Everyone these days is conscious about their bodies and wants to lose weight if they’re fat and get fit if they’re out of shape.

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But how do we get started? Where do we turn for the right information?

Here is a quick look at the most popular online dieting and exercise plans that will help you lose weight, burn fat and get in shape.

Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle

This ebook reveals little know nutrition secrets of bodybuilders and fitness models. The information shows you how to keep fat off permanently. There are dozens of ways to accelerate calorie burning. Every method used to lose weight are all natural.

7 Minute Muscle

This is an ebook and video course that teaches a method for burning fat and building muscles in 7 minute workouts. The exercise protocols have been tested in a university. Such topics as muscle growth, natural hormonal manipulation, fat loss and mind over muscle are discussed and can be referenced or cited to specific studies.

Top Secret Fat Loss Secret

This plan is about how to remove plaque and parasites inside the intestine walls – what prevents the body from ridding excess fat and being healthy. Although controversial, people reported the approach has worked for them.

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Strip That Fat

Strip That Fat teaches that having five smaller meals with the right types of foods, instead of the traditional three big meals will help the overweight finally achieve their weight loss goals.

The Truth about Six Pack Abs

People who follow the scientifically proven principles in The Truth about Six Pack Abs, will begin to lose the fat around their abdomen. It involves proper nutrition and the right types of full body – not just abdominal focused – workouts which get results faster than traditional cardio training.

Fat Loss 4 Idiots

The Fat Loss 4 Idiots weight loss diet plan is not a low calorie, low carb or low fat system. Fat Loss 4 Idiots is a calorie shifting technique were more than 3 meals – containing different calories to help the body release the correct amount of fat burning hormones, are alternated during the day.

Get Best Muscle Building Program

With the popularity of full body weight lifting routines for beginners and body part split plans for more advanced bodybuilders, the time-tested upper body / lower body regimen often gets neglected. This is unfortunate because lifters of all backgrounds and experience levels have long used this kind of routine to add massive amounts of strength and muscle mass. Here is one variation of this effective muscle-building plan.

Like many good training plans, this one focuses on gaining strength in the squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and a few other compound movements. Each day has a primary lift followed by several of the most important auxiliary lifts. Go through this rotation once per week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday schedule. If these days do not work well, just make sure you do not have more than two days of training in a row, and that you have an off day between Bench Press and Deadlift days.

Lower Body 1 – Squat:

Squat – Use a strong, medium-width stance.

Dumbbell Split Squat – place one foot on a bench behind you, and squat down with the other leg while holding dumbbells to your sides.

Weighted Sit-ups – Keep the weight behind your head.

Calves – Pick one calf exercise, and stick with it for this day.

Upper Body 1 – Bench Press:

Bench Press – Use your strongest medium or wide grip, an arch in your back, and a full range of motion.

Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press – Use a moderate weight and a range of motion from your ears to lockout.

Decline EZ bar extensions – Use only a moderate decline. Lower the weight over your eyes while keeping your elbows in.

Pullups – Pick one variation, and stick with it for this day.

Chest-Supported Row – To keep your lower back out of the movement, use any apparatus that lets you row with your chest against a pad.

Curls – Pick one variation, and stick with it for this day.

Lower Body 2 – Deadlift:

Deadlift – Use a narrow stance and an over-under grip. Do not use straps for your heaviest set.

Leg Press – Place your feet as high and wide as possible without hurting your hips.

Calves – Pick a different calf exercise from the first lower body day.

Standing Cable Abs – Using a rope attachment, brace your back against the cable attachment and crunch away.

Upper Body 2 – Military Press:

Military Press – Use a medium stance and minimal hip or leg drive. Make sure your shoulders are doing most of the work.

Dips – Use a medium grip that taxes your chest and triceps. Dip at least low enough so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor.

Cable Pressdowns – Use a bar attachment and a slight swaying motion to help. Add weight to the stack if necessary.

Barbell Row – Use a medium-width grip and straps for your heavy sets. Use a little bit of cheating in the motion to help you lift more weight.

Pullups – Pick a different variation from your first upper body day.

Curls – Pick a different variation from your first upper body day.

