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Take the Russian Approach to Fitness

Posted by admin on January 17, 2010 in Exercise + Fitness, Universe Of Health

Click here and surf to this tremendous site for kettlebell advice…

Hardly a recent design is the pair of kettlebells. In fact, they’ve been around since the first half of the 1700s. Only recently have they risen to global popularity, though, and following that they’ve come to be as common as any other fitness aid.

Kettlebell exercises are straightforward, don’t need much in the way of unusual paraphernalia, and anyone can do it. Obviously, the advanced exercises shouldn’t be used immediately. Walk before you run, as your father might have put it. Most importantly, with Russian kettlebells as with any weight work, you must make sure that you get yourself the right weight for you. As a result of the way Russian kettlebells are used, you can use lighter weights than you might have thought. For female beginners, an 18lb Russian kettlebell can be more than enough at the outset, however, male enthusiasts should choose the 35lb. This may seem unlikely, but it is because the benefits of a kettlebell workout are linked much more closely to the movements themselves than they are to the actual weights being used. It’s also wise to order an instructional pamphlet or video to study and make certain you carry out the motions exactly right. The two-handed swing is what we recommend as the initial exercise you study on first taking up the kettleball. It sounds simpler than it actually is, but it’s at the centerpoint of many kettlebell routines. Hasty stops, uneven motion — these are hardly what you want. Pick up the weights using your hips, not with your shoulders, to ensure your physical comfort during the exercises. By the time you’ve mastered the double-handed swing, you’ll be able to progress farther — you’ll have learned enough to attempt more difficult exercises. In order to retain your motivation, variety is essential — you could perhaps alter your backing music, move routines in and out of your regime, and so on. A second pair can be factored in once you know what you’re doing, and to change the situation up altogether you might maybe even vary the weight of the kettlebells involved. Of course, you don’t want your routine to lose its effectiveness, and these pointers may help avoid that.

Don’t fall for the idea, however, that a well defined body and bigger muscles lie ahead if all you’re exercising with is kettlebells, mind you. What these routines are intended to do is keep your weight down, tone up, and increase overall fitness and stamina. One last tip, bring a kettlebell routine to your broader fitness course. How regularly you perform the exercises is obviously up to you. Stick to just pursuing them once or twice over the course of the week for basic fat burning, or really drive for it and take up the kettlebells once a day. You’ll slim down faster than you’d imagine!


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Side Effects of Detox Programs

Posted by admin on December 29, 2009 in Exercise + Fitness, Nutrition Center, Universe Of Health

Most people who undergo the detox process will experience a general feeling of well being. In many cases, the most strong incontrovertible results of detoxification are weight loss. If you have been a bit over weight before you initiated the cleansing plan, you can expect to shed a few pounds after the cleansing program.

In addition to weight loss, you can also have an increase in your energy level. While the body purifies from the pollutants and toxic material, you might start to feel more alive and energetic. There are a lot people who have discovered that they have never felt so extremely supercharged until they went through the body detox.

Negative Side Effects of a Body Cleanse

The downside of detoxing is thatyou are likely to feel some negative physical side effects. Headaches, muscle aches, irritable moods, trouble sleeping and the overall feeling of lethargy and weakness are not uncommon during the first couple of days of the purification process. those who are addicted to caffiene may have more powerful toxic symptoms, as normally their PH balance is not great.

Another routine reaction to body detoxing is anxiety and queasiness. In most instances, this issue could lead to trouble sleeping. If you start to feel emotionally challenged and choleric, don’t be shocked. Despite what you might be wondering, this is quite natural. Remember that detoxification has disarrayed your body’s system by drawing all toxic waste in your body and this could deliver some passing side effects. If you feel tense and cross, try going on a walk or doing yoga exercises to smooth yourself. Learn how to incorporate a diet detox into your lifestyle to minimize side effects in the future.


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Weighted Kettlebells and Keeping Fit

Posted by admin on December 17, 2009 in Exercise + Fitness, Universe Of Health

In spite of the assumptions we’ve heard recently, the idea of the kettlebell isn’t a recent invention. In point of fact, they’ve been around since the early eighteenth century according to the experts. That said, is anyone surprised to hear that the kettlebell has become considered one of the hottest fitness routines anywhere in the world? And why is this the case? The Russian kettlebell has undergone an astonishing jump in popularity.

The less complicated exercise routines are performable by anybody, even if they didn’t have a prior fitness regime, and there’s no need to order expensive apparatus. Obviously, the more advanced routines call for more practice before trying them out. You should learn the first moves first, prior to mustering the difficult motions.

