A misconception that just does not go away is that you will lose muscle, if you do cardio training. So many people are worried about losing the muscle that they worked so hard to get, that they avoid cardio. Is it really possible to lose large amount of muscle whilst doing cardio?
Most people try to bulk up as much as possible, eating as much food as they can. And often people gain a lot of fat along the way because they avoid cardio workouts. But when people are happy with their muscle weight and try to lose fat then so many people lose muscle as well as fat. And it is not because of intense cardio but mainly because of the strict dieting. And I really do not know many people who consistantly measure their fat percentage. But knowing how much fat you have is essential, otherwise you have no idea if you are losing fat or muscle.

Cardio is not the main cause of muscle loss. You can still maintain your muscles, even if you do 45-minute intensive cardio workouts daily. The main reasons are inadequate caloric intake, inadequate protein or dieting without including a weight training program.

If you want to build muscle then people don´t want to gain much fat. And if people want to lose fat then they don´t want to lose muscle. It is very tricky to do them right. Not eating enough food or skipping meals are much more important factors than doing enough cardio.

Including adequate meal frequency, protein, carbohydrates and total calories to your daily diet is very important. If you are worried about losing muscle then track your lean body mass with skinfold testing and adjust your cardio and nutrition accordingly. You can make the right decisions according to your feedback.

One of the most misunderstood concepts in the world of muscle building is the protein drink. I remember when I first started supplementing my diet with protein shakes. Some of my friends asked if I had noticed any differences in my training like I was on steroids or something. If that was the only time I had been asked similar questions, I wouldn’t worry as much, but since it is so common, I’ve decided to address the point and even show you a couple of my favorite muscle building drinks.

First of all, realise that a muscle building drink is just a substitute for food. It doesn’t have any magical properties, its the nutritional equivalent of grabbing a chicken breast and putting it in the blender. While your protein drink should taste a helluva lot better than a blended chicken, it’s essentially delivering the same thing.

Now, lets look into making the best muscle building drinks out there. What you want to put in these will depend on what you personally like and what you are drinking it for.

I know that last statement will be a surprise to many of you. But the nutritional makeup of your protein drink should depend on what you’re drinking it for. Let me explain. If you are about to workout, you want your shake to be full of protein and slow releasing carbs, so you have the energy to work out at your maximum potential.

However, if you want to have a shake after your training session, you will still want plenty of protein, but you will want faster energy releasing carbs, so you can repair your muscles as quickly as possible. Make sense Don’t worry if it doesn’t, just accept it for the time being.

Now, my favorite type of shake is pretty straight forward. I get 1 scoop of Optimum Nutrition protein powder and add it to 150mL of skim milk. Mix it together in the blender and down the hatch. Simple, tasty and very nutritious. If you wanted to turn it into a pre-workout shake, I would add some oats. It may seem a bit weird, but oats and protein powder were simply made to go together and it will help give you the right fuel for your workout.

If you wanted to turn this muscle building drink into a post workout drink, I would recommend adding some high GI carbs, such as dextrose. You can pick this up just about anywhere, it’s just a fancy name for sugar.

Another thing to consider with muscle building drinks is that it’s not a science. Put whatever good foods in that you want. Raspberries are another great ingredient to add. Just use your head a little and try and come up with some exciting, tasty and nutritious ways to spice up your muscle building drinks.

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.