So which four foods are the best for helping you build muscle mass?

Eggs

Over the last few years, eggs have been given a bad rap. It was thought that they were the reason for spiraling cholesterol levels. This is not the case; eggs are very good for you. In fact, the cholesterol in the yolk helps support naturally occurring steroid hormones in your body.

One egg contains 6 grams of protein, Vitamin B12 a ½ gram of leucine, an essential amino acid. When you have the right combination of amino acids in your body, you build muscle even faster. Eating just two eggs is beneficial for muscle growth.

Almonds

This power packed super food is full of protein and vitamin E. What does Vitamin E have to do with muscle building? It contains an anti-oxidant that stops free-radicals from attacking muscles and causing damage. Not only is vitamin E good for your muscle growth, it supports your immune system and improves the health of your eyes.

How many almonds should you eat? According to the University of Toronto, two handfuls a day is all you need. The study found that most people could eat this amount without putting on weight. That’s good news for anyone who wants to build muscle and lose weight.

Lean Beef

Jam-packed with protein that is needed for building muscle. It also contains iron and zinc, two nutrients that are critical if you want to develop lean muscle mass. Lean beef also contains creatine, which gives you energy while you workout. You can also find high levels of selenium in lean beef. This is good news for men as selenium can stop you from developing prostate cancer.

Salmon

High in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. The fatty acids lessen the effects of muscle breaking down after a workout. Your recovery time improves and your muscles build faster. Salmon is low in calories, so it’s a fabulous way to get the protein you need and watch your weight at the same time. If you don’t like fish, try taking an oil supplement. You will gain all the same benefits as if you were eating fish.

These four foods top the list as being the best for building muscle. If you don’t like some of these foods you could substitute them with any of the following: yoghurt, olive oil, lentils, chicken, chickpeas and cottage cheese.

Your diet plays a huge role in how fast you will build muscle and burn fat. Remember to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables along with these valuable protein sources. Fruits and vegetables contain vital vitamins and nutrients that are needed for good health. They are also low in carbohydrates, which is exactly what you need to lose weight and build muscle.

Unfortunately, you can’t just do hundreds of crunches every day and expect to have really awesome abdominal muscles. If you’re looking to strengthen your core then compound movements like squats, deadlifts and even the bench press (yes, really) require you to engage your core to correctly perform the movement.

If you’re looking to incorporate a little isolation training at the end of your workout, then the following core exercises are the best ones you can perform for your body!

1. Plank

The plank is a fantastic and beginner-friendly exercise for your abs that, when modified, can work every single abdominal muscle. Once you’ve progressed onto and are comfortable with a traditional plank, variations like side planks work the often-neglected external and internal obliques.

2. Cable Crunch

Exercising in the gym is built around the idea of progressive overload, where over time you lift heavier, run further or simply do more reps. It can be difficult to overload your abdominal muscles, primarily because they’re used to supporting your bodyweight all day long! This is where the cable crunch comes in – by adding weight you’re able to overload the muscles, resulting in growth.

3. Ab Wheel Rollout

Ab wheel rollouts are another exercise that has progressions from beginner all the way to advanced levels and can work all abdominal muscle groups through variations. Although this exercise can be a little demanding, if you stick with it you’ll gain additional benefits like stronger shoulders and increased lower body flexibility.

4. Bicycle Crunch

Aside from being one of the most effective core exercises in hitting your abs from all angles, it’s also one of the easiest to perform. People spend a lot of time sitting with hunched shoulders, which a basic crunch exaggerates. Alternatively, bicycle crunches require you to keep your lower back and shoulder blades on the floor, taking pressure off your back whilst still working your core!

5. L-Sit

Although they appear relatively easy, the l-sit requires strength, flexibility and control making them no walk in the park. This classic gymnastic move is considered by many to be the only core exercise you’ll ever need – and for good reason. Despite being a static hold, l-sits place a huge demand on your lower abs as well as strengthening your triceps and your shoulders.

With the exception of the bicycle crunch, all of the above core exercises have multiple progressions if you can’t perform the movement straight away. It might take a bit of grit and determination to get there, but in the end you know it’ll be worth it!

Cheers,

Andrew Pallett is a qualified personal trainer and fitness author. You can find more of his health and fitness articles on his website, Sometimes I Train.

Which is a shame, because they’re also the best lifts for boosting your testosterone, burning calories and most importantly of all, building strength and power. A ‘compound’ is any lift that incorporates multiple muscle groups in one movement. Here’s our run-down of the most important lifts that you should have in every routine.

Deadlift

The deadlift is the king of all exercises. It’s also the most simple as a concept. You put the weight at your feet, pick it up and then put it down. However, deadlifts require good form and commitment otherwise you injure yourself. Ensure your feet are positioned shoulder width apart and that you keep your back straight as you lift. It’s worth asking someone to watch your form. Start off light and work up.

Once you get the hang of them, deadlifts are fantastic muscle-builders that train your entire posterior chain and your grip. Perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps for optimum power gains.

Squat

The squat is another key movement that focuses on the lower body but also trains your back and core as you have to control a loaded weight when squatting down. The movement builds your quadriceps, hamstrings, calfs, glutes and even your abs. You can switch to front squats to build variety in to a squatting regime but you can’t afford to leave them out. Some famous strength buildings routines, like Stronglifts 5 x 5 – recommend squatting every workout. Opt for a similar rep and set range as deadlifts. 3 x 6 at around 80% of your max will build raw strength.

Bench Press

The bench press is arguably the lift most non-gym goers are familiar with. It’s instantly recognisable and a good wake-up call to test your strength when you’re first in the gym. The popularity is justified, as flat barbell benching is one of the best strength building exercises in the world. Stick to 3 x 6 or a low number and focus on keeping your chest tight, feet to the floor and controlling the arch in your back. If you’re going heavy, make sure you’ve got a spotter or safety bars.

Clean and Press

The clean and press is the most complicated lift on the list but also one of the best in terms of muscle-recruitment. It builds your strength and speed and also a huge variety of muscles. As you bend down and rip the bar like a deadlift, you’re engaging the muscles in your leg and lower back. Once you clear the bar and press it overhead in the ‘press’ stage, you’re building your shoulders and back. Ensure that you don’t round your back when performing these. Unlike the other lifts, C&P demands strict form over more weight. 3 x 6 of 60% of your max.

These lifts will stand you in good stead to build a great base of strength and also to pack mass on to your body. The ‘big four’ promote the endocrine system to produce hormones which are beneficial to mass and strength. However, you will also need to supplement your diet to help your muscles repair.

But what is? What is it used for? And what’s it made of?

What is Kinesiology Tape?

Well it’s not the ordinary tape you find in a first aid or on supermarket shelves. It is a very thin and highly elastic tape that is adhesive and is applied direct to the skin and at a specific area. In the past when athletes or players needed to protect an area from further injury or strain, a bandage or application would be applied to restrict movement. Therefore lessening the chance of further injury, compressing the area.  However this had obvious side effects such as reduced performance intensity and effectiveness. Not only that but also decrease the bodies own natural healing process as it would restrict blood flow. For example if we injured our thigh or calf, the whole area would be taped and compressed.

What is it used for?

Kinesiology Tape (Or K Tape) on the other hand is able to target specific areas. It opens up the muscle and still allows full range of movement, as well as being able to offer support to the muscle or joint, helping to relieve pain. This has obvious benefits to a sports person and their team.

By supporting the muscle (effected area), if applied correctly the taping improves the muscles ability to contract, reducing pain and feelings of fatigue. Its also a good protective measure giving some resistance to over extension and contraction.

By the tape pulling the skin and fascia (over the muscle) slightly away from the muscle it allows blood flow and lymphatic fluid to access the muscle, thus basically cleaning and reducing the inflammation of the tissue. Aiding the healing process. Compared to the ‘old’ school method where the area was compressed and almost bound.

What is it made of?

K Tape is made from a very thin, porous, 100% cotton fabric. It is latex free and has a heat-activated adhesive. It comes in a variety of colours indicating strength.

Conclusion

Kinesiology Tape is a fantastic piece of kit to help support and aid recovery from minor strain or sprain injuries. It really can ensure that performance need not be effected in the short term and minor injuries can be managed effectively.

More serious sprains and strains however ensure you get the correct treatment plan. As the less effect application such as K Tape will be. As it is not a miracle worker. Any torn/tear in muscle or connective tissue will need medical attention.

On a side note, if you’re looking to train to become a personal trainer, have a look at personal trainer courses at Body Aid Solutions Ltd. Use ‘LOX1′ and get 15% off as well as 0% payment plans!

Thanks for reading,

Supplements

Supplements play a crucial role in promoting enhanced physical strength. There is a wide range available and you can improve your physical strength considerably. Taking the right supplement and at the right time is essential. CNP Professional offers a wide range of supplements that work for physical strength enhancement. The top supplements that you should really be keeping an eye on include the CNP Pro Energy and Rehydration Drink, High Protein Pro Flapjack Snack Bar, Instant Protein Dessert Mix, Post Workout Recovery Drink, Advanced Meal Replacement Drink and Low Fat Meal Replacement for women among others.

Taking these supplements will help you realise your objectives much sooner than you would really imagine. By taking these nutritional supplements both before and after workouts, you will be able to ensure that your body is able to absorb the necessary nutrients for muscle rebuilding and repair. The supplements will help your body metabolise everything efficiently and are a great way towards achieving your ideal health and fitness levels.

Exercises

Engaging in bodybuilding exercises is crucial if you want to enhance your physical strength. Experts advise that you need to perform various body weight exercises, which work your upper body and core. These are essentially referred to as the body weight exercises since no additional equipment is needed when performing them as it is just your body is required. In addition, these exercises are incredibly convenience since you can perform them virtually anywhere and at any time. For best results, it is advisable that you create a good daily regimen whereby you perform a couple of sit ups and push ups before embarking to your daily activities.

Also, to improve your physical strength, it is important that you perform various body weight exercises, which works the lower parts of your body like lunges and squats. The good thing about these exercises is that no extra equipment is needed and you can perform them at any location. In addition, make sure that you also incorporate free weights in your training regimen as well such as weight plates and dumbbells depending on how stronger you are. There are many other physical strength training exercises that you should also consider like flat bar bench presses to work out your arm and chest muscles.

In conclusion, it is possible to improve your physical strength considerably particularly if you pay more attention to supplements and exercises. CNP Professional offers a wide range of products that can help athletes achieve their goals fast and easily.

This means that receiving advice and guidance from professionals and experts can be of benefit. However, it also means getting help and assistance with what you want to put into your body. The old sayings of “you are what you eat” or “rubbish in, rubbish out” are all very true with respect to building muscles. The right diet can help you to feel great but there is also a lot to be said for taking supplements to provide you with further benefits in your muscle growth goals.

While protein supplements are very popular, you may receive more effective results by adding glutamine supplements to your regular routine. This is an amino acid and it has become a popular supplement amongst many within the body building and weight lifting community.

Glutamine is a very versatile supplement

There are many different benefits provided by glutamine and for this reason, it is considered to be one of the most versatile supplements. The human body has a number of amino acids in it but glutamine is the one that is most commonly found. As well as being found in the muscles, glutamine can be found in the brain, in your liver, in your lungs and even in your blood.

Help your muscle tissue to stay healthy

Scientific research has uncovered that exercise impacts on the muscle tissue, causing it to release sizeable doses of glutamine. If you work out regularly or in an intense manner, you may find that your glutamine levels will drop. In some cases, glutamine has been found to drop by around 50%. People working out intensely or regularly will find that their body uses up and gives out more glutamine than is found in a regular diet and what can be produced by the body.

One of the biggest reasons to add glutamine to your routine is the fact that it is an anti-catabolic agent. This means it can play a crucial role in preventing muscles tissues which are set to metabolised from breaking down. When the level of glutamine in the body falls, particularly after workouts, muscle tissue can be damaged and the body may enter a catabolic state. Therefore, adding glutamine to your body can prevent this from happening.

Take glutamine and stay healthy

A drop in glutamine can also impact on your immune system. This means if you are looking to stay as healthy as possible, topping up your glutamine levels makes a lot of sense. It is important to ensure that your immune system is properly fuelled when you are working hard. This can help to minimise the risk of overtraining and the negative side effects that come with this situation.

Another strong reason why many athletes look to boost their glutamine levels comes with the fact that it provides an anti-inflammatory benefit. This can help to reduce the level of inflammation that some athletes and body builders experience after a workout. For this reason, glutamine is also a supplement that is recommended for patients who are recovering from surgery or for people who have suffered burns, trauma and other ailments.

Building muscle mass is something everyone should consider when trying to keep fit. Whether you visit the local gym, go running every day or decide to take up a contact sport, it’s important that your body has the strength needed to get you through each session without succumbing to fatigue.

Top tips

Every muscle mass-building routine should be intense, rhythmic and set to a strict timetable. This will ensure that you get the best possible results from your workout.

There are a number of sure-fire routines to help you build muscle mass effectively and flawlessly. To get you on the right track, here are a couple you could try to help get you started:

Routine one

Preferred mainly by gym members, this one has pretty much all bases covered. It involves:

• Taking three off-days a week: this allows for effective recovery from intense workout sessions and ensures some sort of continuity
• One day working on the chest/triceps/shoulders
• One day working on the legs
• One day for the back/biceps
• One day for the calves/abs

Training each muscle group over the course of a day every week is shown to be effective, but a whole day for muscle recovery isn’t necessary.

Routine two

This is used by many athletes to help build up muscle mass, and has pretty good results. This routine involves:

• Two sessions for the legs
• Two sessions for the upper body
• Three off-days

This is easy to understand, plus recovery time is ample enough to restore energy levels for each session. During each session, they can focus on different parts of the body, which provides a little flexibility.

Nutrition

As far as building muscle is concerned, supplements can help. Whether in the form of energy drinks such as Craze from Driven Sportsor whey protein drinks, they can help to boost you when you need it the most pre or post-workout.

*Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gym.jpg

Wanting a better body is part of the human condition (as Robbie Williams said, “all we ever wanted, is to look good naked”) but the goal seems out of reach for many.

Part of the problem is the amount of myths that surround the whole process of burning fat while adding muscle mass and definition. While these myths can be addressed and debunked, many still aren’t sure how to approach the project: do you focus on cardio, or do you hit the weights?

Gyms, such as Fitspace Gyms, take time and care to ensure that they have the correct mix of cardio and muscle building equipment. But where do you start?

First, let’s look at a couple of myths to set you on the right track.

Focusing on one part of your body will help you reduce fat in specific areas. If only that were true we’d all be able to reduce our bellies just by doing a few hundred sit-ups a week. However, there is no way to ‘spot reduce’ fat and no specific diet that will target particular parts of your body.

Sweating slows down muscle growth. This used as reasoning for many to avoid cardio exercise which should make you sweat profusely.  Sweating is simply a sign that your body is overheated, so take a drink!

You should never eat carbs. Carbohydrates are vital to a balanced diet so you should never cut them out completely. Instead, focus on getting the right types of carbs (such as brown rice, oats and brown pasta) while getting rid of useless carbs such as white bread and the complex carbs you get from alcohol.

Now you know more about the myths, let’s discuss cardio vs. weight training.

Cardiovascular exercise is something that should be in every routine. The reason that cardio is so named is because it focuses on exercising your heart. This is hugely important, especially if you are going to build muscle as your heart will have to work harder to pump the blood around your body.

Thirty minutes of intense cardio, three times a week should suffice.

Of course, if you want to build muscle, you need to lift weights. Weight lifting itself will also help you burn fat as every pound of muscle you add requires more calories for it to function. Once you have decided which parts of your body you want to add muscle to, speak to a trainer at your gym who will get you started.

So the key is to mix up your workouts and ignore the myths. Do this and you’ll soon have the body you’ve always dreamed of.

Thanks for reading,

I always found a diagram of the human body to be very useful when it came to training. Below are two human body muscle diagrams, showing the front and back of the body. I’ve labelled the diagrams up to show the main human body muscles. I hope you find them as useful as I do.

Now that’s my bit over, making pretty pictures. I’ll leave it to the experts now, to explain a little bit more about the human body. The following information was taken from a range of professional websites, so thanks! I had no idea that the human body has over 656 muscles, although there are some experts who claim that there may be upward of 850. Muscles play an important and vital role in the body. There are three types of muscle found in the body: cardiac, skeletal and smooth. Muscles cause motion, either in the structures of the body or of the internal organs.

The neck muscles and massive triangular muscles of the back stabilise the head and shoulders and permit a range of complex movements. The most powerful muscles in the body and those that run along the spine. They maintain posture and provide the strength for lifting and pushing. The face muscles control a wide range of movements and are especially complex around the mouth and eyes.

Thanks for reading,

Just a quick one today.

What do you think about the image above?

Thanks,