Having clearly defined goals and objectives is just the first step in adding purpose and direction to your life, increasing your self-esteem, and improving your health.

While you’re thinking about what you’ve done and what you haven’t done, take a few minutes to rekindle the fire with new health and fitness goals. Consult with a fitness expert of fitness guru to help you determine your goals. Make them big; make yourself reach for them. These goals serve as a tremendous motivator to exercise regularly, eat right, and live life to the fullest.

Be Creative

A challenging goal causes you to step out of your comfort zone to accomplish it. Make your goal REALLY challenging. Something that you really want, and you’re willing to do what it takes to get there. It also reflects who you are, your values.

Be More Consistent

As simple as getting to the gym, going to your workout area at home, or wherever you exercise. Are you working out 2, maybe 3 times a week? Aim for 5-6 days a week. LIFE is exercise!

Improve Your Strength

You can realistically increase your strength by about 5% per month, even if you’re an advanced trainer. That’s about a 5 lb. increase in the amount of weight you can lift. Set a goal for a particular exercise, like the bench press, and track your progress with a log to see how far you’ve come.

Improve Your Muscular Endurance

Your reps will increase by 2-3 over a month, if you use the same weight for the entire month. Here’s a thought: if you can’t do very many chin ups, set a goal for how many you can do at the end of 4 weeks. Improving muscle endurance is great for carving out definition.

Increase Your Distance

Doesn’t matter if it’s walking, jogging, Stairmaster, biking, indoor, outdoor etc. How long does it take you to walk/run/etc. a mile? 15 minutes? See how much further you can cover in those same 15 minutes.
Learn A New Exercise Or Routine

Add variety to your workouts by adding or replacing exercises with new ones. Try in-line skating. Elliptical training. Jump-roping. An exercise class like kickboxing or Tai-chi. Just try something different. Then be a master at it.

Enter A Contest

Enter fitness contests including run/walks, cycling events, fitness and physique competitions, marathons, powerlifting and weightlifting events, etc. If you’ve never participated at a competition before, find a low-key competitive opportunity, train for it, and for cripes sakes, have FUN.

Enter DIFFERENT Contests

If you’ve been doing 5K runs for a long time, try running a marathon. Or maybe you want a break from it, so you concentrate on developing more muscle to enter into a fitness or physique competition.

Strengthen Your Community – Make New Friends

This comes almost naturally when you’re involved with friendly competition. Be conscious to reach out and meet new friends at the gym and competitive events. The camaraderie with your fellow "competitors" inspires and motivates you to achieve more.

Hire A Coach

The advice of a knowledgeable, competent, personable coach can make your road to success a more enjoyable journey. A good coach advises and empowers you on how to set goals, and craft a plan to achieve them faster.

Keep A Training Log

Record how you feel, physically and mentally, in addition to your training notes (weight, reps, rest periods, sets, etc.). You’ll understand your training better. Are you especially sluggish in mid-afternoon? Then you know you need to schedule your workouts when your energy levels are higher.

Enjoy The Journey

Nothing is more important in reaching your goal than to enjoy the passion of the pursuit. Celebrate the smaller victories along the way, and learn from life’s lessons. Share your success with your coach, friends, and family. You deserve a pat on the back! Keep it up!

I want to take the time to talk to you about bodybuilding diets for women. This is a tough sport for all people, but it seems to be doubly hard for the women out there that participate in this. Not only is there a lack of information out there designed for women, we also have less testosterone to work with. With all that, we can still have remarkable results. Determination is the most important characteristic you can possess. It doesn’t matter how genetically able you are, if you’re not determined, you’re not going to get anywhere in this sport. If you’re ready to work hard and do it everyday, than check out my information.

You’re going to have to understand that you can’t eat like a normal person. Three meals a day just doesn’t cut it in this sport. Your body needs a consistent flow of nutrients throughout the day to build muscle, and three meals a day doesn’t cover that. This is why I eat smaller meals every 2-3hrs. This works out to anywhere between 6-8 meals a day. This allows my body to get the nutrients it needs all the time, maximizing my results.

