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

Technorati Tags: gain muscle, muscle, muscle building, ripped weight training, Steve Gwillim

Technorati Tags: gain muscle, muscle building, ripped weight training, ripped workout, Steve Gwillim, weight training review, weight training workout

If you are looking for a good bodybuilding routine for building mass, then I have a good one for you. There are so many routines out there, especially with the internet, that it is very easy to get confused about what works, who to listen to, how many sets, how many reps, how to to rest, the list goes on and on. However, notice that the title of this article is a simple bodybuilding routine for building mass. That is because if you have read any of my articles before, then you know how much I like to simplify things.

With that said, I have presented here a time-tested and time-honored bodybuilding routine for building mass that will guarantee results for anybody with the guts to work hard enough at it and finish it. It follows the old fashioned 5×5 system. If you have heard of it before but have never tried it, then now is the time.

This system has worked wonders for hundreds and probably thousands of weight trainers and bodybuilders alike in both building muscle and gaining strength. No matter how long and how fast bodybuilding will evolve, the 5×5 system will ALWAYS be a proven way to stack on gains like nothing else.

Here’s how it works: pick an exercise, and because compound exercises work the best, we will pick squats. Start off by doing 5 reps with relatively light weight to warm up. Next, add some more weight, and do another 5 reps. Now that you are warmed up, jump to your working weight that you can do for 5 reps and do 3 sets with this weight. Since you are looking to gain more mass, then keep your rest periods between 1 and 2 minutes; if you were looking to build more strength, then 3 minute rests would be more fitting.

Now, next time you do squats, add 5 more pounds to both your warm-up sets and your 3 working sets and do it again. The key is to keep adding five pounds each workout until you can’t complete 5 reps for one of your sets. What you would do is stay at that same weight until you can complete the 3 sets of 5 reps in good, clean form.

Remember to always keep your reps no higher then 5, even if you can do more. Staying with the 5×5 system is one of the best proven methods for building size and strength as fast as possible.

Now that you know how to perform the exercise in the 5×5 system, here is the whole bodybuilding routine for building mass that you can follow:

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

1) Barbell Squats

2) Bench Press

3) Barbell Rows or T-Bar Rows

4) Overhead Barbell Shoulder Press

5) Stiff-legged Deadlifts

6) Barbell Curls

Start off doing all of the following exercises three days a week, and as soon as you feel the weight getting heavier and harder to manage, you can switch to two days a week with two to three days in-between workouts for more recovery time. These are the granddaddy of muscle mass building exercises, and just because the routine looks simple doesn’t mean it will be easy, but most importantly, it will produce RESULTS.

Stay on this program for 2 to 3 months and as long as you are continuously adding weight and getting progressively stronger, your muscle mass will follow. Arthur Jones once stated long ago, “When you can curl 200 pounds for ten reps in perfect form, your upper arms will be as large as they need to be for any purpose associated with any sport just short of wrestling bears.”

Keep this concept in mind when you are on your journey to building muscle mass, for the stronger you are, the more potential you have for building muscle mass, and the 5×5 system is one of the best of its kind for building size and strength.

Derek Manuel
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/a-simple-bodybuilding-routine-for-building-mass-469346.html

Bodybuilding is a precise and measured art that calls for discipline, commitment, focus and motivation so as to achieve the desired result of having that big, well-toned and evenly-built body. It is an exercise that should be undertaken on a regular and sustained basis so as to get the desired result. And of course, once there, maintain it!

An enviable well-built body is a result of a proper combination of exercise, proper diet, lifestyle and mental attitude or focus, among other factors. First of all, the desire to attain that well-built body must be there, followed by a willingness to pursue and follow through the rigorous road to attainment of the same.

It may be easy for anybody to think that bodybuilding starts and ends at the gym, but that is as wrong as it could get. It simply starts there and by all means does not and should not end there. Outside of the gym is where the implementation of the necessary practices required to complement and build on the physical component of the bodybuilding effort occurs.

Perhaps as important or next in importance to the exercise regimen of bodybuilding is the dieting factor. Dieting refers to eating the right kinds and quantities of foods and at the right intervals.

Food provides the nutrients or “fuel” to the body for exercise and muscle/tissue growth. It is therefore imperative that the bodybuilder’s diet have adequate and well-balanced nutritious food. This diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables which provide the all-important fiber content to the body that helps in food digestion as well as in repair of worn-out tissue.

