The Hardgainer’s Body Building Handbook: Workouts, Nutrition, and Results

Exercises at home No gym, No equipment with proven results.

Article by Exercisesathome

Indeed, there are a variety of ways to perform exercises at home. What can be done with exercise equipment and not just at home without spending any money at the gym. Our blog is totally focused on the exercises at home, no matter where you are, or what do you do that you can exercise while watching TV, working, cooking, and also for household chores. The idea is to keep your body moving every day to constantly burn calories. And you can increase your business all day without fatigue.

Make at least 20 minutes of exercise a day all to maintain the shape of the body and health. In this exercise, you will not need any piece of equipment you can still do the exercise that will strongly influence, and this is all fun. In addition to doing exercises at home you can save a lot of money and do exercises in the gym or doing a series of physical programs. Exercises at home are a good way to control weight and to give the utmost care of your heart and overall health. In addition to doing exercises at home you can save a lot of money and do exercises in the gym or doing a series of physical programs. Exercises at home are a good way to control weight and to give the utmost care of your heart and overall health.

You can do this exercise, even without a team effort or other jogging. You can just run or jog in place around the room or garage maybe. This exercise can also improve your cardiovascular fitness. Even during cooking, can be exercised to good effect to your muscles. Watching TV just sit on the couch and exercise described in our blog.

If you want to exercise to gain muscle you can exercise at home without equipment. Like Biceps, abs, chest, legs, lower abs, etc. It also has provided advice on meditation to achieve a comprehensive peace with the life of happiness. Yoga is also important to give the right shape of our bodies; we have provided yoga positions and many ways to do it. We have focused this blog for people who want to exercise but not getting the time or who want to increase the physical capacity and fitness for a better result.

Even better you will get easy diet plans without any dieting our leaving you favorite regular food. just try our tips.

Kettlebell Drills For Women – 2 Exercises For the Female Kettlebell Beginner to Get Huge Results!

I must say that lately I have been getting lot of questions from the hardcore female fitness enthusiast about kettlebells and this really excites me. It has taken a while, but I guess I am starting to make sense to the ladies that are at least open-minded on different methods of training. Because of this I have included 2 base drills below to help you ladies who are also hungry for more information on kettlebell training and fitness, but may be in the beginning stages of your kettlebell program.

To begin, the base movement or lift of the kettlebell is known as the double-arm swing. This particular exercise incorporates about 75 to 85% of your working muscles and will yield a huge result within the scope of your training program. Because of this you benefit from a huge calorie burn, tremendous cardiovascular conditioning, and a big love affair with this different way of training!

To perform the double-arm swing you will want to make sure that you stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.

Perform a proper squat and pick up the bell. From here you will want to execute a movement known as the hip snap. This is done by you flexing and extending at your hips and knees back and forth in a continuos fluent motion. As you do this your arms should be straight and your shoulders should be retracted. Throughout this movement allow the kettlebell to swing back and forth between your legs creating an arc that brings the bell up to your chest level. For starters, attempt to complete 20 to 30 reps with a moderately heavy bell for each set. You will quickly see how training with kettlebells is a whole new world of fitness!

The next drill I want to talk about is a more intense version of the double-arm swing.

This drill is called a full range double-arm swing and is performed just like the normal swing with the exception that you allow the bell to build enough momentum to elevate all the way up to above your head! This adds immediate intensity to the drill being performed. Take your women’s fitness and kettlebell training to new heights. Give these drills a try and feel free to email me to let me know about your progress. Ladies, train hard and train flawlessly!

Best Arm Workouts for Explosive Results

Article by Mike Miller

You might not believe this but the easiest way to build massive arms starts with tricep exercises. The reasoning for this is not hard , the triceps make up of 65 percent of your arm. With that being stated, I would like to share with you a few of what in my opinion would be the best triceps exercises for muscle size. The following routines will also work your chest muscles along with the triceps.

I personally feel that isolating each muscle group is very important. However, I do recommend activating and recruiting more muscle fibers before isolating the smaller muscle groups. The reality of the situation is that because triceps are so small, when you isolate them first, you will not be able to activate as many muscle fibers as you would should the group be isolated last. Having said that, if you start off with a big compound workout that activates the triceps and also recruits other muscle fibers for assistance, your workouts will become much more valuable because the muscles will break down even further which in turn will allow more muscle to grow. Look at it as tricking your body into believing that it is lifting more than it actually is.

Working on dips is probably one of my personal favorite exercises to build massive triceps. They not just build bigger chest muscles but they also work the triceps and get the fiber breakdown started quickly. Using stabilizing muscles will guarantee that you’re not only lifting your own weight freely, but you are also maintaining good balance in the mean time. The simplest way to have ongoing muscle growth is to continuously and progressively overload the muscles.