Getting the necessary sleep is an important part of bodybuilding, but how do you maintain your diet, while you sleep. Muscles do the biggest repairs while you sleep, so obviously you need a way to keep nutrients coming in while this happens. The best solution I’ve found is eating protein and fat before bed. Protein is what repairs the muscles and fat slows down digestion, so this will last all night.

When preparing a complete body building workout plan, it is essential that you workout your upper body and legs. In the legs there are three main muscles groups you need to focus on; the quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. By working out all these muscles, you will build strong and durable legs.

Fortunately, most leg exercise regimes will workout each of the three muscles. For building strength and power in the legs squats are great. The exercise involves placing weight on a barbell and squatting down resting the weight on the neck. For safety, and the best results, good technique is essential. The exercise range for your quadriceps includes dumbbell squats, dumbbell lunges, leg extensions and leg press.

Turning to the hamstrings, there are three great body building workouts that should be used. The first is using a leg curl machine whilst laying face down and lift weights up. Dumbbell stiff legged dead lifts and stiff legged dead lifts are the two other exercises.

The remaining muscle group in the legs to add in with the body building workout is the calves. There are a number of exercises that can be used to develop the calves which will build muscle for leaping abilities. The best known exercises are the leg press calf extension, standing one legged calf raise, standing calf raise and the seated calf raise. All these calf raise exercises consist of just standing with straight legs and then repeatedly raising up onto the toes by using the calf muscles.

When preparing a complete body building workout plan it is essential to include a comprehensive workout plan for the legs. Strong and powerful legs will compliment and support the development of the upper body. Many bodybuilders, without a thorough workout regime, focus solely on their upper-body.

To build and develop strong legs take these exercise tips and include them in your workout regimen. Work the quadriceps into your shoulder, triceps and bicep workout day and include the hamstrings and calves with the chest and back workout day. This exercise range makes for a complete body building workout schedule.

One of the most important tips for building muscle in your legs is not to overdo your training. Whilst training must be regular you must also remember to rest. Your muscles need the time to recover and grow stronger before your next workout – this is the key to developing big muscles.

Are you concentrating on the physical aspects when contemplating the best cardio workout for weight loss? Don’t stop there! Once you discover the psychological benefits, you will become hooked on fitness. Countless studies have proven the mood-enhancing effects of a 20 or 30 minute workout. From teens to seniors will experience this uplifting, invigorating result. Geared to create your new body? Ready to get ripped to burn belly fat? Let’s see why a cardio workout for weight loss delivers the goods every time.

Ten vital benefits of a stretching, strength training, weight loss cardio workout:

1. Outwits osteoporosis

2. Trounces type 2 diabetes

3. Helps heart health

4. Whittles down weight

5. Diminishes mild depression

6. Spruces up sleep quality

7. Promotes mind-power

8. Improves self-image

9. Fine-tunes flexibility

10. Elevates energy levels

Now, how do you go about making this impressive list of benefits your own? Mention the word ‘exercise’ and many folks visualize expensive gym memberships, bulge-revealing gym mirrors and staring eyes. Relax! You really don’t have to go this route if it isn’t for you. There are dozens of ways to reach your fitness goals. Aim to include the following three components in your exercise routine:

Aerobic Training: This refers to those activities that get your heart really pumping and your breathing thoroughly revved up. Now, you don’t need to invest in heavy-duty elliptical exercise equipment to achieve this. You can simply come up with a range of informal, enjoyable family activities. Anything from mountain biking, to walking or dancing will do.

Flexibility Training: The second leg of your cardio workout for weight loss, should include some stretching exercises to increase your flexibility. This is another way of preventing injuries, as it enables your joints, ligaments and muscles to stretch and bend with ease. It also helps to prevent the stiffness that is often associated with aging. Here some basic yoga exercises or an exercise band will do the trick.

Strength Training: Strength training is vital to increase your lean muscle mass. Again, you don’t need expensive home gym equipment. Many reputable, budget, fat-burning programs take you by the hand in your weight loss quest. In these, experts give you step-by-step instructions for using little more than a bench and a set of dumbbells to get you to your weight training quota. Remember to work on your core-strength (mid-section) as well. This is one of the best ways to strengthen your back, in order to prevent back injuries.

The great thing about weight training is that it really turns your body into a calorie-crunching furnace. Your goal is to up your lean muscle mass, while reducing your body fat. This equips you with a super-efficient metabolism that continues to burn calories even while you sleep. Doesn’t that sound great? Compare this scenario to fad diets that are likely to put your metabolism on a go-slow strike, by shifting all your body-gears into starvation mode.

That’s all there is to it. You can try to work up to 30 minutes four or five days a week for maximum benefits. Just make sure that you get some expert advice when you start out. Consult your doctor if you haven’t been training for a while, or if you have any illness or injury.

There is no area of your being that will remain untouched by a regular, relaxed weight loss cardio workout. Just imagine the dividends in terms of the positive effect it will have on your self-image, the way you will carry yourself, the way your clothes will fit, and the mood-lifting endorphins that will be produced. This is your recipe for health and wellbeing.

The most important thing to do, is to put the fun back into fitness. If you enjoy what you are doing, you will keep it up. If you include the rest of the family, you are also more likely to stay with it. It really doesn’t have to be a drag. If you prefer to combine your cardio workout for weight loss with a health club membership, by all means go for it. But if you can’t afford it, don’t let this fact stop you from creating your new, healthy, toned body.

This will be the most important piece of information that you will ever read about weight training.

Repetitions… Your entire training career is composed of millions of them. You group them in sets and they are the basis of each workout. Performing them correctly is the difference between success and failure. A perfect repetition, seemingly simple, has many components and is powerfully effective. I am going to explain how to perform the perfect rep and why it is so important.

At the impressionable age of 14 I was lucky enough to be introduced to the world of weight training by a competitive bench presser and ex-Olympic wrestler. He was a cartoonish 5 foot 3, 65 kilo powerhouse with a barrel chest and black pony-tail mullet down to his arse. At his gym in Bellingen he would ensure that I learned and retained precise lifting technique during my first 12 months of training. Thank-you Kevin. Under his supervision I went on to become the Australian School-boys Bench Press Champion at the ripe old of age of 15 with a lift of 87.5 kilograms (192.5 pounds) at a HUGE (laughs) body-weight of 66 kgs (145 lbs). That was after only 6 months of training. Technique and intensity is EVERYTHING!

Kevin sold the gym to a great man called Scott who became a very close friend of mine, a fantastic training partner and the catalyst for my career in Personal Training. He looked somewhat normal in comparison to Kevin sporting a natural, balanced, muscular bodybuilder’s physique. His basic training philosophy was to hit each muscle group from every angle with perfect form designating set and exercise volume in proportion to the size of the muscle group, i.e. back being the most complex and largest received the most exercises while biceps being one of the smallest received the least. I learned a lot from him. Exercise form was always at the fore-front of his teachings.

From Kevin I discovered that each exercise has an optimum movement path to generate maximum power safely. Scott showed me a broad range of exercises and how to apply good technique to each of them for consistent effectiveness and efficiency. I have taken these lessons with me throughout my career and applied them to my training and the hundreds of exercises that I have created myself.

Anyone who knows me will find that I am extremely particular about good exercise technique. I pay very close attention to the body position and movement pattern adjusting fine components so that the exercise is totally optimised. I must annoy the hell out of my clients sometimes. It works though.

WHY IS PERFECT EXERCISE TECHNIQUE SO IMPORTANT?

