It is a well known fact that protein supplements form the basis of the body builders diet, in their efforts of increasing both size and mass. What many people do not realize is that the benefits of protein actually extend way beyond mass and muscle building, but have been proven to increase well being from a number of different aspects.

Often times the food that is available today, in the stores or markets are lacking in certain vitamins, minerals and components that are essential to the training individual’s goals and objectives from a muscle building perspective. Hence the protein supplements that are available today have become a vital part of the bodybuilding diet.

In understanding why these supplements are so important, not only to the bodybuilding community, but to many others, one has to consider the basic structure and function thereof. In its basic form the protein supplements are considered to be organic compounds. These compounds contain essential and non essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of the muscles themselves. Growth of the muscles within the body does not only provide increased size but the gaining in strength is also realized.

The true power of protein supplements are further illustrated by the use of these products within the medical field. These products have further been linked to providing not only the growth and strength aspects but providing energy as well as repairing muscles in the process after physical exertion. This physical exertion is key to the muscle building process, as the working out of the muscle groups is based around the ‘tearing’ the tissues which then grow back together but with increased size and mass. The speed at which the body repairs itself is greatly enhanced by protein.

Over and above the benefits described, and dependent upon the purity and intake of the protein supplements can also have a profound effect upon weight loss efforts and the part of the user. A purer source of the supplement provides nothing but pure nutrition for the body, without the intake of fat, provided of course you are not combining this with high fat products. Besides the products that are available, protein can be found in everyday food sources including, but not limited to meat, egg whites and so on. From a vegetarian perspective one may consider soya beans.

For those with limited time, or those seeking a more pure source of the protein the use of premium protein supplements is recommended to get the most out of this strategy of consumption. The forms within which these are available include powder as well as liquid forms, some of which are available in easy sachets that can be taken to the gym in your kit bag. The use of protein supplements is a great foundation for starting your bodybuilding process, as well as contributing to your overall wellbeing.

Chris writes for SportandSupplements.com, your one stop resource center for Protein Supplements at http://www.sportandsupplements.com

The use of sports nutrition is not limited to sports people, gym enthusiasts or even those that are on diet, however these products that are normally classified into the sports nutrition categories offer a great source of extremely important foodstuffs that are quite often lacking in our day to day diets.

With specific reference to the sports and training fraternity, the intake of protein is quite often underestimated and normally takes a back seat to the much touted and publicized carbohydrates for endurance. The result of this culminates in a reduced performance level, and many athletes thinking that they have mastered their sports nutrition needs wonder why their performance is not exactly what they are expecting it to be.

One only needs to think about the role that protein plays within the body, and once again this is relevant to the non athlete too. The major component of the human body is that of water, and the second component? Protein, therefore perhaps a little more attention to the protein needs of the human body must certainly be forthcoming, yet it continues to be underestimated.

As an active sports person it is also worth noting that the quality of sports nutrition also becomes extremely important and this becomes an issue of quality over quantity. This is also determined by the abbreviation commonly referred to as RDA, which stands for Recommended Daily Allowance. This figure provides for the medically research optimal amount of the specific food item or constituent that should be consumed on a daily basis.

The higher the quality of the sports nutrition supplement, the less and more concentrated the serving which in turn provides the required nutrients in accordance with the RDA levels, as well as the amounts of protein and in effect energy required for optimal performance. Sports nutrition products not only ensure optimal performance when consumed and used correctly by those that demand superior performance from their bodies, but also by people that are on diet, as well as those that are actually treated by medical professionals that utilize products such as whey protein to deal with muscle degenerative conditions and related diseases.

Sports nutrition and the related products categorized within this area, extend further into a number of additional items too. These items are in fact naturally occurring, but are lacking within our diet and therefore supplementation has become necessary. Examples of these include the creatine and glutamine supplements that have been popular for many years amongst athletes, sports people and the muscle building communities.

One of the key issues surrounding this topic is that the correct intake of these items can boost the users level of performance on a natural, and legal basis.

