The vast majority of bodybuilders normally eat in excess of 5 meals per day at least, this practice is essential in order to provide their bodies with the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrition that comes in line with their training schedules and rigorous workout routines. In some instances there may not be sufficient time to prepare these high nutrition value meals, in which instance the meal replacements come into play. These products allow for the user to get as much of the required nutrition from specially prepared meals that are in line with the specific eating plan, and low fat high protein requirements of the trainer.

Meal replacements are for the lack of a better definition a convenient alternative to the specially prepared meal required by the body builder, and fitness enthusiast. The main points of these products are that they are specifically made to address the needs of the user in providing a high quality source of protein, reduced fats and sufficient carbohydrates that all go towards supporting the training schedule and goals of the user. Therefore when time resources are somewhat limited the use of these products is ideal and assures the user of the best intake of nutrients in accordance with their objectives.

A variety of products, and in different forms are available in terms of the range of meal replacements, which can be incorporated into your busy schedule. Shakes, powders and even bars are now widely available, so if you really are on the run and don’t have enough time to prepare that meal, then a quick shake will only take few minutes to prepare and consume, and you are certain that you are getting the right nutrition too.

When selecting suitable meal replacements for you to use, you would naturally have to take into account what your ultimate goals and objectives are. This includes the training routine that you have planned and adhere to. This is due to the fact that these products can achieve two specific goals being either weight loss or weight gain, which may seem contradictory however this is indeed the case. Therefore those looking to build muscle would select the specific type, whilst those seeking to shed a few pounds would naturally focus on the weight loss meal replacements.

From a female perspective there are some great products that are specifically designed for the women user thereof. These products include the likes of Myoplex, amongst others and the makers thereof have specifically formulated the products for use by women. With the increasing popularity of muscle training and building within the female market, this is a great product to incorporate within their training schedule, and especially for those that run a tight schedule between work and play, and require specific nutritional requirements within that busy lifestyle.

Chris writes for SportandSupplements.com, for the widest range in meal replacements visit http://www.sportandsupplements.com

Bodybuilding protein supplements have had a long and successful history in terms of providing great benefits, not only to the bodybuilding fraternity that in a variety of different applications and sectors. Take for instance the bodybuilding protein supplements such as that of whey protein products are quite often used by medical professionals in treating malnourished and starving children, as well as being used in people suffering from muscular degenerative conditions.

However from the fitness and training view, these bodybuilding protein supplements offer a valuable source of protein for the individual that is training in a number of ways. One of the main menace in which the products are consumed is immediately prior to and after strenuous workouts, as the supplements work as both a source of energy for the muscles during the workout phase, as well as a recovery agent in repairing the muscles that have undergone training within the strenuous workout.

One of the most popular bodybuilding protein supplements is that of whey protein, which has consistently been proven to be one of the most superior sources of protein for the user. Tests conducted on whey protein products have conclusively proven that this protein source offers one of the highest known biological values within the supplement market. This basically translates to the fact that the intake of these supplemental products are digestive more easily than alternative sources, and in comparison to other protein supplements a higher percentage of energy is delivered to the muscles.

Bodybuilding protein supplements should be combined with a well-designed workout and physical activity routine, which can be done in consultation with a personal trainer, dependent on what your ultimate goals and objectives are. This is quite important as the effect of certain supplement products may not be within your desired objectives or goals. Furthermore there are a variety of products available on the market that vary quite vastly in terms of both price and composition. One will furthermore find that the more expensive whey proteins in this example are in all likelihood will be more pure, commonly referred to as isolates, and are usually used by the serious bodybuilder. This does not mean you are prohibited from using these products, however if your eating plan does not tie in together with your exercise routine and your goals, you are in essence really wasting money, as the more regular type of whey protein may be sufficient for you.

These supplementation products are quite diverse and can range from creatines, to fat burners, testosterone boosters and many more. However by rushing in and utilising a variety of these products may defeat the very ends you’re aiming to achieve. Hence the recommendation of consulting a nutritionist and personal trainer, and at the very least the latter, before rushing into any supplementation program together with your workout routines.

Chris writes for SportandSupplements.com, for the widest range in bodybuilding protein supplements visit http://www.sportandsupplements.com

A couple of days ago, I discussed the importance of “turning it up a notch” as far as your workout routine is concerned. This is a great way to see results in your quick weight loss diet.

As I explained, increasing intensity is one of the best ways to reach your fitness goals and avoid exercise plateaus. Now, as a follow-up to that, I do want to point out an make very clear that you can’t increase intensity forever. Obviously our bodies, no matter how fit we are, have a limit before they start to “break down” in a sense.

This “break down” is often referred to as “over training” or “over exertion” and can really hinder your progress on your quick weight loss diet journey. So, how can you avoid over training? Well, firstly, understand how we build muscle.

There is no magic pill that will make you strong and lean over night, and the use of steroids and other dangerous substances can cause extensive-and permanent-damage to your body. So that leaves only one way to build new lean muscle. Yeas, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but diet and exercise-namely strength training-are the answers.

When we exercise and use our muscles, we “tear” the muscle in a way and wear it down so it gets accustomed to doing a certain type of activity, exercise, or lifting a certain amount of weight.

After being worked in this manner, however, the muscle needs to rest in order to recuperate and rebuild strength. With the right amount of exercise and recuperation time, the muscle will become bigger and therefore more capable of doing more work.

If we throw off this delicate balance of exercise and rest days, we risk injuring ourselves. Overworking your body and muscles can cause a number of problems and can lead to injuries preventing us from being able to exercise at all for extended periods of times. Examples of injuries that can result are torn or pulled muscles, ligaments, and tendonitis.