Reduced Risk Of Injury…

If you are to remain injury-free throughout your training career you must practise safe, tight, controlled lifting technique for every single repetition. If the movement is as close to biomechanical perfection as possible you will receive maximum stimulation with minimum risk. Injuries will halt your progress every time and can be very serious. Any chance to avoid them should be harnessed, implemented and retained.

Decreased ‘Cheating’ And Involvement Of Unrelated Muscle Groups…

If your form is sloppy there is a good chance that you are not hitting the target muscle as completely as you could be. As soon as your technique declines other muscle groups come into play assisting during the lift, often in an unsafe manner. A classic one is allowing your torso to swing during a bicep curl using your lower back, glutes and hamstrings to get the weight up. There is not only the danger of hurting yourself there is also the probability that you are not taking the target muscles to failure. Keep the form tight and you will stimulate the muscle safely and entirely.

Decreased Involvement And Fatigue From Ancillary Muscle Groups…

Related to the last point the execution of a perfect repetition every time will ensure the target muscle is isolated and fully fatigued before the ancillary muscles (assisting muscles) give out. To make this more clear I will describe two examples where this is a common occurrence. Example 1: when you perform a back exercise if you do not focus on engaging and isolating the targeted muscles of the back then the forearms and biceps will crash and burn before the back is fully worked. Example 2: when you perform a chest exercise if you do not focus on isolating the pectorals during the movement then the triceps and anterior deltoids will give out first impeding the progress of the chest. It is easy for ancillary muscles to come into play during an exercise if your form is sloppy because they are there to assist the movement. But because they are smaller and weaker if you do not make sure that the target muscle is completely fatigued first they will always give out holding back your progress.

Increased Motor Neuron Innervation And Muscle Fiber Activation…

If you isolate the target muscle group and contract it slowly and intensely through the entire movement you will activate the greatest amount of muscle fibers. A safe and full range of motion (ROM) will involve muscle fibers from the origin (initial attachment) right across to the insertion (final attachment) of the muscle. A slow, intense, precise movement during the entire concentric contraction (muscle shortening) and eccentric contraction (muscle lengthening) will innervate more motor neurons ‘firing’ more muscle fibers. This will facilitate a maximum activation of the muscle fibers and total muscle contraction maximizing strength and muscle gain.

Improved Mind-Muscle Connection…

The mind-muscle connection is your ability to feel the target muscle contract completely and under total control during the execution of an exercise. Usually a muscle group that you find difficult to feel and to develop is one that you have a poor mind-muscle connection with. Consistent, strict form on all of your repetitions will help you gain control of these stubborn body-parts. The mind-muscle connection improves when the path from your motor cortex (the control centre of your brain for movement) to the working muscle becomes more efficient.

Improved Focus, Discipline, Intensity And Quality Of Training…

This level of precision for every single repetition that you perform during your workout demands a massive amount discipline, will-power and intensity. You control the movement of every exercise and apparatus as though it were part of your body. Be patient and apply it to all exercises performed until it becomes second nature. By this stage it will feel awkward to train with sloppy technique and you won’t miss it because you will become stronger and more muscular and injury-free.

COMPONENTS OF A REPETITION

1. Starting Point – where the body is in the appropriate position to begin the Repetition.

2. Concentric Contraction – where the muscle shortens as the weight is lifted through the predetermined Range of Motion (ROM). Also called ‘The Positive Phase’.

3. Mid Point – the point of greatest contraction at the top of the Repetition where you pause briefly before releasing the weight.

4. Eccentric Contraction – where the muscle lengthens as the weight is released to the Finishing Point. Also called ‘The Negative Phase’.

5. Finishing Point – same as the Starting Point.

GUIDELINES TO PERFORMING THE PERFECT REP

Learn And Practice Proper Technique…

Take the time to study the extensive step-by-step video exercise descriptions on my website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. They are demonstrations personally performed by me explaining all the muscles involved, the detailed technique and what the repetitions should look like during a set. There are over 300 hundred exercises; learn them before you perform them.

