Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Lana Hawkins


The fastest way to build muscle is to have a weight training program that is designed exactly for your goals. If you are trying to build strength then high loads and small reps are best for a strength training routine. To advance your fitness and endurance, use smaller weights and many repetitions. Increasing muscle size is accomplished by using a weight that allows for about 7-12 reps. Know what you want to achieve before you begin a weight training program.

If you are just starting out it may take a gym session to evaluate your starting weights. The point is to be careful at the start so injuries don’t thwart your progress.

Your current fitness level will be a large factor in determining what weight you will start with. You’ll need to be able to just barely complete the repetition target at the weight you’ve chosen. For example, say your goal is to build muscle fast or body build. You have not worked out in decades and it is hard to lift a gallon of milk ten times. Start with fifteen pound weights. Can you make twelve reps easy? If you can’t do more than 5, you will need to choose a smaller weight. You want to totally fatigue your muscle so there’s nothing left at your specified rep count.

This is what happens. Your body is very adaptable and it has its current limits. You can only do what you do. Give your body a challenge and it will adapt. It will not build more muscle if it does not need to. Do more than you do now and you will improve. Your amazing body will adapt quickly and build muscle. It needs more muscle to lift the weight. Your weight training program allows your body to meet the new demands. If you can bump up the weight with your weight training program at a fairly fast pace and you’ll be able to build muscle fast. Do over do it or you will be sitting out and not build muscle at all.

Know your goals to establish the correct weight training program for you. Your weight training strategy will depend on if you want sheer strength, fitness and endurance, or well defined muscles. A weight training program to build muscle fast will have you tanking out after about seven to ten reps. Increase the weight when you can finish the set without fatigue.

Guest Author: Dorianne Schwaiger


What are the myths and misconceptions for women who weight train can they really build natural muscle like a man?

Basic Rules of Strength Training

Whoever is lifting the weight, be it male or female, the old rule will apply. So let’s get the facts straight right now and move on:

- Heavier weights performed with less repetitions will build muscle mass

- Lighter weights performed with more repetitions will build endurance, tone the muscle group worked without building mass

The average woman will experience a 20 – 40 percent increase in strength when lifting weights after several consecutive months of resistance training.

The same can be said for women that indulge in aerobic workout activities such as step classes, elliptical machines and stationary bicycle or outdoor cycling. increasing the resistance and step height on cardio machines will result in more muscle mass rather than a toned leaner look to your legs. True aerobic training in the form of running, race walking and cardio classes at the gym will build your heart muscle which is something we should all be concerned with at any age.

So How Do Women Build Muscle?

The true answer lies in our DNA. Our genetics have a large determining factor as to how we distribute our body fat and what ratio of estrogen to testosterone is in our body make-up. So, in a way we are already predisposed as to how our body responds to weight training and aerobic exercise in a certain way.

What Body Type Are You?

There are three classifications of body type for women:

Mesomorphs: Tend to be more muscular, this body type responds quickly to weight training and is more apt to gain muscle mass.

Ectomorphs: This last body type tends to be on the lean side with little effort. Even with strength training, they are less likely to build any muscle mass, but will become stronger through lifting weights. Weight loss occurs more easily and they tend to NOT store body fat.

Endomorphs: This body type is more soft and round, often referred to as voluptuous. muscle tone is hard to distinguish with this particular body type there must first be a good amount of fat loss before results are visible.

Research continues to prove that weight training is great for women. It builds body strength and helps to slow bone loss and osteoporisis in some cases. However, most women continue to avoid resistance training out of fear of developing large muscles and losing their femenity.

No two bodies are alike it is important to remember that every woman will respond differently to the exact training routine. everyone is unique, it would be wrong to try and compare yourself to others at the gym. Focus on your individual results based on your age and body type. It’s not what you look like, but rather how exercise makes you feel and the quality of life it brings to you.



