Fit and Youthful Life

Guest Author: Karen Sessions


Copyright (c) 2008 Karen Sessions

Guys…your wife is watching your biceps getting bigger! Is she jealous? Does she want to start “bodybuilding” but is afraid of getting TOO big? She secretly wants that finely chiseled body, too!

Here’s how she can build muscle for a lean, sexy physique without the fear of embarrassing you with bigger arms as you walk down the beach…

There are a lot of myths around women and bodybuilding and they just don’t seem to die. I’d like to share with you an article that sheds light on women and weight training that will pave the path for your wife or girlfriend to adopt the bodybuilding lifestyle with you.

That’s right. We’re going to bust the women and weight training myths right NOW!

Who better to do that than a woman who weight trains and understands your wife’s fears regarding women and weights?

Women and Weight Training Myth #1 – Weight training will make woman huge and manly.

BUSTED – Like most people, when you think of women and weight training you automatically relate that image to the professional female bodybuilder strutting her oiled-up mammoth physique across stage and striking a pose.

What’s NOT mentioned is that 99.9% of the professional female bodybuilders supplement with steroids to develop superhuman muscles.

By the law of nature, women do not produce near the amount of muscle building hormone, testosterone, necessary to build huge swollen, vein-popping muscles. A woman is just not capable of building that type of massive muscle simply by lifting weights.

Bottom line: Weight training will NOT make a woman big and overly muscular.

Women and Weight Training Myth #2 – Women who weight train will lose their breast size.

BUSTED – (pardon the pun) Breast tissue is made up of primarily fat tissue. A loss of body fat will results in smaller breast size.

Weight training develops muscle tissue. Adding strength training will develop the underlying chest muscle on a woman and can add more shape to her upper body, creating those eye-pleasing and sexy curves. In addition, a good chest training program will add stunning high cleavage for that perfect fit in a dress or bikini.

To put it bluntly, the only way for a woman to lose her breast size is if she loses a lot of body fat.

Women and Weight Training Myth #3 – A woman’s muscle will turn into fat if she stops weight training.

BUSTED – There is an astronomical amount of women who won’t weight train for fear their muscle will somehow magically turn into fat if they stop weight training.

Again, muscle and fat are two completely different tissues responsible for their own functions. Muscle is metabolically active (calorie burning) and fat is metabolically inactive (fat storing).

Muscle CANNOT Ever, In Any Case, turn into fat any more than fat can turn into muscle. One can only build or lose muscle OR gain or lose fat. The two separate tissues are not interchangeable.

Women and Weight Training Myth #4 – Muscle weighs more than fat.

BUSTED – It’s no wonder women believe this ridicules statement. Dr. Phil has been known to say it in his highly publicized weight-loss book.

It’s a fact that a pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same, a pound. What most women don’t realize is that a pound of muscle is denser and takes up less space than a pound of fat.

Therefore, having more developed muscle on the female frame with less body fat will make her leaner, tighter, and give off that “toned” look they are after.

Bottom line: Adding natural muscle mass through weight training accentuates a lady’s femininity.

Endless Benefits for Women Who Weight Train:

Has training partner by default

Improves stamina

Improves sex life

Lifts and shapes the booty

Relieves depression

Builds a shapely physique

Improves posture Controls weight

Builds positive self-image

Creates a positive attitude

Builds character

Boosts immune system

Clears the mind

Creates more energy

Benefits other sports

Raises resting metabolic rate

Slows the aging process

Decreases chance of injury

Builds a stronger heart

Creates an anti-aging effect

Improves digestion

Relieves chronic pain

Builds stronger bones

Improves circulation

Improves flexibility

Lowers LDL (bad)

Increases HDL (good)

Lowers hypertension

Lowers risk for cancers

Lowers risk of heart disease

Lowers the risk of diabetes

Makes you a happy partner

A woman with a well-shaped body through weight training will feel better about herself. In addition, she’ll better understand the process you go through to develop your physique, and have a better appreciation for weight training.