Sets and Reps – Minimal Volume, Maximal Intensity:

If you follow what the biggest guys in the gym are doing, you will notice that they often focus on performing a few, very hard sets of a few heavy exercises. For this plan, you will perform two main sets per exercise. After doing whatever warm-ups you need to get your body ready for heavy weights, do one set of 4-6 reps and one set of 10-12 reps (in that order). The first set will be your main “strength-builder,” while the following, somewhat lighter set will further tax your muscles and stimulate growth. For some exercises, such as dumbbell overhead press, sit-ups, and extensions, you will need to up the rep ranges a bit for joint safety and consistent progression.

Making Progress – Increasing Your Weight and Reps:

No matter what the bodybuilding “gurus” continue to write about drop sets, super sets, or whatever fancy techniques are in vogue, the only way to make long term progress and gains huge amounts of muscle mass is to get much stronger on all of your key exercises. You should strive to add more weight and / or more reps for every exercise, every training session. Keep a log of your exercises, weights, sets, and reps, so you always know what you must do to surpass your previous records.

Eating for Massive Gains:

No matter how hard you push yourself in the gym, you will not progress in strength or muscle mass if your diet is not up to par. Make sure you are putting your body in a caloric surplus all day, and that 30-40 percent of your calories of coming from sources of complete protein such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. You will need to work just as hard in the kitchen as in the gym.

Sticking with the Plan for the Long Haul:

Whether you are just starting out lifting weights, or you are changing your current program, stick with this plan for several months before even thinking about switching things up. Following the teachings of so-called “experts” and switching up your workout routine every few weeks to “keep your body guessing” will leave you with no progress and a lot of wasted time and energy. As long as you are eating enough to gain 3-4 pounds per month, you will almost certainly be gaining strength on your lifts and adding some serious muscle mass.

Bodybuilding is not the exclusive art of professionals. In recent years more and more people have been adapting the bodybuilding lifestyle to improve themselves. People are in the art of bodybuilding not just for the possibility of competing, but for the effects of the discipline regimens themselves.

What are the basic effects of well-guided weight training, or more broadly, bodybuilding?

• Decrease of body fat percentage versus lean body mass percentage

• Decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases associated with sedentary living (given that you won’t be using synthetic testosterone to speed up muscle building)

• Well-built, well-toned physique

• Increase in flexibility, endurance and stamina- all the basic requirements of any physical sport.

The basics

Here are some things that you should expect when you begin with your weight training or bodybuilding:

• Yes, there will be some pain involved. But the burning sensation that you will feel means your muscles are adapting to the increased resistance applied to them. Continuous weight training will eliminate the pain- and gradually, you will feel the “high” that bodybuilders speak of- the result of a combination of natural substances in the body being released during times of sustained physical activity.

• Yes, you will have to cut down on chocolates, soda and beer. One of the main components that would have to be addressed even before weight training is the percentage of fat in the body. You have to lose weight as you go along by cutting down on the empty calories. Replace these empty calories with nutrient-packed foods.

• Yes, your physique will visibly improve. Sustained weight training (over a month, with the right diet) will make you look more fit. Even if you don’t have four packs yet, your belly fat will significantly be reduced and your arms and legs will gradually and naturally be toned. This is the basic reward of weight training.

• No, you will not be all stiff as a board after you start lifting weights. The real effect of weight training is actually more flexibility. The actual cause of inflexible and easily sore muscles is inactivity- so get out of that couch today and start moving.

• No, you will not be “ripped” in two month’s time. Unless you’re into using illegal steroids (those used for horses) or synthetic testosterones (used in conjunction with a so-called “cutting stack”), the “professional” bodybuilder’s body would come much later. Give yourself at least a year without cheating on your training regimen. But by then you won’t really care anymore if you’re ripped or not, because you would be feeling more alive, more in control of your body.

• As for self-confidence, yes, you will be more confident, especially in situations that require you to expose your body to a number of people.-Whether people agree wholeheartedly or not, toned physiques always manage to catch the eye. This positions the bodybuilder in a better position in social events- whether it be in a meeting with the boss or with a romantic date.

There’s no way to go but up for the enthusiastic bodybuilder.