Apply And Maintain Proper Technique…

Once you have learnt the exercise guidelines make sure you apply them to your training in the gym precisely and consistently. If you forget how to do something go back to the site and look it up.

Repetition Speed…

The repetition speed should for muscle growth and strength in bodybuilding, shaping and toning and for general health should be medium (1-2 seconds) during the Concentric Contraction (where the weight is lifted) and slow (2-5 seconds) during the Eccentric Contraction (where the weight is released). The exact seconds required for each phase of the repetition depends on the size of the range of motion (ROM) of each individual exercise. Example; Calf exercises have a smaller ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be reduced. Squats, on the other hand, have a large ROM so the time required to perform the repetitions slowly would be increased. Performing exercise with speed is not without merit and it is prevalent in functional training, power-training, and sport-specific training but there is an increased risk of tissue injury with the sudden force exerted when lifting. There is also greater focus on the tendons, ligaments, bones and joints rather than the muscles.

Ancillary Muscles And Stabilizers…

You cannot perform an exercise safely or effectively unless your body is positioned in accordance with the guidelines for that exercise. This means that once you are set your ancillary muscles (the direct assisting muscles for the movement) and the stabilizers (the muscles that hold the rest of the body in the correct place) must be engaged so that a perfect repetition is performed every time. This will make your body safe, strong and functional.

Abdominals And Core Muscles…

It doesn’t matter which exercise you are performing your mid-section must be switched on for total maximum gains. The abdominals and the core inner muscles of the spine are the superstructure of the body which holds everything together under the stresses of exercise. They lock you safely into the correct position and maintain it during the set. Engaging them properly will stabilise the body, increase your total strength, increase the strength of the abdominals and core muscles themselves, protect the spine and facilitate the implementation of perfect repetitions for all exercises. * To use your mid-section properly during exercise pull your lower abs in towards the spine, pull in the obliques, contract the entire abdominal complex and lift the chest *

Symmetry And Precision Of Movement…

To be certain that both sides of your body develop evenly you must ensure that each exercise is executed symmetrically. Human bodies are never built with faultless balance and the rigours of life make that deviation from perfect symmetry even more profound. To diminish the impact of this continuing you need to train in front of a mirror as much as possible or utilise the constant critical eye of a training partner. This will allow you to supervise and fine-tune your exercise technique at all times reducing imbalances of strength, muscularity and functionality.

Range Of Motion…

Most of the time you need to use a full range of motion (ROM) to stimulate the all of the muscle fibers from the origin, across the belly (the middle bulk), to the insertion of the muscle. If you cheat and continuously use partial repetitions you will lose flexibility and miss out on muscle and strength gains from the outer angles. There is a limit, however, to how large the ROM should be. It is individual to each exercise and should be large enough for maximum muscle fiber stimulation without causing any joint or tissue injury from over-extension. There are techniques and set sequences that are based on partial repetitions but they have their own strict technique and should be used sparingly for shock tactics and variety.

Breathing…

You need to breathe properly during each repetition to maintain a continuous delivery of oxygen around the body to the working muscles. It will also reduce the build-up of carbon-dioxide. This will give you the energy to power through the set and decrease the onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA – that awful burn from lactic acid which is caused from glycogen being burnt for energy without the presence of oxygen). Breathing properly also takes the pressure off your cardio-vascular system facilitating normal function under conditions of high stress from intense exercise. It is important to keep the blood pressure down and unnecessary strain off the body as no-one is unbreakable. Another advantage of full, rhythmic breathing is that it will pace the tempo of your repetitions. You can’t take slow, full breaths if your reps are fast and messy.

BASIC BREATHING TECHNIQUE DURING A REPETITION

1. Take a slow, deep intake of breath as the weight is released (when the target muscle stretches and lengthens during the eccentric contraction).

2. Breath out more forcefully as the weight is lifted (when the target muscle engages and shortens during the concentric contraction)

3. There are alternate breathing techniques but this one is simple and safe so remember: breathe in when the weight is released and breathe out when the weight is lifted.

