R.I.P.P.E.D Weight Training Blog

Lifting heavier weights in bodybuilding increases the chances of injury. Work on defined biceps with dumbbell preacher curls with tips from a nationally competitive bodybuilder in this free weight lifting video.

Expert: Brad Aubry
Bio: Brad Aubry is CEO of VersaFit, as well as a national natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and a nutrition and fitness therapy specialist through International Sports Science Association.
Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz

Duration : 0:1:16

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Technorati Tags: barbells, biceps, bodybuilding, dumbbells, exercises, Expert, free, how, lifting, muscles, to, training, triceps, Village, weight, workouts

This video is from ShapeFit.com’s weight training workouts video series. The video provides different exercises to target specific muscle groups so you can gain lean muscle mass and increase strength levels.

Duration : 0:2:46

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Technorati Tags: arms, bicep, biceps, big, bodybuilding, curls, dumbbell, exercises, muscles, programs, routines, strength, training, weight, workouts

When most women think about losing weight they usually attempt one of two options. The first is to go on a diet which involves eating fewer calories over the course of the day. The second option normally involves some form of aerobic exercise, whether it be jogging, bike riding or an aerobics class. The more intrepid losers of weight will combine the two approaches and will have some success getting rid of the extra weight. But more often then not the results are short lived and the weight comes right back on when they fall off the fat loss bandwagon and return to their more normal way of life.

But why is this? Isn’t the latest infomercial exercise guru exclaiming loudly the benefits of this diet or that piece of cardio exercise equipment? Unfortunately the ability to lose weight and keep it off is controlled by your body’s calorie burning engine. That engine is referred to as your metabolism. It’s simple really, the higher your metabolism the more calories you burn, even when doing nothing. That’s right, burn away that unwanted fat even when doing nothing.

So how do you increase your metabolism to the point that it is a constant fat burning machine?

It will come down to your dedication to do the things required to permanently lose the weight and keep it off because the rate at which your metabolism runs is based on the diet you eat and how active you are. It takes calories to burn calories, that’s the way your body’s metabolism works. But it is the type of calories that determines this. The healthier your diet the more calories you can eat without adding any additional fat.

But diet is only one part of the equation. The other is your level of fitness. There are two parts to any good exercise program, aerobic conditioning and weight training. Aerobic conditioning does burn calories, but once you are done with your workout your metabolism gradually slows down. You burn calories only during the time you are exercising. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do aerobic exercise because strong cardiovascular health is very important in this day and age.

But if you are truly looking for the ultimate in metabolism boosting fat burning exercises then you need to weight train.

And here’s why.

Weight training forces your body to build muscle. This muscle building process does not happen while you are lifting weights, it occurs for hours after your workout is over. Lifting weights actually breaks down muscle fibers, which react by getting stronger during the time after your workout is over when you are resting. It takes energy to rebuild these muscles. Calories, lots and lots of calories. Not only that, but the more lean muscle mass you posses the more calories are needed just to maintain that muscle. And we’re not talking about getting huge massive muscles. When you weight train you can adjust the amount of weight you use and sculpt your body anyway you see fit. Just firming up your overall musculature will tone and shape your body while at the same time making it possible to keep the weight off. It’s a win-win situation for anyone who is serious about losing weight and then keeping it off.

Weight training is the best way to boost your metabolism to its fat burning heights. Not only does it strengthen your body it burns calories while you are sleeping, turning your metabolism into a fat wasting machine.

If you have tried the diets and the aerobic machines but have little to show for it try combining them with actual weight training. You may be surprised by the changes you see.

Andrew Bicknell
http://www.articlesbase.com/women’s-issues-articles/women-weight-training-and-metabolism-109040.html

While you may have an exercise preference, consider incorporating cardio and strength training to meet and exceed your fitness goals.

Cardio exercises help your body to increase endurance and stamina. They usually raise the heart rate level for an extended period of time and burn calories at a higher rate in a short period of time if executed correctly.