There’s a special bond with a couple that trains together.

Guest Author: Dane Fletcher


Many bodybuilders do cardio only by the clock. They know they have to hop on the treadmill and knock out 30 or 45 minutes’ worth of plugging away, and they’re done. Some more educated bodybuilders will occasionally attempt to tailor their program, opting for custom incline/intensity levels or perhaps keeping an eye on calories burned. The most intelligent bodybuilders will take heart rate into consideration when completing their cardio, in order to garner the most effective results.

Bodybuilders should be training at their optimal heart rate, which is 50 to 60 percent of their maximum heart rate. There are several steps to calculating this number.

- First, find your maximum heart rate (MHR). This is easy. Subtract your age from the number 220. If you are 30 years old, then your maximum heart rate is 220 minus 30, or 190

- Next, multiply your MHR by .50, and write down this number. This is you’re your optimal minimum.

- Next, multiply your MHR by .60, and write down this number. This number is your optimal maximum.

Now, as you complete your cardio, try to keep your heart rate between your optimal minimum and optimal maximum. It’s that easy!

In bodybuilding, “the more the better!” axiom often rings true. The more weight you lift, the bigger your muscles become. The more food you eat, the bigger you get. The more sleep you get, the better rested you become. However, in the case of cardio training intensity, more is not necessarily better. Training at heart rates of 70% or more will lead to the body consuming muscle to keep up with such an intense workload, instead of utilizing carbohydrates in the body or fat stores.

Training at levels of 50 to 60 percent is perfect for bodybuilders. If you find that 30 minutes at 50-60% is not leading to desired loss of body fat, raise the duration to 45 minutes, or use a split session (one in the morning and one following your weight training). If this additional cardio training does not help, it’s time to re-evaluate your current diet and supplementation program. Cut daily calories by 300-500, add ECA or Tridenosen, and you should be on your way to a leaner physique.



Look Young Again

Guest Author: Joseph Reimu


It is no secret that exercise is a key component to leading a healthy and vital life. There are basically two kinds of exercises that one can do and they are aerobics or cardiovascular training and weight training. Both are very important in order to stay strong and healthy. Aerobic exercise can be done in many different ways.

In fact, if you work at a job where you are on your feet and moving around a lot then you may not even need to do any additional exercise since your job provides you with the aerobic benefit. It is important to not exercise too much, even though this is not a common problem, exercise does put a certain level of stress on your body and if you overdo it you can easily become over trained which can lead to a depressed immune system which can lead to you becoming more likely to get sick.

It is not necessary to sweat significantly during your aerobic exercise sessions. A simple one hour walk outside if the weather permits or on a treadmill indoors can be sufficient. Running too much can put a lot of stress on your joints such as the knees and can lead to future joint problems so if you have to run do it only for short periods and take appropriate rest levels. Aerobic exercise helps to stimulate the lymphatic system which is partly responsible for the removal of toxins from inside your body thus this kind of exercise has is a great way to internally cleanse your body naturally.

If you find doing aerobic exercise to be very physically difficult then consider something like a recumbent exercise bike which is probably the most comfortable piece of aerobic exercise equipment you can purchase. It has very good back support and is gentle on the knees so you can start slow and work your way up as you get fitter and stronger. Also try to keep your heart rate around the 120 beats per minute range during your aerobic sessions.

Weight training is also a very important aspect of exercise that both males and females should perform regularly. Many females are concerned that if they train with weights they will become bulky and unattractive which is not true as long as you stick with lighter weights and do not take growth hormones. In fact, adding a little muscle will make you look firmer, sculpted and more attractive instead of being flabby. Weight training stimulates the growth and maintenance of muscle tissue which is critical for maintaining strength. Weight lifting also promotes greater bone density which can help to fight osteoporosis and it can also make you look and feel younger.

