BTT Special: The Ray Allen Stamina Workout

Get Ray Allen's Stamina

via Brandon Guarneri | Photos by Brian Babineau

The Boston Celtics strength and conditioning coaches, Walter Norton Jr. and Bryan Doo, worked overtime to get Ray Allen ready. "We were concerned about getting his joints to move well again," says Norton, "as well as strengthening his lower body, from his ankle to his knee to his hip." Most athletes, the trainers say, tend to be quad-dominant, so they had Allen train with resistance bands to recruit his glutes when running or jumping.




"When he's on the court," says Doo, "we want him to use all his muscles, not just his quads." The bands also help Allen focus on proper mechanics. "In an effort to get him more explosive, we've had to try and teach him how to land all over again," says Norton. Allen performs nearly every exercise in an athletic position to simulate how his body moves on the hardwood.

He may have a band around his ankles or knees while squatting, lunging, or reaching.



"He'll train in shoes one day and bare feet the next to change the stimulus," Norton adds. Allen might stand on one foot while a staff member throws him medicine balls at different heights,allowing him to work on his balance.



"He has to use muscles in his core to slow the ball down," says Doo. This sort of functional training, combined with Allen's attitude, has kept him healthy and performing at a high level this season. "Ray is a pro," Norton says. "He definitely understands the value of what we do."

On Game Day...
Ray Allen rarely forces a bad shot on the court, so it's no surprise that his discipline extends to pregame training rituals. Before tip-off, Allen sticks to a rigid schedule so he's always ready to rain his sweet jumper from anywhere on the floor.

8 A.M. Wakes up, reads the paper, eats Aunt Jemima pancakes made with blueberries, a super food rich in antioxidants. 10 A.M. Attends morning shoot around at training facility in nearby Waltham, Mass., just to get his blood flowing. NOON Eats lunch. Usually a lean turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread.1:30 P.M. Takes a two-hour nap. "This is my time to relax and recharge," he says.

3:30 P.M. Eats pregame meal prepared by his fiancée—generally baked chicken and rice with broccoli. "I ate too many heavy starches when I was younger and it seemed like my legs were always heavy starting games," Allen says.

4 P.M. Arrives at TD Banknorth Garden three hours before tip-off. Runs through rigorous shooting drills, simulating every possible shot he could take in the game. He launches about 200 shots in an hour and on a good day will convert 170.

5 P.M. Stretches and replenishes with two peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches on wheat bread, plus 32 ounces of water.

7 P.M. Game time. Between his pregame work and his off-season workout regimen, Allen knows he's ready for almost anything. "When I'm on the floor, I'm not going to break down," he says. "I'm not going to be breathing heavy or panting. I'm either chasing somebody or they're chasing me. But I can outlast them. When that happens, I'm going to make my move and get my shot off before they can stop me."

10 P.M. Postgame cooldown with his feet in a tub of ice. "Just my feet for 15 minutes," he says.

11:30 P.M. Bedtime. There's another day of preparation on the horizon.

3 Different Stages of Muscle Building

3 Different Stages of Muscle Building You Need to Know By George Christodoulou George Christodoulou Level: Platinum George Christodoulou has published over 1200 articles about various topics through research and experience.

Before you jump head long into any muscle building training program you must know the three basic principles of what it takes to garner those big rippling biceps! After you have begun to understand the process of how the body goes through different stages of building muscle only then will you be able to initiate into a long-term muscle building training regiment.

Muscle Stimulation

The first phase is referred to as muscle stimulation. It is within this phase that you will learn how the audio treats its muscles when it comes to adding on lean muscle mass to compensate for previous failures. This may sound a bit contradictory but this is how the body works on a muscle to improve its maximum of elegy to either left or move something of massive weight. The body breaks down the muscle in order to compensate for the over strenuous activities of the weightlifting exercise only days before.

Learn about Nutrition

The second phase is to learn all you can about nutrition and what your body needs to grow big giant muscles. When you have a diet that's full of fruits and vegetables and good wholesome grains and wheat and vitamins you'll develop a body that is fit for 'Schwarzenegger School of Bodybuilding Studs' in California. If you do not treat your body like a temple that it is and you are trying to work out and negate the nutritional-aspect then the workout will be left unaffected and you will not gain muscles that all the girls at the beach want you to do. As long as you know that you need to eat a healthy, nutritious diet then your workout regimen will be just fine and your body will reward you with muscles upon muscles.

