“1,000 Sit-Ups And Crunches A Day and Still No Abs!”

One question I received recently REALLY got my attention because a young guy told me he was doing 1,000 crunches and sit ups a day and said he still couldn’t see his abdominals. He wrote:

“Tom: I have been working out for around a year now and I cannot get my lower abs into any type of shape. I’m starting to see my upper abs a little bit, which is great, but despite doing 900 various crunches, ab roller, and 100 sit-ups four days a week, along with my regular workout on the weights, I still have a tire around my waist. What else can I do?”

What did I tell him? Well, I gave him the same answer I’ve given thousands of people over the years, which is the only true “Secret” to great abs…

It takes training to increase strength, build endurance and DEVELOP the abdominals, but to SEE the definition in your abdominals – or any other muscle group for that matter – is almost entirely the result of low body fat levels.

This may sound counter-intuitive, but if you can’t see your abs, it’s not an issue of “muscle development” at all. You simply have too much body fat covering up the ab muscles. The lower abdominal area also happens to be the one place that most people – especially men – store the body fat first.

There’s a Scientific Reason Why Your
Lower Ab Flab Is The Last Place To Go: Belly Fat – A Big Problem

Most people don’t have their fat distributed evenly throughout their bodies. Each of us inherits a genetically determined and hormonally-influenced pattern of fat storage just as we inherit our eye or hair color. In other words, the fat seems to “stick” to certain areas more than others.

There’s a scientific reason for this. Your fat cells are not just inert “storage tanks” for excess fuel. They are actually endocrine glands which send and receive signals from the rest of the body. You could say that your fat cells “talk to your body” and your body “talks to your fat cells.” This occurs through a hormone and receptor system.

For body fat loss to occur, you must first get the fat cell (adipocyte) to release the fat into the bloodstream. THEN, the free fatty acids must be delivered to the working muscles where they are burned for energy.

For fat to be released, the hormone adrenaline (epinephrine) must be secreted and send a signal to your fat cells. Your fat cells receive this hormonal signal via adrenaline receptors called adrenoreceptors.

Fat cells have Beta 1 (B1) and Alpha 2 (A2) receptors. B1 receptors are the good guys. They activate hormone sensitive lipase, the enzyme that breaks down the fat and allows it to be released into the bloodstream to be burned. A2 receptors are the bad guys. They block the fat-releasing enzymes in the fat cell and encourage body fat formation.

How Body Fat Storage Patterns Affect You
And Keep Your Abs From Showing

What’s the point of all the physiology? Well, it turns out that in men, the lower abdominal region has a higher concentration of A2 receptors, so this gives us one possible explanation of why the lower abdominal region is often the first place the fat goes when you gain it, and the last place it comes off when you’re losing it. (Incidentally, the fat in women’s hips and thighs is also higher in A2 receptors). This situation is dictated by genetics and by the hormonal and enzymatic pathways we discussed.

Think of ab fat like the deep end of the swimming pool. No matter how much you protest, there is no way you can drain the deep end before the shallow end. However, don’t let this discourage you. Lower ab fat WILL come off, it will simply be the last place to come off. First place on – Last place off.

This helps to explain why abdominal exercises have little impact on body fat loss. It’s a huge mistake to think that hundreds or thousands of reps of ab exercises will remove lower abdominal fat, except to the degree that it burns calories and contributes to the calorie deficit. What removes the fat – all over your body – is a calorie deficit and that comes from decreasing food intake, increasing activity, or a combination of both.

What I suggested to this young man was cutting back the ab training, spending the time he was wasting on excess ab exercises for more intense, calorie-burning cardio and weight training for the rest of the body. I also suggested he do an accounting of his food intake, get his nutrition in order and decrease his calories slightly if necessary.

As it turned out, his diet was a mess, and as nutrition experts like to say, “You can’t out-train a lousy diet.”

It’s a monumental error to think that 1,000 reps of ab work a day will make your abs finally “pop” when your diet is a disaster and that’s leading to fat storage. It’s not that ab exercises aren’t important. But all the ab exercises in the world won’t help as long as you still have body fat covering the muscles. You can’t “spot reduce” with abdominal exercise and YOU CAN’T SEE YOUR ABS THROUGH A LAYER OF BODY FAT!

