Tag: Muscle Fibers

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Weight Loss Exercise

Train Hard Rest Well


As an aspiring athlete (I think anyone trying to get in better shape is an aspiring athlete), your need to recover from your workouts and let your body heal. Resting, not relaxation becomes critical. As you sleep your body recovers instead of just recovering from the food that we eat and the quiet times that we are not working out.

For people that live a quiet and mostly sedentary life resting tends to mean sleeping. Hopefully this was just a past life for you but one of the main things that people do in a couch potato lifestyle is just exist, you probably know what I mean, wake up groggy, coffee, maybe food, work, watch TV, eat lots of snacks and then sleep.

sleepingAs an active, health concious person a lot of this gets turned on its head. We wake up feeling more rested and before or after work we will workout and find different ways to fill our time. I always find though that I am questing for a better way to get the rest that I need.

Why Do We get Muscle Soreness?

I find that my main recovery problems are muscle soreness and muscle weakness after my workouts. There is a major food component in this but I wanted to deal with rest and recovery today only. After any kind of overload to our muscles they are broken down and we lose the glycogen and at the same time the stress on the muscles can cause some pain.

The main problem that you are dealing with when you have muscle soreness is lactic acid buildup in your muscles and the microtrauma to your muscle fibers. Everyone that has worked out has felt this and although it can be painful, you will recover in a few days after resting correctly.

Rest and Recovery after Exercise

There are a few ways to recover after a good workout of any kind, we it a cardio or a muscle workout.

1. Stretching – Stretching should not be done before working out as it can cause you to pull cold muscles. What I find works best is to warmup the muscles and do my workout and then after every workout I stretch all of my muscles for 5 to 10 minutes. This really is the minimum as it helps build flexibility and you are in much better shape when you are flexible.

2. Sleep – as we know sleep is really really important. I know that I need 8 hours of sleep a night and the more you workout the deeper your sleep will be. There are a few things that we can do to get better sleep. I find that having quiet time for the hour before I go to sleep helps, studies actually show that if you have no TV, computer, or iPhone then you will fall asleep easier and I have to agree even though I will usually listen to a podcast as I am falling asleep. Also the darker your room is the better you will sleep, and keep the temperature down in your room.

3. Baths – Having a warm bath after you have cooled off will work well for your muscles. Baths are very soothing and many people say that having a bath with epson salts will help soothe sore muscles even better.

4. Meditation – I am very bad for neglecting this but there are many great changes in your physiology that happen when you meditate on a regular basis. The act of meditation also puts your mind in a more sleeplike beta level which helps concentration and restfulness as well.

These are a few of the things that you can do to improve recovery after your workouts. Why not add some of your own in the comments below?

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Weight Loss Exercise

The keys to getting a big chest


Getting a big chest is a big deal. For most people lifting weights and getting ready for summer there are a few big priorities. One of the things that most guys want is a big chest. There are a few exercises that are key to increasing chest size but also there are a couple of important facts to remember. I think that if you follow all of these you will have huge pecs in no time.

Getting a Big Chest – Don’t Overtrain

First of all you need to be aware that it is fairly easy to overtrain your chest so especially for someone that has been weightlifting for a yea or less it is very important to make sure that all of your chest exercises and related are done in the same workout, this includes chest as well as shoulder exercises. First things first, make sure that your chest workout is hitting all three angles to his all of the muscle fibers of your chest but do not do to many exercises or sets as this is the easiest way to overtrain.

There are three parts of your chest pec muscles. Your pectoral muscles can be broken up into three parts, well kind of anyway, the top near your shoulders, the middle of your chest and the bottom of your chest.

Getting a Big Chest- Upper Chest Exercises

getting a big chest

getting a big chest

To his the upper chest you can do incline bench or incline flyes. Try switching each workout to doing one or the other and try to keep your reps are 6-10 reps for three sets, each set to failure.

Getting a big chest – Middle Chest Exercises

To hit the middles of your chest you can do flat bench bench presses or flat bench flyes. For your lower chest you can do flat bench flyes or cable crossovers. Make sure that you are changing your exercises each workout but try to always hit the upper and middle of your chest and every second or third workout do some decline bench for your lower pecs.

Getting a big chest – Lower Chest Exercises

Lower pec muscles will grow very quickly but really what people are looking for is a bigger upper chest as a bigger lower chest makes your chest look a little saggy. The difference between doing flyes and bench press are important to think about. When doing flyes you will get a very focused chest exercise but in doing bench press you will be heaving more weight and most people seem to agree that the increases to your chest size will be higher.

I know that I have glossed over the exercises for increasing your chest size but there are a couple of issues that are almost as important as the exercises and that is the shoulder influence as well as the frequency of the workouts for your chest.

Most of the time in magazines you are told to do 12 – 16 sets to work your chest muscles but no one really looks at the mechanics of how your shoulder muscles will really influence your chest workout and this is critical. After you have finished your chest workout you should work your shoulders, I say this because a tough chest workout of nine sets or so is really going to burn your shoulders and if you try to isolate your shoulders again in the next couple of days then you really do risk overtraining your deltoids.

Work Chest and Shoulders Together

Make sure that after your chest and shoulder workout that you rest at least two days before hitting pecs and delts again as you will really need the rest to let your chest and shoulders heal. I do not want to dwell on nutrition again but it is very important to eat lots of protein, 30 or so grams of high quality protein per meal.

There is always an urge to workout more often than this but I really believe that if you really nail all of the angles of your chest and do all of your sets to failure then you are going to have a good chance to getting a big chest.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Weight Training Supplements That Really Work




When you are into weight training and bodybuilding, you may feel the need to take weight training supplements to make your workouts more effective and develop big muscles faster. While there are many supplements that can enhance your performance and improve muscle bulk and strength, there are countless others that may be ineffective, unsafe, or even illegal. Choosing weight training supplements that work will give you the powerful physique you have always wanted in a safe and healthy manner.

If you want strong, lean muscles it may not be enough to do strength training exercises regularly. You must also consume the nutrients required to provide energy and help develop your muscles. Weight training supplements are essential for significant muscle growth or when you are undergoing intensive training. The dietary supplements listed below are proven to be effective and safe for anyone who is into sports, weight training, or bodybuilding.

Protein Powder

Protein is the building block of muscle, and your body needs plenty of protein and amino acids to increase muscle mass. During your workouts, the muscle fibers are torn and broken. To repair your muscles, your body must have a good supply of protein.

Body builders and fitness enthusiasts require at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight every day. It is often difficult to get the amount of protein you need from food alone. Protein powder is a convenient and inexpensive way to add high-quality protein in your diet.

Creatine

A creatine supplement is best taken within one hour after your weight training workout. Your body produces creatine but only in small amounts. Creatine helps provide energy for explosive movements like heavy lifts. This weight training supplement improves performance in high-intensity exercise. It also enhances protein synthesis, reduces protein breakdown, and speeds up recovery rates so you spend less time resting between your workouts.

Creatine monohydrate powder is said to be the best creatine supplement. Take the creatine supplement according to the package instructions and do not exceed the recommended dosage.

Multi-Vitamins

The body needs vitamins and minerals for optimal health. If you lack an essential vitamin or mineral, your body may not be able to build lean muscle mass efficiently. Intense weight training can rapidly deplete nutrients in your body. It is therefore essential to take multi-vitamin supplements to avoid the risk of weakened bones, heart disease, nerve damage, and other vitamin-deficiency disorders. Choose a multi-vitamin that contains whole foods and natural ingredients.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)

Essential fatty acids are good fats that are necessary for a healthy immune system, brain function, smooth skin, and digestive support. EFA’s also offer anti-aging benefits and help keep the circulatory system healthy. Essential fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids made up of linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids. Fish oil capsules are some of the best EFA supplements.

Final Words on Weight Training Supplements

There are many weight training supplements being advertised out there. Before you take any of them, make sure they have been independently tested for value, safety, and effectiveness. Athletes, in particular, should not take supplements that could fail them in drug testing.

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