Learn the Golden Rule of Working Out then Resting

Many of the most-novices of muscle builders understand that you have to rest the body. Especially any of the targeted-muscles that you have just worked out the day before in order for them to grow into 'anything' bigger. Time and time again well-intentioned sincere young men who want to add muscle mass onto a relatively lean-body structure will forget this golden rule and work out every day religiously.

They do not give their muscles the time needed and required to produce more muscle tissue to make up for the failure of the past. The bottom line is that you should rest every day in between the weekly workout days and a good schedule beyond would look like this: Monday Wednesday Friday workout Tuesday Thursday rest, Saturday and Sunday cardiovascular workout or spend some time with the family. The most dependable factor you will need to learn of these three factors and three different stages of muscle growing experiences will be to be committed to your cause. Those guys and gals that one add-on muscle fiber to their body learn and follow these three phases of any workout regimen and are rewarded with fine tuned and muscular bodies.

photos taken from here, here, and here.

Muscle Meals: Saucy Salmon

Remember, the best way to that healthy and trimmed body is 80% DIET and 20% Exercise. Bodybuilding Tips and Tricks brings you the Saucy Salmon recipe by Ellie Krieger.

Saucy Salmon

by Ellie Krieger from The Food Network

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

31 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium diced tomatoes, juice included
• 1 (12-ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce
• 1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 2 dried whole red chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard, washed well and dried, tough center stems removed, coarsely chopped (about 8 cups)
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and golden, about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, red peppers, chili peppers, cumin, coriander and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and remove chile peppers.

Place Swiss chard on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Season fish fillets with remaining salt and pepper and place in on top of chard. Cover with sauce and bake, covered, until fish is just cooked and chard is wilted, about 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Per Serving:

(1 serving equals 1 fillet, 3/4 cup chard and sauce)

Calories 370; Total Fat 15 g; (Sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 6 g, Poly Fat 5 g) ; Protein 38 g; Carb 20 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 94 mg; Sodium 700 mg

Excellent source of: Protein, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Pantothenic Acid, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium

Good source of: Fiber, Folate, Manganese

The Bodybuilding Lifestyle VS Calorie Restriction

The Bodybuilding Lifestyle Vs Calorie Restriction
By Will Brink


Calorie Restriction (CR) is getting a great deal of media attention due to studies that find animals raised on restricted calories live longer and suffer from fewer diseases. That advice may seem counter to the "bodybuilding/fitness lifestyle" we all follow.

Sure, we all know excess calories-minus any exercise to counter those additional calories-represent a negative for general health and longevity, but should people be severely limiting their calories?

As many of you know, studies have suggested that lower calorie intake translates into longer life spans in animals and-perhaps-people. However, this conclusion is controversial and far from conclusive in my view. For example, a recent study suggests that fat mass, not calorie intake, is what is responsible for longer life spans, at least in mice. (1)

And what does the bodybuilding lifestyle strive for? More muscle and less body fat! Remember, as one would expect, caloric intake and low body fat (leanness) are directly interrelated, which makes it difficult to determine the relative importance of each (CR vs. bodyfat levels) and their contributions to longevity. Thus, researchers are now trying to separate the two issues.

Recently, a Dr. Kahn and colleagues from Harvard Medical School created a strain of mice that lack insulin receptors in their fat cells. As insulin is a primary hormonal mediator of body fat levels in response to caloric intakes, this lack of insulin receptors in the animals' fat cells caused the mice to have reduced fat mass (less body fat)-and also protected them from age-related problems, such as obesity. However, their calorie intake remained normal and no restriction was required to get the effect that would normally be seen with CR!

The researchers found that the experimental mice lacking insulin receptors in their fat cells had an approximately 18% increase in mean lifespan over their non-modified red eyed squeaky counterparts.

Studies like this one are helping to sort out the effects of leanness (body fat levels) and CR, and their respective effects on longevity and-perhaps-disease prevention. As we can't all have our insulin receptors removed from our fat cells, researchers are looking to develop drugs to reduce-or block-insulin action in fat cells in humans.