My Championship-Winning Ab Workout Routine

Personally, I only do about 15 minutes of ab work two times per week, with anywhere from two to four exercises for about 10-25 reps per exercise. Forget about thousands of reps of sit ups – it’s a waste of time. The reason my abs look the way they do is not from endless repetitions, but because I get my body fat down into the single digits with a highly specialized fat-burning diet program.

Here’s a recent ab routine that I’ve used (for bodybuilding/ ab-development purposes). I do this routine only twice a week and I change the exercises approximately every month so my body doesn’t adapt. I prefer slightly higher rep range than other muscle groups, but as you can see, it is far from doing a thousand reps a day.

A1 Hanging leg raises
3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

A2 Hanging knee ups (bent-knee leg raises)
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises A1 & A2, 60 sec between supersets)

B1 Weighted swiss ball crunches (or weighted cable crunches)
3 sets, 15-20 reps

Superset to:

B2 Incline Bench Reverse crunches
3 sets, 15-20 reps
(no rest between supersetted exercises B1 & B2, 60 sec between supersets)

How To Use Cardio For MAXIMUM Fat-Burning

Times have changed since the Aerobics revolution of the 1970’s and 1980’s. For years, aerobics was the darling of the fitness world. Then scientists began to acknowledge the benefits of weight training – for everyone, not just for bodybuilders.

Recently, the pendulum has swung the other direction and we’ve actually started hearing fitness “experts” suggesting that cardio should be kept to a minimum or even avoided completely. That’s the way things tend to go in the fitness world – they swing back and forth in trends, from one extreme to another. Lots of cardio or no cardio.

I suggest you avoid trend-hopping and pay close attention to what actually works, by people who know what they are talking about (such as bodybuilders, who are the leanest muscular athletes in the world). Doing nothing but cardio is a mistake. But cutting our cardio completely is also a mistake. The truth lies in the middle. Maximum fat burning occurs when you combine cardio training and weight training together.

Those who are genetically gifted with above average metabolisms will find that a slight drop in food intake and just a few days a week of cardio will usually do the trick. However, most people who are struggling with fat loss (sometimes referred to as “endomorph” body type) are simply NOT burning enough calories to get the results they want. The answer for them is more activity to burn more calories.

For health and weight maintenance, I would suggest 3 short cardio workouts per week, about 20-30 minutes per session. But for maximum fat loss, I recommend 4-7 days per week of cardio or other physical activity for 30-45 minutes (based on results), at a moderate pace. You can mix up the type of cardio you do, or choose the type you enjoy the most – stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, aerobic classes and other continuous activities are all excellent fat burners (it doesn’t have to be indoors or on a cardio machine).

If time efficiency is a concern for you, you could do 2-3 of those cardio workouts as high intensity interval training and you’ll achieve very good results even with briefer workouts. Even as little as 20-25 minutes per session can get great results IF your intensity level is high enough. Remember, seeing your abs is about low body fat. Low body fat is about burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. The calorie deficit is created by increasing the number of calories you burn and or decreasing the amount of calories you take in from food. Increasing intensity is one way to burn more calories in less time.

NOTE: To reach the “ripped” 3.7% body fat level you see in my photos, I do cardio 7 days a week for 30-45 minutes per session, in addition to my 4 weight training workouts per week.

7 Nutrition Secrets For Great Abs

That leads us to nutrition. Many people say that “abdominals are made in the kitchen, not in the gym,” and there’s a lot of truth to that. You can do thousands of reps of ab work every week, but if your nutrition is not in order, you can forget about getting a great set of 6-pack abs.

1. Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit of 25-30%, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-15% 1-2 days per week.
2. Spread your calories into 5-6 smaller meals instead of 2-3 big ones. Be very conscious of portion size. If you eat too much of anything (even “healthy” food), you can say goodbye to your abs. Period.
3. Eat a source of complete, high quality lean protein with each meal (egg whites, lean meat, fish, protein powder, etc)
4. Choose natural, complex carbs such as vegetables, oatmeal, yams, potatoes, beans, brown rice and whole grains. Start with aprox. 50% of your calories from natural carbs and reduce carbs slightly (esp. late in the day) if you are not losing fat.
5. Avoid refined, simple carbs that contain white flour or white sugar
6. Keep total fats low and saturated fats low. Aim for 20% of your total calories from fat (and no more than 30%). A little bit of “good fat” like flax oil, fish fat, nuts & seeds, etc is better than a no fat diet. Essential fatty acids actually assist the fat burning process.
7. Drink plenty of water – a gallon is a good ballpark to shoot for if you are physically active.