If you have never trained with weights before then it is a good idea to join a local gym and take a few personal training sessions to learn the basic exercises. The bench press is a great exercise for the upper body and the squat or leg press is ideal to train the lower body. If your time is really limited then just doing these two exercises once a week or even once every month depending on how much weight you lift (the more weight you lift the more rest you need) can be sufficient. Become stronger and healthier by doing these exercises regularly.

Guest Author: David Taggart


These days many people are looking for ways they can exercise at home and get the benefit of weight training exercise without using weights. Of course it is very easy to understand why this is true with all the busy life styles that we all lead. With a few simple tools like some free weights or dumbbells an exercise matt and some exercise tubing, there are several exercises you can do while staying right in your house. There are many things you can do by using your own body weight as a resistance that will give you the same benefit that you would get from weight training. The key to your success will be doing these exercises correctly in order to avoid injury.

The great thing about training at home is that you can do it on your own schedule and not be bound to the appointment schedule of a personal trainer or the time restraints of a gym. For those of us that have inconsistent work schedules or we work from home and for stay-at-home moms, this is an excellent solution. Not having to buy a gym membership also makes home exercise more appealing to a lot of people.

For me, working out at home is the only way to go because of the convenience. I can multi-task while I workout. For instance I can watch the television program that I want while running on my own treadmill, or I can listen to my MP3 player or even read a book. For me it is just a much more enjoyable and convenient way to exercise. In order for home exercise to work a person needs to have self motivation and discipline. Of course this is true of all exercise programs, however paying for a program can be a motivator in itself.

There are many reasons why many people would find exercising at home more beneficial. Maybe the commute is to long getting to the gym after a long day at work. After you get to the gym you are looking forward to getting your workout completed and getting home but you find that you are waiting in line for a piece of exercise equipment and that many people there seem to be more interested in socializing rather than getting a workout. You may feel intimidated by those who you may perceive as being further in their workout skills than you. Although some of these things may be important to you, it is not what you should be paying for when you join a health club.

Here are just a few exercises that you can do with no more equipment than to have a couple of dumbbells: Push-ups, abdominal crunches, dips, shoulder raises, curls, shoulder presses and trunk twists.



Look 10 Years Younger

Guest Author: Scott White


Weight training, also known as strength training, is not just for the aspiring body builder, everyone can benefit from weight training. After all it is with weight training that we build muscles and muscles keep our metabolism strong and a healthy metabolism means more energy. So it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that weight training is actually an appropriate and beneficial form of exercising for older adults.

As we age, our bodies experience physical and physiological changes. Weight training for senior citizens can improve those changes so that older adults can remain active and mentally sharp well into their aging years.

With age, muscles lose mass and strength, joints become stiffer and can even develop arthritis, making it difficult and even painful to move. One’s sense of balance can be thrown off kilter causing falls, that may lead to broken hips and many times the need for long stays at the hospital. Strength training puts back muscle mass, as well as muscle strength that has been lost.

Muscle strength not only aids with movement but also aids with balance, so strong muscles will prevent many of the falls and injuries that cause the elderly to be hospitalized and immobile for long periods, if not permanently. Weight training will keep joints limber which reduces the stiffness and pain that causes many people to become inactive.

Immune systems become weaker making the elderly more susceptible to serious illnesses. Concentration and memory also become harder as we get older. Elderly people who do not exercise at all are at a much higher risk for becoming immobile and requiring long term care such as in a nursing facility, than elderly people who do exercise.

Weight training strengthens the immune system helping senior citizens to avoid illness and the expensive doctor visits and prescription medications needed to treat various illnesses. It is well known that after the age of 50 many of the diseases that can cut a life short develop within inactive bodies. By strengthening the immune system through weight training, one can build their resistance to different illnesses, as well as developing the internal strength the body needs to battle more serious diseases.

As we age, our skin loses much of its suppleness which results in skin that just hangs, usually downwards, on the body. Weight training for the elderly renews much of the suppleness to the skin that aging can take away. Skin will be tighter with less hanging on the body which can also help the elderly to feel more comfortable with their bodies.

