Saturday, December 15, 2007

Exercises For Better Chest Growth - I

One of the articles I found useful; read it if are looking for chest growth specifically!

For most bodybuilders, the chest responds faster and more favorably than any other body part. That's due mostly to the fact that the pectorals are made up of type II (white) muscle fibers. These muscles are characterized by their fast speed of contraction and their high capacity for anaerobic glycolysis. In other words, they're easy to "pump."

 

1) Dumbell flyes This is most definitely an isolation move, geared more as a warm up and to pre-exhaust the muscle group. It also works well as a nice stretch. While lying on a flat bench, hold two dumbells overhead, palms facing inward. Lower the weights out to the sides with slightly bent arms. Raise and repeat for 10-12 reps. There's no need to go heavy on this movement. Dumbell flyes are not mass builders. This is merely preparing the muscles for the oncoming onslaught. Do only 2 sets and move onto... When working any fast twitch muscle group for size and strength, it's best to use compound movements. These can be defined as basic exercises that allow for the use of heavy weights.

 

Compound movements not only place greater stress on the targeted muscle but they implement many of the stabilizing muscles as well. In contrast to the compound movement is the isolation exercise.

 

These are movements that are designed to hit specific parts of a muscle and bring out detail. A perfect example of a compound exercise is the bench press. Keep in mind that the chest is the "showpiece" of your body. You can be muscular beyond belief but if your abs are soft, to most people you're just a big fat guy. But someone with an average physique and killin' abs can look spectacular! Without that granite-like muscularity, coupled with diamond sharp abs, Frank would look like any of thousands of guys who work out. Instead, he was Mr. Olympia three times in a row and deservedly so. If you don't think so, I'd like to take a look at your abs!

Friday, December 7, 2007

What Do The Word Calorie & Body Fat Means!

All the talks and discussion around weight loss and muscle building niche are centered around body fat and calories. You find people looking upto the calorie count on every food carton and sometimes they even ask if the product is made for fat loss. However, if you happen ask that person to explain it then most of them give you a blank expression as if it is the most naive question that could be asked. Just try asking some very simple questions like how are calories stored in your body, what exactly does the term calories mean, what is the relationship between fat and calories, do you need body fat, what is the best way to maintain a good fat level. These questions are quite simple but will leave many of them in a troubled state of mind.

Here is a technical definition of calorie that can be used by everybody - "The technical definition of a food calorie (kilocalorie) is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram (1 liter) of water 1 degree Centigrade. A calorie is simply a measure of heat energy. When food is burned, it releases a certain amount of heat (energy), depending on the type of food. The more calories that are in a food, the more energy will be released when it is burned." This definition comes from the Review Sean Nalewanyj bodybuilding course known as 'truth about building muscle' or the muscle gain truth The word calorie is commonly used to describe the amount of energy in the food. It is also used to represent the amount of energy that is stored in the body as adipose tissue (body fat) and stored carbohydrates in form of glycogen.

Calorie is the word that is commonly used to quantify amount of energy stored in the food. Calorie also represents the how much energy is stored as body fat or adipose tissue and glycogen (stored carbohydrates). This should clarify in your mind that body fat and calories are very closely related. You can think of body fat as a reserve of calories maintained by the body for its varios needs. Calories are burnt and used like a fuel by your body everytime you need to do some activity. They are used as the energy source for your various muscle movemements. When we say burn the fat, we mean doing an activity that accelerates that fat consumption process. However, this is also the reason why not bad is fat and why your body needs fat to perform its essential funtions. Without fat your body is like a car without gasoline, and excess fat makes it like a tanker that neither looks good nor is of much use.

You need to understand that body fat balance equation. When you are idle and not working, your body's consumption of fat goes down and hence as a result you start accumulating it. If you do that for too long then get ready for becoming a fat tanker. On contrast, activity reduces that fat storage and keeps you in a better shape. The equation in itself is quite simple. The fat stored in body is equivalent to calorie intake by calorie spend subtracted.

This should clear up the idea of calorie as well as body fat. If you are looking for some good bodybuilding program that is effective in fat loss too, then you can read more about it out here review musclehead