In 1977, Hollywood released a documentary that propelled the arena of body building into the public consciousness. The flick was “Pumping Iron”, and it’s young star was the formerly unknown Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the flick’s release, the game enjoyed a jump in popularity, making way for what would later be known as the “Golden Era” of body building.

One of the first steps to getting serious about weightlifting is to learn all that you can about it. There are multiple ways you can educate yourself on the game, but one of the simplest strategies to do so is find body building videos that are geared towards optimizing your work out routine and helping you build the body that you want. In addition, these body-building videos can help keep you galvanized and on track with maintaining your work out regimen and reaching your goals.

As you start your search for the ideal body-building video, you’ll discover that there are a huge number of them currently on the market, covering a range of different subjects. It can be difficult, not to mention a touch confusing, confusing, to figure out which of these videos will be the most useful in helping you to reach your goals. There’s no necessity to panic! Just remember that these videos are designed to help you with explicit goals, and keeping these goals in mind will help you make the best choice.

On the other hand, if you’re more focused on diving into the competitive arena of body-building, then a video that concentrates on contests will be a better fit. Irrespective of what your goals are, there’s probably a body building video that will assist you in achieving them, so think about specific issues when you’re making a decision.

While there are many places you can find muscle-building videos, the best place is maybe is probably at an internet retailer such as amazon or ebay. Wherever you finish up finding your video, do not forget to choose one that will offer you tips and recommendation which will assist you in achieving your explicit goals, and then with a little time and work, you can get the body that you have dreamed of!

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In the sport of body building, there are many supplements that can be used to grow muscles quickly, but many of these substances are man-made like steroids.  Natural body building is done without the benefit of artificial substances being put into the body.  That doesn’t mean not using body building supplements as many of these are natural products.  What it means is staying away from man-made hormones and steroids to aid in building body mass.

The body building industry has taken a very firm stance on the use of illegal and artificial substances – especially in competitions.  There are even specific contests geared toward natural body builders.  Most competitions will test participants prior to allowing them to compete, and if someone is found to have an illegal substance in their body, they are banned from participating.

While synthetic products will grow your body very quickly, they can have horrible side effects.  The trend toward natural body building is about growing your body, maximizing your nutritional intake, as well as staying healthy while you are growing your muscles.

When you decide that natural body building is the route you want to go, it’s important that you get the right amount of nutrients and vitamins that will maximize your workout sessions.  That means taking a multi-vitamin and eating properly in ways that will send muscle building proteins to the right parts of your body.

It is more than possible to grow your body naturally through an effective weight training program coupled with good nutrition.  There is no reason why steroids or growth hormones need to be introduced into the body for ultimate muscle mass.

One of the key components of a natural body building program is to eat healthy and maintain a positive mindset when it comes to your workout program.  Supplements are also important when you want toned, fit muscles.  The ingredients in supplements like creatine and glutamine are naturally produced in the human body anyway.  What the supplements do is increase or enhance those substances that are naturally there anyway.

Proponents of natural body building will agree that an effective workout program coupled with effective supplements and nutrition can make for a healthy, toned body.  Natural body building is definitely the way to go if your goal in a body building program is to get healthy and feel good.  Steroids and growth hormones should be avoided at all costs.

Body building the natural way is best for everyone.  Steroids are not.  Don’t take the chance that you will suffer ill effects from steroid use.  Just know that a strong workout program and a commitment to your body building goals will grow your body in a natural way not an artificial way.

Muscle Building Aminos – An Overview

The amino acids found in food make up proteins and are absolutely vital for life. When digested they are used to build and form new tissue and cells that are essential for all living things. In humans these proteins are used to build and maintain the skin, eyes, heart, muscles, bones etc.

As amino acids are so important for life itself it is beneficial to know a little bit more about how amino acids work and how they affect muscle building.

There are 20 standard amino acids, of which 8 are known as essential amino acids. These aminos cannot be synthesised by the body and must therefore be consumed as part of our diet. The other 12 amino acids are known as non-essential as they can be synthesised if not consumed in a regular diet.

As 8 amino acids are essential it is important to know exactly what these are and what foods contain them if you want to get the most out of your diet and supplement regime.

Eating a balanced diet is always the first step to being generally healthy and reaching your specific goals of building muscle or losing fat and this is no different to attaining your amino acids. However the following 8 amino acids are of particular importance:

Branched Chain Amino Acids

The three branched chain aminos are Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine. Branch chain aminos make up roughly 1/3rd of skeletal muscle and are the most important amino acids in the manufacture and maintenance of muscle tissue.

Leucine

Leucine has been shown to increase protein synthesis when taken as an individual supplement post workout. Research has studied the effects of carbohydrate, carbohydrate & protein and carbohydrate, protein & leucine post workout. It was shown that the carbohydrate/protein/leucine supplement increased protein synthesis and reduced muscle breakdown to a greater extent than either of the other two supplements.

Isoleucine

Isoleucine is very similar to leucine. Isoleucine promotes muscle recovery, regulates blood-sugar levels and stimulates HGH release.

Valine

Valine works in conjunction with the other BCAAs to help build and preserve muscle tissue.

Lysine

L-Lysine is a necessary building block for all protein in the body. L-Lysine plays a major role in calcium absorption, building muscle protein, recovering from surgery and the body’s production of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies. Lysine maintains a positive nitrogen balance in the body creating an anabolic (muscle building) environment. Lysine can be found in spinach, eggs, meat and poultry.

Histidine

Histidine is a precursor to histamine, a compound released by the immune system when an allergic reaction occurs. Histidine also protects nerve health and is essential for the growth and repair of tissue. Most normal individuals attain enough Histidine through their normal diet.

Histidine is also a precursor to carnosine biosynthesis; the only other amino acid is for this is beta-alanine. Histidine is therefore very important for carnosine production. An increase in carnosine levels can boost the buffering capacity of muscle by 20%, which in turn dramatically increases muscular performance and work capacity because of the delay of muscular fatigue.

Histidine can be found in dairy, meat, poultry, fish and wheat amongst others.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine improves mood, memory and general motivation. Phenylalanine also eventually increases levels of dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine (adrenaline) through its convertion to L-Tyrosine in the body. These are powerful neurotransmitters needed for normal operation of the nerve system.

Phenylalanine also helps manufacture glutamine; important for muscle growth. Phenylalanine can be found naturally in dairy, almonds, seeds and avocados amongst others.

Methionine

Methionine is an important amino acid to bodybuilders. Methionine aids in the breakdown of fats and can lead to increased testosterone production. Methionine also decreases levels of fat in the bloodstream potentially decreasing adipose tissue (fat tissue). Methionine is also one of three (with arginine and glycine the other two) amino acids that make up creatine in the body.

Methionine can be found in eggs, meat, fish and lentils

Threonine

Threonine is used in the function of the immune system and the production of antibodies. Threonine is also used to form collagen and elastin; two very important binding substances.

Threonine can be found in dairy, meat and eggs

The non-essential amino acids

Not all the non-essential amino acids will be mentioned but simply an overview of the most important for bodybuilding purposes.

Glutamine

Glutamine is the most abundant amino acids in the body and as such is involved in more metabolic processes than any other amino. As glutamine is involved in metabolic processes (the rate at which building or wasting processes occur) it is of particular importance to bodybuilders.

Here are some of the benefits of glutamine:

A substrate for DNA synthesis Major role in protein synthesis Primary source of fuel for enterocytes (cells lining the inside of the small intestine) Precursor for rapidly dividing immune cells, thus aiding in immune function Regulation of acid-base balance in the kidney by producing ammonium Alternative source of fuel for the brain and helps to block cortisol-induced protein catabolism

Glutamine therefore is very important for overall health and the preservation of muscle tissue. But glutamine is non-essential so do we need to supplement with it?

Glutamine Pros & Cons

Glutamine is non-essential so it is already produced in the body when needed – so why supplement with extra glutamine? Further to this, glutamine is also used as a fuel source around the body, in fact sometimes more readily than some simple sugar carbohydrates. Therefore the body will just use supplemented glutamine as energy rather than storing it or using it for the processes named above.