Studies have shown that the elderly are at a higher risk for the development of depression and other mental disorders than younger adults. So from a physiological perspective strength training helps the body to manufacture greater amounts of hormones which are naturally made by the body.

These hormones help the organs and systems of the body including the brain to do the work they do. Hormones help the brain with processes such as cognitive thought and memory, and hormones hugely contribute to how we feel and respond to different things. Senior citizens who participate in weight training programs report fewer instances of feeling depressed than those who do not exercise.

Weight training has also been proven to slow the progression of the natural effects of aging, and even thwart the development of such conditions as dementia. Exercise programs brought to senior citizen residents in nursing homes has also been shown to help those who have lost mobility to regain some movement and even improve mental functioning. If you work with the elderly in a nursing home setting, consider bringing the benefits of weight training to them.

It is recommended that a weight training program for the elderly be guided by the expertise of a certified personal trainer.

Guest Author: Dane Fletcher


If you’re a bodybuilder who enjoys the soreness and limp you experience following an incredible leg workout, then you probably already know the woes of trying to do intense cardio with sore legs.  Many bodybuilders consider weight training and cardio training to be two separate things.  In reality, since both utilize the legs, careful planning should take place to ensure your cardio doesn’t interfere with your weight training, and vice versa.

The first key to remember is that you cannot do cardio the day before you train the legs with weights.  Your leg muscles and glycogen stores need to be replenished.  You can’t expect a good performance on the squat rack if you went all-out just 12-24 hours earlier.  Give then a rest before pushing them to the limit.

Second, you must ramp down the cardio intensity and angles in those two days following leg day.  After all, DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is at its worst in the 48 hours following a workout.  So after you destroy your legs on leg day, the two following days will be slow, relaxed cardio, which gives the lungs a workout, yet works around the well-worn legs.

Finally, you should take advantage of the numbness you are feeling at the conclusion of your leg weight training session, and complete a very intense cardio session directly after completing your leg routine.  Same day, same session.  Climb off of the calf machine and get on the stair stepper.  Your legs will already be torched, so you won’t feel much of the pain.  You might as well get the most possible gains out of the day’s workout by torching them at this moment.

Day 1 – Rest (no cardio)

Day 2 – Full leg workout (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) followed by 30 minutes interval cardio on the stepper machine.

Day 3 – Full Chest/Triceps workout, followed by 30 minutes walking on treadmill

Day 4 – Full Back/Biceps workout, followed by 30 minutes elliptical machine at low intensity

Day 5 – 30 minutes medium- to high-intensity cardio

Day 6 – Full shoulder workout, followed by 30 minutes very intense cardio

Day 7 – Rest day (no cardio)

Listen to your body.  After day 7, (a full rest day), you might want another rest day.  If so, keep day 1 as listed.  However, if you are feeling your legs have fully recovered, then skip day 1 and go right into day 2 and train legs that day.  The most important rule is to listen to your body and train legs and complete cardio with as much intensity as possible, while still giving them required rest for maximum recovery.

Guest Author: Francesco Castano


Bodybuilding is a hobby that takes dedication and consistency in order to produce dramatic muscle building results, with weight lifters committing themselves to regular workout sessions, consuming strict meal plans, and aiming for sufficient rest each evening. For those who have the time to conveniently perform a weight training session each day, and who are able to easily observe the proper meal plan, bodybuilding does not become a major chore, but certain bodybuilders haphazardly organize their lives, and find themselves struggling to balance life with proper weight training and diet variables, yet they feel so attracted to achieving muscle gain or fat loss that they begin abdicating responsibilities in other, far more important areas of life in favor of their bodybuilding pursuits.