Although such drugs could potentially have side effects, they may also be able to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic diseases related to body fat and excess calories, without having to use strict CR. Hey, we might even live longer!

Bottom line here is, I would not leap onto the CR bandwagon just yet, but would attempt to keep my body fat level low and under control via good nutrition and the bodybuilding lifestyle.

People who allow themselves to get fat ("Dude, I am off season!") may not be optimizing their longevity, but heck, the guy who actually invented the theory of CR and longevity-Dr. Roy Walford-who practiced CR, died at the very average age of 79, so take that for what it's worth...

BTT Special: The Dwight Howard Workout

Since the NBA Playoff Series get the most of us wondering how the players perform, as if their fatigue levels never hit the red zone, we bring you another BTT Special --- the Dwight Howard Workout.



Dwight’s Strength Training
by Josh Staph
Dwight craves heavy weight, so once a week he and Rogowski head to the Magic weight room to perform the following heavy lifts. “This training is a pure strength and power workout,” Rogowski says. “Sometimes Dwight likes to meathead out and lift a lot of weight and get strong. I let him know that lifting these heavy weights is good for his strength and psyche, but we need to counterbalance it with some stability, balance or proprioception exercises, which we do once or twice a week.”
Use Dwight’s three preferred lifts to feed the meathead within.

Bench Press
• Lie with back on bench, gripping bar slightly wider than shoulder width
• Keeping lower back on bench and elbows tight to sides, slowly lower bar until it touches chest
• Drive bar up until arms are straight
• Repeat for specified reps
Coaching Points: Keep core activated and don’t arch back
Sets/Reps: 1x10, 1x8, 1x6, 1x4, 1x2 (increase weight each set)
Rogowski: The bench press is about total upper-body power and strength. Dwight uses this pyramid rep scheme to build endurance, strength, and, most importantly for his position, the power of his fast twitch muscle fibers. In basketball, we’re not trying to overdo it with weight, especially in season. That’s why we don’t do maxes with one rep. The last set of two reps is generally a weight Dwight can handle comfortably while still stressing his muscles.

Lat Pulldown
• Sit on Lat Pulldown machine and grip bar overhead, slightly wider than shoulder width
• Without rocking back, pull bar down in front until it almost touches upper chest
• Allow bar to rise back to start position until arms are straight
• Repeat for specified reps
Sets/Reps: 2-4x10-12
Rogowski: This is one of the main rebounding exercises Dwight does. When you’re getting close to 20 boards a game, you have to be strong with your upper body, pulling down. This also counterbalances any chest exercises we do that day. We always like a 1:1 relationship with chest-to-back work. We really work on good posture and balanced strength with our guys so we can avoid any shoulder injuries.

Leg Press
• Assume position on Leg Press machine with feet slightly wider than hips
• Lower weight sled with control until knees are bent 90 degrees
• Drive weight up by extending legs to start position
• Repeat for specified reps
Sets/Reps: 3-4x6-8
Rogowski: We like to do multi-joint exercises when possible, and this is a great one for the lower body. It gets all the muscles around your hips, knees and ankles stronger. We generally go heavier on this, because it is a safer exercise. You’re not putting the back at risk, like other exercises do, such as the squat, [which makes] taller players’ backs go into hyperextension. For someone like Dwight, who already has back hyperextension, we try to stay away from that. We keep the reps low since we go heavy on this.

The Perfect Push-Up
Even when he’s at home, Dwight is getting better. “I do a ton of push-ups at my house,” he says. “Perfect push-ups.” Dwight’s referring to a new training tool that uses rotating handles to create a more natural push up motion. You’ve most likely seen the commercial by now.
Dwight integrates his push-ups into video game sessions. For example, when he’s playing a boxing game (his favorite), Dwight does a set every time he knocks someone out. Role-playing game? Every time he dies, he pumps out as many push-ups as possible.
Leave it to Dwight to go beyond the norm. Instead of doing sets of standard push-ups, he uses some of the more difficult positions with the equipment. Check out his favorites below.

Reverse Grip Push-Up
Perform push-ups with hands rotated on handles, so that palms face forward
Sets/reps: 3x15-20
Dwight: I really feel this in my biceps.

Squat with Push-Up
From standing position, squat down and place handles on floor in front of you. Kick feet back and assume push-up position. Lower body while rotating hands to face each other; then drive up and rotate hands back to start position. Jump feet to hands and stand up. Repeat.
Sets/reps: 3x15-20
Dwight: This is great cardio and works my whole body.





Article by Josh Staph taken here

Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Bodybuilding Tips

Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Bodybuilding Training Tips
By Dane C. Fletcher



A body building program can be started. It can be maintained and even pursued to the master stages of bodybuilding. It can even lead to platform of professional body building. But it remains an activity to be undertaken in the daily schedules, a struggle to be pushed forth, a pain to be borne and a sacrifice to be continually given, until the bodybuilding is harmonized into a lifestyle. It is only, and only when body building becomes a lifestyle, a way of life, that it really hits the tarmac.

Successful bodybuilding is powered by the mind, by the attitude, by the efforts, by the consistency and by a perpetual motivation towards the goal. Dieting, exercising and resting schedules must be integrated into the very core of a body builder's life permanently. One must think, feel and act like a body builder, every second of every day, seven days a week. The physique adapts in both growth and definition of a body building lifestyle to yield a champion's masculinity. When separated from any part of an individual's life, bodybuilding slugs through the mud.

Today, many body builders are struggling to maintain a diet program or a workout program simply because their body building antics are still in the formative stages. The struggle marks a bodybuilding effort whose road towards the identified goals is both murky and impassible. It is time, that such body builders identified and targeted, joining the tarmac road, where progress and growth are effortless and guaranteed.

How can this be done, you ask. By identifying specific body building goals broken done into specifics like dimensions, measurements, and looks. When the goals are quantified and broken down into the specifics, the techniques to get there is identified. The exercises, the intensity, the workout, the frequency, the durations, the sets, the reps and each and every detail allocated towards achieving the objective is identified and allocated appropriate time. This is charting the means through which the goals will be identified. Resources needed, skills to be acquired encourse, consultations with experts and experienced folks, time demands and all other requirements of the training program are not only identified but also allocated specific times.

By this time, the tarmac is within the vicinity. Whether at the beginner, intermediate or advanced body building stages, such detailed precision of the program requirements is a must as a beginning of successful body building. Glory of a body builder accrues from precise identification and pursuit of a goal. After the plans comes the implementation stage. To begin with, all techniques must be learned and mastered in their appropriate forms and requirement. Geared towards making exercises count in the achievement of goals, learning differentiates between success and stagnation in this game.

And there, there in front of you, lies the tarmac. Put on the gear of consistency in both dieting and exercises routines, put on the pedal of intensity, accelerate with variety of exercises, remind yourself of the objectives often, watch out for the traffic signs of overtraining and stagnation, and then all over a sudden, the wheels of motion shall touch the tarmac. Never again shall illusions cloud your vision, for turning under your hard work will be the gains in muscle and strength, the dream of body building.

Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

photo credit here

BTT Special: The Kobe Bryant Workout

KOBE'S PLAN

Six days per week, Kobe Bryant does six hour workouts. Each workout consists of 2 hours of running, 2 hours of basketball, 1 hour of cardio, and 1 hour of weights. It basically is called the 666 Workout. Such a demon Kobe Bryant is, and so is his workout.

Details of the workout, seen here: http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9305

photo credit here

Naturally Boost Testosterone Levels to Burn Fat!

Testosterone is the main limiting factors on how you can build your muscle. So basically if you build MORE testosterone, you build MORE muscle.

Here are 8 Ways to Boost Your Testosterone Levels:

1) Use compound exercises.
2) Push yourself to the limit during workouts.
3) Train your legs equally as hard as your body.
4) Increase your EFA consumption.
5) Reduce intake of Soy.
6) Limit your consumption of alcohol.
7) Lower your daily stress levels.
8) Make sure you get adequate sleep every night.

For details and explanations, refer to this video:

Bodybuilding Secrets - Learn the Secrets to Building Rock Hard Muscle Fast!

Bodybuilding Secrets - Learn the Secrets to Building Rock Hard Muscle Fast!
By Daniel Saeper



True bodybuilding secrets can be hard to come by. There's always a lot of hype about the latest bodybuilding styles & the coolest supplements being cooked up that just came up. So many lifters get all caught up in the hype of supplements & the "newest bodybuilding fad" to the hit the market.

The truth is, there are some great supplements out there that can help you get built, however they're not nearly the most important aspect of bodybuilding or gaining rock hard, lean muscle.

While supplements can surely help, & protein is definitely not overrated, there are many more, overlooked aspects of bodybuilding that simply don't come in a jar or a packet.

Are you ready for one of the most hidden secrets of bodybuilding?

Are you prepared to discover the true keys to gaining raw, lean muscle without pumping yourself full of every supplement you've ever heard of?

Are you ready to train like the experts?

Well you've come to the right place.

Bodybuilding is an amazing place to build confidence while building the body of your dreams. In bodybuilding & weight lifting, there truly is no limit to what you can achieve, your body is an amazing tool & you can use it to achieve just about anything.

The key to achieving anything is knowing & understanding the awesome secrets of bodybuilding.

For starters, let me tell you a little "pre-secret". Getting truly built is not a product of supplements or vitamins. While they can help, they are not the answer to building lean, hard muscle fast & in the long run.

The way you workout, the way you lift & your attitude & mental set while lifting are the keys to your success in bodybuilding.

Listen carefully my friend, if you're truly ready to get built, if you're ready for the lean hard body of solid muscle you've always wanted, then it's time you got what you've been working hard for. Today, our bodybuilding experts are going to get you on track to a Building True Muscle, truly built new you.

Click Here to get started, now you can have the body you've always dreamed of.

Bodybuilding Supplements - What is it all about?

Bodybuilding Supplements - What's it All About?
By Gary Star



What are bodybuilding supplements? The answer: any of the various products designed to aid and support the diet and training regimes of weightlifters, athletes and bodybuilders. Powders, capsules, tablets, liquids, bars, and shakes are just some of the many forms these products take.

The purpose of these supplements can be divided up into three main categories. In the first category are those products designed to aid recovery and fuel muscle growth. Examples of these products include whey-protein, l-glutamine and creatine-monohydrate. Generally speaking these products are consumed post-workout in order to kick-start the repair process of damaged muscle fibres, which are broken down during training. These products are usually consumed during the post-workout "protein window" (20-45 mins after training) when the body absorbs nutrients rapidly and efficiently.

In the second category are those products designed to provide energy to fuel workouts. The most commercially obvious example of such a product is Lucozade, although bodybuilders tend to prefer something that packs a more powerful punch, such as products containing caffeine, guarana or maltodextrin.

In the third category are fat burners. These products are designed to increase the metabolism and help bodybuilders get ripped, or shredded by targeting the bodies fat reserves for energy. Examples of these products include: Chromium Polynicotinate, L-Carnitine, Gymnema Sylvestris, CLA Tonalin, MET-Rx Xtreme Thermo Surge and EFA's (essential fatty acids).

Bodybuilding supplements are designed for effectiveness and convenience; they are intended to make the process of growth and development less difficult. Many experts and professionals suggest that the massive gains desired by most bodybuilders are not possible without the use of dietary supplements, such as those mentioned above. In order to grow the body needs specific nutrients and what bodybuilding supplements do is identify these nutrients, isolate them and compress them into their products to make consuming large amounts simpler.

Before starting a course of bodybuilding supplements in is recommended that you seek advice from your GP or dietician. Most products will offer similar advise on their labels. Never consumer products with entirely foreign packaging that do not include an English translation, as you cannot be sure what is inside such products. Although negative side-effects from legal bodybuilding products are relatively low it is always safest to seek advice in such matters.

Serious about fitness? Gary Star invites you to join Goldstar Supplements Ltd a new online health supplement supplier guaranteed to offer you the very best discounted prices for top products.

We are dedicated to providing our customers with a wide range top quality brands and sports supplements at the very best prices.

Register today and get some knock out deals... http://www.goldstarsupplements.co.uk/special-offers/

Nutrition, Diet for Bodybuilders

Nutrition, Diet For Bodybuilders
By Paul L Williams


Increase your protein intake (30 to 50 grams with every meal every 3 hours) - this prevents the body burning muscle tissue whilst you are dieting. Good protein sources include lean red meat, chicken, turkey fish and whey protein. For those protein shakes - always try to consume high quality whey protein - not cheaper milk or casein proteins! Research shows that whey protein leads to over a 100% greater increase in protein synthesis (the fancy term for muscle growth) than the cheap milk protein found in many protein powders. In addition, whey protein halts the muscle-wasting hormone 'cortisol'. Whey protein heads straight into the bloodstream - ready for delivery to your protein-starved muscles. And always try to consume a protein shake immediately after a workout - this is when your muscles need it most!

