This article is dedicated to someone I saw at the gym the other day looking about as pale as the moon about to pass out on the treadmill, thin as a stick and looking like olive oil from pop eye.
This person did not need to lose any more fat mass and in fact it seemed that all the extra ‘cardio’ with no focus on resistance training was in fact eating away more muscle than fat (the last thing needed). How is it possible that this person who could not have weighed more than 6 stone had bingo wings and a double chin-well it’s because they had very very little muscle and their body was simply utilizing muscle instead of fat due to masses of cardio, not enough food and no resistance training.
This person was skinny fat and it’s a look that you can avoid. This article is particularly pertinent for all those people who want to lean down without becoming ‘skinny fat’.
Unfortunately today, many magazines (mostly focussed at women) focus on cutting calories as the only method to obtain a nice physique. This creates a very unhealthy association with food (often for both sexes) and leads many people to neglect the importance of exercise in general. Whilst cutting calories in order to lose fat it is a much better option to eat a little closer to BMR or TDEE and create a calorie deficit by doing some exercise-importantly what type of exercise you do will have the effect of whether you end up looking skinny fat or beach body ready with some nice muscle too. You should include resistance training (such as weight training) and if that sounds to manly for you then press ups, bodyweight squats, pull ups and crunches will all help maintain lean mass and prevent skinny fat syndrome.
Whilst cutting calories is important to lose fat we should also incorporate exercise not only for health reasons but to aid in maintaining lean muscle mass. You may well be able to drop a lot of weight with a diet alone but if you do you’ll often lose muscle mass which may leave you looking and feeling worse.
Another thing to note is that often the people trying to lose weight via diet alone usually sit back on the sofa and move about as much as a sloth-even less than before! The issue here is that by reducing energy expenditure those individuals may well be INCREASING their susceptibility to OBESITY by eating less.
So by dieting alone in an attempt to lose weight you will
1) Make you Lose lean mass
2) Make yourself more vulnerable to obesity if you are predisposed already
3) Make you skinny fat.

So next time you’re thinking about that beach body you better be thinking about some push ups, pull ups and squats too because you might be able to get into that new bikini or pair of speedos but you won’t look any better if you’re a smaller fatter, less muscled version of yourself!

BY Optimum Gains
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Many people try to travel down 2 (or even 3 or more roads) simultaneously when creating the body of their dreams only to get stuck at the intersection, never progressing down any one road (I’ve been there and it sucks). Many people that I KNOW PERSONALLY are trying to lose fat whilst gaining masses of muscle AND perfecting their diet AND their sleeping routine AND improving their time management AND giving up smoking, drinking, chocolate, late nights AND many more things AT THE SAME TIME! It’s overload!It’s all too much-juggling all of these things at the same time.I’ve had ALL of my best successes when focusing on ONE thing at a time folks, you probably have too! The major issue is that trying to tackle all of these things at once leads to not achieving ANY of them!

So how does this relate to fat loss?

If you want to do more of ONE thing then you need to do LESS of another! If you want to lose body fat (and maintain muscle) then you need to spend more time on LOSING FAT. This may mean reducing your weight lifting workouts to 2 or 3 times a week to maintain muscle-and increasing the frequency of your fat loss sessions(walking, cycling, skipping etc) to 5 or 6 times a week.

It’s hard to do intense weight lifting at the best of times so if you’re focusing on FAT LOSS, then it may serve you well to reduce the intensity and frequency of your weight training regimen and focus more on creating a calorie deficit. So whilst this is a short article let me put it simply: if you’re trying to lose fat then focus on losing fat (whilst maintaining muscle mass). Be sure to follow us at facebook; Twitter; Instagram for more TOP TIPS AND TRICKS!

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Wherever you are in your fitness journey you will have come across people who claim to not be able to gain weight (hard gainers) or lose weight.  If you are one of these people then you might not have a clear idea about your calorie intake and how it’s affecting your progress.

What is a calorie?

A calorie is a unit of energy; its precise definition is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree Celsius.  A kilo calorie (Kcal – i.e. a food calorie) is 1000 calories.

So a calorie is just a measure of how much energy is stored in the food which we eat.