The close grip bench press is extremely effective when building big triceps simply because that you can lift big. This close grip method will not only use more muscle fibers, but going heavy like this will work both muscle groups. This is simply because the close grip bench press targets not only the triceps but the chest and shoulders as well. Keep your elbows tucked in as close as possible to minimize using your shoulders too much.

Even though I wouldn’t consider this workout THE best triceps workout for mass, it definitely makes top 3. This particular lift is used by tons of bodybuilders and can be done with either a barbell or dumbbells. Targeting all of the triceps heads is the main reason this workout routine works so well. It also requires some stabilizers and allows you to lift fairly heavy which will also require assistance from extra muscle fibers. Be completely focused and perform the exercise slowly with your elbows tucked in so that the benefits are maximized.

I recommend performing 1-2 of the best tricep exercises before isolating the triceps for best results. Doing three to four sets of eight to ten repetitions is the best way to maximize the benefits of these exercises. Remember to progressively add weight and/or increase the volume of the workout for continuous growth. Remember, without building big triceps it will become nearly impossible to add inches to your arms. These are my favorite choices for building bigger arms and are considered the best tricep exercises.

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Cross Fit: Does it really achieve the results it claims? Part III: Does cross fit lessen athletic performance: endurance with strength & power

Article by Mark Wine

Cross fit’s premise is simple, perform as many reps and designated exercises as fast as possible. Performing or viewing a cross fit workout will provide you with the idea that cross fit participants utilize endurance training, which is a correct observation. The emphasis of cross fit is on muscular endurance (buffering hydrogen ions) and an overall cardiovascular output. Athlete’s involved with sports that require a higher VO2 max and/or improved muscle buffering capacity (MBC) show great benefit when performing muscular endurance and aerobic training. However, aerobic and muscular endurance training must utilize certain protocols / variables to ensure optimal increases in VO2 max, MBC, maximal oxygen uptake, while still being capable of increasing strength and power, which lead to the greatest gains in athletic performance. Cross fit, simply put, often neglect numerous variables / protocols.

One style of training that is advantageous, that cross fit does perform is Circuit Training. Circuit training is a method of training that requires high volume coupled with short rest periods of 30 seconds or less [1]. This style of training has shown to increase relative VO2 max. This is vital for anaerobic athletes who require elevated aerobic-endurance levels. The most widely accepted measure of cardio respiratory vigor is Maximal Oxygen Uptake, which is the greatest amount of oxygen that the body can utilize at the cellular level. The goal of aerobic athletes, and cross energy athletes is often to increase these levels through circuit style training.Circuit training should utilize functional movement patterns that are similar to movements of the sport. It is not necessary, nor is it beneficial, to re-create exact anatomically based movements. An analysis of the muscles activated during the sport / activity is needed first and foremost. Following this analysis is a re-creation of competition speeds and muscular recruitment during training. Muscular recruitment and movement are most advantageous when re-created during training to be similar to the sport. On the other hand, there is a high degree of cross over between exercises and movements utilized for multiple sports. A common mis-conception is that movements must anatomically look the exact same as the sport itself, this is not Functional Training. The variables of the program make the difference, which are the sets, reps, rest time, structure, and placement of the exercises. Having a goal in mind will provide you with a solid structure leading to optimal athletic performance. A plan with random exercises, just to get a high amount of work done, is undesirable and not a plan. Cross fit takes that extreme.Cross fit does not utilize a sport or athletic analysis to individualize or customize a program that has similar recruitment patterns to that of the sport itself. Cross fit believes in “one size fits all.”

Cross fit coaches utilize nearly all of the same movements for their participants; clean to press, snatch, kipping pull ups, kettle bell swings, and others… Although some of these movements (never kipping pull ups) can often be advantageous, utilizing them with a plan based upon sets, reps, rest time, and placement in a workout are essential for creating optimal and superior results. Cross fit often places exercises into a workout resulting in weight reduction and improper technique, while still expecting performance increases. Not only does this not increase performance, it often decreases performance, especially with previous athletically trained athletes. Another negative aspect is that this style of training and program structure, or lack-there-of, can lead to injury and periods of detraining.Training with larger muscles, or recruiting more than one muscle in a movement, is done through compound movements / lifts. This is often advantageous because oxygen demand increases during an acute bout of aerobic exercise [1]. Cross fit takes advantage of this by utilizing total body movements throughout the entirety of its workouts. This increases its MET (metabolic equivalent of tasks) levels, which is common when assessing the level of intensity of an exercise / workout. Higher levels of MET’s are associated with increased metabolic rates, heart rates, and an overall energy output. MET workouts often lead to decreased fat levels and improved body composition, resulting in athletic performance. Incorporating large muscular movements during repeated bouts of exercise will deplete energy stores, such as ATP and creatine phosphate, which results in an inability to perform the movement correctly, efficiently, and with optimal strength and power. Exhaustion, due to energy store depletion, leads to injury, improper muscular recruitment (zero athletic performance), a reduction in weight, a loss in strength and power, and an overall slower movement pattern. The body becomes adapted quickly and atrophies even quicker. This reduction in weight, which is often required when performing numerous bouts of intense reps, leads to a slower athlete, a less powerful athlete, a weaker athlete, a more injury prone athlete, a less capable athlete, and a less coordinated athlete (Cross Fit: Does it really achieve the results it claims? Part I). Finding a balance between endurance and strength is needed for every athlete.

Strength is a common misunderstood term. Fitness enthusiasts and athletes think of strength as slow and power as explosive / fast. This cannot be further from the truth. Strength and power reflect the ability of a muscle to exert force at any given speed [1]. A stronger athlete is often more powerful and vice-versa. Training for strength and power is a critical component for all athletics. Soccer athletes train for strength and power in order to increase sprint speed, agility, and quickness. Swimming athletes train for strength and power in order to increase their concentric contraction during each pull of their stroke and to increase the push off from the wall. Athletes in sports like these, along with many others, require a higher oxygen uptake and MBC. They have been shown to enhance athletic performance through strength training. Anaerobic exercise has proven to increase cross-sectional areas, neurological coordination, flexibility, aerobic capacity, motor performance, local muscular endurance, lean muscle tissue, metabolic rates / efficiency, and power. All of these side effects are significant, resulting in a more developed / better athlete. Cross fit does not provide the same benefits because it does not practice safe and efficient strength training.

Type II muscle fibers are fast twitch and Type I are slow twitch. Type I are more oxidative (aerobic) and type II are associated with strength and power (anaerobic). However, the common claim is that aerobic endurance training will change type II to type I. There is little evidence to support this claim [1]. Continually performing strength and power training, even coupled with aerobic-endurance training, will not only maintain type II fibers, but it increases type II fibers. One side effect of aerobic endurance training is a gradual change from type IIx fibers to type IIa fibers. Type IIa fibers are more functional then type IIx fibers. Type IIa fibers posses a greater oxidative capacity and are more advantageous when performing repeated bouts of exercise. Repeated bouts of movements are required in nearly all sports. Therefore, one can theorize that coupling aerobic muscular endurance training with anaerobic strength training will result in superior athletic performance. One exception to the rule is Olympic Power lifters. Olympic lifting athletes are made up of mainly IIx fibers. This is advantageous for the sport of Olympic lifting, but it often leads to a poorly trained athlete as a whole.

It is essential to engage in a program that utilizes strength and power training and aerobic endurance or local muscular endurance training. “Acute aerobic exercise results in increased cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, oxygen uptake, systolic blood pressure (pressure exerted against arterial walls as blood is forcefully ejected during ventricular contraction and combined with heart rate measures work of heart), and blood flow to active muscles and a decrease in diastolic blood pressure (estimate pressure against arterial walls when no blood is being forcefully ejected through the vessels)” [1-125]. Cross fit can aid in the ability of select athletes, generally beginner to amateur athletes, with an increased ability of muscular endurance for increased performance. However, there is a trade off. With cross fit’s minute gain in endurance, one can expect a loss in absolute strength and power, which will result in poor athletic performance, a reduction in speed, improper technique, minimal injury prevention training, a reduction in agility, lower back pain, and many other non-desirable side effects.For athletes who are involved in a sport or activity that require a high aerobic output and/or MBC, utilizing a proper strength and conditioning program will ensure optimal gains in athletic performance. Develop a program that balances between strength and power and muscular endurance / aerobic training. Here is an example:Day 1: Strength & Power – Lower BodyDay 2: Endurance / Circuit – Upper BodyDay 4 or 5: Endurance / Circuit – Lower BodyDay 5 or 6: Strength & Power – Upper BodyThis is nothing more than a sample weekly regimen. Provided that you give 100% effort, follow the plan, perform proper technique during exercise, place equal emphasis on all the training days, and observe all program variables, you can expect to become a superior athlete. An athlete who can dominate both aerobically and anaerobically, an elite hybrid athlete.SOURCESwww.functionalmusclefitness.com1. The Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd edition).By, National Strength and Conditioning AssociationEditors: Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle©2008, 2000, 1994[113, 123, 125, 129]2. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (3rd edition)By, National Academy of Sports MedicineEditors: Michael A. Clark, Scott C. Lucett and Rodney J. Corn©20083. Strength Training Anatomy (3rd edition)By, Frederic Delavier©2010 by Editions Vigot

Endurance Training for Best Results

Article by Jeff Anderson

Endurance Training for Best Results

Like most athletes already know, training and preparation is the key to success. Talent may be what gets a people into sports but it is their discipline that keeps them there. Being an athlete requires hard work in practice as well as in actual games. You have to go through a lot of training to make sure you do well and stay strong throughout the competition. One of the popular trainings is endurance training. It is arguably the best training that athletes undertake. Endurance training includes exercises that develop endurance and stamina by conditioning the body to be able to handle distance while maintaining speed. Athletes such as runners, swimmers and tri-athletes like this type of training because to win they need to be able to sustain their energy from the starting line until the very end.

There are many types of endurance training, including aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, speed endurance and strength endurance. These exercises include many sweat inducing movements and will definitely test your strength and how long you can last. These endurance training exercises require that several systems of the body like the circulatory and respiratory systems give energy to the muscles so that a person can sustain himself during various activities like marathons and competitions.

Just like any normal training, endurance training starts with some warm up exercises to make sure the muscles don

Dumbbell Workouts: Stop Wasting Your Time And Start Getting Results!

Article by Eddie Lomax

Every time I see a man or women pick up a light dumbbell and perform “isolation” or “sculpting” exercises I want to pull my hair out. It’s not that there is anything wrong with these dumbbell exercises. It’s just they aren’t designed to get the results the exerciser wants or needs.

And that is a waste of valuable training time.

Let’s face it, most people have trouble setting aside time to work out as it is. When they do get themselves to the gym, or set aside part of their busy day to work out at home, the last thing they want to do is waste their time. Every minute spent training needs to count! So, stop wasting your time with those dinky weight dumbbell workouts, and start using dumbbells to their full potential.

At this point, some of you might be offended. You may believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that “isolation” dumbbell exercises and “feeling the burn” is the way to get the most out of your dumbbell workout. (Even though you’ve failed to make major changes to your body). Please, keep reading and give me a chance to change your mind.

Honestly, most people start dumbbell workouts, or any workout for that matter, because they want to change the way they look. Yes, there are health and performance benefits to a properly performed dumbbell workout. But, who are we kidding, appearance is the top motivating factor!

And, since we are being honest, most people only start to work out when their appearance gets so bad they just can’t stand it anymore. They’ve ignored the lack of muscle tone and the accumulating fat for so long they are not just out of shape, they are REALLY out of shape! They just don’t need to lose a pound or two of fat and tone up their arms. They need to lose a LOT of fat and build a LOT of muscle to make a major impact on the way they look!

So, the dumbbell workouts they perform should be designed to build muscle and burn fat, preferably in the shortest time possible. So, they pick up a 2 pound dumbbell and perform triceps kickbacks. Wrong, wrong, WRONG!

Let’s look at it this way:

A sculptor is given a 2 ton block of granite to sculpt a figure that ultimately weighs 1/2 ton. Should they:

a) Use a small pick and start to lightly tap on the block? orb) Pick up a sledgehammer and whack away most of the unneeded material?

I hoped you picked option b!

You see, when you have a lot of work to do, use the right tool for the job!

So, if your goal is to significantly change the way you look by putting on muscle and burning fat, make sure your dumbbell workouts are designed to do both. Don’t waste your time with small weights and small exercises. Dumbbells are an excellent choice for full body transformation, but only if you use them correctly!

Here are three tips for changing the way you look with dumbbell workouts:

1) Perform dumbbell exercises that recruit as many big muscle groups as possible.Dumbbell lifts like squats, deadlifts, rows, presses and cleans, snatches and jerks require a lot of big muscle groups to complete the movement. Plus, using big muscle groups allows you to use heavier weights. Using more muscle with heavier weights means more muscle!

2) Perform dumbbell exercises that require a great deal of energy.Heavy grinding exercises, explosive exercises and combo matrixes require a lot of energy for completion. Expending more energy means less fat!

3) Perform dumbbell workouts in such a manner as to simultaneously build muscle, improve cardiorespiratory endurance and burn fat.Doing workouts like super sets, timed circuits and peripheral heart action training, you can make your dumbbell workouts SUPER efficient. You’ll get the most out of your training time by attacking your body on many fronts!

I hope this short article has opened your eyes to the true value of dumbbells in your quest to change the way you look. If you want to see the greatest change in appearance in the shortest period of time, leave the light weight dumbbell workouts alone, and start using dumbbell to their full potential. Following the above tips makes your dumbbell workout more effective than ever before!

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Free weights or bands – which ones give the best results?

Article by Tom Kalka

With so much conflicting information out there about fitness and exercise, it’s no wonder that clients often want advice about whether or not to use machines for exercise as opposed to free weights and bands.

But as a professional trainer, my answer is simple – I say, “Machines, free weights and cables”.

Confused? Don’t be. The fact is that each of these types of equipment has benefits and drawbacks that the others do not. Ultimately a good workout regimen will use a variety of exercises and equipment in order to produce “muscle confusion” which is a core element of fitness boot camps. So let’s take a closer look at each one of these and when you would use them.

Machines

We’ve covered this area before – machines are great mostly for safety reasons because they limit your range of motion. But this same limit is also why we’re not crazy about them, as limited range of motion means you cannot work each side of your body independently. Therefore you wind up with one side stronger than the other and your weaker side never catches up. So if you work out from home this might be a good thing, but you will eventually find yourself needing to change up your exercise routine.

Free Weights

In my experience, guys love free weights, ladies, generally are much more intimated by them. Hopefully, this explanation will bring everyone back down to earth and realize the benefits and limitations to free weights. When using free weights you are going to need to recruit the more muscle fibers in the muscle you are working because of the need to stabilize the weight though-out the ROM. Not to mention, that when using dumbbells you will also have to exert the same force on both sides of your body to move the same weight. Another benefit to free weights is the fact that you can change the angle in which you hold the weight, or the angle in which you push or pull the weight, all of which allow you to target different muscle fibers and more fully develop the muscle.

The limitations with free weights are that they are much more dangerous to use if you don’t know what you are doing, or you think you know what you are doing but are wrong! Without a spotter, it can be very difficult to increase the amount of weight you use because of the dangers of dropping the weight or not being able to lift the weight into the proper starting position.

Bands or Cables

The invention of cables machines was an attempt to find a balance between both free weights and machines. You will see many different types of cable machines in your local fitness facility but you can also find them in many homes as well. The famous Bowflex is a great tool to use as well as the Crossbow and other variations as well. The problem with these tools include: most clients have no clue how to perform the exercise properly not to mention that they cannot figure out the correct configuration with the machine to hit the muscle they want to target. While being safer than free weights, you still have to maintain stability using cables which is a great benefit, not to mention that you can hit the muscle at many more angles with cables.

In conclusion, the best answer I could provide is that a proper exercise routine should incorporate all three types of tools, not to mention the numerous other tools available to you including: video tapes, treadmills, elliptical trainers, walking, jogging, and running, swimming, kickboxing, etc. The real secret is to constantly shock your body and never allow it to get use to doing one thing. This way, your body has to continually grow to keep up with the demands you are putting on it.

Kettlebell Drills For Women – 2 Exercises For the Female Kettlebell Beginner to Get Huge Results!

I must say that lately I have been getting lot of questions from the hardcore female fitness enthusiast about kettlebells and this really excites me. It has taken a while, but I guess I am starting to make sense to the ladies that are at least open-minded on different methods of training. Because of this I have included 2 base drills below to help you ladies who are also hungry for more information on kettlebell training and fitness, but may be in the beginning stages of your kettlebell program.

To begin, the base movement or lift of the kettlebell is known as the double-arm swing. This particular exercise incorporates about 75 to 85% of your working muscles and will yield a huge result within the scope of your training program. Because of this you benefit from a huge calorie burn, tremendous cardiovascular conditioning, and a big love affair with this different way of training!

To perform the double-arm swing you will want to make sure that you stand with your feet about shoulder width apart.

Perform a proper squat and pick up the bell. From here you will want to execute a movement known as the hip snap. This is done by you flexing and extending at your hips and knees back and forth in a continuos fluent motion. As you do this your arms should be straight and your shoulders should be retracted. Throughout this movement allow the kettlebell to swing back and forth between your legs creating an arc that brings the bell up to your chest level. For starters, attempt to complete 20 to 30 reps with a moderately heavy bell for each set. You will quickly see how training with kettlebells is a whole new world of fitness!

The next drill I want to talk about is a more intense version of the double-arm swing.

This drill is called a full range double-arm swing and is performed just like the normal swing with the exception that you allow the bell to build enough momentum to elevate all the way up to above your head! This adds immediate intensity to the drill being performed. Take your women’s fitness and kettlebell training to new heights. Give these drills a try and feel free to email me to let me know about your progress. Ladies, train hard and train flawlessly!

Related Kettlebell Exercises For Beginners Articles

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