This is why scheduling is of paramount importance to bodybuilding success, as having a specific time devoted to weight training, as well as portions of the day where meals are consumed, will ensure that there is no daily struggle to choose between bodybuilding workouts and family or work. Yet, even those who structure weight training and diet around a daily, specific regimen many times will encounter unexpected scenarios that cause them to rearrange their day, and for those who become obsessive over muscle building, this can create intense internal stress, to the point where other far more vital aspects of life are set aside in favor of a workout session. For most, careful scheduling is sufficient to avoid any regular occurrences that encourage skipped meals or abandoned weight lifting workouts, but life has a way of offering unexpected inconveniences, and when bodybuilding begins to take on a far more important meaning in life than that of its true classification (a hobby), relationships and our commitment to helping others can suffer greatly, leading to a loss of proper perspective on the meaning of our very existence.

Bodybuilding, as a hobby, in and of itself is innocent, and does not need to become a narcissistic pursuit used to base every aspect of confidence and self worth upon, yet for some, this is exactly what transpires, and bodybuilders begin valuing themselves based upon the type of attention they receive from others, which is linked directly with the amount of muscle mass that they carry on a given day. Steroids complicate this matter further, as a bodybuilder establishes a standard that is based on drug abuse, and to continue receiving the same type of superficial support and attention from others, steroids need to remain a constant, and this leads to a strong psychological addiction, both to drugs and the bodybuilding lifestyle.

Many families are ruined by addictions of all types, including alcohol, drugs, and pornography, but while few view physical fitness as a dangerous pursuit, bodybuilding is a hobby that can generate obsessive feelings that will alienate a weight lifter from others, to the point where life begins to revolve around a mere workout and diet regimen, with all else occupying a lower priority. This skewed psychological framework destroys marriages, causes a level of obsession with self that inevitably leads to infidelity, and will result in a level of sadness and grief that can lead to severe depression and a wide range of addictions, such as those mentioned.

To avoid such one dimensional thinking, a bodybuilder must make sure that he or she can place the hobby in proper perspective, knowing that a meaningful life is based upon how we love God and others, with making those around us feel special and wanted ranking far above whether we have a certain sized biceps muscle or ripped abs; giving of ourselves is what fuels true happiness. Yet, this does not in any way suggest that bodybuilding is incompatible with a well adjusted, selfless existence, as the vast majority, with proper scheduling, can easily integrate an effective bodybuilding routine into their lifestyle without negatively impacting relationships or daily obligations, yet for this to occur, organization is of paramount importance. Those who do not follow a structured timetable towards daily activities feel overwhelmed with what they must accomplish, but if carefully analyzing their day, will find that much time was squandered specifically due to haphazard living.

Therefore, to reduce the chance that bodybuilding will conflict with life’s more pressing concerns, choose specific weight lifting workout and diet times that do not adversely impact family, friends or work, and do so with the mindset that if unexpected scenarios surface, you will rearrange your schedule to address the most important concerns first, so that bodybuilding compliments a happy, well adjusted life, as opposed to destroying the peace and harmony that we all strive for.



How French Women Stay Young

Guest Author: Terry Sandhu


ercise is always the first thing that omes to mind whenever anyone wants to lose weight.There is no doubt that by doing cardio,along with changes to your diet,you will get results.

Cardio exercise is basically any exercise that is going to raise your heart rate and force you to breathe harder for an extended period of time. Cardio exercise has many benefits apart from weight loss. Cardio will give you more stamina and more endurance. It will improve the health of your heart, and it will improve the ability of your lungs to the point where your body can receive more oxygen more easily.

The more oxygen you can get into your body, the more energy you will have. Cardio will also have a positive effect on your body’s abilities to cope with stress. Cardio exercise can be performed through various methods such as brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, using a stepper and so on. The method will depend on your preference. While engaged in cardio exercise you will without doubt burn calories.However this will come to a halt shortly after finshing cardio.

There is another method of exercising that you should do along with cardio in your weight loss program, which will substantially increase your results. This method is to start weight training. Most of the population is unaware of how valuable training with weights can be when it comes to losing weight successfully. When you are weight training, your metabolism gets a huge boost. Not only does it burn calories while you are training, it continues to burn calories for many hours after you have stopped training.

