolutely NO alcohol, sugar, wheat or dairy foods and NO salt or artificial sweeteners, the spices will give the food all the flavour you need.
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Rabu, 16 April 2008

Women Can Build Huge Female Biceps

Men can have good figure and big solid arms but why women can't build huge female biceps? For women who like to do strength training just to tone the muscles and look slim this is a piece of good news for them. However, for women who like to build huge biceps and solid arms will have to work much harder. By nature, women are born with less muscles than men and in order to build muscles you need to have testosterone(male hormone). Does it means that women can't build huge female biceps? The answer lies in the training and the extra steps need to take to force muscle building like men. However, don't expect to be the world's largest female biceps although hard training does part an important part.

Firstly, taking advantage of the cutting edge professional gym equipments do help to reap better benefits than using any bodyweight training. For example, one arm hammer preacher curl, one arm dumbbell preacher curl, or cable double bicep machine workouts are the effective methods for building bicep muscles. To get the best results try to monitor each exercise and fix errors based on individual adjustments. It is important to combine different bicep workouts to get well-balanced female bicep muscles.

So how many sets of exercise is enough to build big female biceps?

Is it recommended not to over train or your muscles will not grow. Try 2 types of bicep exercises each with 3 sets of 8 - 10 reps. For example - one arm dumbbell preacher curl and one arm concentration curl. If you are able to train more than 10 reps then it is time to add more weights to force muscle grow. Always try to adjust for improvement, either add more weights and reduce the reps or add another set. As you experiment along the way, you'll find the optimum bicep workouts and muscle grow. While doing the curls always concentrate on the slow movements towards your head and do not jerk or move the elbows. The burn on the biceps can be easily felt that means the curl is correct.

In order for women to build hugh female or any other muscle groups, heavy protein supplementation is necessary. Some female bodybuilders go extra length to take hormones and steroids to boost muscle growth. Women can have big biceps, it is not trained differently than men but rather put more efforts in supplementation. Women can't produce testosterone hormone like men to assist muscle growth but with enough supplementation and effective training hugh female biceps can be achieved.
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Sabtu, 05 April 2008

Burn Body Fat Diet For Weight Loss

In order to lose weight and burn body fat, diet and regular exercise are the only answer to long term fat loss. When it comes to dieting, fruits and vegetables must be included in the high protein and low carbohydrate meals. They provide high fiber, vitamins and minerals our bodies need to do the job. When taken raw, it helps to clean body toxic and dilute fat deposits in the body. Most fruits and vegetables provide negative calories that mean the body needs more energy to digest them than it consumes, hence result in losing weight. The general rule to lose weight is to include foods that help burn off fat. Diet plays an important role not only to weight management but also helps to maintain vibrant health. Do include some exercises everyday, as simple as 10 min cardio fat burn exercise such as jumping jacks, running in place, and squats. This will effectively shed off body fat when combined with fat burning diet.

However, different people like different kinds of foods and that make diet plans differ. There is no one typical diet plan that can fit all. Below is a simple weight loss, burn body fat diet plan for your consideration.

Breakfast
Prepare oatmeal, 1 - 2 eggs and fruits.

Next few meals
Chose 2 - 3 different types - chicken breast, lean meat, turkey, fish, tofu, soyabeans, peas, whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

Vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage contain vitamin c and calcium so there is no reasons not to include them in your diet. Many dark green vegetables are also good antioxidants and fat burner for the body. Limes, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, berries, waterlemon, apples are also vitamin rich fruits.

The above diet plan is specially designed to include high protein and low carbohydrates in each meal. This is because protein needs more energy and longer time to digest which is essential for weight loss. Preferably each meal should goes with fruits and vegetables to increase fiber intake. One gram of fiber burns 9 grams of calories, the more fiber consumptions the more effective is fat burning.

Each day calories intake should maintain between 1,200 and 1,400. Split the meals into 5 and keep small instead of 3 to prevent excess foods store as fat. With smaller meals in between the body will maintain high metabolism and allow the body to absorb food nutrients more efficiently. Following such a simple diet plan should expect to lose 1 - 2 lbs of weight each week.