Drink lots of water - around 3 litres a day if you can manage it! My advice here is to start early in the day! Drinking large amounts of water is very important if you are taking a course of steroids. You need to flush out those internal organs and supply the water your muscles need to grow. Cut down on your salt as it reduces the ability of your stomach to digest protein. Added to this, salt may lead to water retention, heart disease and high blood pressure. Reduce your intake of fats from dairy and animal products - but 'high fat' cold water fish such as salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel are good for your system and should be on your shopping list. Make sure you eat nutrient rich foods (tuna, chicken, salads, pasta, beans, and pulses) and try to cut down on your sugars, salts and fats! Empty calories (sweets, chocolates, fried food) won't provide the fuel you need but they may make you fat.

Go for complex carbohydrates (bananas, brown rice, green vegetables) and cut down on simple carbohydrates (chocolate, cakes, chips, and white bread - even carrots!). Basically, complex carbs are harder to break down and they keep your insulin levels on a more even plateau. Simple carbs will give you a short term boost but make you feel more lethargic when the boost disappears! Intense workouts require much higher doses of vitamins. If you're new to steroids, we always recommend that you seek expert professional advice before taking them, as what's right for one person is not necessary right for you. It's also worth remembering that steroids are not magic! They don't work on there own, a good healthy diet and exercise regimen are essential to achieving your goals.

IFBB Pro Bodybuilder and personal trainer. Interested in sports/sports injuries and correct diet and proper nutrition. Sports massage and injury recovery programs. http://www.anabolictoday.com

Bodybuilding for Fat People

Bodybuilding For Fat People
By Lauren Gregory




There is the misconception that if an overweight person starts to work out regularly and lift weights, he will end up looking something like a big whale. But is this really true?

Simply put, No. If a person wanted to lose weight and get toned at the same time, he could do this if he followed a suitable program and ate normal amounts of food. One sure way to turn into a big whale is to simultaneously overeat and work out.

And no, a fat person does not have to starve himself or go on depriving diets to lose weight and gain muscle. By following a healthy diet especially for getting toned and ripped, you can be assured that you will not end up looking like a beach whale. So the key here is to not rely on your own knowledge but to follow expert advice.

What makes it really tough for an overweight person to undergo a healthy lifestyle change is fear. Fear of deprivation of foods they love, fear of exercise, and even the fear of change itself. So if you are in this situation, there are 3 steps that you should follow:

1- Look at yourself in the mirror now. Decide where you want to lose weight and where you want to be muscular and toned. Now shut your eyes and imagine the new you. Go through a mental stroll of your day to day life- only picture the new hot you living it instead. How do you feel?
2- Draw two columns on a piece of paper. On one, side, write all the negatives of becoming the new you. On the other side, list all of the positives. If your positive column outweighs your negative column, then what are you waiting for?! Its time to take action baby!
3- Choose and pursue a good, reliable weight-loss bodybuilding program, such as THIS ONE.

By following these steps, you will be well on your way to shedding those excess kilos and replacing them with hard-as-steel muscles!

Health Benefits to Perfecting the Art of Bodybuilding

Health Benefits to Perfecting the Art of Bodybuilding
By Dane C. Fletcher Platinum Quality Author



You should be ready to go on a bodybuilder's diet if you want to succeed in bodybuilding. In order to do this you should prepare yourself psychologically. The diet of a bodybuilder needs to be very different from that one of a normal person. With this in mind you need to seek the assistance of a nutritional expert. You need to keep adequate tabs on your calorie intake because it will determine whether or not you are going to increase your body mass. You are therefore supposed to increase your carbohydrates intake so that you can provide the body with enough energy needed to undertake intense training. You should focus on eating complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates contain long chain sugars which are burned very slowly by the body and therefore you will have a consistent supply of sugar which will help you train for long before the onset of fatigue starts settling in.