Needless to say, any aspiring bodybuilder must take sufficient water on a daily basis. Water should not be drunk only when one feels thirsty. A measure of about 10 glasses of water per day would do.

Sleep is the other very important component in bodybuilding. For it is during sleep that the body recovers, replenishes and rejuvenates. Adequate sleep and at regular schedules helps keep the body and mind fresh, alert and in overall good health. After all, that intended growth and development of the muscles and tissues – the bodybuilding – occurs during the sleep period and not while at the gym!

Bodybuilding exercises should ideally be undertaken at the gym, especially for a beginner, and not at home. This is because a beginner needs all the guidance, support and motivation that he or she can get, since in the initial stages it may well be easy to slacken, tire-off and then quit. Later on, with the discipline inculcated, and if desired, one may invest in the necessary gym equipment at home and carry out their bodybuilding exercises from the comfort of home.  

All in all, bodybuilding is an exercise of destiny and one of choice, and one should therefore derive all the pleasure and satisfaction from the exercise regimen. It’s all about making a conscious decision, perceiving the ideal body in the mind, and pursuing it so as to attain it. The greatest ingredient of successful bodybuilding is ATTITUDE. With the right attitude, motivation and all other factors required of successful bodybuilding fall into place easily. Exercise it and enjoy it as you do!

Dane Fletcher
http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/bodybuilding-advise-and-tips-for-better-workout-performance-740738.html

Bodybuilding is a precise and measured art that calls for discipline, commitment, focus and motivation so as to achieve the desired result of having that big, well-toned and evenly-built body. It is an exercise that should be undertaken on a regular and sustained basis so as to get the desired result. And of course, once there, maintain it!

An enviable well-built body is a result of a proper combination of exercise, proper diet, lifestyle and mental attitude or focus, among other factors. First of all, the desire to attain that well-built body must be there, followed by a willingness to pursue and follow through the rigorous road to attainment of the same.

It may be easy for anybody to think that bodybuilding starts and ends at the gym, but that is as wrong as it could get. It simply starts there and by all means does not and should not end there. Outside of the gym is where the implementation of the necessary practices required to complement and build on the physical component of the bodybuilding effort occurs.

Perhaps as important or next in importance to the exercise regimen of bodybuilding is the dieting factor. Dieting refers to eating the right kinds and quantities of foods and at the right intervals.

Food provides the nutrients or “fuel” to the body for exercise and muscle/tissue growth. It is therefore imperative that the bodybuilder’s diet have adequate and well-balanced nutritious food. This diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables which provide the all-important fiber content to the body that helps in food digestion as well as in repair of worn-out tissue.

Needless to say, any aspiring bodybuilder must take sufficient water on a daily basis. Water should not be drunk only when one feels thirsty. A measure of about 10 glasses of water per day would do.

Sleep is the other very important component in bodybuilding. For it is during sleep that the body recovers, replenishes and rejuvenates. Adequate sleep and at regular schedules helps keep the body and mind fresh, alert and in overall good health. After all, that intended growth and development of the muscles and tissues – the bodybuilding – occurs during the sleep period and not while at the gym!

Bodybuilding exercises should ideally be undertaken at the gym, especially for a beginner, and not at home. This is because a beginner needs all the guidance, support and motivation that he or she can get, since in the initial stages it may well be easy to slacken, tire-off and then quit. Later on, with the discipline inculcated, and if desired, one may invest in the necessary gym equipment at home and carry out their bodybuilding exercises from the comfort of home.  

All in all, bodybuilding is an exercise of destiny and one of choice, and one should therefore derive all the pleasure and satisfaction from the exercise regimen. It’s all about making a conscious decision, perceiving the ideal body in the mind, and pursuing it so as to attain it. The greatest ingredient of successful bodybuilding is ATTITUDE. With the right attitude, motivation and all other factors required of successful bodybuilding fall into place easily. Exercise it and enjoy it as you do!

