Ketogenic diets have been around since the 1920's - not just since the Atkins or South Beach Diet craze. They had a real public resurgence in 2003 and went strong for about 18 months until finally people not accustomed to discipline and knowing how to work the diet (the average Joe) saw that they could regain the weight as quickly as they lost it. But despite how much these diets have been recently villainized or labeled unhealthy, they are anything but. The benefits are many and far outweigh any negatives. Sadly, they are misunderstood and a lack of knowledge - even for some practitioners - is to blame. Ketones are produced by the liver from fatty acids which are the result of the breakdown of body fat in response to the absence of glucose (sugar). Being in "Ketosis" simply means that traces ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

It's quite possibly our worst fear. It's the one thing that makes us sweat even when we haven't lifted a weight. It's lack of motivation. Sometimes an injury can spur a dip in motivation, or maybe the sheer number of years we've been at the iron game. Whatever the cause, it's a drag to fight a lack of motivation. Short of injury, the single biggest reason we lose our motivation to work out, diet or do cardio, is because we've been doing what we're doing for far too long. Okay, so maybe not for too long, but too stale for too long! If we fail to keep things fresh and invigorate our daily routines, it can be difficult to remain as passionate and interested in the gym. After all, it's hard to train for 10 years and keep the same level of enthusiasm ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

When you go into the gym, you think: Legs, chest, back, arms, shoulders, and even calves and abs, before you think traps. But trap training can be so important in lending that overall appearance of mass and density. Without them, there's something missing to your upper body. And instead of looking like you belong in a USA or pro line-up, you look like the top dog at a local qualifer in a small town! Then again, build too much trapezius muscle and you'll find yourself looking like Quasimodo, swinging one-handed from a church steeple, scaring the townsfolk. That's what makes traps such a slippery slope. You need to work them, but just enough. Of course, some of that already occurs when you do powerlifting movements, like deadlifts. But that's passive work. The traps require some active isolation work as well, and can't ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

When I first started training back in 1985, the first thing I got was a pair of gloves. I soon found out how important they were the day I forgot them. The next thing was a belt. It was just a plain hand-me-down belt and it was stained with the sweat of another person. But I loved that thing because it meant I was serious about training. We all think we’re big time when we first start training. We have all the enthusiasm in the world, but don’t yet have the strength and development to back it up. That’s when training aids are so important. First off, the basics: Straps, Wrist wraps Belt Gloves That’s the bear minimum. But now, there are so many options for training aids in the gym, there’s no excuse not to have a bagful. First let’s talk about why it’s important ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Caffeine is a drug that is used daily by 90% of Americans. The advantages for most include alertness and increased energy. It has been tested for decades, and aside from obvious abuse at levels of greater than one gram per day, caffeine is relatively safe for most of the population. But there are some side effects which might affect bodybuilders more than others, both negatively and positively. Fat Burning Caffeine is an excellent fat-burner. Many bodybuilders stack caffeine with ephedra and aspirin for the very effective ECA stack. Even alone, caffeine is very effective at leading to increased oxidation and a desired thermogenic effect. Use 200 mg, twice per day, to assist with diet and cardio for losing body fat. Limit weight gain This can be a double-edged sword for bodybuilders. Caffeine delivers a naturally thermogenic effect, ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Most bodybuilders believe that, like legs, the back is a complex muscle group, and therefore requires a higher volume of sets in order to properly stimulate the muscles into growth. They split back day into muscle groups, then train each muscle group as if it deserved its own day. An example of a high volume back day is as follows. Lats Chins 4 x 10 Lat pulldowns 4 x 10 Barbell rows 4 x 10 Low cable rows 4 x 10 Lower back Deadlifts 4 x 10 Hyperextensions 4 x 10 This makes back day a 24-set day, which is considerably more than most athletes can tolerate without either reducing the intensity to handle such a 75-minute endeavor, or risking injury or overtraining. Many people, when faced with the daunting task of targeting a single area with that many sets, will subconsciously reduce weights or reps used, reasoning with themselves that ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Q:  When I first began bodybuilding, I used to have "cheat meals" in the middle of my diets, and then would maintain a "one cheat meal per week" schedule all year long. In the scheme of effectiveness, now that I'm older, what is the best time to have a cheat meal? Morning or night? Weekend or weekday? A: The best advice is to listen to your body. If the times you want to cheat are in the late afternoon and early evening, do that. If it's in the morning or on a Sunday afternoon, choose that time. There's so much about food that is attached to emotion and memory, that it's hard to detach oneself from eating history. However, strategic eating is important to the competitive bodybuilder. My personal choice, in that case, would be either at breakfast, or just ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Proportional Training In most cases in the gym, it is very easy and always to observe that the one and only bench press as well as distinct curl stations are always occupied while on the other hand a number of leg stations as well as squat racks are always idle. Many bodybuilders are naturally in love with training with visible groups of muscle which include the chest as well as the arms such that the most exercises targeting these areas happen to be the most exercises in popular with many upcoming and intermediate bodybuilders. The catchword in this is to never fall anywhere near these traps simply because one is sure to quickly become more and more disproportionate as well as largely asymmetrical. Any overlook of general training could lead to an upcoming bodybuilder earning very low marks for instance when a ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

10. Potassium In conjunction with sodium, potassium is required for the regulation of cell water levels. Potassium is also critical for the facilitation of the passage of electrical impulses between the muscle cells and the nerves. It is these impulses that enable muscle contraction. This mineral is critical in the storage of glycogen which is the muscles’ chief source of energy. If your diet is potassium deficient you are bound to experience several symptoms including cramps and weakness in the muscles, and dehydration. 9. Copper For a long time the importance of copper in the body was not greatly appreciated but in recent times this trend has been reversed. It had been previously established that copper was involved in the utilization and transport of oxygen in the body. Copper is even utilized in the production and synthesis of noradrenalin. Recent studies found that ...

If you like this article, click here to share:

Not many individuals are overtly interested in having muscles aesthetics purposes only, for more people working out their muscles this is not an interest as such. Most people are interested in realizing what benefits they could derive from exercises in their bodybuilding lives. In this breathe, many individuals have neglected and overlooked many health benefits as well as weight training ones that there are to offer, leading to more problems along he way such as a decrease in the density of bones, slowing of the rate of metabolism, stress levels soaring and also multitudes of negative consequences which are literally associated with more and more stress in their lives. Weight lifting as major weight bearing healthy exercise one can carry out, has the capability to increase ones body density as well as aiding in the removal of the osteoporosis condition and also ...

If you like this article, click here to share: