At one point in time, every last one of us passionately wanted a chiseled rock-hard mid-section. We all want to know how to get great 6 pack abs. Well here is one of the best kept secrets. It is the most coveted body part, the symbol of sexuality. In study after study researchers and health specialist alike have found that decreasing fat in your abdomen, and waist to hip ratio is the single most significant step that you can take to stay healthy for life, and age gracefully. Most of us have given up on the idea because our quest has for naught. We have been flooded with miss-information from fad diets, fat burner supplements, to exercise gadgets, promoting six week transformations with dramatic before and after photo’s, etc. The key to that coveted six pack is not one thing, it is four things.

Bringing Your Body-fat Level Down:

1.) Following a precise nutrition plan that has the right amount of protein combined together with the right amount and the right type of carbohydrates spaced strategically through-out the day, and around weight training and cardio sessions.
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There is so much conflicting information out there when it comes to the topic of building muscle, and sometimes it can be very difficult to know where to start. If you’re an average beginner looking for some basic guidelines to follow in the gym, the following 8 strategies will start you off on the right track.

(1). Train With Weights and Focus On Compound, Free Weight Movements.

If you want to make solid, noteworthy gains in muscle size and strength, you absolutely must train with free weights and focus on basic, compound exercises. A compound exercise is any lift that stimulates more than one muscle group at a time. Examples of these lifts are the squat, deadlift, bench press, chin up, barbell row, overhead press, dip and lunge. Compound movements allow you to handle the most weight and will stimulate the greatest amount of total muscle fibers.

(2). Be Prepared To Train Hard.

One of the biggest factors that separates those who make modest gains from those who make serious gains is their level of training intensity. In order to stimulate your muscle fibers to their utmost potential, you must be willing to take every set you perform in the gym to the point of muscular failure.

Muscular Failure: The point at which no further repetitions can be completed using proper form.

Sub-maximal training intensity will leave you with sub-maximal results, plain and simple.

(3). Track Your Progress In The Gym From Week To Week.

Our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat. Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must always focus on progressing in the gym from week to week. This could mean performing 1 or 2 more reps for each exercise or adding more weight to the bar. Keep a detailed training log to track your progress as your strength increases over time.

(4). Avoid Overtraining.

Overtraining is your number one enemy when it comes to building muscle size and strength. When most people begin a workout program, they are stuck with the misguided notion that more is better. They naturally assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better results they will achieve. When it comes to building muscle, nothing could be farther from the truth! If you spend too much time in the gym, you will actually take yourself farther away from your goals rather than closer to them. Remember, your muscles do not grow in the gym; they grow out of the gym, while you are resting and eating. Recovery is absolutely vital to the muscle growth process. If you don’t provide your body with the proper recovery time in between workouts, your muscles will never have a chance to grow.

(5). Eat More Frequently.

The main area where most people fail miserably on their muscle-building mission is on the all-too important task of proper nutrition. Training with weights is only half of the equation! You break down your muscle fibers in the gym, but if you don’t provide your body with the proper nutrients at the proper times, the muscle growth process will be next to impossible. You should be eating anywhere from 5-7 meals per day, spaced every 2-3 hours in order to keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times. Each meal should consist of high quality protein and complex carbohydrates.

(6). Increase Your Protein Intake.

Of the 3 major nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats) protein is without a doubt the most important for those who are looking to gain muscle size and strength. Protein is found in literally every single one of the 30 trillion cells that your body is made up of and its main role is to build and repair body tissues. Without sufficient protein intake, it will be physically impossible for your body to synthesize a significant amount of lean muscle mass. If your body were a house, think of protein as the bricks. A general guideline is to consume 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day from high quality sources such as fish, poultry, eggs, beef, milk, peanut butter and cottage cheese.

(7). Increase Your Water Intake.