An important preparation when starting to train with kettlebells involves ensuring you choose the best weight. That said, when you use kettlebells in your exercises, it doesn’t take much. For women, an eighteen pound Russian kettlebell is often more than enough to start with, while male aficionados are typically better served by the 35 lb weights. This derives from the fact that you benefit from a kettlebell workout in ways linked far more closely to the movements proper than the weights that are being employed. You’ll find that it’s recommended to purchase an instruction pamphlet or video to learn from and make certain you perform the exercises exactly right.

The initial routine to learn with the kettlebell is the double-handed swing. It appears simpler than it actually is, but it’s at the core of the majority of more advanced techniques. Everything should move fluidly, avoiding abrupt jerks or stops. Pick up using your hips, and not with your back, to ensure your own comfort and support during the workout. But once you’ve mastered the two-handed swing, it’s time to move on — you’ll be ready to try the majority of the exercises. Shake up your fitness program by adjusting techniques, accompanied perhaps by different varieties of music. Perhaps another pair can be added once you’re comfortable, and to shake things up thoroughly you might perhaps even adjust the weight of the kettlebells involved. That way, you can keep your muscles toiling as effectively as possible and not run the risk of unwelcome plateauing. Don’t imagine that a chiseled body and stronger muscles are what you will achieve if you use nothing but kettlebells, mind you. Rather, call upon them for weightloss and for general health advances and maintenance in the long term. We recommend introducing a Russian kettlebell routine into your broader workout program. How often you pick up the kettlebells is entirely your own choice. Merely going for a couple of routines each week, it’s a nobrainer to maintain your baseline fitness levels, and if you pick up the pace to a daily regime you’re certain to reduce excess fat rapidly.


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Kona Berry

Posted by admin on October 8, 2009 in Exercise + Fitness, Nutrition Center, Universe Of Health

Kona Coffee Fruit is flooded with phenolic acids and good plant nutrients. These phenolic acids are rich antioxidants. Kona Coffee Berry begins it?s nutrient goodness along the slopes of high altitude mountain side with rich organic soil. Nourished by mineral-rich soil and warmed by intense tropical sunlight, coffee plants produce a profusion of wonderful bright red fruit, known as Kona Fruit.
Kona Coffee Fruitis so exceptionally rich in antioxidants because it grows in high altitude, low-latitude regions where the sun?s rays are strongest. As the plants mature, they develop these powerful anti oxidants to protect them from damage caused by high doses of the sun?s radiation and the natural byproducts of photosynthesis.
You might be asking what the difference is between a Kona Coffee Fruit and a Kona Bean. Kona Coffee berries are the outer layer of the coffee fruit and are a rich source of anti oxidants. Research reports that 400 mg of concentrate has a radical scavenging activity equal to 9.6 grams of fresh blueberries, 6.2 grams of strawberries, or 4.9 grams of raspberries.
This potent anti-radical power has not been commercially available previously because the fruit rapidly perishes, which is why only the bitter seed has been commercially exploited.
“We have discovered a means of growing, harvesting and processing the whole coffee fruit so that we arrest the development of mycotoxins and thereby render the coffee fruit for human consumption.
Because no one until now has figured out how to do this in a cost effective manner, whole coffee fruit has simply not been available.”
Kona Coffee Berry contains five of eight rare and essential sugars called monosaccharides, with research indicating that these are essential for the proper functioning of various biological systems.
Almost half of the dry weight of the concentrate is made up of polysaccharides, such as mannans and arabinoglactan. Conventional roasting destroys these nutrients, so they are not found in traditional brewed coffee.

Coffee Fruit is now available in a new energy drink called XOWii Energy.


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The Truth about Fad Diets and Weight

Posted by admin on July 4, 2009 in Exercise + Fitness, Nutrition Center, Universe Of Health

The Diet industry is a multi-billion dollar market. Every year thousands of radical diet products strike the market claiming to be the solution to all of your weight problems. The grand majority of these diet merchandises are garbage. No carbohydrates, maple syrup / lemonade / cayenne pepper cleanse, cabbage soup - all rubbish.

They may aid you shed a few pounds, but the instant you even conceive of eating anything that isn’t part of their diet program, you gain back all of the weight and then some. Diet crazes don’t work! We all desire some magical pill to dissolve the fat away, but there is no such thing. So how does the diet industry continue to prosper and expand? Who buys in to all of their gimmicks and advertising ploys? Women!

That’s correct ladies - you are the number one demographic that keep the diet industry raking in the dough. It’s true - don’t try to deny it. Each time you’re at the market, you casually stroll down the weight management and diet department and discretely eye the new-sprung products. Despite intelligence and common sense, a part of you still wonders, “Was that really how Anna Nicole lost all that weight?”