Chris writes for SportandSupplements.com, your one stop resource center for Sport Supplements at http://www.sportandsupplements.com

There are various dreams, which people hold when they engage in bodybuilding, getting agility and flexibility is one of them. Achieving these two properties of bodybuilding remains one of the hardest things especially due to the challenges existing in this field. There are several routes that one can use in getting there and the choice is all dependent on an individual. Supplements are one approach that one may opt for and it works wonders when handled properly. This is just a light guide of the available supplements which help improve flexibility and agility of a bodybuilder.

There are some electrolyte replacement forms of drinks, which one can use to help you maximize the exercises when bodybuilding. These drinks are a boost of the present energy in a body and they develop enthusiasm to continue in your bodybuilding workouts. Proper fueling, especially hydration before any training event is very vital for an individual, and so is mineral and other electrolyte replacements taken during or after any bodybuilding events. Low levels of electrolytes or minerals in the blood stream leads to a subsequent decrease in an individual’s performance, so averaging their level in the blood is very important for all people taking part in any endurance training. An average level of minerals in an individual’s blood stream is needed to make sure that, the enzymatic reactions which hold the blood to a normal volume, and the blood sugar levels controlled, are well carried through.

Glucosamine is another substance which leads to positive effects in ensuring that the joints remain healthy, and it is mainly used by people who attempt to slow down conditions of arthritis. Whilst there are still some conflicting studies in trying to understand Glucosamine ability, the entire research and other reviews indicate that, they have some potential benefits, mainly as the main prevention, and to always maintain an individual’s healthy joints. The most recommended dosage is of 1,500mg daily of the Glucosamine substance. This too has its positive side and the negatives when body building. It is very essential in improving the health of the joints and has been used widely by people who have weak bones. On the other hand, the substance is not affordable to the common man and only available in large qualities hindering is accessibility. It is also ineffective when it comes to people with discomforts of the server joint.

There are positives of such supplements in improving agility, strength and flexibly, one of them is that, when they are used correctly electrolyte drinks can increase the optimal levels of electrolytes and other important minerals in the blood, possibly increasing an individual’s performance. But when these supplements are not properly and continuously handled they can be very detrimental in altering the normal functioning of an individual metabolism. On the other note, they are at times very costly and people do not have that much to complete the available dosages. There are also other supplements which contain very high numbers of trace elements and this can actually have a destructive effect due to the absorption competition within the body.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

Beginners have so much to learn, that it almost becomes overwhelming. It often takes well over a year for a beginner to even assimilate the basics of workouts and workout principles.

One element not often discussed is the importance of warm-up and cool-down. Warming up the muscles and joints surrounding a particular body part is the essence and foundation of good injury prevention. That’s just not something that beginners tend to think about, because they have no concept of how workouts can help, and sometimes hinder, when steps are skipped to prepare the muscle for resistance, weight and intensity.

Warming up muscles, joints, tendons and sockets is just a matter of taking 5-10 minutes of time preceding a workout. That small amount of time you take prior to actually digging in and working muscles hard, can mean the difference between an injury-free beginning and a multitude of ongoing problems down the road.

Exuberance can be a great thing – the one thing that many seasoned hardcore guys don’t have in their arsenal of weapons to win the war on size. But exuberance, unmeasured, means that injury is a real threat. Injuries can be mild to severe to gym-ending, and can’t be taken lightly. That’s why warming up muscles in the beginning of a workout is key to success.

WARM UP
There are several ways one can warm up muscles. Warm ups can be done in a general sense, using cardiovascular equipment, and in a specific sense, by way of light dumbbell or machine work on a given body part that is about to be put to the test with heavy work.

For instance, an overall walk on an incline on the treadmill, followed by a few stretches, might be a great way to generally warm up. The cardiovascular work you do actually warms up the entire body, not just the legs, and gets blood flowing by way of dilating capillaries for an overall flush.

But including stretches afterward, which are designed to specifically work a particular body part, such as the shoulders, can be the difference between being merely physically warm, and being actually ready to perform using greater weight and intensity, and is preferable.

So let’s look at the shoulders as an example. This is a body part that is oft-injured by the inexperienced and experienced alike. It is a complex joint that is susceptible to torque – both correct and incorrect – and is quite vulnerable given the various angles that workouts may include. Too much behind the neck press and the super spinatus will tear. Too much rotation under stress, and the rotator cuff is likely to tear. So warming up the shoulder joint seems absolutely crucial.

Learning how to alleviate undue stress on the shoulder joint can certainly help prevent injury, and should be a part of anyone’s arsenal of safety prior to endeavoring advanced workouts. However, warming up is a great way to ensure, almost always, that there isn’t an injury from stress within the joint due to ligaments and tendons being tight and untested. After all, applying rotation, and lateral movement, within one shoulder exercise, can create problems for the shoulders. This should dictate how to warm up.

Warm ups for shoulders should include: A lateral movement with a light dumbbell, an overhead push with a light dumbbell, a front raise with a light low cable apparatus or a light dumbbell, and slow shoulder circles in both directions.

This may seem like a lot, but it accomplishes more than just injury-prevention. It warms the joint, stretches the tendons and ligaments, works all angles of a complex joint, and actually enables the muscles, tendons and ligaments to perform within a greater range of motion (enabling greater potential growth) than they would be able to move in if they were not engaged prior to a range. Workouts become less arduous and pumps become more possible.

Injury prevention is such a nebulous concept for most people – that is until they are injured. So warm ups something many just skip because of the “why fix it if it ain’t broke” theory. But when it breaks, people lament the fact that a simple warm up routine could have prevented mishap and a lot of rehab.

But cool downs are equally important for different reasons….

COOL DOWN
Cool downs are something people skip far more often than warm ups. Injury prevention may be tacked on to the front side of a workout, via warm up, but cool down seems like an unnecessary time-consuming step. We assure you, it isn’t.

As soon as you finish a workout, muscles stop working and cool down on their own. Why do something called “cool down” when it’s happening all on its own, right? Wrong! It’s precisely because muscles cool down so rapidly, and we get on with our day, that cool down should be a part of the scheme of things. In fact, when muscles cool down on their own, it happens so rapidly, that stiffness can set in. When stiffness sets in, susceptibility to muscle tears is great.

What’s more, since workouts push lactic acid into muscles, it’s crucial to work it out so that soreness can be minimized. Light sets, similar to warm ups, can ease lactic acid out of muscles, diminish soreness, improve chance for recovery, and make you feel better. Cool down should also include drinking plenty of water to cool the inner core and replace what was lost in workouts – cardiovascular or resistance training.

Stretching after workouts is also better than stretching prior. Remember, you’re starting to stretch after you’re warm, so your muscles naturally stretch better and have less chance of being injured than going into a full stretch cold. Stretching can improve recovery and help facilitate growth by lengthening them and increasing the overall range you have to work within.

Next time you think of skipping either of these two important steps, think again! Warm ups and cool downs both have their place and the difference they make is something you’ll notice quickly.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

Your initial steps in setting up a routine are crucial to your future understanding of working out and creating something that is effective and has meaning to your workout goals. Certainly, it is key to choose exercises that target all of your muscle groups, however, you need to choose exercises that are going to actually be best for your body type and your level of development, as well as choosing exercises that address your strengths and weaknesses.

The biggest mistake new trainees make is to lump exercises together arbitrarily. At first, we suppose, this is common and expected. But once that first 4-6 months is over, you need to, as they say, actually have a method to your madness. One way to make sure you’re accomplishing this is to work with a personal trainer who can help you set up the right program for you and educate you on proper form. If that’s not an option, either because of finances or area, consider renting or buying a workout video. Also, read up on strength training routines as much as possible. Try to ascertain what makes each successful or not, and begin learning how to choose exercises that suit you.