If you want a simple, easy and highly effective way to maximize your muscle gains, drinking more water is it. Water plays so many vital roles in the body and its importance cannot be overstated. In fact, your muscles alone are made up of 70% water! Not only will drinking more water cause your muscles to appear fuller and more vascular, but it will also increase your strength as well. Research has shown that merely a 3-4% drop in your body’s water levels can impact muscle contractions by 10-20%! Aim to consume 0.6 ounces for every pound of bodyweight each day for optimal gains.

(8). Be Consistent!

Consistency is everything. Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to implement the proper techniques on a highly consistent basis. Simply knowing is not enough, you must apply!

Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps. Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those small meals you consume will decide your overall success. If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.

Muscle injury is common, but by learning just a few healthy habits when it comes to training, little irritating muscle injuries will be a thing of the past.

The most common form of muscle injury is overuse injuries, which is normally an inflammation of the tendons, muscles or joints or a combination of the three. This injury is more commonly known as tendinitis.

As these type of muscle injuries is not too serious, it can put a damper on your training and if not treated immediately, can be a thorn in your side for the rest of your life.

Something as simple as ice, heat and rest for a couple of days is all it takes to get you back on the gym floor.

Another common mistake is to go too hard, too heavy, too quickly, too early. The body needs time to adjust to a certain amount of volume and intensity and although the muscle can do that very quickly, the tendons and joints need more time.

As an easy rule of thumb, allow about twelve weeks for the body to get prepared and then gradually and slowly raise the volume and intensity.

In conclusion, the following step will reduce the risk of muscle injury:

• always warm up before any type of training
• stretch everyday, especially after a workout
• practice proper form and technique
• allow the body to rest and recover properly
• feed the body proper nutrition ( a supplement is always a good idea )
• take it slow, the body needs time to adjust, especially the joints and tendons )

by Daniel Goosen

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Goosen

Do you want to be healthier, in better shape? Optimal fitness doesn’t come east–it has to be earned. In order for you to achieve an optimal level of fitness and total conditioning you must have a smart plan and follow it with absolute discipline and consistency. Check out the following 3 steps you can take in order to gain elite level fitness and transform your body forever.

These Three Steps Are:

1. Nutrition: In order to get a lean body you must couple an effective nutrition plan with a well-planned workout program. The nutrition is arguably the largest and most important part of your entire fitness program. You must incorporate this into your lifestyle and stick to it as consistently as you would working out. Manage your calories not by measuring them, but by monitoring what “types” of foods you take in day to day. By monitoring the exact foods that you put into your body then you will eliminate all of the junk. You will be surprised at all the crap you don’t pay attention to when you eat. Give it a try.

2. Train With Intensity: In order to achieve optimal fat-loss and to ensure your success of getting in shape you must perform highly intense exercises to raise your level of perceived exertion. This is the MOST beneficial way for you to obtain the highest level of a calorie-burn. Train with a purpose and don’t just go through the motions. Don’t be scared of trying to challenge yourself by lifting heavier weight. This is the only way for you to develop a significant amount of lean muscle mass and to speed up your metabolism.

3. Engage In Multi-Joint Resistance Exercises: This is a big one. In order to achieve the 2nd step above you must be willing to do this one. Don’t sweat the small muscle groups if you are wanting to get big results as quickly as possible. Instead of doing 9 sets of bicep curls to train the biceps, try doing 9 sets of pull-ups! This is way more intense and you will not only work the muscles of your biceps, but you will hit an array of others because of the multiple joints that are involved in the movement!

by Brandon Richey

Edited by Admin.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey

It’s a daunting task losing weight, particularly if you’re not in the know of how to do so. They’re many questions that can come up about specific diets, eating habits, workout routines, what’s best to do for exercise, etc. For anyone that doesn’t submit themselves to the world of fitness, these questions are completely legitimate and understandable. Adding to the challenge is the complete lack of uniformity out there. There seems to be a million different answers to relatively the same question and finding out the correct one is half the problem.

With this article I’d like to go over the amount of time that is needed to be spent for cardiovascular exercise in a week. This should be a particular interest to those looking to shed a few pounds. First, the cardiovascular system is very important to the body. It includes the heart, blood vessels, blood and is responsible for the transfer of energy and nutrients to all the organs of the body. Keeping it in tip top shape is necessary for good health.