The solution is NO! There is no miraculous pill, powder, or diet book. The first step to reaching your goal is to stop kidding yourself and get real. Total Body Solutions can assist you to find the real deal. The answer to your weight problem doesn’t lie in the diet section - its hiding in the back of your closet.

Break out those running shoes from the rear of your closet ladies! The only tested and effective way to lose weight and keep it off is exercise.I know it isn’t the response you want to hear, but you know its right. It may not be the easier resolution, but it is the only real solution.

Burning calories through exercise and being in a caloric defecit throughout the day is the only real way to drop pounds permanently. It takes hard work and commitment, but don’t all good things? Personal trainers will help you attain the answers that you want in the most efficient way possible.


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The Correct Exercise Equipment Is Crucial to Success

Posted by admin on May 3, 2009 in Exercise + Fitness, Non-Assigned, Universe Of Health

Here’s a question to ponder. is there a specific variety of physical exercise equipment that you favor? The picks are endless. There are, treadmills, Elliptical machines, Cross trainers, Free weights and a gang of others, however those are the basics. I might have left some major one out, but truly, that is not my point in any case.

Thence what is the central point? Well, if you are reading this most likely you’re interested in discovering information about gym equipment. I have been thinking about buying a decent home gym equipment myself, since I am tiring of going through traffic and wasting nearly 20 minutes to get to the gymnasium and 20 minutes to return.

That is 40 minutes that could be my entire exercise routine. Hence, I just want to impart a couple views about what I have been reflective about when it comes to purchasing fitness machines for the home.

The central point is simply this, if you go to a commercial gymnasium then it really doesn’t matter because you, more often than not, have access to any of the above named types of exercise equipment. Still, if you are constructing a home gym area in the home chances are space is minimal. If you own a great mansion then kudos, you have plenty of room for any type of exercise equipment.

However, if you are like many individuals searching to have home gym equipment, you need to resolve what needs to be your main piece of fitness equipment. Do you desire strength conditioning? Do you desire a cardiovascular exercise? Do you wish to circuit train? Before you go out and buy gym equipment, carefully deliberate about your somatotype. Think carefully about what your goals are and try to mate them to the correct exercise equipment. Personally, I wouldn’t buy something just because it comes with a brilliant sales delivery on television.

If you have never exercised then just getting up and down off the sofa as many times as you can you will in all likelihood develop a good leg workout and facilitate weight loss.

If you don’t like utilising the fitness equipment, you’ll not use it and it is money down the drain. Let’s say you are not a walker, then don’t purchase a treadmill. If you do not wish to be a bodybuilder then you don’t purchase weights. A little common sense when purchasing fitness equipment will go a long way toward saving money.


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Bodybuilding on a Budget - It Doesn’t Have to Put Your Wallet in a Wheelchair

Posted by admin on September 24, 2008 in Exercise + Fitness

As you probably remember the last time you looked at a proposed grocery list or visited the nearest supplement store, you realized you needed to take out an equity loan first in order to get your month’s supply of food and supplements.

Believe me…

I’ve had my fair share of large bills especially when I’m trying to bulk up and gain weight.

Am I right about this so far?

Don’t’ worry… there are some really overlooked and rather inexpensive methods to get all the food you need without breaking the bank. But I have an even better idea… let me just start off with a quick list of foods that you can find at most grocery stories and warehouse locations that are cheap and are excellent sources of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Low Cost Bodybuilding Foods (no particular order):

1. Tuna
2. Nuts
3. Olive Oil

4. Whey Protein Concentrate, in bulk

5. Pasta

6. Chicken legs
7. Beans

Of course you’ll want to get servings of fruits and veggies but normally it’s the other foods that are expensive in bulk. With just the above foods, you can get many of them in bulk or for discounts and have plenty of wholesome foods for your bulking, cutting and bodybuilding endeavors.

By now, you’re probably wondering…

Okay, that’s a nice list of general foods I can use but I am taking some supplements. And they aren’t so cheap. I’d like to try everything I see in the latest muscle magazines but I really only have time for what works. Where’s the cheap list of supplements?

Inexpensive (best bang for your buck) supplements:

1. Multi-vitamin
2. Fish oil

3. Whey concentrate

4. Dextrose

5. Creatine Monohydrate

Fact is…

I try a lot of supplements myself. I’m curious. I want to know what works and sometimes I stumble across something that is worth it. But the above list is the basic supplement list that I always return to no matter what. It’s part of the vitamin closet in the kitchen. If I have no time, no money or no desire to try anything new, I know that above is the only stash I need to make any gains I’ll need.