As we get older we naturally start losing muscle and in later life this can cause problems with joints, bones and our abilities to lose weight. So it’s important that we do what we can not only to keep muscle but to increase it where we can. Weight training is not just about bodybuilding or power lifting. All types of athletes and sports people use weight training in their routines, and they are not all body builders and power lifters.

When you only do cardio, you will lose weight. Keep in mind that some of the weight that you lose will be muscle and not just fat. This is something that really needs to be avoided. The fact is that the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn. Your body requires many more calories to keep muscle on your body compared to what it takes to keep fat on your body. When you cut back on calories and start cardio, your body will try to get rid of muscle because it is calorie expensive. This will have a negative effect on your body when it comes to weight loss.

Weight training has many benefits and should be an important part of a weight loss program.

Weight training will make you stronger. It will allow your body to burn more calories. It will offset the natural muscle loss that comes with age. It will make you look better. It will protect your bones and joints. It will keep your body firm and toned. You will feel more confident within yourself.

Throughout time a strong physique has received respect.

As you can see weight loss is only one benefit you will receive from weight training. Everyone should have some sort of weight training routine in their exercise program because the benefits of it are too numerous to ignore.

Weight training doesn’t have to mean grunting and groaning in a gym. If you have not trained with weights before or haven’t trained for a long time then you can start with bodyweight exercise. Weight training is about pushing or pulling at a weight. Your body can act as this weight through exercises like push ups, free squats, crunches and pull ups. When you think you are ready for the next step,you can join a gym or buy your own weights,which are pretty cheap if you buy used ones. This will save you the time and membership fees of going to a gym. You can substantially increase your results with cardio and weight training.

Guest Author: Roger Leblanc




Many people who are seriously into weight training shy away from doing cardio exercise because they think that it will eat away at their hard won muscle mass. While there is a valid concern for those thinking of running a long distance marathon, most of these fears are unwarranted. Basically, the concern is that as you are running, the body may run short of fuel in the bloodstream for immediate use. Although the body has a mechanism for replenishing energy by breaking down fat deposits, this doesn’t always happen quickly enough. The body compensates by breaking down proteins to use some of the amino acids for fuel. Therefore muscle is wasted.

While this basic analysis is correct, the body builder’s fears are exaggerated. A short run of say twenty to thirty minutes, especially before lifting, will not break down hardly any muscle mass. Almost al the fuel used will come from what is already present in the blood stream and the energy stored in the liver. This is especially true if you ate at least a moderate high carb meals a few hours before. Actually, a good meal of complex carbs fully digested followed by a 20 minute run is an excellent warm up for a good hour of lifting in the weight room. This is a prime reason to run. It warms the cardiovascular system up for your lifting routine. You will get better workouts and with better workouts, better gains. Following this logic, a light to moderate run will actually help you to gain muscle rather than lose it! But the warm up should not be the only motivation for cardio exercise.

There are several outstanding reasons for adding cardio to your regimen. Cardio is the best way to exercise your heart and lungs, it is the most efficient way to cut fat, and it will boost your metabolic rate more naturally and efficiently than any pill on the market. So how much cardio should you do? That is a hard question to answer. Some suggest that you could start to lose muscle after about a half hour of running. Though they may be literally correct, you should take this with a very large grain of salt. The muscle that you lose even after an hour run is miniscule. Furthermore, since you train with weights on a regular basis, you are continually sending signals to your body to save and to build more muscle. Lifting and running done on a regular basis will condition your body to efficiently handle both the running and the body building. Essentially, when your body is conditioned, what is likely to happen is you still lose a miniscule amount of protein after a run of an hour or so, but your body adds that protein back in a short time. A hardcore professional body builder trying to bulk up for the next Mr. Olympiad may think twice about running that much, but you and I could do it without any net loss over the long run. The only real issue is whether your gains could slow by a margin of 2 – 3% or so. The benefits of cardio to your overall health to your energy level is well worth a theoretical miniscule slowdown, and it is the best and most natural way to get cut.