Dane Fletcher
http://www.articlesbase.com/bodybuilding-articles/bodybuilding-advise-and-tips-for-better-workout-performance-740738.html

Technorati Tags: gain muscle, muscle building, ripped weight training, ripped workout, Steve Gwillim, weight training review, weight training workout

Many people dream of having a fit body, with bulging and rippling muscles just like the ones seen on oiled-up professional bodybuilders that compete in contests like Mr. Olympia and such. In their desire to have a sculpted body, some of these people are willing to do anything even resort to unnatural and even illegal means just fulfill their dreams. One of the most popular yet illegal and unnatural way of building muscles is the use of steroids.

While it is true that some of the best bodybuilders have used illegal substances such as steroids in their quest to have an excellent physique and have succeeded, it didn’t come without a price. Steroids are known to have side effects that are serious and irreversible. Why go for unnatural ways of bodybuilding when natural ways are just as effective, not to mention that they are safer? Some people think that natural bodybuilding methods are not enough. But this is because they do not know the secrets to natural bodybuilding. When you discover the secrets to natural bodybuilding, you wouldn’t have any need to take illegal supplements. With the secrets to natural bodybuilding, you will have muscle mass and definition that you never though possible without steroids and other substances.

If you want to know the secrets to natural bodybuilding then you have come to the right place. Below are some of the secrets to natural bodybuilding that you need to know if you want to have a body worthy of Mr. Olympia.

1. Combine Cardiovascular Exercises with Resistance Training. Combining these two forms of workouts will get you to your fitness goals faster. Cardiovascular exercises helps in burning fat while resistance training builds muscles. Among the secrets to natural bodybuilding, this is the most useful. There are may cardiovascular exercises to choose from. You can do biking, jogging or even swimming. To be effective though, you must perform cardiovascular exercises for at least three times a week.

2. Avoid overtraining your muscles. Overtraining is probably the biggest mistake that novice bodybuilders make. In bodybuilding, remember that less can be more. It is during the resting period that muscles actually grow and develop. If you will not allow you muscles to rest then it will not have the chance to get big.

3. Use the right weight during resistance training. There is a way to know whether you are lifting weights that are right for you or not. If you can’t do the exercise well and in proper form, then the weight is too heavy. If you are not breaking a sweat when doing the exercises then the weights are too light. Using the right weight you be sure that your muscles are getting the proper stimulus and that the you won’t injure yourself.

4. Make sure to get proper sleep. Ensuring your body gets the right amount of rest and sleep will help your muscles recover and be ready for the next workout session.

5. Eating multiple meals. 4-6 meals a day will keep you fueled for your daily workouts and make sure you have the energy necessary to keep working towards that ripped body you desire.

Use these secrets to natural bodybuilding to pump up your body.

Steve Phipps
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/secrets-to-natural-bodybuilding-use-these-for-explosive-growth-732724.html

Many people dream of having a fit body, with bulging and rippling muscles just like the ones seen on oiled-up professional bodybuilders that compete in contests like Mr. Olympia and such. In their desire to have a sculpted body, some of these people are willing to do anything even resort to unnatural and even illegal means just fulfill their dreams. One of the most popular yet illegal and unnatural way of building muscles is the use of steroids.

While it is true that some of the best bodybuilders have used illegal substances such as steroids in their quest to have an excellent physique and have succeeded, it didn’t come without a price. Steroids are known to have side effects that are serious and irreversible. Why go for unnatural ways of bodybuilding when natural ways are just as effective, not to mention that they are safer? Some people think that natural bodybuilding methods are not enough. But this is because they do not know the secrets to natural bodybuilding. When you discover the secrets to natural bodybuilding, you wouldn’t have any need to take illegal supplements. With the secrets to natural bodybuilding, you will have muscle mass and definition that you never though possible without steroids and other substances.

If you want to know the secrets to natural bodybuilding then you have come to the right place. Below are some of the secrets to natural bodybuilding that you need to know if you want to have a body worthy of Mr. Olympia.

1. Combine Cardiovascular Exercises with Resistance Training. Combining these two forms of workouts will get you to your fitness goals faster. Cardiovascular exercises helps in burning fat while resistance training builds muscles. Among the secrets to natural bodybuilding, this is the most useful. There are may cardiovascular exercises to choose from. You can do biking, jogging or even swimming. To be effective though, you must perform cardiovascular exercises for at least three times a week.

2. Avoid overtraining your muscles. Overtraining is probably the biggest mistake that novice bodybuilders make. In bodybuilding, remember that less can be more. It is during the resting period that muscles actually grow and develop. If you will not allow you muscles to rest then it will not have the chance to get big.