Fountain Of Youth

Guest Author: Chung Leong Yu


For a long time, weight training was seen as an activity performed by macho men in sweaty gyms. The times have changed, as many men and women are learning the benefits of weight training for everyone, not just the men with big biceps and sculpted torsos.

Strength training can prevent injuries, promote stamina and increase self confidence. It is easy to learn, and does not take as much time as you might think. Thirty minutes of workout time three times a week can bring you the sculpted and toned body that you have dreamed about.

As free weights and strength training machines have made their way out of the gyms and into recreation centers, fitness centers and even basements, weight training for women has gained momentum.

Starlets like Marilyn Monroe and Madonna have stuck with a regular strength training regimen to maximize their assets. Other women are finding the benefits of weight training as well. Bulking up is not always the goal, but weight training can simply mean toning muscles and ridding the body of unwanted fat. Swimsuit season seems to be just around the corner! Are you ready for a woman weight training program?

The Warm-up

Before beginning a program, it is important to find a personal trainer or fitness expert that can show you the right methods for strength training. Using the wrong form on machines or with the free weights can result in pain and injury, so start out on the right foot by enlisting the help of a professional who can properly teach you.

It is also very important to warm up your muscles before beginning a weight training session. This can be accomplished with a few laps around the track of your fitness center, or a few minutes of work on the treadmill or the bike. Keep in mind that a warm-up does not mean a quick sprint, a ten minutes of easy walking or pedaling will do the trick.

How Many Repetitions, and How Much Weight?

While a personal trainer can get you started on the right path in your womans weight training regimen, the answers to these questions will depend a lot on you and what you can lift. The key is to find the weight amount that will tire you at the end of twelve repetitions. The final lift or curl should be as challenging as you can handle, but the rest of the reps should be quite doable. If you are working out with the proper weight amount, one set of twelve repetitions should be enough. However many women weight trainers prefer to finish two or three sets with a slightly lower weight amount, to ensure that toning is occurring without adding too much muscle bulk.

A weight training program for female should include two or three sessions every week that last about 30 minutes each. It is very important to spend a day after a session resting the muscles that were used. You can either do a full workout every other day, or do shorter daily sessions where you work your legs one day and your arms and upper body the next. The great thing about weight training for women is that you can tailor your program to your individual needs and schedule limitations.

Weight training for women offers many benefits, including increased strength and stamina, increased flexibility and better weight management. As people age, muscle mass decreases and will be replaced with fat if something is not done. Weight training can control that process, assisting with weight management as you age.

It is also a good way to ward off osteoporosis, since regular strength training will increase bone density. Osteoporosis is a big health concern with women of menopausal age, so weight training for women becomes even more important as a woman reaches mid-life.



The Real Youth Potion

Guest Author: Gordon Chandler


A Plateau Should Be a Geographical Land Mark…Not A Limiting Factor In Your Weight Training

“Plateau” is not the way you want to think of your weight training program.  Especially when the internet defines plateau as “a period during training when there is no apparent improvement in performance even though practice continues”.  This is sometimes referred to as the “plateau of despond” and when you pump arm-curls out day after day with no visible gains then you know exactly why it is so named!  We all know the reason muscles grow is that they are asked to perform tasks that are outside their current level of capability.  When these muscles become too accustomed to the kind of work asked of them they become stale and a plateau is reached.    Until you discover the reason for the staleness and correct it you remain at this stand-still and further growth will elude you.

If your training program has remained the same for too long you invite a plateau into your life.  Perform the same exercises with exactly the same number of repetitions lifting the identical weight day after day and you are inviting a plateau into your life.  The muscles you work with these exercises become accustomed to the work and deny growth.  As long as you deny change your body finds that increased growth is not necessary to complete the tasks.

Change your workout routines.  Plateaus generally are reached when the workout intensity no longer challenges the body.  Solution: increase the intensity of what you are doing.  If you are not experiencing desired growth then increase the amount of work you are asking your body to do.  Rather than four or five repetition sets of ten bicep curls increase this amount to eight or nine reps (or the other choice would be to increase the number of curls in a set).  You muscles will respond to the change and growth should resume.  However, do not make the mistake of decreasing your workout demands.  Your muscles have already slacked off so why give them reason to slack off more?