1000+ reps of daily ab work is an amazing feat of endurance, but that’s not how you get visible, 6-pack abs! If you were to do 1,000 reps of ab exercises every day, you would have outstanding development in your abdominal muscles and you would definitely have great muscular endurance. Unfortunately, if your abs are covered up with a layer of fat, you will never see them even if you do 10,000 reps a day!

You Condition and Strengthen Your Abs With Specific Ab Exercises…
But The Secret To Seeing Your Abs Is Reducing Your Body Fat!

I once saw a photo of a man who broke one of the Guiness World Records for sit ups. It was the most paradoxical thing, but this man did not have any abdominal muscle definition. He was not obese or overweight at all, mind you, but he had a small enough layer of body fat that the muscular defintion did not show through. I’ve never seen a better real life example which demonstrates the basic principle discussed in this article:

You get great abs from reducing your body fat, and you reduce your body fat by creating a caloric deficit through nutrition and metabolism-stimulating and calorie-burning exercise.

I’ve spent my entire career – through more than 18 years and 28 bodybuilding competitions – studying the science and practicing the art of body fat reduction. I speak from experience and I walk my talk as you can see from my pictures.

About the Author:Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models.program:    Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle: A Complete Fat Burning System Based on The Secret Techniques of The World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Modelss. Check out our Review of Tom Venuto Program

THE GREAT ABS MISTAKE “He Was Doing One Thousand Crunches And Sit Ups A Day… But Still NO Abs!!! is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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Most people understand that fiber plays an important role in the overall health and wellness of the body, but this form of carbohydrate is actually quite beneficial to bodybuilders as well.

Fiber is found in the cell walls of plants and can be obtained from food sources such as fruits, vegetables, oat bran, beans, grains and psyllium.

Because of its chemical structure, fiber is indigestible to humans and remains completely intact as it travels through the body. It is actually a carbohydrate, but acts differently since it cannot be broken down into its basic glucose building blocks.

If fiber can’t even be digested, what could possibly make it so important to bodybuilders? Well, even though fiber is considered a “nonessential” nutrient, it still plays an important role in building muscle, gaining strength and maintaining your overall health.

Fiber is most well known for its ability to induce regular bowel movements.

Why is this so important to bodybuilders?

Well, since you are trying to build as much muscle as possible, you will probably be consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. One of the main sources of this protein will come from animal meat such as chicken and beef.

The problem with this is that if meat stays in the digestive tract for too long it can produce toxins that pose long-term negative health consequences. An adequate amount of fiber each day will ensure that foods are moving along smoothly through your digestive system.

Fiber is also beneficial in its effect on slowing down the rate of gastric emptying. Gastric emptying is the process where foods are moved from the stomach to the small intestine.

When you consume foods containing fiber, they become “gelled” in your stomach and slow down this process. The small intestine is where most nutrients are absorbed and pumped into the bloodstream.

By slowing down the transfer of food to the small intestine your body will be able to extract the nutrients much more efficiently. This “timed-release” effect will also keep your body in an anabolic state for longer and decrease the chances of muscle catabolism setting in.

Along with its digestive benefits, fiber has also been known to regulate blood sugar levels. This will result in a more gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream and will decrease the chances of unnecessary insulin spikes and unwanted fat storage.

This will also allow your body to increase its natural production of this powerful anabolic hormone without having to increase the consumption of simple carbohydrates.

As you can see, fiber is a fairly important carbohydrate form to incorporate into your diet. I would highly recommend that you focus on consuming around 25-35 grams of fiber each day for maximum benefits.

To learn the complete inside scoop on proper muscle-building nutrition, go ahead and visit MuscleGainTruth. You’ll learn everything you need to know to structure the most effective nutrition plan possible in order to maximize your muscle and strength gains. You can also download my “Empowered Nutrition Mass-Building Meal Plans” to take all of the guesswork out of your diet.

Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author Sean Nalewanyj. Click Image for full bio About the Author: Sean Nalewanyj is a renowned fat loss and muscle building expert, best-selling fitness author and success coach. Through his mega-popular websites and his information-packed online email lessons, Sean has helped tens of thousands of average, everyday people from all over the world burn fat, build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives. programs: The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System: A renowned natural bodybuilding program. The Real Body Transformation System: A step-by-step fat loss program. The School Of Muscle Inner Circle. This is a members-only community that brings together fitness-oriented guys and gals from all over the world.