Each meal should have sufficient vitamins and minerals to ensure the body could function properly. However, most of the people are not taking enough nutrients to support bodily functions and bone maintenance. Some will find preparing fat burning meals a nuisance. Therefore, meal replacement in the form of shake and bar is a good alternative. It packs with protein, low carbohydrates, good fats, multivitamin and minerals all in one for busy workers. In the market, there are some natural products to burn fat, do a little research before you decide to purchase.

Is calcium important for weight loss? Research shows that a group of people includes 1,100 mg of calcium in their diet daily lose more weight by 22 percent, 61 percent more body fat and 81 percent more stomach fat as compared to another group of people with only low calcium(500mg) intake in a 12-week study. It is therefore important to include high calcium in any weight loss, burn body fat diets to not only maintain bone density but also help to burn more fat.

To effectively lose weight with a good burn body fat diet, I highly recommend Turbulence Training for Fat Loss and Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle training ebooks. Results are guaranteed, the information provided for fat loss and muscle building is excellence.
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Senin, 10 Maret 2008

Aerobics For Seniors | Senior Aerobics

Everyone wants to get healthier, and everyone knows what when it comes right down to it. Doing aerobic exercise on a regular basis is something that can really take you from a point of being unhealthy, and bring you to a place where you can be healthy and you can enjoy all that life has to offer you. This goes for everyone, but there are certain groups of people who have to design their aerobic exercise very carefully to avoid hurting themselves. The types of aerobics for seniors are important factors to consider since seniors are more prone to body injuries.

Dieting for seniors is also an important factor since the body hormones are different from young adults. The body ability to absorb nutrients and the effects on muscle with the same workouts will differ from young adults. Since seniors are more prone to health problems in general, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking up any aerobic exercise or gym workout.

With regular aerobics, it helps to reduce risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, stroke, hypertension, and arthritis. It is recommended to exercise three to five times each week.

There are many types of senior aerobics. In fact, most of the aerobics are practiced by all ages; the only difference is the intensity. Below are some of the recommended aerobics for seniors which must be performed only according to individual level of comfort.

Jumping Jacks � This is the exercise practiced by many people. It can be a warm up exercise for resistance training or any other workouts and by increasing the intensity you will find that it is a very good aerobic exercise. It works almost the whole body muscle � shoulders, thigh, and calf. For seniors, start slow as a warm up and slowly increase the intensity to which your body feels comfortable. Three to five minutes of jumping jack should be sufficient. Combine with other aerobic exercise to work on other muscle groups will provide all round results.

Water Aerobics � One of the advantages of water aerobics is that it is a low impact or low intensity exercise. Water aerobics benefit people with knee or joint problems. It does not stress on your joints since water provide buoyancy. Water aerobics for seniors help to relief joint stiffness and tone body muscles.

Fast Walking � Do you find walking easy? Try fast walking for 30 minutes and feel your heart pumping. The intensity of fast walking is between jogging and slow walking. This is one of the preference aerobics for seniors since it has less stress on knees and joints as opposed to running and burn calories more than just walking. Depending on your body weight, you may burn about 10 calories or more per minute.

Chair Aerobics � People find themselves lacking the time for aerobics especially working adults may like chair aerobics. Stretching and punching in the air sitting on the chair not only help to circulate the blood but also wake up the sleepy mind and relief stress during office hours. To work on the legs and abdominal, try cycling in the air with both legs elevated above the ground. Chair aerobics can be performed while working in the office or at home watching television.

Other than the above exercises, any movements with higher intensity can be considered as aerobics for seniors. For example, gardening, mopping the floor, and walking up the stair. These are indoor activities. It is most convenient for seniors staying at home. There are many more outdoor aerobics such as swimming, jogging, and cycling. Whether you take it as cardio exercises or aerobics, as long as you get the heart pumping you are on the way to a healthy lifestyle.
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Kamis, 06 Maret 2008

Muscle Group Strength Training Exercise For Beginners

Beginners may have problem planning their workouts initially but imagine the weekly routine is split into muscle group strength training on alternate day that will clear the confusion from the beginning.

The experts recommend a weekly routine on 3-day per week workouts with 2 to 3 exercises per muscle group. For beginners, it is recommended to train 1 to 2 sets of exercise. Each set is about 12 to 15 repetitions strength training workouts. For each set, train no more than 15 repetitions. If you feel it is too easy then it does not really serve the purpose of weight training for strength and muscles.