Do we need to supplement with glutamine at all? During a bulking phase probably, well let’s say more than probably, not. During a bulk excesses of food are eaten so there is a more than plentiful supply of glutamine in the body.

However during a phase of dieting glutamine may be beneficial. During a diet carbohydrates will be low and glutamine can be used as a source of fuel therefore sparing muscle protein to be used as energy. The result is prevention of muscle breakdown whilst losing bodyfat.

To summarise, glutamine can be a beneficial supplement when used correctly and wisely, just like all other supplements.

Arginine

Arginine is the immediate precursor of nitric oxide, urea, ornithine and agmatine and is necessary for the synthesis of creatine. For being a precursor of NO, (relaxes blood vessels), arginine is used in many conditions where vasodilation is required. An increase in nitric oxide levels has become widely known as ‘the pump’, where blood flow is substantially increased to muscle tissue creating muscle fullness and a pumped feeling.

Supplemental L-arginine in high doses is used to increase blood flow to muscles, which in turn can boost nutrient uptake, decreasing recovery times.

Arginine also plays an important role in hormone production including growth hormone (GH).

Arginine can be found in cottage cheese, milk, beef, poultry, salmon, shrimp, tuna, wheat, oats, nuts and seeds. However to attain the extreme effects of vasodilation arginine supplements must be taken due to the highly concentrated dose.

HMB

Beta-Hydroxy beta-methylbutyric acid (HMB), or beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine and is synthesized in the human body. It plays a part in protein synthesis. Similar to all of the non-essential amino acids, HMB does increase protein synthesis and can be used to spare muscle protein from being degregated in a glycogen depriced state (diet). Therefore HMB supplements would only be recommended in a cutting phase.

Conclusion

As you can see, the essential amino acids are just that, essential. These need to be consumed on a regular basis in both a bulking and cutting phase. For everyone that eats meat on a regular basis you will be eating ‘complete proteins’ but for all you vegetarians be sure to rotate your sources of food as plant sources never contain complete proteins and therefore not all amino acids.

In respect to some specific aminos such as L-arginine, L-glutamine and HMB there is some evidence that they will prevent muscle breakdown during a cutting phase, however their effectiveness during a bulk and the subsequent overeating of protein that occurs is somewhat unproven.

The benefits of BCAAs are undoubted. Taking BCAAs post workout has been shown to stop muscle breakdown from activity and start muscle building quicker than not taking them.

In respect to building muscle and keeping it the main point you have to remember time and time again is that amino acids come from eating protein. Eat enough protein and the aminos will do their job; even though this is a blunt statement it holds true. Where supplemental amino acids excel is the extra few percent that can build slightly more muscle mass during a bulk and preserve slightly more muscle mass during a diet. In the long term this may add up to significant gains.

Nutrition is probably THE most important part of building muscle. In fact, I’m willing to go a step further and say that you will NOT build muscle without the proper nutrition.

You could have the best bodybuilding workout in the world but if you don’t have good nutrition, you’re not going to get anywhere. The same applies to weight loss. You could run all the time but if you are eating junk food you aren’t really going to lose the weight.

For building muscle the number one thing to keep in mind is you need protein. Protein is the building block of muscle. A lot of people will argue about how much protein you need but a good rule of thumb is one and a half to 2 grams of protein for every pound you weigh.

So, say you have an individual who weighs 160 pounds he needs 240 to 320 grams of protein every day. Personally, I’d recommend between one and two times your body weight. Also, it is important to eat healthy.

To build muscle, there are a couple of important times you need to eat. You should eat immediately after you lift. It’s important to get protein immediately after lifting. Preferably you need whey protein, which you can get from a supplement and just mix with juice, milk, or water.

One of the things that have helped me gain a lot of muscle the past few years is taking a pre-workout and post-workout shake.

I take a scoop of whey, mix it in 12 ounces of juice or Gatorade, and add some creatine and/or glutamine. I sip one before and after working out and it’s helped me gain about 30 pounds of muscle the past 2 years.

When you lift weights your body is going to be using a lot of glucose, so in order to refill that and repair the muscle you need carbs right after training. I’d recommend that you get that from fruit juice, like grape juice, or from a sports drink, like Gatorade.