Check Our Review of Sean’s Program

Check out The Muscle Gain Truth Site

3 Reasons Why Bodybuilders Need more Fiber is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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The good news is that your tastebuds don’t have to suffer if you don’t want them to. There are plenty of ways to get in your proper nutrition while keeping things interesting. If you think gaining muscle means suffering through can of tuna after can of tuna or pounding back a protein shake as fast as humanly possible, you need to think again.

1. Pull ups are better than pull downs. Duh.

2. You don’t need a training partner to get huge (but it helps). You should be able to pack on your first 20 plus pounds of muscle alone.

3. Bicep curls do not produce bigger biceps. Focusing on increasing your body’s overall size is what makes your biceps bigger.

4. John Berardi’s G-Flux theory. Also know as energy flux (or energy turnover) is the relationship between energy intake and expenditure. Basically, it’s better to train more and eat more than train less and eat less.

5. Alwyn Cosgrove’s said this, “A good program performed poorly is worthless. A shitty program done with a ton of effort is worth a lot. But when you get a good program and a tone of effort, the results can be amazing.”

6. The Sopranos and 24 are the best damn shows on television. I will proudly admit that I have overdosed on Tony Soprano and Jack Bauer for over 12 hours at a time, on multiple occasions. And I don’t regret a single episode!

7. Learn by ‘doing’ – not by talking about it. I am sick and tired of people who post on forums and ask, “What do you think of this diet or workout etc.?” How the heck do I know? Go try it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

8. The two man bench press is becoming more popular each year. You know what I’m talking about. Where one guy lowers the bar and the other deadlifts it up yelling, “It’s all you, man!”

9. I hate people with no gym etiquette. The guy who does bicep curls in the squat rack. The guy who does a side lateral raise 1 inch away from the dumbell rack, blocking the entire rack of weights. The guy who loads the leg press with 1000 pounds and leaves the plates on. The guy who drips sweat all over the bench without wiping it down. I could go on and on…

10. I really can’t stand skinny guys who wear tank tops. Seriously, if your arms aren’t bigger than 15 inches, I don’t want to see your puny arms. Keep them hidden until you earn the right to show them off.

11. People will pay more money to make exercise easier and easier. Just take a look at late night infomercials and the popularity of group exercise and dance classes…

12. Since I am Canadian-Italian, watching George St-Pierre kick Matt Hughes’ butt was the best UFC fight all year and watching Italy win the World Cup was the happiest day of my life!

13. The Smith Machine is useless. Aside from not allowing your body from working through a natural range of motion, it is a perfect disguise for being stronger than you really are.

14. Only results matter. It doesn’t matter what you, another person, text book, or research article claims or thinks should happen as far as the training outcome – all that matters is what actually happens, the final outcome.

15. It’s possible to train for an entire year and look the exact same! The majority of these people will look the exact same next year too.

16. Stand for something or fall for everything. My father taught me to apply this to my physical, intellectual and spiritual journeys.

17. Only take training advice from those who have trained themselves at a high level or make their living training others at a high level.

18. A complete program involves enforcing movement patterns, cardiovascular work, strength work, flexibility work, injury prevention training, core training and recovery enhancement. Most programs, cover 1 or 2 at best.

19. I heard someone say, “Full body workouts are best for 90% of the population, 80-90% of the time. And body part routines are best for 10% of the population, 10-20% of the time.” I would have to agree.

20. Speak less and listen more. If you are a true student, you will want to hear the teacher’s voice more than your own. You are not learning while you are talking.

21. Over 70% of the supplements on the market have less than 30% absorption rate. This means you are only absorbing about 30% of what is in the bottle. Supplements are about making money. They put just enough in the product for you to feel a slight difference so you buy them again.

22. Hiring a personal trainer is one of the best investments you can make. Yes, I know, not all trainers are created equal. I’m talking about the kick ass ones who have a binder full of before and after pictures and guarantee results.

23. Money is a jealous and deadly god. Money can create freedom but it will not set you truly free.

24. Stretch as least half as much as you lift. If you are lifting weights for at least 4 hours a week than you better be stretching at least 2 hours a week. If not, your body is screaming for an injury.

25. Active Release Therapy (A.R.T.) therapy has been proven, to me personally, the most effective form of therapy available. Find a reputable A.R.T. therapist if you are on the injured list.

26. Competing in my first fitness model show was the only decision that truly motivated me to get the best body of my life.

27. I love short emails written in short, concise sentences. Learn how to be time-efficient with your communication.

28. Dead lifts are the best overall exercise of all time. No other exercise produces the same potential of results as dead lifts.

29. Body weight exercises should be mastered before external load is introduced. It amazes me at how many guys attempt a sloppy 200 pound lat pull down but can’t pull up their weight once.

30. Impression without expression leads to depression. This means that people get impressed with certain ideas but don’t do anything about it so they end up getting depressed.

31. No guts, no glory. If you’re not bleeding, sweating and crying at the end of your workouts than I must question your workout intensity.

32. Buy a foam roller and use it daily. Stop fixating on the strength, size and flexibility of a tissue until you increase the quality of the tissue.

33. Write everything down. This will help clarify your goals and use the past to replicate the future.

34. Find a mentor. They will accelerate your learning and take you closer to your goal.

35. Skinny guys will never become bigger until they start spending more money on groceries, spend more time in the kitchen and spend more time cleaning in the kitchen.

36. Stop training with your girlfriend. I attempted this for a few weeks, and as much as I love my girlfriend, this is an impossible recipe to make any gains!

37. Machines are not always better. They are merely alternatives and used for commercial profit to the manufacturer and sales companies which have influenced the masses to believe that the latest, superior machine is worthy of our attention. I don’t agree.

38. I never got dumber reading a book (with the possible exception of the Britney Spears‘ book Heart to Heart). It drives me crazy when someone asks, ‘Is this book worth it?’ Even if you learned one new thing, would it not be worth it? How can you put a price on knowledge?

39. The majority of people still think cardiovascular is the best way to lose fat. Thanks to programs from Craig Ballantyne, Tom Venuto, and Alwyn Cosgrove, we are now discovering the value of high intensity circuit training for maximizing the 24-hour metabolism.

40. If you are doing three quad dominant exercises such as a leg press, lunge and leg extension, than you better be doing three hip dominant exercises to counteract an imbalance in the pelvis, such as stiff leg dead lifts, good mornings and leg curls.

41. If you are doing three horizontal pushing exercises for your chest like bench press, incline bench press, and decline bench press, you better be doing three horizontal pulling exercises to counteract an imbalance in the shoulders such as seated row, bent over row and overhand row.

42. Unilateral exercises are underestimated compared to bilateral exercises. Don’t believe me? Try a one leg squat down to your butt instead of a double leg squat and let me know how it goes…

43. You are the average of the top five people you hang around most. Hang around with pimps and players and most likely you will become a pimp and player. Hang out with millionaires and most likely you will become a millionaire. Hang out with guys bigger and more ripped than you, and you will eventually become the same.

44. In training for pure muscle size, there are two sides to the debate. Higher volume training with sub-maximal load and higher repetitions. And lower volume training with maximal load and lower repetitions. Both will work.

45. Almost every training program will work if the stimulus is sufficient and a quality caloric support is in a surplus.

46. I am still waiting to see the massive amounts of muscle people fear to lose when dieting.

47. You don’t know what you don’t know.

48. If a supplement has not been around for at least three years to beat the test of time, I give it zero attention and dedicate my time to my training program and nutrition planning.

49. You will get the exact same thing this year if you keep doing the same thing you did last year.

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building About the Author: Vince knows what it takes to build muscle, lose weight and overcome muscle unfriendly genes in the shortest time possible. Vince has an Honors Degree in Kinesiology and has been a Personal Trainer for five years. He now shares this information with anybody who is serious about building muscle – especially skinny guys who can’t gain muscle weight. Just recently he has authored the brand new e-book “No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain.” This is a 199 page manual that teaches skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly naturally and in less time. programs: No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain Your Six Pack Quest: The No Nonsense Fat Loss System Ultimate Muscle Advantage: Eighteen 60-Minute Interviews with the World’s Biggest Experts on Building Muscle

Check Our Review of Vince’s Program

Check out No-Nonsense Muscle Site

Top 49 Things I Learned In 2006 is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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I receive emails every single day from aspiring muscle-builders all over the world, and one of the most common questions I’m asked is…

“Does drinking really affect the muscle growth process?”

I’m sorry to say it, but yes, too much alcohol will almost definitely have a significant negative impact on your muscle-building results. Alcohol is far more harmful than most people think, and it’s very important that you understand how this drug (yes, alcohol is a drug) is affecting your progress.