One more option is to hire an online personal trainer. It’s cheaper than hiring a trainer at the gym and you’ll get the same kind of personal treatment as you would at a gym or at home. You’ll have to have a working knowledge of what each exercise does, and some idea of execution of each movement. However, if you have that down pat, an online trainer might just be for you.

Once you’ve made the appropriate consultations or done your homework, begin by putting together a few sample routines. Try them out, each at 2-3 weeks at a time, so that you get a feel for what each does. You’ll immediately see in practice, what you could not necessarily see on paper.

For beginners, choose at least one exercise per muscle group, and combine two body parts per workout. For intermediate lifters, choose 2 exercises per muscle group, and begin composing splits that include 2-3 body parts per workout, heavier weights, more complex techniques (such as drop sets and super sets) and more frequent days off in between intense workouts:

* Chest: bench press, cable crossover, pushups, and pec deck machine
* Back: one-armed row, seated row machine, lat pull downs
* Shoulders: overhead press, lateral raise, and front raise
* Biceps: bicep curls, hammer curls, alternate dumbbell curls
* Triceps: tricep extensions, dips, kickbacks
* Quadriceps: Squats, lunges, leg extension and leg press machines
* Hamstrings: stiff-legged dead lifts, leg curl machine
* Abs: crunches, reverse crunches, oblique twists

But beyond choosing exercises, there are other considerations that bear upon your success…

Sequence and Speed
When doing a series of exercises, you’ll generally want to start with all of the larger muscle groups first. This means using compound movements, such as bench press, squat and dead lift. After tackling compound movements, you work toward the smaller muscle groups and isolation movements, such as triceps rope press, alternate dumbbell curls and cable crossovers. This allows you to do the most demanding moves when you’re the least fatigued, and work into isolative movements when you are less capable of lifting heavy weight and more capable of focusing on specific areas within the muscle group, with quality and definition in mind.

There are exceptions to this rule of compound, followed by isolation, however. For instance, you’re much less likely to lose your balance during a lunge if you do the lunges before exhausting the muscles of quads and hamstrings with machine exercises. Lunges are not a compound movement, but more of a finishing, detail, shaping exercise. However, it’s difficult to perform the more isolative exercises after exhausting the quads, hamstrings and adductors/abductors with squats or leg press. You’ll also use better form on your push-ups if you do them before fatiguing the triceps with bench press. These exceptions are just details that are learned along the way through trial and error.

The speed of the movement is also an important element of each exercise because pace oftentimes dictates either development or condition. A reasonable training pace is one to two seconds for the lifting (concentric) portion of the exercise and three to four seconds for the lowering (eccentric) portion of the move. Fast, jerky movements should be avoided. They place undue stress on the muscle and connective tissue at the beginning of the movement, substantially increasing the likelihood of an injury. Fast lifting also cheats you out of some of the strength benefits. When lifting at a fast pace, momentum (not the muscle) is doing a good deal of the work.

Sets and Reps
A set is a group of successive repetitions performed without resting. A rep or repetition is the number of times you repeat the move in each set. So, if your instructions were to do 3 sets of 12 (3 x 12) biceps curls, you’d curl the weight 12 times in a row to complete the first set. You’d put the weight down, rest a moment and do 12 more in a row to complete the second set, and so on, until you’ve finished the prescribed number of sets for that exercise.

Multiple set exercises are usually done with one to three minutes of rest between each set. Some train using single sets, with high intensity as the key ingredient, but it’s a more advanced type of decision and method. An advantage of multiple set training is that the longer training session can result in higher calorie expenditure.

Resistance and Range
The number of repetitions chosen for each exercise depends on the amount of resistance (or weight) you’re using. Maximum resistance is the most weight you can lift with proper form one time, but this is not practical and certainly not for the beginner. In general, most people can complete 6 repetitions with 85% of their maximum resistance, 8 repetitions with 80% of maximum resistance, 10 repetitions with 75% of maximum resistance, 12 repetitions with 70% of maximum resistance and 14 repetitions with 65% of maximum resistance. Training with more than 85% of your maximum resistance increases the risk of injury, and training with less than 65 percent of maximum resistance decreases strength gains. So, a safe and productive training recommendation would be 8-12 repetitions using 70% to 80% of maximum resistance.