3. Use the right weight during resistance training. There is a way to know whether you are lifting weights that are right for you or not. If you can’t do the exercise well and in proper form, then the weight is too heavy. If you are not breaking a sweat when doing the exercises then the weights are too light. Using the right weight you be sure that your muscles are getting the proper stimulus and that the you won’t injure yourself.

4. Make sure to get proper sleep. Ensuring your body gets the right amount of rest and sleep will help your muscles recover and be ready for the next workout session.

5. Eating multiple meals. 4-6 meals a day will keep you fueled for your daily workouts and make sure you have the energy necessary to keep working towards that ripped body you desire.

Use these secrets to natural bodybuilding to pump up your body.

Steve Phipps
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/secrets-to-natural-bodybuilding-use-these-for-explosive-growth-732724.html

Exercise machines are a lot like the training side wheels on your first bike. While you’re learning, they serve an invaluable purpose. They provide support, and prevent injury. But once you’ve learnt the right posture and balance, the same wheels can be a drag.

Unlike training wheels, however, it’s tough to know when you’ve outgrown an exercise machine. And that can really hamper your progress down the line!

Weight training involves the use of equipment that enables variable resistance. This resistance can come in the form of ‘free weights’ like barbells and dumbbells, machines that use cables or pulleys to help you lift the weight and bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or dips.

For maximum muscle gain, the focus of your workouts should consist of free weight exercises. Not machines or bodyweight exercises.

To get an effective, muscle-blasting workout, you must stimulate the most muscle fibers as possible, and machines do not do this. The main reason for this is a lack of stabilizer and synergist muscle development. Stabilizer and synergist muscles are supporting muscles that assist the main muscle in performing a complex lift.

The more stabilizers and synergists worked, the more muscle fibers stimulated. Multi-jointed free weight exercises like the bench press, require many stabilizer and synergistic muscle assistance to complete the lift.

On the other hand doing a bench press using a machine will need almost no stabilizer assistance. Since machines are locked into a specific range of motion and help to support the weight along that path, they fail to stimulate the muscles that surround the area you are working (stabilizers). This is a mistake. If your stabilizer muscles are weak, then the major muscle group will never grow!

Free weight exercises like the dumbbell press or squat, for example, put a very large amount of stress on supporting muscle groups. That’s why you will get fatigued faster and not be able to lift as much weight as you did on the machine. But you will gain more muscle, become stronger very quickly and have a true gauge of your strength.

If you use machines in your program, they should be used to work isolated areas and only after all multi-jointed exercises have been completed. Beginners should begin with a limited combination of machine exercises, bodyweight exercises and mult-jointed free weight exercises. Before increasing the weight levels, they should work on becoming familiar with the proper form and execution of each. Soon, bodyweight exercises will become insufficient to stimulate growth and they will need to focus on more free weight exercises.

Harry Rockwell
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/bodybuilding-workouts-for-maximum-muscle-gain-10519.html

Try and name a sport that you can participate in even if you are an old person. Chances are, you will have a hard time naming even one. But if you named bodybuilding, you are dead on right.

Bodybuilding is the art and science of developing the musculature of your body via certain kinds of physical exertion and diet whose end goal is to showcase the body for competitive exhibition. The most popular kind of bodybuilding exercise is weightlifting or weight training.

What makes bodybuilding so appealing is that it is a sport that everyone of any age can participate in. The only requirements are that one be in relatively good physical condition, has access to gym equipment, and can financially afford the lifestyle it demands.

What are the different types of bodybuilding workouts? Well, it depends first on whether your body type is that of an ectomorph, endomorph or mesomorph.

An ectomorph is considered the slow gainer among bodybuilding types. He needs to slow down his hyper metabolism in order to gain muscle size and strength. This means his exercise routine should be severe enough to trigger muscle growth yet short enough to avoid nervous drain.

An endomorph, on the other hand, has a sluggish metabolism. He needs some kind of stimulating exercise every session in order to rev up his metabolism. Also, an endomorph should restrict his calorie intake due to an over-efficient digestive system that makes him gain weight easily.