Common cardio exercises are walking, jogging and swimming. Cardio exercises provide the physical challenge your body and mind needs. While they are challenging, it is well worth it.

Some benefits of cardio exercise can include lowering the risk of heart disease and increased energy levels. It can also help increase focus and reduce stress.

If you want to start off with own cardio exercise program, you need to look no further than your front door. Whatever your exercise level or preference is, you can start off with a 20 minute walk or jog. For people that are looking for low impact exercises, there are many low impact exercises such as walking and swimming that also focus on the cardio system.

While regular cardio exercise is extremely important for added energy endurance, you should add strength training to your life style.

Some people get confuse strength training with bodybuilding and are afraid of getting “too muscular”. However, this concern is not valid. Bodybuilders are professionals and have years of experience at their craft. So don’t worry, chances are you won’t be as muscular as them.

The goal for strength training is to keep your muscles strong. As we get older we start aging by losing muscle. You don’t need to buy a weight set or join a gym right away if you don’t want to. All you need to do is make sure you are taxing your muscles properly so you can stay in shape.

You can start off with body weight exercises such as push ups, pull ups and crunches. These three exercises will work out a lot of your upper body and use your body weight to provide the resistance you need to work out.

If you do join a gym or have weights at home, weight lifting is a great way to keep your strength. Start out will exercises that work large muscle groups (such as the incline dumb bell press). These types of exercises require more weight to lift and will incorporate more muscles.

Using a combination of cardio and strength training exercises will provide the best results in your quest to remain lean and fit. If you are concerned about the time it takes to do both, you can still work out with both in less than an hour’s time. This of course depends on the intensity you work out with.

John Purfield
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/cardio-and-strength-training-use-both-to-lose-weight-89884.html

There are only 2 things you have to get right when trying to build muscle mass. They are training and nutrition. All other aspects of trying to build muscle are not nearly as important.

But which one is more important for building muscle; is it training or nutrition? Well, if all your bases are covered in regards to proper nutrition and getting your needed calories, then training becomes the most important catalyst for muscle growth.

Heavy weight training is the only way to force your body into building muscle. Your body will not waste any of its energy on building or maintaining muscle tissue that isn’t needed.

That’s why if you stop lifting for a while, you lose the muscle mass you once had. Your body has no reason to keep this extra muscle mass, since it takes energy (calories) to maintain it. The human body is very good at conserving energy it doesn’t need to use.

That’s why you have to keep lifting progressively heavier weight over time; to keep forcing your body to build muscle.

Aerobic exercise won’t build muscle, only heavy, intense training will. You must stress the muscle to the point of failure for the body to cause an adaptive response of building muscle.

Weight training needs to be brief and intense. Doing any more reps or sets than needed to stimulate muscle growth will result in overtraining.

Now, as far as nutrition goes, that alone will not make up for the lack of heavy training or the overtraining that you do in the gym.

Training and only training leads to muscle growth. You need to train hard and then get the proper rest. Only after training does nutrition play a vital role.

All that’s needed for nutrition to build muscle is a well-balanced diet that includes high protein, moderate carbs, and low fats.

If you feel that you’ve been overtraining, the first thing you should do is take a week off from all lifting. You need to rest and recover from the overtraining you’ve been doing.

Once you feel back to your strong, energetic self, start to train with a high intensity program that lasts no longer than 45 minutes.

Do just 1 or 2 muscle groups per workout, using only 2 exercises and 2 heavy sets for each. Again, keep intensity high, since this is the biggest factor towards building muscle.

Support this muscle building process with proper nutrition. Eat 5 to 6 smaller meals each day, using quality protein and complex carbs as the majority of your calories.

If you follow these 2 steps of intense weight training and proper nutrition, you’ll soon be building more muscle than you ever have in the past.