As you progress, you can add weight slowly to it. For example, if you can do more than 15 reps without much difficulty after some training you can add 5% to 10% extra weight to it. That will make you stress out at maximum of 15 reps or lower. You should not add weight until you are able to do 15 reps. This applies to dumbbells, barbells, or machines.

Once you progress to the intermediate and more advance stages, you can add more sets and weights per muscle group and then reduce the repetitions to about 8 to 12 reps. This method of training will ensure building strength and muscles progressively.

Let�s take an example of a 3-day per week muscle group strength training exercises routine. Each training day will involve a portion of upper and lower body muscle groups with push and pull exercises to prevent muscle imbalance. Remember for beginners do not train more than 2 sets per muscle group with total combination from different weight machines. However, for abdominal exercises you can add more sets. Resting between sets is about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Also remember to warm up your body before any workouts.

Day 1

Chest
Bench press, peck deck machine, chest press machine, or push up.
(Example: 1 set of bench press and peck deck machine � maximum 15 reps)

Triceps

Tricep extensions, dips, or kickback.
(Example: 1 set of tricep extensions and dips � maximum 15 reps)

Abdominal
Bicycle crunch, reverse crunches, leg raise, or left and right side crunches.
(Example: 30 reps of bicycle crunch, reverse crunch, and leg raise)

Day 2

Back
Lat pulldowns, back extensions, or row machine.
(Example: 1 set of lat pulldowns and back extensions � maximum 15 reps)

Biceps
Bicep curls, or hammer curls.
(Example: 1 set of bicep curls and hammer curls � maximum 15 reps)

Quadriceps
Squat, leg press machine, lunges, or leg curl machine.
(Example: 1 set of squat and leg press machine � maximum 15 reps)

Day 3

Hamstrings
Leg curl machine, lunges, squats, leg press machine.
(Example: 1 set of leg curl machine and lunges � maximum 15 reps)

Calves

Standing calf raise.
(Example: 2 sets of standing calf raise � maximum 15 reps)

Shoulders
Overhead press, lateral raise, or front raise.
(Example: 1 set of overhead press and lateral raise � maximum 15 reps)

The above is just one example of muscle group strength training exercises. For a complete training manual, you may consider hire a trainer for guidance.

Muscle groups workouts do require focus and concentration because you train less on each training day as opposed to total body training. The benefit goes to your muscle gain because you are less stress during the workouts and therefore have more energy to work on each muscle group.

Training on muscles alone does not make a perfect body. You have to include cardio exercises to burn more fats and stay fit as a long term plan.

Beginners have to pay more attention to the movements to avoiding injuries. Firstly, learn how to do the exercises correctly rather than building muscles. Avoid jerky and swinging movements so as not to cause injuries to the connective tissues and muscles. It also helps to strengthen tendons and ligament. The safest way is to perform all repetitions in a slow and controlled manner. Do not use more than 80% of your maximum strength when doing any set of exercises.

Secondly, exercise the larger muscle groups first when you are fresh and less fatigue because larger muscle groups require more blood flow and oxygen when it is stressed. Normally the smaller muscle groups require less energy and stamina. There is a reason why you need to train the bigger muscle groups first.

Last but not least, train only on alternate days to make sure you have at least one full day of rest for muscle recovery. The muscles only grow on rest day and not during training.
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Selasa, 04 Maret 2008

Differences Between Power Lifting and Bodybuilding

Power lifting is a sport that came from bodybuilding. Although both have different goals but one of the benefits is undoubtedly in strength building. So what makes the two sports different from each other? The main thing that separates the two is competition. When you compete in power lifting, your goal is to impress the judges by moving as much weight as you can whereas in bodybuilding your goal is to show big and defined muscles.

Power lifting competitions will include squat, bench press, and dead weight. Competitors are put into classes that are determined by different factors like the experience and age and are asked to lift in each of the three competitions. As compared to bodybuilding, there is no need to remove hair or flex muscles with different poses to win the game; it is how much weight you have lifted that determines the winner.

Power lifters should have enough protein to optimize muscle building and avoid bad carbohydrates and bad fats such as potatoes and fried foods. Although muscles are not required for power lifting competition but more muscles will provide more strength in general. Staying slim will also benefit power lifters. You should remember that power lifting, is not a measure of how much body fat you have or definition, so if you would happen to put on a few extra pounds, it will not affect how judges see you. Losing the body fat, however will promote a healthier lifestyle completely. You will be able to feel better in the gym when you are weight training and if you cut back on the junk food from your diet.