In order to perfect your bodybuilding venture you should keep a journal. In this journal you will be keeping records of your diet as well as your training program. You cannot be able to know whether your diet or the supplementation you are taking is working for you or against you, if you don't keep a training journal. You are required to take various supplements and diets in order to increase your calorie intake. You need to keep adequate tabs on your calorie intake because it will determine whether or not you are going to increase your body mass. If you do not keep accurate and precise records about your calorie intake it will be very difficult to keep tabs on your calories.

A bodybuilding journal will also help you know whether the training regimen you are using is adequate. If you want 100 percent results in bodybuilding the importance of keeping journals cannot be overemphasized. If you did not have a journal you would not be able to determine the areas in your training regimen which required improvement.

The other thing you need to do in order to perfect your bodybuilding venture is to avoid getting injuries as a result of over training. If you want to avoid injuries and ensure that your entire bodybuilding career is free of injuries you need to be very careful with how you execute each rep. In order to experience bodybuilding progress you need to perform each rep with excellent biomechanical perfection. In order to ensure that each rep is safe you should ensure that each lift is performed in a very tight and controlled manner. In order to avoid injuries you also need to train using proper form and techniques. You should also make sure that before each weight lifting session you undertake warm up exercises in order to make the joints more flexible.

You should also take adequate rest both when training and at the end of the training session. This will enable you increase your body anabolism. Muscle growth usually occurs when you are resting and not when you are training.

Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

10 Tips to Bodybuilding Success

10 Tips to Bodybuilding Success
By Max Ford



Bodybuilding is basically about how to get the simple things right and not getting mixed up with the complexities. You just have to familiarize yourself with the little details that can make bodybuilding a great success for you. Bodybuilding is not just about exercising; it encompasses your entire daily schedule, the time you get up, the food you consume, your food intervals, your sleep schedule and your work schedule too. All these factors need to be in perfect sync if you wish to succeed in body building.

1. Plan your workout
Body building is a slow process that takes time to show results. For optimum results it is necessary to have a plan in place with specific goals expected at definite time intervals. This would help you judge how accurate you are with your schedule. This would help you maintain your personal records to know how far or near you are from your target.

2. Pay attention to proper nutrition before and after a workout
In order to help your body sustain strenuous exercises for bodybuilding, it needs proper nutrition before and after the workout. Pre-exercise diet is to help the body be able to tolerate the rigorous exercise, and post-exercise diet is to replenish the lost nutrients of the body. Sufficient proteins and carbohydrates are required for good bodybuilding. Try to include a high glycemic diet that would provide essential carbohydrates to your body.

3. Variety in exercise routine
Keep lots of variety in your exercise regime to avoid monotony. Design your exercise plan in such a way that you look forward to the new set of exercises. Try to include multi-joint movements as they work at a number of muscles in one movement giving better results.

4. Sleep
Sleep is the best way to regenerate the body. Adequate sleep is very essential to keep the body active and alert, and only under these conditions would you be able to hit the gym. If the body is not provided at least its 8 hours of sleep the body would wither under fatigue and bodybuilding would remain a dream for you.

5. Keep away stress
Stress of any kind does not let the lean muscle of the body build up. Stress induces a chemical called Cortisol in the body that dampens muscular growth and repair by increasing the breakdown of proteins in the body.

6. Don't overtrain
Stretch your limits but do not drive your body to the limit of fatigue. Gradually increase the limits of your body but only to the extent that you do not damage your muscles as its repair can be very time consuming and painful.

7. Water intake
70% of the body weight is water. The water intake has to be high as it flushes out all the toxins of the body and contributes to muscular development. Secondly it is the medium in which the nutrition of your body reaches the required muscles. Water also keeps the kidneys healthy as large amounts of proteins are consumed regularly.

8. Warm ups and stretching
Give your body an adequate warm up and do some stretching exercises as it helps the body to be suppler and reduces chances of any injury or sprains.

9. Slowly increase the weights
Start your bodybuilding with lesser weights and increase them as your body gets used to them and is ready to accommodate more. Bodybuilding is not an overnight process and would take time. Take each step as it comes for positive results. Haphazard increasing of weights can cause serious injuries to the body.

10. Give adequate rest to the body
Give your body time-out in between workouts to rejuvenate and renew its vigor. You would be able to exercise better and get wonderful results if you exercise with a healthy body rather than a tired body.