The luckiest among the body types (as far as bodybuilding is concerned) is the mesomorph. A true mesomorph is able to gain muscle even with little effort on his part. Mesomorphs can be said to be gifted with muscle-building abilities, the Chosen People of bodybuilding.

No one belongs solely to one body type. Most people can be said to be a mixture of the three. However, one body type usually dominates a person’s build so that it is relatively easy to categorize bodybuilders.

Despite one’s body type, there are common techniques to follow when bodybuilding. These are:

1. Keep a training diary so that you can monitor your progress and determine what you should aim for in the future.

2. Pay attention when lifting any kind of weight to avoid injury. Carelessness is probably the foremost cause of injuries in bodybuilding.

3. Choose the types of exercises that can contract as many muscle fibers as possible during one set. This will maximize the effectiveness of the core repetitions which make up most of one’s training.

4. Warm up properly prior to doing any exercise to prevent injury.

5. Don’t change the technique of doing any exercise unless you know what you are doing. Experimenting is another cause of injury.

6. Don’t do those exercises which are known to cause tendon or joint damage.

7. Good exercise style prevents injury. So keep proper form while exercising.

8. Learn to distinguish between the pain caused by lactic acid build-up within the muscle, and the pain caused by a serious injury. Mistaking one for the other could cause you to keep exercising despite being injured, thereby worsening the injury. Rest if you are injured.

9. Practice stretching before working out. This also helps you ward off injuries.

Hopefully, these tips will help you enjoy participating in the sport of bodybuilding.

Mike Selcsum
http://www.articlesbase.com/muscle-building-articles/what-is-your-bodybuilding-body-type-62003.html

Bodybuilding in sports science parlance is the systematic use of physical routines to build strength, stamina, flexibility and muscle mass. Professional bodybuilding has been around since the sixties and remains a popular professional and recreational activity today.

Overtraining is one problem with bodybuilding. Overtraining occurs in both new bodybuilder and veteran bodybuilders. The premises, motivations and consequences are different for the two types of bodybuilders.

Overtraining by novice bodybuilders

For novice bodybuilders, too much training often results in unnecessary soreness and injury. In some cases, too much training can make the workouts unbearable.
For novice bodybuilders, there is often the misconception that one needs to exert extra effort in the beginning of the program to get results. Fact is, the body will continue to lose weight as long as you simply exercise.

Simple exercises such as walking burn the same amount of fat as other more rigorous activities. One only needs to do the exercises regularly to lose weight. Losing weight is key to effective bodybuilding.

Overtraining by veteran trainers

According to John H. Downing of The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, the problem with veteran bodybuilders is different:

“Some veteran trainers, who followed correct training progressions in the beginning of their programs, develop a more subtle manifestation
of over-training. They increase their training frequencies to five to seven times per week and fail to see expected gains because they
do not cycle their workouts effectively. As they increase their workout frequencies, they decrease their allotted recovery time.”

Furthermore, Downing emphasizes other problems with the approach of some veteran trainers and the subtle effects of overtraining, which is also harmful for bodybuilding goals:

“As their muscles are unable to recover from the effects of their training regimen, they become easily fatigued, often lose motivation, encounter training retrogression with resultant staleness, and/ or develop acute or chronic injuries (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 1984; Kibler, Chandler, & Stracener, 1992).”

Proper recovery time

Proper recovery time is necessary to make a bodybuilding regimen work. What is recovery time? As we all know by now, bodybuilding actually takes a toll on the human muscles.

The toll in the human muscles result from the overload formula, or the overloading principle that is done to build muscle mass. From a biological point of view, the overload principle is unnatural to begin with.

The unnatural nature of the overload principle means that the human frame is pushed to particular heights that it was not primarily designed to endure.

The good thing here is that the human frame is capable of adapting and can “grow” tremendously during periods of sustained physical overload.

The overload formula should not be abused to gain more muscle mass - natural bodybuilding simply does not work that way. According to Downing:

“Atha (1981) suggested that beginners train three days per week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) to achieve adequate rest and recovery.” 

“Experienced lifters should take into consideration their training goals, type of exercises, and workout intensities when determining their rest intervals, although the rule of thumb is usually to rest individual muscle groups at least 48 hours between training bouts (Atha, 1981; Fleck & Kraemer, 1997).”

Benedict Yossarian
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/analyzing-bodybuilding-and-overtraining-743977.html