Cardio exercise has significant health benefits and should not be avoided for those overly concerned with a muscular physic. The truth is cardio actually improves physic because it cuts fat from your body and enhances definition of your muscular build. The substantial benefits gained by cardio are more than worth any small decrease in muscle building. Anything up to one hour of cardio training when combined with a regular lifting program will provide a well balanced program for both physic and health.



Smooth Away Wrinkles Instantly

Guest Author: Chuck Smalley


In my early adult years, I was a reasonably fit guy. I paid some attention to my fitness level, but I wasn’t fanatical about it. Not surprisingly, things changed in my forties. I was no longer able to maintain a reasonable fitness level without concentrated effort. In fact, by the time I was 44, I was out of shape and overweight. I had little energy and many outdoor activities were not fun anymore. I was not getting sufficient exercise.

It is a simple fact that as we age, if we do not exercise, we will begin to lose muscle mass and gain body fat. Our metabolism slows, and this slow but steady downward spiral will catch up to us eventually. Our fitness level will degrade unless we counteract this with a physical fitness exercise program that includes a muscle building component.

I knew that I wanted, and needed, to regain a healthy fitness level. I tried various forms of exercise including jogging, hiking, walking and working out with light weights. I also made changes to my diet. And I had various levels of success with each.

What really turned the corner for me was finding the right combination of a weight training – muscle building exercise routine, with aerobic exercise and a proper nutrition diet. While it is always important to begin gradually when initiating a new exercise and fitness routine, it was not until I started pushing myself with weights that I began to notice significant progress. My wife noticed too. Initially, I had been doing 3-4 sets of 4-5 different exercises, 2-3 times per week. That is not bad. However, I was not really challenging myself. I was typically doing 15 reps of each exercise, which meant that the weight that I was using was fairly low. Again, this is not a bad thing. But what I did not realize is that rather than building new muscle tissue, I was mainly building muscle endurance instead.

But building muscle endurance, instead of building new muscle, is not going to transform your body like intense weight training exercise will. Weight training, also known as resistance training, builds muscle, which in turn increases your metabolic rate. And that change in metabolic rate is sustained throughout the day, not just while you are working out. It takes energy, and burns calories, to maintain and build new muscle. It is the exercising of muscle during a workout, followed by muscle rebuilding after a workout, that provides the desired transformation. This applies to both men’s fitness and women’s fitness. And an effective muscle building fitness workout does not require extensive home exercise equipment or an expensive gym membership. Satisfying results can be achieved with a few dumbbells and a small bench.

So, what changed for me? I changed my weight lifting workouts from usually doing 12 to 15 reps of each exercise, to a more intensive routine that provides more muscle resistance. For each exercise, I start with 12 reps and a moderate warm-up weight. On each successive set, I increase the weight and reduce the number of reps. I increase the weight on the second set and do 10 reps. For set 3, I increase the weight again, performing 8 reps. On set 4, the weight is increased again, and I do 6 reps. On the final set I change things up and decrease the weight to the amount used in set 3 and do 12 reps. This is known as an exhaustion set.

On each weight training workout, I keep written notes of my workout and progress. I then adjust the weight used for each exercise based upon how I perform on set 4. If set 4 was too easy, then I know I need to increase the weights used, starting with sets 1 or 2. The process is iterative but this is an important key. I want to keep increasing my weights until the last 1 or 2 reps on set 4 are difficult. I really push myself on this set. If I can actually perform 8 reps on this set when my target was only 6 reps, then I need to increase the weight.

The point of all this, is that I am now lifting heavier and with greater intensity than when I first started. As a result, I am building muscle and this has made a significant difference in my results. My fitness level is up. My body fat is down. I feel better and have more energy. Fitness over 40 is attainable, but consider weight training exercise as a component to build and tone healthy muscle for better fitness. It is important to combine this with proper nutrition, vitamins, aerobic activity, and sufficient rest. Good luck on your journey!