So let me summarize and review…

Bodybuilding on budget is real. If you look for specific foods that are great sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats and mix and match, you have a really well rounded selection to make many meals. No matter if you are on a bulk phase, cutting phase or just want to eat healthy, it doesn’t have to be the most expensive things you’ve ever done.

EzineArticles Expert Author Marc David

Marc David is an innovative fitness enthusiast and the creator of the “The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding” method on http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com. He can show you how to reduce your body fat thru diet, how to gain weight or create more muscle thru an abundance of workout tips by training LESS! Not more. He dispels many “bodybuilding myths”, tells you what most people never realize about nutrition, and what the drug companies DON’T WANT YOU to know. Go to: http://www.Beginning-Bodybuilding.com to find out more about The Beginner’s Guide to Fitness And Bodybuilding.


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How To Build Muscles And Own That V-Shaped Upper Body?

Posted by admin on in Exercise + Fitness

Every guy who steps into the gym dreams of achieving that great classical V-shaped upper body that commands respect and attention. Many have trained for months, if not years and yet that V-shaped upper body just isn’t forth coming. Ever wondered why?

Before I show you various ways to achieve that glorious ‘V’, you must also be aware that the ‘V’ shape is also an illusion. If you have a wide thick back with a powerful chest, coupled with boulder-like deltoids, your ‘V’ will show up commandingly because those attributes will make your waist look small and thus accentuating the ‘V’ illusion.

To have a stupendous upper body, you MUST train your lower body. V-shapes will just be an ugly upper body shape if your legs are like bamboo poles. The excellent full body shape is called the X-frame. Just like those super heroes you see in comic books. If you don’t train legs, you are missing out on training the largest muscle mass. When training legs, many other upper body muscles especially the back and abs will be involved. This gives you the most muscle mass trained in one go. And because you are training so many muscles at one go, you secrete tons of growth hormones when you sleep, further enhancing overall muscle development for that perfect X-frame.

Another muscle group many people fail to pay attention to is the back. The back must be trained for thickness as well as width. Many back exercises also develop the rear deltoids and the trapezius which are very important to getting that ‘V’. When your back is thick, you will look powerful and with the width, it will make your waist look narrower, thus making the ‘V’ more pronounced. Do bar-bell row, deadlifts for a thick and powerful back. Chin-ups and push-ups (weighted and doing them in a slow controlled motion) will provide you the width or more commonly called ‘wings’.

Another very obvious V-shape illusion creator are your triceps. But most people pay more attention to the biceps than triceps. Why triceps then? Because your triceps, as the name ‘tri’ suggests, has three ‘heads’ and each ‘head’ must be dealt with when you exercise them. They are also 1/3 bigger than your biceps. By training the triceps hard, your upper arms will grow bigger faster, giving more berth to your upper body and again creating a narrow waistline illusion.

The best illusion-shapers are your deltoids. Your delts have 3 ‘heads’. However, most of the time, I see people only working out the front delts. When you develop your delts well, they will be round and boulder-like, and they make your shoulder wide and strong. Now, close your eyes and have a mental image of yourself with a wide thick back, big strong triceps… now, do you see that ‘V’? Add lateral raise, bent-over lat-raisers and upright rows to your routine.

How to have a beautiful ‘V’ if your abs are flabby? Forget the side crunches and side bends. It will only make your waistline thicker. Go on a lose fat program by combining weight lifting, cardio exercises and eating correctly. Your abs will show in no time.

Ahh… to finally stamp your authority in the gym and at the beach, a wide and powerful gladiator’s chest will put you ahead of the pack! Train your chest heavy with dumbbells, barbells and cables machines. Use incline benches rather than flat or declining ones. You want to build the upper chest and not targeting the lower chest in case it gets you the droop or saggy chest which we call ‘bitch tits’. Although the pec is one huge muscle, it can be targeted at different places to recruit different fibres to shape it.

Chris Chew is a fitness personal trainer and count celebrities such as actors, models and pageant winners amongst his clients. He authored the book “Burn Fat Build Muscles Fast” at www.sgfitness.com and runs a fitness school at www.sgfitnessonline.com


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How These 3 Basic Elements Can Be Used To Boost Your Own Muscle Gains!

Posted by admin on September 22, 2008 in Exercise + Fitness

The foolish idea that ‘more is better’ when it comes to bodybuilding goes directly against the basics of exercise science. When is comes to increasing your rate of muscle gains, more exercise is almost never what is needed. As I have mentioned already, once you have “stimulated” muscle gains by hitting the gym hard, any additional amount of exercise, will in fact, prevent any muscle gains from happening.