When you lift weights, you’re using up all your glucose and you need to replace that so it can repair and build your muscle tissue.

Certain types of fat are definitely good and other types of fat aren’t going to help you at all. There is saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat and you want to keep the saturated fat low.

If you’re having a meal that has over 5 grams of saturated fat and you are eating that all the time that is probably going to be too much.

You can get good fat from peanuts, peanut butter, flaxseed or lean meat.

Everybody needs to be getting a multi-vitamin. I would also suggest as I said earlier a 100% whey protein and for a lot of people creatine is a great supplement and also a multi-mineral and flaxseed.

For breakfast, some of the foods I have are egg whites, orange juice, bananas, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, bagels, and meal replacements.

I don’t eat all of these, I pick and choose depending on my mood, but I like to vary it.

For lunch, I have tuna, chicken, fish, lean red meats, brown rice, and a ton of green veggies like brocolli, green beans, and asparagus.

For dinner I usually have tuna, other fish, steak, hamburg, chicken, turkey, or another lean meat. I also have either brown rice or a potato. And more veggies. You almost can’t eat enough veggies.

In between meals, I’ll usually have a meal replacement shake or whey protein shake. To build muscle, you need to be eating every 3 to 4 hours.

For supplements, I currently take a multi-vitamin, fish oils or CLA, whey protein, creatine, and glutamine. I only use supplements that have been proven to help build muscle, lose fat, or increase strength. The rest I stay away from and save my money.

That’s basically how you set up your nutrition to build muscle mass.

Your body building workout is going great and then you crashed and burned with no notice! Trainig hard for a few months, feeling like superman and now your weak and have no energy? Here are 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing and how to get your muscle to grow again.

• You are training too hard – Every time when you train your muscles intensely, you are actually breaking down your muscles. So your muscles need to recover from the damages you inflicted on them. So train each muscle group only once or at most twice a week.



• You are training too long – Keep your workout intense but do not workout more than an hour each time. After 45 minutes of intensive training, your cortisol level will increase. This hormone is known to destroy muscle cells.

• You are sleeping too little – You need to sleep more for good muscle growth. Your muscles grow when you sleep. So sleep more than 8 hours a day and watch those muscles growing fast.

• You are abusing alcohol – Alcohol is known to break down muscle mass plus many other body destruction ability.



• You do not change your workout routine – You must change your workout routine every 6-8 weeks. Your muscles adapt to your routine and stops growing.

• You do not progressively overload your muscles – You must try to increase your reps or weight every time you next train a particular muscle group. Otherwise, there is no reason for your muscles to grow.



• You do not eat sufficient protein – If you want to build bigger muscles, you must eat more protein. Protein is the building block for your muscles. It is recommended that you need 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight equivalent. If not enough protein is consumed with your normal diet, do supplement with protein shakes.

There you are, the 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing even though you are training hard. There are many more methods on how to grow your muscles bigger but these 7 reasons and how to overcome them will be sufficient for an average bodybuilding beginner.

More body building workout tips

I’ve read several articles in which some self-proclaimed fitness “guru” insists that you must choose between bodyweight and weight lifting exercises in setting up your strength or muscle building program. The usual argument claims that bodyweight exercises are absolutely better than weight lifting techniques without any consideration of your specific training objective.

In reality, it’s a false debate because if your goal is to build big, muscular arms you should use both bodyweight exercises and weight lifting movements to do so.

Specifically, if your goal is to maximize the size and strength of your biceps and triceps, you need a program based primarily on isolation bodybuilding techniques that are supplemented with compound exercises. These compound exercises should include both weight lifting movements (which I’ve discussed in other articles) and bodyweight exercises. While the isolation training will stimulate maximum growth in your biceps and triceps, there’s no question that the following bodyweight exercises can enhance the amount and rate of that growth and ensure balanced development of your entire upper body.

1. Triceps Pushups

Triceps pushups are the only isolation exercise in this group and designed to minimize chest and shoulder involvement with targeted resistance on your triceps. For proper performance, simply take a standard pushup position with your hands and arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Then slide your hands closer together until your thumbs nearly touch each other. This is the starting position. Slowly lower your arms underneath you and then push yourself back up to the starting position as you would with regular pushups. Make sure that you keep your back straight and your head up for maximum resistance on your triceps.