Shawn Lebrun
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/the-2-most-important-keys-to-building-muscle-10539.html

Every day that I wake up I know what I have to do when I get up. First I go and brush my teeth then I jump into the shower after that I get out and dry my hair. Once I have dyed my hair I brush it following that I put on my make up. But everyone has their personal own routines that they like to follow so enough with mine. There is although a part that you should always have in your routine and that is to make sure that you exercise because exercising will always keep you in the best of health. There is a bunch of ways that you can get them done like shooting hoops, cardio machines, and boxing a punching bag.

Shooting a basketball is a great exercise to add to your everyday routine because it is an awesome cardiovascular workout. Shooting hoops will also tone your calves and your arms from the fluent motions that you are going to have to do over in over while shooting hoops. Every single thing that you do when you are playing basketball is helping some sort of muscle that you have in your body because it make you exert so much energy.

Cardio machines are other great exercises that you can add to your every day routines because they will get you in great health in no time. There is the elliptical machine which really works out your abs, arms, and legs when you are on it. There is also the bicycle which is an awesome exercise for your calves and quadriceps and will get up your stamina so you will be able to do more cardiovascular exercises. Another exercise that you can do is the treadmill which will really get your heart beat pumping. The stairs is another great cardio machine because it works out your bottom half of your body.

Another great exercise that you should add to your everyday routine is boxing a punching bag because this will get your endurance up so much. Also boxing will get your arms, chest, and shoulders ripped and toned in a matter of a couple of days. Even If you do not have a punching bag you can still just stand still and punch into the air because it is a great non contact exercise.

All of these exercises are great to add to your everyday routine because they all will help you get to a new healthier you.

Ashley McAllister
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/3-fun-activities-that-burn-off-fat-353467.html

Skinny people can gain muscle mass and weight fast with the right combination of exercises and weight gain diet. But in order to attain a muscular physique like those of bodybuilders would require much more effort. It requires great discipline and mental focus. This article will shed some light on the exercise routines you can perform to achieve a well-defined body and gain muscle strength, muscle mass and weight.

Weight gain must not be attained by changes in diet only. Adequate exercises are required to ensure a healthy weight increase. If you are thin and just want to add some pounds to your scrawny build, you can consider working out thrice per week. For each work-out, engage in some moderate physical activities such as jogging, brisk walking or fast walking, or play a game of sport. Be sure to sweat it out for half an hour or more.

People have found it helpful to find an exercise partner, whether to go for regular runs, or work out at the gym. It wouldn’t be so boring and lonely to exercise then. Another benefit is the mutual encouragement that both of you can give to each other. This would spur you on to inculcate the discipline required to maintain an exercise regime. Research shows that if you repeatedly perform an act for 40 days, it would be ingrained in your mind as a habit. It’s little wonder that people would go on cold turkey for 40 days to quit a habit such as smoking or just about any addiction. Exercise is healthy addiction, isn’t it?

We have looked at how you can exercise to gain muscle mass and weight fast. Resistance training at the gym would be even more beneficial to add more muscle mass on your body. However, such training must not be attempted without any basic or prior knowledge of the kinds of exercises and the right techniques to use the gym equipment and free weights. Should you decide to go into basic bodybuilding or weight lifting, you are advised to speak with a qualified fitness instructor or at least read up more about how to work with the gym equipment and weights safely.

Muscles would grow only when stressed to its break-point. In other words, you need to stress your muscles by training them hard to their maximum strength threshold or at least near there. This would force your muscles to gain strength and in the process grow. One golden tip to gain muscle mass and weight fast is to focus on strength gaining. This is vital because muscle growth would follow strength gain. Work on the larger muscle groups, and do exercises such as dead lifts, chin ups, bench press and squats.

However, a word of caution here is not to be hasty. Spread out your training over the week to give your muscles time to recover from the strain. Proper pacing would achieve better results in the long run. Learn more from my blog about how you can achieve weight gain and gain muscle mass fast even if you are skinny and have failed in all kinds of exercise routines and weight gain diets.

This article may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any ezine, newsletter, blog or website. The author’s name, bio and website links must remain intact and be included with every reproduction.

Davion W
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/gain-muscle-mass-and-weight-fast-if-you-cannot-bulk-up-91788.html