INTENSITY

Finally we come to my favourite word; Intensity. To cause the greatest amount of muscle fiber damage and to induce growth producing chemistry within the body you need to push each set to absolute failure or beyond. By that I mean that you make sure you grind out each repetition with perfect technique until it is not possible to perform another without losing your form. To go beyond failure you must utilise a training partner or spotter or perform intensity increasing techniques which are described on our website www.GlobalWeightTraining.com. You must however maintain precise technique for each repetition throughout the set no matter what your goal is or how far you push yourself.

There you have it my friends. I have given you the key. Place it in the lock and turn it. Don’t look back. There is so much out there to learn, understand and apply to your training. You may get a little lost among it all but if you know how to perform ‘The Perfect Rep’ every time the most basic element of successful training will be with you forever. Good luck and have fun…

First, you’re going to have to adjust your form. If you’re reading this article, there is a possibility that you’re probably not able to unleash your full potential because of the technique you’re using. You will need to ask yourself if you want to keep a bodybuilding posteur or one of a powerlifter. The powerlifting posteur and the bodybuilding one are pretty much the same, it’s just that you will have more of an arch in your back with the powerlifting stance.

Either way, there are many other ways to diagnose if you’re set up wrong. If you have wide shoulders and longer arms, you’re going to need to place your hands wider apart. This will activate more of the chest, enabling you to lift more. This is one of the biggest problems with people bench pressing.

After you have your grip set up correctly, you will want to pinch your shoulder blades together and if you want to generate more power, slightly arch your back while leaving your butt on the floor. This will only add more pressure to your chest, so don’t worry, it’s not cheating.

I’m hoping you know this by now, but make sure you breath in a lot of air before you lower the weight and then exhail as you push. Next we’re going to talk about your routine. This will be the determiner of how much you gain on your bench press. Your routine should change very often to constantly provide growth to your muscles. The biggest routine problem with people is that they don’t go heavy and always do high reps.

To gain weight to your bench press you MUST TRAIN HEAVY. This does not mean every week of the year, but low repititions, usually around 3-5 reps and heavier weight obveously, will increase your one rep max. This gives your muscles a different overload and really gives it what a taste of the max is like. I’ve seen many people that can put up 225 for 10+ reps but cannot even come close to their ‘calculated’ bench press because their muscles simply cannot cope with it. Training heavy helps your balance and strength.

You also cannot bench press every day. Don’t do it! DO NOT DO IT! It doesn’t matter if you’re sore or not. You need time to recover from each chest workout and training similar muscle groups day after day will just lead to overtraining. You also need to get enough sleep and consume enough calories to aid your growth.

Switching up your routine and using some of these methods will definately improve your bench press.

Most persons tend to forget the lower parts of the abdomen as they exercise. This part of the body contains a particular set of muscles that need to be worked on for a uniform toning of the body. To effectively target these muscles the bodybuilder needs to have enough technique that will enable them to isolate these muscles and work on them effectively.

There are a variety of exercises that have been developed over time to cater for these particular muscles. As obvious it is vital that you acquire the assistance and advice of qualified professional trainers in case you are unfamiliar with the techniques. You should also ensure that you are well warmed up before the workouts so as to prevent injury.

The first of these techniques is the crunchless crunch. This exercise is fairly simple but it can be quite tough for the training novice. Basically one has to try and pull in the bellybutton inwards toward the spine. It is advisable that you get into the kneeling position or you can also lie on your stomach. The posture that you decide to use has to be suitable for your own body so you can always try out both and see which posture works. After you decide how you will start use the lower abdomen muscles to pull the bellybutton toward your spine. Hold this position for at least ten minutes.

If you can afford to hold for a longer period you can do so. The aim should either be to maintain the contraction until the point when you feel the other muscle groups being more strained or until you can no longer feel the contraction. As soon as you get either of these sensations then you can release the contraction.