Perhaps you are at this plateau because you are bored?  This might be a hint to explore a bit of cross-training in your routine.  If you enjoy bicycling then incorporate a “power-ride” into your weekly workouts for a change.  Or perhaps swimming is one of your loves.  It will not hurt one bit to take a swim or two each week as part of your daily workouts.  Cross-training should keep your programs interesting and as well may help reduce your body fat or increase the oxygenation abilities of your pulmonary system. 

The one thing you do not want is to let this weight training plateau become a pitfall to your future health.  Your body has adjusted to your demands and is looking for something different.  Vary your work out method, vary the type of food you eat or the amount of sleep per night.  Change something; change the type of included exercises, include different types of workout machinery you use or alter your schedule to a different hour of the day.  Whatever you do this is not the time to quit.  Discover other methods of challenging your body and your rewards will be two-fold. First you will work yourself off this plateau and resume the muscle mass growth you are after.  And secondly you will allow yourself additional knowledge in the area of bodybuilding and weight training.

Guest Author: Jerry Ryan, Ph.D.


Weight training can be a fun and energizing way to maintain strength, lose weight, and keep a healthy, good-looking body. Listed below are a few tips on setting up a great muscle-building, fat-burning workout.

The 640+ muscles of the body are divided into upper body muscles and lower body muscles. The upper body has a greater number of muscles but they are smaller than those of the lower body. The largest muscles are contained in the lower body and subsequently, there are fewer of them.

To work each group properly for maximum results, we need to work them a little differently. Let me explain. An “exercise” is a series of movements that either pushes or pulls a weight through a range of motion. A “repetition” is one complete movement through that particular exercise. A “set” is a grouping of repetitions. So, each exercise is done in repetitions which are part of a set. You can work each of the muscle groups one at a time, doing one set per group, and rest for 30-60 seconds before repeating the routine. This series is called a “circuit.”

While all sets of exercise will be done in repetitions, the amount of repetitions and sets can change. For best results, each body part should be exercised 2-3 times a week but NEVER on consecutive days. The muscles require at least 24-48 hours of recovery time for optimal performance.

Upper body muscles need to be trained at 8-15 repetitions per set for a total of 2-3 sets. Lower body muscles are trained at 8-15 repetitions per set for a total of 3-4 sets. Circuits can be repeated 3-4 times. The lower body muscles are worked harder because they are larger and can adapt to a higher load more rapidly than the upper body muscles.

To set a good training weight load, men should do 75% of the absolute maximum that they can handle for 1-3 repetitions in each exercise. Women should only use a weight that is approximately 60% of her maximum.

It’s really hard to overtrain your abdominal muscles since you use them all day in twisting, turning, and other torso movements. So, your abdominal muscles can be worked 4-7 times per week. Studies have shown that using a variety of crunching exercises is the best workout for the abdominal muscles. Do the 10 Crunch Variations listed and you’ll have rock-hard abdominals. Do 1-2 sets of 10 repetitions for each of the 10 crunches and you’ll hit every abdominal muscle. Remember to focus on proper form and the intensity of the exercise instead of the number of repetitions or sets. You will definitely feel a “burn” in the abdominal muscles on each set. Keeping your arms crossed on your chest with your hands on the opposite shoulder, you should lift only your head and shoulders up off the floor. This technique will not cause the typical pain in your neck or back.

Stretching is extremely important, both before and after a workout. It avoids injury and helps release toxins caused by the stress of working out. So make sure that you stretch to keep from aching after a workout and you’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll be back for more.

Below is a list of the most common exercises used to tone and strengthen each muscle group. Start out slowly using 1-2 exercises each for the various muscles. As you progress, add more exercises for variety and challenge.