This is not an anti-drug speech, but if you’re serious about achieving a truly impressive physique, you should definitely be aware of the 5 main ways that alcohol is slowing down your gains…

1) It negatively affects protein synthesis.

Protein synthesis is the process where amino acids are joined together to form complete proteins. Excessive alcohol consumption slows this process down by up to 20%, and since your muscles are made up of protein, you can see how this is a problem.

2) It lowers testosterone levels and increases estrogen.

Testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body. One of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle a person can gain is their level of free-flowing testosterone.

3) It causes dehydration.

The kidneys must filter very large amounts of water in order to break down the alcohol, and this can result in severe dehydration within the body. Water plays an absolutely crucial role in the muscle-building process, and being even slightly dehydrated is a recipe for disaster. The muscles alone are comprised of 70% water.

4) It depletes the body of vitamins and minerals.

Alcohol consumption causes vitamins A, C, the B’s, calcium, zinc and phosphorus to all be drained at rapid rates. Vitamins and minerals keep every little process in your body functioning properly, and many of these processes involve muscle growth and maintenance.

5) It increases fat storage.

With 7 empty calories per gram, alcohol can actually be quite fattening. Alcohol also disrupts the Kreb’s Cycle, which plays an important role in fat burning.

It’s important to have fun in life, but too much fun can lead to problems. If you’re serious about achieving significant muscle-building results, you definitely need to monitor your intake of alcohol and make sure that you are consuming it in moderation.

A few drinks here and there shouldn’t be a problem, but if you find yourself drinking every weekend you can almost certainly kiss your muscle gains goodbye.

If you do decide to go out and party, make sure to drink plenty of water and to properly nourish yourself with vitamins/minerals and a protein rich meal.

I don’t recommend revolving your entire life around your muscle-building program, so don’t be afraid to go out and have a good time once in a while. Just make sure to keep your drinking nights infrequent (no more than once a month) and properly nourish yourself to lessen its effects.

As long as you monitor what you’re doing you can achieve an impressive physique and have a social life at the same time.

Learn how to avoid other common, counterproductive mistakes both in and out of the gym by visiting MuscleGainTruth. You can sign up for my free 8-part muscle building email course to help get you on the path to the powerful, head-turning body you deserve.

About the Author: Sean Nalewanyj is a renowned fat loss and muscle building expert, best-selling fitness author and success coach. Through his mega-popular websites and his information-packed online email lessons, Sean has helped tens of thousands of average, everyday people from all over the world burn fat, build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives. programs: The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System: A renowned natural bodybuilding program. The Real Body Transformation System: A step-by-step fat loss program. The School Of Muscle Inner Circle. This is a members-only community that brings together fitness-oriented guys and gals from all over the world.

Check Our Review of Sean’s Program

Check out The Muscle Gain Truth Site

5 Reasons Why Alcohol Will Destroy Your Muscle Gains is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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Squat and Deadlift

Squatting and Deadlifting are known as two of the Big Three exercises that are responsible for power and mass muscle building. Consider these two animal exercises the kings of the jungle! Without them, you do not have a chance of survival. These two exercises alone, work out about 75% of your entire musculature, including your traps, shoulders, arms, back. Gluts, hams, calves and core muscles.

Not to mention the degree of intensity, squats and dead lifts force your body to release greater volumes of growth hormone, which results in bigger muscles all over your body. This spillover effect results in strength gains in all you other lifts which translates into a more muscular you! Squatting and dead lifting are especially critical for hard gainers because of the hormonal spikes affecting the entire body.

Stick to Compound Exercises

What is going to isolate more muscle fibers? A bench press or cable cross over? A military press or lateral raise? A chin up or bicep curl? A dip or tricep kickback? If you ever hope to get big muscles than compound lifts are not optional, they are mandatory. Stick to squats, leg presses, deadlifts, bench preses, barbell rows, pull ups, chin ups, over head presses, and dips.

If all you do is concentrate on building your puny muscles like arms and calves, then you will end up with exactly what you focus on – puny muscles!

Keep Your Rest Periods Honest

When was the last time you were in the gym and you watched the average guy time his recovery with a stop watch? Stop watches are not just for endurance athletes but should be used by every person who is serious about building big muscles.

Generally, the closer you lift to your one rep max, the longer the rest period and the higher the number of reps, the shorter the rest period. This is a crucial variable, which is often overlooked, yet will determine whether you create the correct training response.