Second up is the alternating toe touch technique. Here you will also be required to be lying flat preferably on the floor but on top of a cushion or mat. Once you are flat begin by raising your legs into the air. Stretch out your left arm and use the lower abdomen muscles to get the shoulders off the floor. Reach for the right toes with the left arm and then allow your shoulders to return to the floor. Repeat these motions severally and then switch to the right arm and left toes. Your knees should be as straight as possible and the chin and chest should have a good space between them.

Moving on we find the sit-up holds. You are required to be on the floor with your knees bent and the feet flat on the surface. The hands should be behind the head. The elbows should not be alongside the head, they should be in a position where you can’t see them. Use the same muscles as before to lift the shoulders off the floor and maintain this for about ten seconds of course adding the time if you feel comfortable. Note that the shoulders need to be lifted with these muscles and not the neck or arms. 

The fourth technique is the lower back flattened. For this particular workout you need to be lying down with the knees bent and the feet real flat, same as in the previous workout. The aim is to close the space created between the floor and lower back. Use the lower abdominal muscles (not the legs) to push the back toward the floor so as to close the gap. As in the other techniques mentioned, hold the position for ten seconds or more.

Pilates is a great way to strengthen abs without doing even a single crunch. It is an exercise that primarily focuses on strengthening and creating a better looking stomach and buttocks. it also increases your flexibility improves your posture and strengthens the body’s muscles. Pilates and Yoga are similar they are both mind/body activities. Their focus is on breathing and posture. However, they can’t take the place of traditional cardio and strength training exercises. There are several different pilates abs exercises such as, plank. This is when you are in the push up position and you are using your elbows to support your body weight. Pilates moves are by far the best abdominal exercises. Where crunches work primarily the rectus abdominus (the large “six pack” of muscle in the center of the abdomen).

Pilates works the deeper abdominal muscles and the stabilizers that help to hold it all in. It has also been shown to lengthen the muscles considerably,giving a taller, leaner appearance. Many exercises that tone the abs. There are many more, and Pilates is meant to be done in one smooth-flowing sequence. You then contract your abs holding this position for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat as many times as possible. There is also the 100s position, in which you lie flat on your back with your legs together and straight. Lifting your head and shoulders off the ground you pull in your abs. Roll-Up exercises-Sit with your legs straight and your arms in front of you Holding your abs in, slowly roll all the way down, feeling each vertebra press into the mat.

Until you’re lying flat, being careful not to let your feet pop up. Now raise your arms on high your chest and slowly roll your trunk up and forward, tightening your stomach, until you’re back to the starting position. Crisscrosses — With your head slightly emboss,bring your knees to your chest and place your hands gently behind your head (don’t interlace your fingers). Inhale and slowly twist to the right, bringing your left elbow to your right knee while extending your right leg. Hold this long enough to exhale. Now inhale and return to the starting position. Repeat, bringing your right elbow to your left knee. The Teaser — Lie flat on your back with your legs straight out and arms on the mat, stretched straight up over your head.

Lift your legs up while raising both arms overhead until your fingers are pointing at your toes. Breath and slowly roll back down, feeling each vertebra press into the mat, back to the starting position. Repeat three times. Rolling exercises- Sit up and pull your ankles in toward your buttocks, wrapping your hands around them. Bring your head toward your knees and lift your feet off the mat so that you’re balancing on your tailbone. Tighten your tummy and slowly roll backward just until your shoulders touch the mat be careful not to roll on your neck. Immediately roll back up. Strong Pilates body depends on the powerhouse woven and deep layer of lower back and abdominal muscles. This system of exercise allows the person to move elegantly and stand boldly throughout their life.

If you stop and think about it for a minute, you’ll realize supplement companies are businesses. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with trying to make a profit, but these companies often give capitalism a bad name. That’s because they take advantage of weightlifters and bodybuilders who are looking for a quick solution to their problems.