EXERCISES FOR THE UPPER BODY

Chest/Shoulders: Front deltoid raise, lateral deltoid raise, Bent rear deltoid raise, Dumbbell shrug, Upright row, Bench press, Flyes, Inclined press, Dumbbell pullover, Parallel dip, Cable crossover

Back: Chin-up, Lat Pull-down, Bent barbell row, Bent one-arm dumbbell rows, Seated cable row

Arms: Biceps curl, Preacher curl, Machine curl, Cable curl, Triceps dip, Triceps pressdown, French curl

EXERCISES FOR THE LOWER BODY

Legs/Buttocks: Squats, Lunges, Leg press, Leg extensions, Leg lifts, Leg curls, Calf raises

Abdominals: Abdominal crunches in all 10 variations, Abdominal flexor machine, Leg lifts, Leg scissors

10 CRUNCH VARIATIONS

1. Knees bent, feet flat on floor

2. Knees bent and out to sides in a frog-leg position, soles of feet flat together

3. Legs at 90o to body, knees bent, calves parallel to floor

4. Legs at 90o to body, knees bent and out to sides in a frog-leg position, soles of feet flat together

5. Legs at 90o to body, toes pointing to ceiling

6. Legs at 90o to body, toes pointing to ceiling with legs spread wide

7. Left leg straight and held 3” off ground, right leg bent to chest

8. Right leg straight and held 3” off ground, left leg bent to chest

9. Turn on left side, do side crunches

10. Turn on right side, do side crunches

This article is just a small portion of an eight week online class that I teach called ‘The Answer’s Right Under Your Nose.’ You can find out more under the Personal Coaching section of my website – www.jerryryanphd.com.



Secret of Youth

Guest Author: Kyle Oxenham


The common concept of weight training is that it is done to get really big muscles. What can people possibly get if they allow weight training classes for high school? Will they end up with high school kids that look like wrestlers? Or worse, end up with super buff high school kids that might wrestle their teachers if they fail an exam? How creepy!

Getting extra large muscles is not the only thing about weight training. You can use weight training to have larger muscles. You can stop or stick to your regimen without increasing your repetitions or weights if you are satisfied with your size. Weight training for high school can easily become part of the curriculum such as swimming and wrestling. These sports are equally as dangerous as the others.

But mind you, weight training can be one of the safest exercises around. Weight trainers just need to carefully follow instructions to avoid any injuries. This will not be a problem to highschool students since coaches will be around to observe the students progress. Speaking of progress, weight training in highschool will stick to easier routines and lesser weights. For short, beginners! It will be foolish to let highschool students jump into an advanced class because weight training is like climbing a ladder, you have to be at the bottom before you finally reach the top.

Aside from getting toned muscles, weight training will teach students more about self discipline, endurance and patience. Why these three? Self discipline because the exercise has to be done properly. Students have to follow the correct body posture. Even spreading the weight all over your body can be called cheating. So, if an exercise is for a particular muscle that should be the only muscle thats worked on and nothing else. The exercise is designed to tests your strengths and limits. Sometimes it is near impossible to complete the exercise as you reach the end. Students endurance will be tested. Weight training will also teach them patience because larger muscles do not just grow overnight.

Can weight training in high school teach them more? Yes! Weight training will inculcate these three values in students but there are more that they will find out for themselves. Once classes are done or the students have graduated, they will find out that, not only did they undergo physical changes because of weight training but they also had changes in the inside that they can bring with them and use it in life.



Turn Back The Clock

Guest Author: Jim Suzak


ght (c) 2009 Jim Suzak

These are some of the best muscle building weight training tips that a beginner can use to gain muscle. By following these guidelines, you can get started on the right track to help get the most out of your muscle building weight training routine.

A warm up of ten to fifteen minutes should be sufficient. It does not matter what you do to warm up, you just need to get your heart pumping. Also, you should move all parts of your body to loosen up. Cardio types of exercises are excellent for warm up. By doing this you will prevent injuries to the muscles by increasing your core body temperature.