For example, if you are training for maximal strength which requires at least 3-5 minutes rest between sets and you are only taking 2 minutes, you are not giving your nervous system an honest workout. If you are training for muscle size which requires shorter 30-90 second style recoveries but are gazing at the cute girl on the elliptical letting your rest periods carry over these ranges, you are not giving your metabolic system an honest workout.

Lastly, how do you know if you are truly stronger if you do not monitor your rest period? For example, let’s say last week you bench pressed 135 pounds for four sets of ten. This week you bench pressed 145 pounds for four sets of ten. Assuming the rest period was identical for both workouts, this is a tremendous improvement and a measurable sign of improvement! However, what if you took an extra minute or two between each set on the recent workout? This means that you did not actually become stronger. You just had a longer rest period!

Conclusion

You now know that building big muscles is not easy as showing up at the gym and throwing back a few protein shakes. Apply these three simple steps in your next program and I promise that you will start building brand new muscle all over your body!

Vince DelMonte is the author of No Nonsense Muscle Building About the Author: Vince knows what it takes to build muscle, lose weight and overcome muscle unfriendly genes in the shortest time possible. Vince has an Honors Degree in Kinesiology and has been a Personal Trainer for five years. He now shares this information with anybody who is serious about building muscle – especially skinny guys who can’t gain muscle weight. Just recently he has authored the brand new e-book “No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain.” This is a 199 page manual that teaches skinny guys how to build muscle and gain weight quickly naturally and in less time. programs: No Nonsense Muscle Building: Skinny Guy Secrets To Insane Muscle Gain Your Six Pack Quest: The No Nonsense Fat Loss System Ultimate Muscle Advantage: Eighteen 60-Minute Interviews with the World’s Biggest Experts on Building Muscle

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Get Big Muscles In 3 Simple Steps is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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Everyone wants a huge chest, plain and simple.

It is all too common to see inexperienced lifters slaving away on endless sets of bench presses and cable crossovers in search of full, thick pecs. The reality is that there is nothing complicated about building an impressive chest.

The bottom line for huge chest gains is consistency, effort and steady progression in weight and repetitions.

To stimulate the chest using weights you will be using one of two motions: a press or a flye. If you want the greatest bang for your buck from your chest workouts, the true gains lie in your pressing movements.

Flyes may have their place from time to time, but nothing can compare to the overall anabolic effect of high intensity pressing movements. I’m talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as heavy barbell presses, dumbbell presses and wide-grip dips.

There are no secrets, magic formulas or killer techniques that will “shock” your chest into massive growth. Stick to your basic presses, focus on overload and progression, and I promise that you will see impressive gains.

Here are the most effective lifts for packing muscle onto the chest:

Flat/Incline/Decline Barbell Bench Press

A standard barbell press is the meat and potatoes of any effective chest routine. This basic compound movement will allow you to handle the most weight through the given range of motion.

The incline press will shift more of the stress to the upper region of the chest while the decline does the opposite, targeting the lower/outer region. The flat bench press works the upper and lower regions equally. I highly recommend a standard barbell press as a basic component of your chest routine.

Flat/Incline/Decline Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell presses are another basic and highly effective movement for stimulating chest development. The main advantage that they have over the barbell is that they allow you to move through a more natural range of motion, helping to prevent shoulder injuries.

They also prevent strength imbalances from occurring since one arm can’t cheat for the other. The only drawback is that you are not able to handle as much weight. In any case, a standard dumbbell press is an awesome movement that allows for great chest stimulation.

Wide-Grip Dips

An amazing movement for the chest that is often overlooked. Make sure to use a wider grip and lean forward to shift the stress from the triceps onto the pectorals.

If pressing your own body weight is not sufficient then you can always add resistance using a weight belt. Dips are an excellent compound movement for overall chest development.

Sample Chest Routines

Chest Routine# 1

Flat Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Wide-Grip Dips: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps

Chest Routine# 2

Incline Barbell Bench Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Wide-Grip Dips: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps
Flat Dumbbell Press: 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps

All sets should stay within the 5-7 rep range and should be taken to concentric muscular failure. Write down the details of each workout you perform and focus on progressing in either weight or reps from week to week.

To learn the proper methods for training all of your other muscle groups, make sure to visit www.MuscleGainTruth.com. You can gain instant access to a complete online video lesson series outlining the most effective techniques for training your shoulders, arms, back, legs and abs, all in step-by-step detail.