I’ve often wondered why supplements sell so well within the weightlifting and bodybuilding world. Actually, it’s not so difficult to see why this is the case. So many people are looking for a quick solution so they don’t have to spend weeks, months, or years training diligently. This leads them to believe any claims they hear from supplement companies, no matter how outlandish they may be. I guess looking for the easy way out is just part of human nature, but it can lead to a lot of disappointment (not to mention an empty wallet).

There are a few supplements that could be helpful in your quest to build muscle, but they should not be considered essential. The core of your muscle building program involves intense weightlifting, a solid weight gain diet plan, and proper recovery methods. Once you have mastered these basic principles and you have truly reached an advanced level, then and only then should you consider adding any kind of supplements to your regimen. Even then, the supplements may only give you a slight edge – don’t expect them to do all the work for you. Don’t expect them to deliver magical results, either. If you stick to a natural bodybuilding program, I bet you’ll be amazed at how much progress you can make it without supplements. You’ll achieve the results that you’ve been looking for, and you’ll do it without emptying your bank account!

No matter what you read or who you talk to, everyone has their own opinion of what the “perfect” rep range should be to allow for maximum muscle stimulation and growth. In this article I’m going to clear up the confusion once and for all and teach you the truth about choosing the most effective rep range for optimal muscle-building results.

Sets that utilize heavy weight and low reps are without a doubt the most effective means of stimulating muscle growth. For every set you perform in the gym, you should utilize a rep range of 5 to 7. This means that for every set you perform, the weight should be light enough that you can complete 5 reps in good form, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 7. What’s so special about 5 to 7, you ask? Well…

1) Each set will only last between 20-30 seconds.

Maximizing your muscle gains is all about intensity and efficiency. By utilizing a lower rep range, your sets will only last a short period of time, allowing you to generate 100% mental focus and effort. Training with 100% intensity is critical to stimulating muscle growth and it is much easier to maintain this level of effort for shorter periods of time. You will not have to psyche yourself up for marathon sets lasting minutes on end, but rather for a short burst of all-out effort lasting only several seconds.

2) Muscle stimulation will be maximized.

Our bodies are made up of 2 main types of muscle fiber: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers cannot generate large bursts of power and are utilized during prolonged activity. They have a high tolerance for endurance exercise but do not have a very high potential for increased growth. Fast twitch fibers on the other hand produce large bursts of power and are utilized during short, explosive movements. They contain a large amount of mitochondria (an area in the muscle cell where energy is produced) and have the highest potential for increases in both size and strength. By utilizing a rep range of 5 to 7 you will tap into these extremely responsive fibers and this will result in the greatest amount of muscle growth and strength gain possible.

3) Maximum resistance can be used.

By performing only 5 to 7 reps per set, you will enable your muscles to handle heavier amounts of weight than you could with a higher rep range. Building muscle is a byproduct of building strength, and training in a lower rep range is the most effective way to accomplish this. Since your strength will shoot up much faster using 5 to 7 reps per set, so will your muscle size.

4) Lactic Acid production will be kept to a minimum.

Training in the range of 5 to 7 will also decrease the amount of lactic acid that is secreted within the muscles. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste product that is produced as the body burns carbohydrates for fuel. Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle tissue at increased rates the longer you exercise. By limiting the amount of lactic acid production you will decrease muscle catabolism and create an environment in the body where greater amounts of energy can be generated. This will translate into greater power output and maximum strength potential.

Okay, so we’ve established that a rep range of 5-7 is the absolute most effective means of stimulating muscle growth. However, this does not apply all the time or on every single lift. There are a few select muscle groups that should be stimulated using a slightly higher rep range. These are the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps. These muscle groups are predominantly made up of slow-twitch fibers, and therefore will respond better to higher reps. For this reason, a rep range of 10-12 should be utilized for these muscle groups. Again, this means that the weight should be light enough for you to complete at least 10 reps, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 12.

Summary:

Perform 5-7 reps for the chest, lats, biceps, triceps, shoulders and thighs.

Perform 10-12 reps for the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps.