Obviously if you are in Florida don't bother reading this article. Up here in New England we have a lot of opportunity to get a full body workout from this chore, about 3-6 times per year. This is a heavy duty workout for sure. It should be looked at as just that. The same rules apply as with other high intensity workouts. if you are over fifty years old, or have a heart condition,or high blood pressure consult your doctor before tackling shoveling snow. Unfortunately many people die from this activity because it isn't looked at as being as strenuous as it really is. Use caution. There is another factor to be concerned with when engaging in this activity. Slip and fall injuries. Obviously snow and ice is a slippery substance and ensuing fall can break wrists, sprained ankles and even ...

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Is cardio most effective when done first thing in the morning? For fat burning purposes, cardiovascular exercise is most effective when done first thing in the morning upon waking, before any food is eaten. The theory is pretty simple; the body will have no carbs to use for energy, so it will start burning fat (and some muscle) for energy. This process has worked very well in the past for most top amateur and professional athletes and has become the ‘de facto’ method for cardio timing when dieting to lose body fat. Why does it work? If there is food in the body, it will be used first. If there is no food present, fat stores will be used (dependent on the length and type of activity). If there is food present, your body burns it first before ...

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Negatives – This is the practice of going against the pull of gravity when you lower the load used in training. It is done through deliberately slowed and controlled motions. One-rep max – This represents your highest strength for a particular motion. This is the basis of power-lifting contests. Novices are discouraged from participating in such contest because they may expose themselves to injury. If you are able to accomplish ten reps with an optimal weight then this is a good approximation for 75% of your one-rep max. Peak – This is a term that is mostly used in the context of preparing for contests. The body fat level is minimized to the optimal lowest such that the muscles are fully exposed. This body condition can only be maintained for a few days. Plates – This term represents the weights that are added ...

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Q:  Okay, I have some crazy abs - everyone says so. My abs are like ledges on a cliff face. That is, in the upper region. My lower abs are, in a word, nonexistent. Do you have recommendations for exercises I can do to thicken my lower abdominal wall? A: Remember that abs are a crapshoot - you either have great shape underneath it all or you don't. In your case, your upper abs are very well developed - both from resistance and workouts, and from genetics. But your lower abs may truly lack genetics for thickness. Some bodybuilders have abs that stop above their navel and it's smooth as a baby beneath that. So, let's think positively and imagine you CAN build your lower abs. Squatting occasionally without a belt helps this, and is one reason people lack abs ...

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When most bodybuilders first enter a gym, their goal isn’t to become ripped. They don’t care about proportions. They could care less about etching definition and striations into muscle groups. Their goal is typically to get BIG. Once they achieve this goal, and compete in a bodybuilding show or two, they begin to realize that while pure unadulterated size is fun to have, it’s the well-built bodybuilders with etched in striations and detail that win bodybuilding shows. When the goal inevitably changes from adding pure size to adding definition and detail, a new set of rules and practices must come into play. Here are a few changes to the “get big!” strategy, which refines it to “get bigger AND better”. Higher rep ranges Employing a rep range of 12 to 20 allows the muscle group to recruit slow-twitch fibers ...

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