If your bodyweight doesn’t provide sufficient resistance, have a training partner gently place barbell plates on your back as needed to keep your rep range within 6-10 reps per set. A sample pyramid sequence could consist of 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps with gradually increased poundage in each set.

2. Seated Triceps Dips

Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder. To do this exercise, sit on a workout bench or chair with your legs together and extended on the floor in front of you. Your arms should be fully extended and shoulder-width apart behind you. Slide your body slightly forward to suspend yourself so that your arms are bearing your bodyweight between the bench and the floor. With your arms extended and your hands nearly touching behind you, slowly lower yourself as though to sit on the floor and then push yourself back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position. This exercise, when performed properly, will add tremendous power, shape and definition to your triceps.

Again, if your bodyweight doesn’t provide enough resistance, keep your legs together and extend them to another chair or workout bench in front of you so that they’re parallel to the floor. Then have a training partner gently place barbell plates on your thighs as needed to keep your rep range within 6-10 reps per set. A sample pyramid sequence could consist of 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps with gradually increased weight in each set.

3. Parallel Bar Dips

Parallel Bar Dips are great for shaping and building mass in the long and medial heads of the triceps. Grasp the handles of a parallel dip apparatus and hold your body suspended between them. For substantial training emphasis on your triceps, hold your torso as erect as possible (leaning forward puts primary resistance on your chest). Inhale as you lower yourself as far down as you can comfortably descend and then exhale as you push yourself back up to the starting position. This exercise is a great bodyweight triceps builder as long as you watch your technique and keep your torso straight throughout the movement.

For an overload effect or to pyramid your work sets, use a harness to hang a barbell plate or dumbbell from your waist for added resistance. Most commercial gyms and some health clubs have these harnesses, so if you need one, ask for it. Make sure to keep your rep range within 6-10 reps per set. A sample overload sequence could include 3 sets of 10, 8 and 6 reps with gradually increased weight in each set.

4. Chin Ups

Chin Ups are excellent for building strength and muscle mass in your biceps. This exercise also thickens the latissimus dorsi (“lats”) and rhomboid muscles on the sides and upper-middle portion of your back. Simply grasp the Chin Up bar with an underhand grip and your arms shoulder-width apart. Inhale as you pull your body upward until your chin nearly touches the bar. Exhale as you lower your body to return to the starting position.

For variation and balanced biceps development, you can alternately do this exercise with your arms slightly wider than shoulder-width to place more emphasis on the short head or inner portion of your biceps.

Use a weighted harness if you need to increase your resistance beyond your bodyweight. Make sure to stay within the 6-10 rep range with gradually increased weight in each set.

5. Pull Ups

Pull Ups are another excellent bodyweight exercise for adding power and muscle density to your biceps. Like Chin Ups, this exercise also works your lats and and rhomboids. Pull Ups also put significant resistance on the trapezius muscles in your shoulders when you squeeze your scapulae together at the top of the movement. Simply grasp the Pull Up bar with an overhand grip and your arms spread comfortably but wide apart. Inhale as you pull your body upward until your eyes are slightly higher than the bar. Exhale as you lower your body to return to the starting position.

For variation you can pull your body upward with your chin facing the bar or with your head facing downward as you pull yourself up with the bar behind your neck. When performing this movement with your chin facing the bar, primary training emphasis in on your biceps and lower lats. But when you pull yourself up with the bar behind your neck, focused resistance is placed on your biceps and upper lats. Either approach will add strength and muscle tone to your upper arms.

As with your Chin Ups, use a weighted harness when doing Pull Ups if you need to increase the training resistance beyond your bodyweight. And always make sure you stay within 6-10 reps per set with gradually increased weight in each set.

As you can see, bodyweight exercises and bodybuilding techniques go hand-in-hand when it comes to building big, muscular arms. If anybody tries to tell you something different, tell them to go do some weighted Chin Ups and Dumbbell Preacher Curls.

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!