You see, muscles are made up of ‘muscle fibers’. Muscles themselves work by contracting and reducing their length. In order for muscles to contract, they must move. For a muscle to produce movement, and therefore the power to move a given weight, it must do so by lengthening and contracting.

In other words, a muscle performs exercise by contracting, and by doing this it generates force and power. While a muscle uses some of it’s fibers to perform a given exercise, it almost never uses all of them at the same time.

For a muscle to contract every one of its available fibers at the same time, it must be in a totally contracted position. To increase your muscle mass in the shortest time possible, the maximum number of muscle fibers possible must be “stimulated”. The easiest way to achieve this is through multiple repetitions of a particular exercise. More often than not it is impossible to contract all of the muscle fibers in a specific part of the body, using only one repetition, without risking injury. Multiple repetitions however, allow it to be done safely.

As a general rule, it’s almost impossible to perform an exercise in a way that contracts all of the muscle fibers of the body parts involved. However, if the exercise is performed with intensity, many more muscle fibers will be stimulated, than there would have been otherwise.

As an example, when you perform a basic exercise like the barbell curl (standing upright with a barbell and curling your arms from resting against your thighs up towards your chest), you are using the fibers of the biceps muscle of the upper arm. At the beginning of the exercise, when performing the first repetition of a set of ten, your biceps muscles are at their strongest and most rested.

However, during the first repetition you can only involve a minimal number of the muscle fibers available. Most of the fibers are unable to contract unless in a totally contracted position. The bicep itself will only use the minimal number of fibers needed to perform that one repetition. Muscle fibers will only perform at full capacity, and are only “recruited” by a specific body part as they are needed.

By increasing your speed of movement you can dramatically increase the number of muscle fibers involved. However, in many cases this is extremely dangerous, leading to the muscle tearing loose from its attachment. Not fun or desirable. As well as the risk of severe injury, increasing the speed of movement will often involve extra momentum. By using overall body motion to “cheat”, the intensity shifts away from the muscles and body parts you are trying to stimulate.

So keep this in mind. In the case of the barbell curl example, the first repetition should be performed in perfect form, but at a pace that is considerably slower than is actually possible. A pace that will allow you to perform each repetition as fast as possible without risking injury.

The bottom line is this. Regardless of how you perform the first repetition of the barbell curl, you will still only be involving a very small percentage of the muscle fibers available. This is due to the following three reasons. (1) When the muscle is not in a fully contracted position, only a limited number of muscle fibers are involved. (2) During the first repetition the biceps muscle fibers are at their strongest and most rested. (3) The majority of the exercise equipment on the market provides practically no resistance to a muscle in a fully contracted position.

Zero resistance can become an issue during almost all basic exercises. For example, during the bench press, a totally contracted position is reached when the arms are completely extended. Because your arms also reach a point of total “lockout” of the elbow joints at this point, there is basically zero resistance in this position. The way this problem can be resolved is by performing all of your exercises in a series of repetitions. You can then make sure that you achieve maximum stimulation of the muscles involved.

Let’s look the barbell curl example again. If you are using a weight that allows you to perform about ten repetitions, then the first repetition will only involve about five percent of the total number of muscle fibers available. The remaining ninety-five percent of fibers are not involved at all.

When you perform the second repetition however, things start to change. And change fast! The previous five percent are no longer as strong or as rested as they were during the first repetition. The strength levels of these fibers have been challenged, and so they now need the help of additional fibers to perform the second repetition. These additional fibers are at their strongest and most rested. However, they too will only be used to the extent that they are actually needed.

As you continue to perform the exercise, more and more muscle fibers become involved. Finally, by the tenth repetition you will be using as much as twenty percent of the total muscle fibers available. By this stage of the exercise your breathing should be coming thick and be fast. And, the intensity level will be high.

In this example, the exercise is being performed with a weight that the you knew you could only perform ten repetitions with. It is at this point that most “skinny” guys stop the exercise. This is a big mistake. Doing so with result in almost no muscle gains at all.

By stopping the exercise at this point, you are not pushing through your comfort zone. You are just nudging up to it. Also, the various muscles involved are not being pushed enough to cause them to GROW. If you are “stupid” enough to train in this manner, your muscle gains will be slow and in many cases, totally non-existent. In short. If you are going to go for it. Then, make sure you go all the way… and then some!

Trent Brook is the Author of “Huge Gains Fast - How to Get More Rock-Hard Muscle Mass In A Month Than You Now Get All Year. His “Huge Gains Fast” muscle building program is an easy-to-follow system so simple and understandable it’s fully explained to you in just 4 easy steps! The Revised Edition is now available online at his website, http://www.hugegainsfast.com


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