For weight loss, we’re using cardiovascular exercise for its energy burning qualities. Cardio helps boost the metabolism and burn fat. In general, the more you run, jog, etc. the more calories you’re going to burn, helping you lose weight and achieving your goals. There are a few guidelines as far as timing goes, however. Whenever doing cardio for weigh loss, make sure to continue the exercise above 20 minutes. By going beyond 20 minutes you put your body into aerobic metabolism, which will cause the body to seek out fat stores for it’s energy.

On a per week basis you can workout as many times as you want, provided that you’re eating enough calories to sustain the activity. The more you workout the better shape or conditioning you’ll be in. Of course, it’s understandable if getting into an exercise routine isn’t possible more than twice a week. Doing cardio for about 40 to 60 minutes for 2 to 3 times a week should be sufficient for most people’s purposes.

Jim Johnson is the author of a weight loss site that provides tips on how to lose weight.

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Pap_Johnson

Have you made a New Year’s Resolution to get in better shape? Are you the kind of guy who doesn’t mind the physical activity but doesn’t like all the attention that may come if you suddenly start running, cycling, and taking regular trips to the gym? I’m with you–I don’t care much for other people watching my every move either–especially when they start to pester me with questions.

“Why do you do that?” “Who told you that was a good idea?” “Are you out of your mind?!?!” These are basic questions we’ve all been asked in life. However, fitness enthusiasts and triathletes are asked those questions nearly every day. They are asked this because they are dedicated to a process that many observers find hard and difficult.

As we all know every person who has set a goal whether large or small has a reason for doing it. The reasons may be complicated; however the secret is not making the end goal complicated. When taking on an extremely difficult task, such as an exercise routine, one can expect some people to not be supportive or to simply doubt your potential.

People may not be dedicated to an exercise plan themselves and reflect that onto you. Thus, they try to pull you down to feel better about themselves. The key then is to not let anyone’s negativity get into your head. You have to commit yourself to your routine regardless of what others think.

Here are seven tips to help boost your confidence and keep your eyes on the prize:

(1). Feel proud that someone is taking interest in your healthy lifestyle. On many occasions triathletes clam up in embarrassment when asked about their lifestyle as they don’t want to make anyone feel lazy or bad about themselves.

(2). Every time someone asks you why you are doing such an extreme goal as a triathlon, pretend they are telling you to go for it and never give up. Switch it around and find the positive. Being questioned can become your motivation–even if to just prove them wrong.

(3). Keep a picture on your office wall (if allowed) of your favorite athlete. Visit their personal website often to learn how they train and if they will be competing in a race near you. Personally, I find Lance Armstrong’s dedication inspiring–especially with all the extreme difficulties he overcame to become the supreme athlete that he is today.

(4). Train with a friend. Perhaps they have a similar fitness goal you can contribute to in some way. Sometimes just talking about how grueling your training is to someone who can understand is a huge relief.

(5). Join a local triathlon club and ask questions until you have every answer you feel you need to do your best.

(6). Eat right. The worst thing you can do is to combine a good exercise routine with a poor diet.

(7). Join a gym. Let the membership dues keep you accountable. Remind yourself that you want to receive your money’s worth out of your monthly dues. Did you know the average health club member visits their gym 90 days a year?

Staying dedicated isn’t easy for even the seasoned athlete. Do you keep a training log? Make sure to invest in one and jot down all your workouts and future goals. Set a date in the future and make that goal. When accomplished, you can share all the knowledge with your friends.

On the days you lose all hope, think of all the great days of training you put in that week. If you exercised twice in one day, reflect on your accomplishments–any accomplishments. Each step of progress–no matter how small–is one step closer to your ultimate goal. It is the small steps in life that add up to a much longer path that leads to success. 

There’s a famous saying that reads “when no one is asking what you’re doing then what you are doing is not that important.”

Original Article by John Forberger

Edited by Admin.

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Forberger