Just like bodybuilding, power lifting requires good training routine and dedication for the workouts to keep going. Rest is a must between workouts for muscles to recover and occasionally take a good week off every two to three months to allow the body to breath. This is a method that is used by many different trainers and is found to be a great benefit in most people.

Overall, power lifting can both be beneficial to your health and reward you in the competitive sport and keep you dedicated to it as you see the progression from week to week. You will need to focus on winning against your own goals and beating the other lifters. Keep your positive attitude and you will succeed in this great sport.
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Can Bodyweight Strength Training Routine Build Muscle?

While weight training is the best way to achieve muscle mass and strength, utilizing bodyweight strength training routine regularly will yield same results to some extent. It is inexpensive and can be accomplished anywhere, anytime even at home. Use your body as a gym - no dumbbell, barbell, or special equipment is required. Another benefit is that you can use the creativity of your mind to combine many types of muscle groups training. Using bodyweight for strength training is safer than weight since you are only limited to your own bodyweight. You have no chance of overloading your training by external weight. By implementing proper bodyweight strength training routine to muscle groups, it is likely that your muscles will grow at the same rate as normal weight training.

Although bodyweight strength training is very safe, there are chances of injuries if you are not careful. The focusing of the mind and movement is very important to avoid injuries and always consult your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop the movement and consult a physician.

The beginning phase of bodyweight strength training routine is less intensity and it is very suitable for beginners. After some training to ensure your body is adapted to the bodyweight with gradual increased in strength you will move into the intermediate and advance phases with higher intensity and repetitions. You will see fat loss, increase in strength endurance and muscle growth during this period.

Not all trainers have the same workouts. Different trainers will have different sets of training but it is very common to include training sessions for different muscle groups on upper and lower body, back, legs, and arms. Common types of training will include:

� Squat
� Push Up
� Pull Up
� Crunch
� Lunge

For more advance training, it will include more difficult variations of the above exercises. For example, instead of normal squat train with one leg squat, split squat jump, or cycled split squat jump. Instead of push up, train with elevated push up or use only one hand. Some people like to alternate the variations each week to train a wider muscle group.

Just like any weight training, three times per week of bodyweight strength training is sufficient. However, experts recommend adding interval training(cardio exercise) after bodyweight strength training either on the same day or on non-workout days. This will greatly accelerate the fat burning process in the body, resulting in effective fat loss. The total training days will never exceed six days. Leave at least one full day per week for rest.

Below is one example of bodyweight strength training recommended by Wesleyan University.

1. Squat - 1 x 20
2. Push-up - 1 x 20
3. In place forward lunge - 1 x 10
4. Pull-ups (partner, bar, modified) - 1 x 15-20
5. Squat Jump (use arms) (explosive jump) - 1 x 15
6. Abdominal activity (Various Crunches) � 1 minute
7. Step ups (chair, box, stairs, etc..) - 1 x 10
8. Low back extensions/Supermans (on ground) - 1 x 20
9. Lateral Lunge (in place or walking) - 1 x 10
10. Dip (Bench, chair, bed, etc..) - 1 x 15-20
11. Single Leg Front Reach (single leg SLD) - 1 x 12

Here is another bodyweight strength training routine by Craig Ballantyne from Turbulence Training for beginners.

1A) Lying Hip Extension (8 reps)
no rest � go directly to:
1B) Plank (15 seconds) Rest 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

2A) Prisoner Squat (12 reps)
no rest � go directly to:
2B) Bird Dog (5 reps) Rest 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

3A) Kneeling Pushup (8 reps)
no rest � go directly to:
3B) Side Plank (5 seconds) Rest 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

4A) Band Pull (15 reps) no rest
go directly to:
4B) Ab Curl-up (15 reps) Rest 30 seconds. Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 3 supersets.

For more information on bodyweight strength training routine, visit Turbulence Training For Fat Loss and Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.

It is not surprise to build more muscle mass by increasing the sets, repetitions and resistance of these exercises. In general, the more resistance applies to the exercise, the more muscle strength is needed and hence muscle growth.
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