Full range of motion is an important component of proper form. Each exercise should be taken through the complete range of joint movement in a slow controlled manner, with emphasis placed on the completely contracted position. If a weight is so heavy that you have to jerk, bounce or swing to get it to the top of the movement, it’s too heavy. Your form is compromised. Full-range of motion movements contract and strengthen the muscle you’re working (the prime mover) and stretch the opposing (antagonist) muscle. This contributes to both muscle strength and joint flexibility.

Progression and Frequency
Progressive resistance is the key to any well-designed strength program. This means that as your muscles adapt to an exercise, you will gradually increase the resistance or the repetitions to ensure further gains and steady progress. A good rule of thumb is, you should start out with a weight that allows you to do at least 8 repetitions of a particular exercise. Once you can complete 12 repetitions with that weight, you increase the weight by about 5 percent. Now, you’re doing 8 repetitions with the slightly heavier weight. Once you’ve worked up to 12 repetitions with the heavier weight, you increase it by another 5 percent, and so on, and go back to doing 8 repetitions. The idea is to keep increasing repetitions and resistance, at a pace that is comfortable and natural, so that you can continually see results.

Increases in muscle size and strength don’t occur while you’re training, they occur during the rest period between workouts. That’s why both rest and nutrition is so important to your success. Your muscles recover and rebuild themselves gradually over about a 48-hour period. For this reason, strength training sessions should be scheduled no more frequently than every other day. If you prefer to train more often, you should avoid hitting the same muscle group on consecutive days.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

The human body is an extremely adaptable organism. We are exposed to stressors and we adjust our physical being to be able to more easily deal with these stressors the next time we face them. Bodybuilders are especially adaptable. They train week in and week out, using the same exercises for months and years at a time. It’s no wonder that bodybuilders hit plateaus and stop growing as times passes. The body only grows (adapts) when it is presented with new sets of stressors. The intelligent bodybuilder realizes that the only way to continue growth is to continue to find new ways to stress the body. Shocking principles present a few different ways to do this.

More weight than usual
Increasing the weight being used for exercises suddenly requires the muscle group to respond with new growth. New muscle fibers are recruited to compensate for the workload, and in the days following the new strenuous workload, they will grow. Use of a spotter or other safety device is essential for this technique.

More reps than usual
Sets of higher repetitions recruit slow-twitch muscle fibers, which typically are not used during normal sets of 6 to 12 repetitions. As a trainer passes rep #12 and continues to reps #16, #20, and beyond, these fibers are used to compensate for the endurance-based workload. This results in new muscle fibers being recruited and new growth, the goal of training.

More sets than usual
Increasing the number of sets results in better, longer pumps – more blood being present in the muscle group for a longer period of time.

Faster/slower rep speed
Faster reps require a more explosive lifting nature and utilize the tendons and other body support infrastructure. Slower reps, on the other hand, recruit a set of muscle fibers specified for endurance, and are rarely used in bodybuilding. Both techniques, while effective, should be utilized with caution as well as reduced weight.

Longer/shorter breaks between sets
Shorter breaks between sets force the body to keep more blood, which carries protein and oxygen to the muscle), in the muscle group, and is great for bodybuilding purposes. Longer sets allow the body time to recover from the previous set, which result in greater strength. This technique is best for powerlifters and those looking to make strength gains.

Alternative exercise order
Beginning workouts with isolation exercises (instead of the traditional compound movements) is a great way to pre-exhaust specific targeted parts of the larger muscle being trained. This technique can be employed frequently with any body part.

The use of shocking principles every day would quickly lead to overtraining, which would short-circuit growth. The key is to use them sparingly on body parts, which are ‘stalled’ in order to facilitate new growth, and keep the body growing.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com