About the Author: Sean Nalewanyj is a renowned fat loss and muscle building expert, best-selling fitness author and success coach. Through his mega-popular websites and his information-packed online email lessons, Sean has helped tens of thousands of average, everyday people from all over the world burn fat, build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives. programs: The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System: A renowned natural bodybuilding program. The Real Body Transformation System: A step-by-step fat loss program. The School Of Muscle Inner Circle. This is a members-only community that brings together fitness-oriented guys and gals from all over the world.

Check Our Review of Sean’s Program

Check out The Muscle Gain Truth Site

Note to the reader: You are free to reprint and redistribute this article as long as the content is not altered in any way, the links remain live and the author resource box (including this message) is left intact.

How To Build A Ripped, Rock-Solid Chest is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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After you have performed a set of squats to failure, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. They are also a challenging exercise to master from a technical standpoint.

All this aside, squats are one of, if not THE most effective, growth-producing exercises you could possibly include in your workout routine.

They will pack more size and strength onto your lower body than any other exercise out there, and due to their high level of difficulty, they also force your body to release higher amounts of important anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone. This increased secretion of hormones will pack muscle size onto your entire upper body as well.

In addition, squats cause what is known as a “spillover effect”: a strength gain in almost all of your other exercises. When I started squatting to failure, my bench press virtually increased by 20 pounds overnight. If you’re looking for serious muscle gains and you don’t already squat, you’d better get started.

Quite simply, they really, really work.

Unfortunately, many people have yet to experience the benefits of heavy squatting. It seems that people will come up with just about any excuse they possibly can in order to steer clear form the squat rack.

How many times have you heard the all too common “They’re too hard on my knees”, or “I heard they stunt your growth.” What do I say to that? Nonsense!

If you’re in the gym with the goal of maximizing your total body muscle gains, squats are an absolute must.

Proper Squatting Technique

For safety reasons you should always perform your squats in a power rack or cage. This way you can adjust the height at which you clear the bar, and you can drop the bar on the safety pins if you need to bail. The safety pins should be set at just below the depth you are squatting and the J Hooks should be set at about the level of your nipples.

At all times during the squat your head should be pulled back, your chest raised and you should have a slight arch in your lower back. You should always be looking straight ahead, and at no time should you be leaning too far forward, or be looking up or down.

Step up to the bar, placing your hands at about the same width as a bench press. Before clearing the bar, make sure it is placed evenly along your traps. The bar should rest on the lower portion of your traps and across your rear delts. It should almost feel as if the bar is going to roll off your back.

Now that you have cleared the bar, take only as many steps back as necessary. Most squat injuries occur when backing up, so make sure that you only back up as far as you need to. Your feet should be placed about shoulder width apart or slightly wider, and they should point out at a 45-degree angle.

Take a big, deep breath, and make your descent. You should not lower yourself straight down, but rather as if you were sitting in a chair behind you. At all times your knee must remain in line with your feet, and they should never bow in. Lower yourself until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground.

As soon as you have reached the bottom position, rise up immediately. Do not relax in the bottom position! Drive up with your heels and straighten your back as quickly as possible.

Once you are in the upright position again, take another deep breath, and continue the lift until you have completed the desired number of reps.

Final Thoughts

You have all the reason in the world to get into the squat rack, so go ahead and do it. Treat this lift with respect and you’ll be shocked at the resulting muscle gains. I would recommend performing your squats once per week, for 2 sets of 5 to 7 reps. Focus on pushing yourself hard on this exercise and continually strive for more weight and more reps.

To learn about more highly effective, growth-producing exercises that you can include in your routine, visit MuscleGainTruth. Most trainees have no idea how to pick and choose the proper exercises and they dramatically limit their gains as a result.

Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author Sean Nalewanyj. Click Image for full bio About the Author: Sean Nalewanyj is a renowned fat loss and muscle building expert, best-selling fitness author and success coach. Through his mega-popular websites and his information-packed online email lessons, Sean has helped tens of thousands of average, everyday people from all over the world burn fat, build muscle and get into the best shape of their lives. programs: The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System: A renowned natural bodybuilding program. The Real Body Transformation System: A step-by-step fat loss program. The School Of Muscle Inner Circle. This is a members-only community that brings together fitness-oriented guys and gals from all over the world.

Check Our Review of Sean’s Program

Check out The Muscle Gain Truth Site

You Ain’t Squat ‘Till You SQUAT! is a post from: musclegaintruth.us

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