The minimum number of calories required

The human body is a number of metabolically active systems and requires a certain number of calories, or energy, in order to function correctly. This idea leads us to your basal metabolic rate (BMR).  Your BMR is the amount of energy which your body requires in order to maintain the vital organs and systems which keep us alive. Put another way, the amount of energy required for us to do nothing but lie down 24 hours a day in a warm room, not stressed and not moving.

This basal metabolic rate is defined, primarily, by our age and gender. It is also affected by other factors, such as lean body mass (LBM), exercise habits, and stress, but none of these will significantly affect the number.

You may also see resting metabolic rate (RMR) used interchangeably with BMR. RMR is similar to BMR except the measurements are taken under less strict conditions.

Now you have to consider your activity level. This will define you maintenance calorie level. This is the minimum number of calories you will have to eat to maintain your current weight and activity level. Once you have done this then you can think about the number calories you want to consume for your goals.

Calorie manipulation for your goals

If you wish to lose fat, then you want to eat below maintenance. If you eat above maintenance then you will gain mass. How fast or slow you gain will be dependent upon the magnitude above or below maintenance level you consume.

A more tapered approach to fat loss, or weight gain, is a better method here.

For the person wanting to gain muscle

If you are coming from the muscle building end of the spectrum and need to add lean mass (muscle) then you can afford to consume more calories than someone who is aim to lose fat. The question is how much more?

Let us take two people who have the same height, and have a similar BMR. Let us also assume that they also have the same genetic limit for muscle growth of around 180lbs of LBM (198lbs at 10% BF).

If person A has 130lbs of LBM while person B has 160lbs of LBM (143lbs and 176lbs at 10% BF, respectively). In this case person A can afford to consume more than person B. Again as you approach your target mass then you can taper your energy needs off. Once you hit your goal mass then you just sit at maintenance.

Note: More in this instance may be an extra 200 to 500 calories above your maintenance. If you are a healthy person then consuming twice as many calories as you need (twice your maintenance) will result in fat cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia (fat cell growth and new fat cells being created). This is not the aim of eating at a surplus. Those extra few calories are to support muscle growth.

For the person wanting to lose fat

The same theory applies for loosing fat but in reverse. Now if you are carrying 30% body fat then you can afford to cut calories (to around BMR) more heavily than if you’re at 10% body fat (a deficit of maybe 200 calories per day over 12-16 weeks would be better here to get to 5% body fat for example).

In both cases, these approaches will work best when combined with a periodized training program and sufficient protein intake. This will allow you to either add, or maintain lean mass and decrease body fat. Which part of the fat loss/muscle building spectrum you are coming from will dictate your calories and the type of training you may wish to engage in.

There are other factors which will affect your fat loss and muscle gains but first try getting your calories in line with your current goals and training. Once you’ve done this you can start to think (not worry) about the types of calories you consume, when you consume them, how your training affects calorie intake.

Simplify your outlook; optimise your calories first and then worry about everything else!

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BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) are the essential aminos leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The combination of these three amino acids makes up approximately 1/3 of skeletal muscle tissue in the human body. BCAAs play a very important role in protein synthesis (the production of proteins in cells from amino acids to build muscle).
What do BCAAs do?

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat food containing protein, it gets digested through the intestines and stomach. During this process the protein is broken down into individual amino acids and short chains of amino acids. These amino acids are small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Once the amino acids are absorbed into the bloodstream they have far reaching effects across the entire body. Amino acids are involved in muscle repair (lean muscle building), essential brain functions and even hair growth just to name a few.

What is a metabolic pathway?

To understand just how important BCAAs are to muscle building and recovery you need to know what a metabolic pathway is. Put simply, a metabolic pathway is a chain of chemical reactions that takes place within a cell (in this case, a muscle tissue cell). When adequate amounts of BCAAs are ingested they create their own metabolic path way which results in increased protein production. This means more muscle tissue will be grown and muscles will be repaired faster.

BCAAs and muscle growth.

Generally, after a session of resistance training the body is in a catabolic (the breaking down of muscle tissue) state, with a protein synthesis deficit. This is because post exercise the MAPK signaling pathway (the body’s own way to signal muscle growth) is activated. While this is a pathway that will increase protein synthesis, it is not as effective as when combined with the BCAA signaling cascade.

The two pathways act independent of each other. Because of this, when adequate amounts of BCAAs are ingested post workout (usually in the form of a post-workout drink) the body is placed in a greater state of hypertrophy with a positive amount of protein synthesis. This is extremely important for athletes because it will decrease recovery time as it increases the rate at which lean body mass is gained.

This has been an article by Amran

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Amran fitness

Sponsored Writer at Amran Fitness

My journey started from being 16stones with no health consciousness,Till one day i looked at my self in the mirror and said WHY?From then on i was unstoppable in experimenting on many different types of diets and exercise programs. My believe is that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

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Trying to find protein within foods can be troubling for a beginner, this article is aimed to help people learn how much protein is within a few certain foods. Bodybuilders and people whom generally train will have a different protein intake as it depends on the activity they are taking. The basic indicator of how much protein you should eat is around 1.2 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of bodyweight, for bodybuilders and other athletes there are usually multipliers on the grams per body weight.

1. Beef Hamburger patty, 4 oz – 28 grams protein
2. Steak, 6 oz – 42 grams
3. Chicken breast – 7 grams of protein per ounce
4. Chicken thigh – 3.5 oz – 30 grams protein
5. Chicken drumstick – 11 grams
6. Chicken Wing – 6 grams
7. Cooked fish – 22 grams of protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams)
8. Pork Pork chop, average – 22 grams protein Pork loin or tenderloin, 4 oz – 29 grams
9. Ham, 3 oz serving – 19 grams
10. Ground pork, 1 oz raw – 5 grams; 3 oz cooked – 22 grams
11. Bacon, 1 slice – 3 grams Canadian-style bacon (back bacon), slice – 5 – 6 grams
12. Eggs and Dairy Egg, large – 6 grams protein
13. Cottage cheese, ½ cup – 15 grams
14. Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label
15. Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz Hard cheeses (Parmesan)
16. Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams
17. Soy milk, 1 cup – 6 -10 grams
18. Beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein
19. Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams
20. Nuts and Seeds Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons – 8 grams protein
21. Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
22. Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams
23. Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams
24. Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams
25. Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams
26. Pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams
27. Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

Three biggest exercise mistakes to ever make. Are you making them? Find out with this free presentation http://ozpinoymotivation.com.au/3-biggest-exercise-mistakes

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Amran fitness

Sponsored Writer at Amran Fitness

My journey started from being 16stones with no health consciousness,Till one day i looked at my self in the mirror and said WHY?From then on i was unstoppable in experimenting on many different types of diets and exercise programs. My believe is that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

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It is not uncommon to see guys with ‘top-heavy’ physiques in the gym. It always results from a lack of leg training and a disproportionate amount of time spent training their upper body muscles.

Let’s face it, if you ask any guy about what body part they would like to develop the most almost 100% of the responses would be chest or arms!

However, it is imperative that you don’t neglect training your legs if you’re serious about developing an impressive physique.

In this article we will cover 5 reasons why leg training is so important.

Balanced Physique

Having a balanced physique means that all of the muscles are in proportion. Having the muscles in proportion is one of the 4 major characteristics that bodybuilding judges look for when assessing physiques in competition. The other 3 characteristics are: muscle size, leanness, and body symmetry.

Therefore, in order to have an impressive physique you must have your legs in proportion to your upper body. This means leg training is essential!

Increased hormone production

Since the hips and thighs are the largest muscles of the body they have the greatest impact on stimulating anabolic hormone production in the body. This means that testosterone and growth hormone (GH) will increase significantly when leg training is performed, particularly when heavy compound movements are done. Squats and legs presses are good examples.

Maximises the growth of all muscles

If leg training isn’t performed it is virtually impossible to reach close to your genetic potential of muscle size in the other muscles of your body. This is simply because the body doesn’t like being extremely disproportionate.

Whilst there may be some exceptions to this rule most people find that if they don’t train their legs their upper body will only grow to a certain size. Thereafter they appear to reach a plateau with their upper body training that they can’t seem to break through.

‘Indirect Effect’ benefits

Research has shown the existence of an ‘indirect effect’. This means that when certain muscles are trained the growth stimulus that occurs in the targeted muscles also occurs in other muscles throughout the body.

The degree of ‘indirect effect’ that occurs is said to be in proportion to the size of the muscles being trained and the proximity of those muscles to other muscles, i.e. the closer muscles get the most benefit.

Since the hips and thighs are the largest muscle groups they will have the greatest indirect effect in the body.

‘Carry-over’ benefits

Since many of the leg exercises are ‘functional movements’ they offer ‘carry-over’ benefits as well. This means they can improve your sports performance, make every-day tasks easier, and may improve the quality of life in elderly people.

Some good examples of functional leg exercises include squats and lunges.

As you can see, leg training offers many benefits, making it an essential part of your training program. Therefore, next time you’re planning an upcoming cycle of training don’t forget to include a solid leg workout too!

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Stephen Smith

Owner at Quick Weight Loss Principles

Stephen has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years and after completing a science degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA) he spent many years working as a personal trainer, lifestyle counsellor and lecturer. In 2004 he published his book, 'Look good, feel great!', which explains exactly what people need to do to lose all the weight they want to get in the best shape of their life. His two websites provide visitors with a wealth of free information that can help them achieve their physical goals. The websites are Quick Weight Loss Principles and Quick Muscle Building Tips

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Variety, consistency and form.

These 3 things will propel you through your muscle building goals.

Variety without consistency is not optimal and consistency won’t matter as much if you keep on doing the same old thing. On the same hand fantastic form without any variety in exercise routine isn’t great either, though I’d rather someone have good form and consistency without variety. But best of all is when you use the three together to work synergistically.
Variety. Stress and adapt, that’s pretty much how the human body responds to weight training. You may have hit a point in your routine where you are simply not making gains any more, even if you’re well below your genetic potential.

It’s at times like this that you need to vary something. This could range from increasing the intensity and frequency (or actually decreasing) of weight training sessions to changing the rep ranges and type of exercises you are doing such as switching from isolation exercises to compound exercises. It reminds me of a chap in the gym, very strong and lifts a lot of heavy weights for 3-5 reps. He has rests of 5 minutes per set and leaves after 7 or 8 sets. Now whilst this may be great for the martial artist or rock climber who wants to be strong and light I have a feeling this chap is at the gym to put on muscle. He is a primary example of someone who could do with variety in his routine, specifically for him I’d suggest increasing the volume and increasing the reps per set.

If something isn’t working that used to for you then change something and add in variety. What is up to you but if you keep on doing the same old thing expecting to see new results you’re going down the creek without a paddle my friend.

For me, at the moment I’m switching to a lot more compound exercises. My lower back is not as thick as I want so I’m varying my routine to include more deadlifts and squats.

What can you vary to improve your ‘routine’.

Though I’m NOT suggesting you vary your routine so much that the only consistent thing is the consistent variety! We do require a certain period of time with a certain rep range or exercise to see the benefits. I’m talking about mixing things up every 1-3 months whilst you’re still building muscle (However once you reach your genetic potential you can probably go to the gym and vary weights, rest periods and exercises very regularly and as long as you push hard, would maintain all muscle).

Consistency
A lot of work is lost for the lack of a little more. How many times have you put much effort into a task only for it to essentially, be a wasted effort? A lot of this is due to lack of consistency-if we were able to KEEP UP the work we’d achieve far beyond our horizons in avenues of life we neverknew existed. So KEEP UP THE WORK!
It’s better to stick to 3 days a week for 6 months than 6 days a week for 3 weeks. In the world of natural bodybuilding consistency is king and without it you will simply not succeed.
The foundation of much of your success is consistency and to quote Patrick Rothfuss “Practice makes the master.”
Do not bother entering the gym if you’re not going to make it a HABIT.

Do not bother optimizing your eating so you can ‘’hit your target weight’’ only to undo all of that hard work by resuming the habits that got you there in the first place. This is what I mean by ‘a lot of work is lost for the lack of a little more.
A wise man once said,
‘’We are what we repeatedly do, therefore excellence is not an act but a habit.’’
You could say that’s pretty similar to consistency.

Form

Ever seen anyone giving themselves a hernia or virtually eating their own pelvis on the tricep rope pushdown or shaking like a terrified dog on the squat-ready to pop a disk?!
Look, form is massively important and often you’ll spend years doing things the wrong way sabotaging your gains and wrecking your joints only to have to go back to the drawing board.
Targeting muscles accurately requires good form. A bicep curl is not a bicep curl if you swinging it about like a rag doll and arching your back activating all muscle BUT your bicep!
Sometime this requires you to leave your ego at the door and lift lighter. If your only purpose is to lift heavy then great, otherwise focus on good form and targeting the muscle you want to build.
Good form will increase muscle gains, decrease injuries whilst improving your joints, tendons and cartilage thickness. Bad form will hinder muscle gains, increase injuries and wreck your joint, tendons and cartilage.
You’re not really going to be able to stay consistent or vary your routine if you can’t go to the gym as you wrecked your wrist from bad bench pressing technique.
Incorporate good form, variety and consistency into your workout routine and you will see results.

Be well. Andy, Optimum Gains.

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Even though most developed countries around the world have a major problem with a growing obesity epidemic (pardon the pun), it is possible to achieve a great physique by following 3 simple steps.

The 3 steps to achieving a great physique are:

1.     Develop an intense desire.

2.     Use the correct principles.

3.     Allow enough time.

Let’s cover each of these 3 steps in more detail.

1.     Develop an intense desire.

Developing an intense desire is the most important factor when it comes to achieving a great physique. This is simply because it may be possible to have the knowledge of exactly what you need to do and have an understanding of realistically how long it is going to take, but without a desire to take even the first step, the knowledge is useless!

In actual fact, having the knowledge and not using it is no different to not having the knowledge at all!

Developing intense desire boils down to one word: WHY?

Why do you want to achieve a great physique?

Why should you change your body at all?

Why aren’t you happy with the shape you’re currently in?

Answering these questions honestly will give you the reasons you need. Reasons are the fuel that keeps the flames of desire burning brightly inside you! Reasons will keep you focused on performing the ‘daily disciplines’ – the actions you need to perform on a daily basis in order to achieve a great physique!

2.     Use the correct principles.

There are many great bodybuilding principles you can use to help you in your quest of achieving a great physique. Unfortunately though, there are also many worthless, or downright wrong, bodybuilding principles as well. These are the ‘landmines’ that you need to avoid as you travel along your journey towards physical greatness.

The best way to avoid these ‘landmines’ is to only use principles from sources you trust. No matter whether the information comes from friends, books, or online sources, make sure the information is credible, valid, and makes sense! OzPinoy is a great quality source, of course!

Also, don’t get caught up worrying about the principles that may work to some minuscule extent but that make very little difference to the results you achieve; these are ‘worthless’ principles mentioned earlier.

People who focus on these principles are said to ‘major in minors’, which means they focus on the aspects of training, nutrition or supplementation that make very little difference to their overall results.

For example, forget about the exact foot position you need when performing cable crossovers or the amino acid ratios of your protein powder, stick with the basics and the results will follow.

3.     Allow enough time.

The weight-loss industry is full of useless garbage simply because people are always looking for short-cuts or a quick way to lose weight. Similarly, the bodybuilding industry is full of people wanting to build muscle fast with little effort!

Whilst it may be possible to build muscle within a reasonable amount of time, you must be aware that there are no quick-fixes or short-cuts! Even if you use the very best principles and have great genetics, the process of building muscle still requires time.

Therefore, you need to be patient. Simply trust that you’re doing the right things and the results will follow if you allow enough time for them to occur.

So there you have it! The 3 simple steps you need to take in order to achieve a great physique. Despite their simplicity they are extremely effective and will help you finally achieve the body of your dreams!

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Stephen Smith

Owner at Quick Weight Loss Principles

Stephen has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years and after completing a science degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA) he spent many years working as a personal trainer, lifestyle counsellor and lecturer. In 2004 he published his book, 'Look good, feel great!', which explains exactly what people need to do to lose all the weight they want to get in the best shape of their life. His two websites provide visitors with a wealth of free information that can help them achieve their physical goals. The websites are Quick Weight Loss Principles and Quick Muscle Building Tips

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Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions

1. Proper glucose metabolism
2. Regulation of blood pressure
3. Insulin release for blood sugar maintenence
4. Immune function
5. Inflammatory response

Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:

1. A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
2. Heightened memory functions
3. A burst of increased immunity
4. Lower sensitivity to pain
5. Helps maintain homeostasis in the body

While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress.

Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:

1. Suppressed thyroid function
2. Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
3. Decreased bone density
4. Decrease in muscle tissue
5. Higher blood pressure

Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
Increased abdominal FAT, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of metabolic syndrome, higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!
To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, the body’s relaxation response should be activated after the fight or flight response occurs. You can learn to relax your body with various stress management techniques, and you can make lifestyle changes in order to keep your body from reacting to stress in the first place.I have listed a few:

1. Self-Hypnosis
2. Exercise
3. Yoga
4. Listening to Music
5. Breathing Exercises
6. Meditation

Try to get happy breaks now and then,for example go beside someone who keeps you occupied with jokes and makes you laugh,
watch a funny movie or even a cartoon.
Buy something in your limits that will make you happy.
everyone reacts to stress differently,most people including me,start munching on junk foods or chocolates.Try to avoid these types of habits. Instead go for a black tea or coffee,caffeine helps with lowering cortisol levels,again too much caffeine is also bad,so even if you do drink coffee,don’t make it a habit.When on a diet,plan your meals a day or two before,so that you don’t get confused in what sort of food to eat.Most likely people start eating unhealthy foods,When they have not organised their diet plan!!!

This has been an article by Amran

http://www.facebook.com/AmranFitness

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Amran fitness

Sponsored Writer at Amran Fitness

My journey started from being 16stones with no health consciousness,Till one day i looked at my self in the mirror and said WHY?From then on i was unstoppable in experimenting on many different types of diets and exercise programs. My believe is that life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

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Even though it is virtually impossible to build muscle fast, in this article we will cover how you can speed up the process as much as possible. Building muscle is a slow, deliberate process that the body naturally fights as much as possible. Since the human body is designed for survival, limiting muscle growth and storing fat efficiently is the preferred option simply because if you are ever faced with a famine you will be able to survive for longer due to the large amount of concentrated energy (fat) your body has. Carrying lots of metabolism-boosting muscle mass on your frame with very little body fat goes against this instinctive survival mechanism and means that in a famine situation you are likely to die first! Therefore, building muscle tends to be a slow process.

Nevertheless, there are ways to speed up the process and ensure you build muscle as quickly as your body will allow. In this article we will cover 5 simple steps you need to take in order to maximise your muscle-building potential and finally achieve the physique of your dreams. Keep in mind that each of these 5 steps is essential! If you even miss one of these steps your muscle building potential will be impaired at best or non-existent at worst! Therefore, make sure you understand each of the steps to build muscle fast and incorporate them all into your current lifestyle.

1.Lift Weights

I know that for many people reading this article this will be obvious, but it is amazing how many people think they can simply consume a protein powder or eat more food in order to build muscle fast! The fact is you must stimulate the muscles to grow first and lifting weights on a regular basis is the very best way to do that. Now, I’m not going to cover how to train, what exercises to perform, how to split your muscle groups up, how many reps and sets to do, or how often you should train, we will cover that in a future article.Suffice to say that there are some fundamental principles to follow in order to get the best results from your workouts. Here are just a few:

• Train your legs, especially squats (this exercise actually makes your whole body grow)
• Use mainly compound movements
• Use mainly free weights
• Lift heavy
• Use a variety of exercises for each muscle group
• Train each muscle group 1-2 times a week

If you would like to discover the 19 most effective training principles for helping you build muscle fast, please click on the following link: Bodybuilding Workout Routines

2.     Eat Regularly

Once you’ve stimulated the muscles to grow by lifting weights, you need to provide your body with the fuel (mainly carbohydrates and fat) and building blocks (mainly from protein) it needs in order to repair and re-build the muscle tissue. Therefore, it is best to ensure that all of the meals you have throughout the day contain each of these macronutrients; carbohydrate, protein and fat.Many top bodybuilders believe that nutrition is far more important than training when it comes to building muscle. Many of them say that they would rather skip a training session than skip a meal! Their reasoning is simply because skipping a training session will give their body more chance to recover from their gruelling training sessions. But, if they miss a meal, it is likely that their body will go into a catabolic state and lose muscle, which is exactly what they don’t want! If you would like more information on the best bodybuilding nutrition principles as well as a sample bodybuilding diet to help you build muscle fast, click on the following link: Bodybuilding Nutrition

3.     Use Supplements

There is no doubt that supplements do help you build muscle fast. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a growing, multi-million dollar industry. However, supplements need to be put in their place.Supplements, as their name suggests, are just that, supplements! They can never replace a good nutritional plan and exercise program.Unfortunately though, since the supplement industry is such a fiercely competitive industry, marketers of bodybuilding supplements will use every trick they possibly can to gain a marketing edge over their competitors. Slick packaging, endorsement by professional bodybuilders, and advertorials in top bodybuilding publications all contribute to creating the impression that bodybuilding supplements provide some sort of magical effect on muscle growth; they don’t!In fact, every single ad that uses a professional bodybuilder to promote a supplement is actually false advertising! Even though the bodybuilder may use the product (occasionally), their amazing results are mainly the result of outstanding genetics, years of hard work in the gym, good nutrition and enormous amounts of anabolic steroids! The supplements they use probably account for less than 1% of the results they achieve! Sorry, but that’s the truth despite what the supplement companies tell you!Nevertheless, here are the supplements you should take in order to build muscle fast:

• Creatine Monohydrate
• Protein Powder (whey protein)
• L-Glutamine

That’s it! Of course, you may want to use a multi-vitamin and fish oils for general health, perhaps a testosterone booster if you’re over 40, and a pre-workout supplement occasionally.There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars every month on expensive supplements! All you are paying for is the expensive marketing campaigns (including the pro bodybuilder endorsements). The actual cost of the product itself is a tiny fraction of the overall cost.If you would like more information on why you only need boring, old creatine, protein and glutamine, please read the article titled: Top 5 Muscle Building Supplements

4.     Sleep Well

So, once you’ve stimulated the muscles to grow and provided them with all the fuel and building blocks they need, the next step is to allow them to grow! The best way to do this is by having a good night’s sleep.You see, muscles don’t grow in the gym they grow when you’re resting. That is why it is so important to rest as much as possible when you’re out of the gym and ensure you get a good sleep at night.If you would like more detailed information about how to get the best possible sleep at night in order to help you build muscle fast, please read: The Process of Muscle Growth

5.     Don’t Stress

Stress and muscle growth are mutually exclusive; you can’t have both together! Keep in mind though, we’re referring to mental or emotional stress here, not the stress you put on your muscles when you’re in the gym.Stress causes cortisol to be released from the adrenal glands and since cortisol is a catabolic hormone; meaning it breaks down muscle tissue, limiting its production in the body is essential if you want to build muscle fast!Of course, cortisol does have a range of essential functions in the body so you don’t want its production to be zero. However, you do want to ensure that you don’t have excessive amounts being produced in your body.Therefore, if you have stress in your life (and who doesn’t?) resulting from work, exams, girlfriends, family, etc. then you need to find ways to help your body deal with the stress more effectively.Some of the best ways of reducing your body’s stress response (and that don’t include quitting your job or getting rid of your girlfriend), include: using relaxation and/ or breathing techniques, meditation, or using stress-relieving herbs, like rhodiola rosea. BCN’s Rhodiola Advanced is a good example.

So there you have it! 5 simple steps to help you build muscle fast. Remember that you must use every step and by doing so you will achieve the results that you want. Go for it!photo credit: CelebMuscle via photopin cc

Author information

Stephen Smith

Owner at Quick Weight Loss Principles

Stephen has been involved in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years and after completing a science degree from the University of Western Australia (UWA) he spent many years working as a personal trainer, lifestyle counsellor and lecturer. In 2004 he published his book, 'Look good, feel great!', which explains exactly what people need to do to lose all the weight they want to get in the best shape of their life. His two websites provide visitors with a wealth of free information that can help them achieve their physical goals. The websites are Quick Weight Loss Principles and Quick Muscle Building Tips

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