So how can we know how to find this balance? Here are some guidelines you may want to follow:

1. Have a training schedule where you pre-plan your rest days. Make sure you throw in at least one day a week where you give your body a chance to relax altogether from exercise.

2. When strength training, be sure to evenly distribute your time over all major muscle groups. For example, if you are working upper body today, give those muscles a rest tomorrow and focus on some leg work. This will give time for your muscles to rest while still getting some exercise in by focusing on another area of the body. Never overwork one part of the body while neglecting the rest.

3. If training for an event, build up your intensity until about a week or two before the event. As the event nears, exercise at a more moderate intensity level to avoid injury. Some professional athletes take a few days to a whole week off before the big event to be sure to get enough rest to recuperate and re-energize!

4. Listen to your body! No one knows your body better than you do. If you feel dizzy, light-headed, or feel that you have an injury, stop exercising immediately and assess the situation. Find out if your symptoms are due to over training, extreme heat, dehydration, or injury.

It’s great to be motivated and to want to exercise and be fit. BUT, we need to take care of our bodies as well, and sometimes, that means resting. Be active but be smart, listen to your body and stay focused in order to reach your fitness goals.

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One of the least understood terms in weight lifting jargon is the word repetition. The number of repetitions, or reps, that you perform matter quite a bit to your overall weight training strategy. Basically, if your goal is to build the biggest, strongest muscles that your physiology allows, then you need to be performing low numbers of repetitions, about 4 to 6 (perhaps even as low as 1 to 2). The key here is to lift a heavy enough weight so that by the end of the last repetition, you are unable to perform another rep in good form. If you are seeking more moderate growth and are more concerned with body tone then muscle mass, then you would aim for 8 to 12 reps before muscle failure.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has classified repetition workouts into the following categories:

High Intensity – Performing 6 to 12 reps of an exercise before muscle failure. High intensity exercises pose a greater threat of injury, but also more reward in terms of building muscles. This technique is more suitable to experienced weight trainers and athletes.

Moderate Intensity – Performing 8 to 12 reps of an exercise before muscle failure. This is the ideal number of reps to strike a natural balance between building muscle strength and muscle endurance. This approach has a lower risk of injury.

Low Intensity – More often recommended for older adults or the novice trainer with very little muscle mass to begin with. The ACSM recommends performing between 10 to 15 repetitions.

Why does performing less repetitions result in more strength?

This is only a valid statement if you follow the basic tenets of weight lifting. The number of reps you perform should link directly to the amount of weight you lift. So if you are only performing 6 repetitions, you should be using a MUCH heavier weight then if you were performing 12 reps. Remember, the goal here is to use a weight that is heavy enough so that the last repetition should be very challenging, if not almost an outright struggle.

Weight training isn’t an exact science where you can plug in numbers and expect to get a certain result. Everyone’s body responds differently to exercise. The key things to remember are this, to increase muscular endurance, you want to focus your efforts on doing longer repetitions, like 12 to 15, but doing only 2 to 3 sets. To increase muscular size, you want to do much lower reps, like 6 to 12, but doing many mores sets – anywhere from 3 to 6 sets. To increase muscular strength, you want to do less reps, fewer then 6 and anywhere from 2 to six sets.

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A recently redefined training technique that is making a great difference in the lives of professional body builders is split workout training. For those people who are really intent on bulking up, chiseling the muscles to perfection, defining the body contours between the muscle groups and packing all body parts to the ultimate muscle power, then this is just the way to do it.

Let us begin by definitions, as they do in theory classes. To split a workout refers to the action and or decision of performing separate, disjointed sets of several exercises within a training routine, where each muscle group is allocated a session of training for absolute isolation, all accumulating to whole body stimulation growth and development. A split workout is primarily designed to amplify the overall muscular symmetry, mass, strength and endurance. We have two ideal ways you can split your training workout, each with specific directions for beginners and intermediate or advanced body building trainees.

The first suitable way of splitting a workout is referred to as the Three-Way Split Workout. For beginner body builders, who have just joined weight exercises for muscle growth stimulation, the thing to do is divide your body into sections covering the arms, the chest, the back, the shoulders, the legs and the abdomen. Then design a program that allows you to train only three sections of the body with a single set in each workout session. A training session should therefore be split into three, each section dedicated from one body part as identified above. Each body part should be trained twice weekly, meaning that you should have only three training sessions per week.

For the body builders in intermediate and advanced training levels, the training session should be split into three, performing two to three sets for each body part. The workout should be adopted for a minimum of six months. Warm up and stretching exercises are not included in the intensity of a training session in a split workout, though the body part to be trained in that day must be warmed up in advance of weight exercises.

The second split workout design is referred to as Two-Way Split Workout. For beginners, the workout session should be split into two, training two parts of the body for a single set exercise , two time a week. But for intermediate and advanced body builders, the session should incorporate three to four sets for every body part trained in a day, two at most, and this after an intense pre-exhaust training.

Ideally, split training relies on the principle of isolation training, where a training session is dedicated tow two or three body parts, covering the various muscle in that body part for at least twice in every week. The target is taking the body to the heist plateau of muscle build, definition and strength. This can be done for a period of about six months, and the gains will be phenomenal. However remember that the training must go hand in hand with the appropriate dieting, if growth is to accumulate.

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

At any given moment at every fitness facility in America you will find the ratio of cardio machine to weight equipment users to be enormously in favor of cardio equipment.

If I asked every person doing cardio are you doing it for ‘cardiovascular improvement’ what percent would say yes? My very educated and experienced guess would be almost none. Virtually everyone’s MAIN reason is for weight loss, with the ‘healthy heart’ aspect a very distant second. These people couldn’t BE more misguided in their efforts.

Now before I explain, let me address those of you that are going to say ‘but I know someone who started walking/running and lost X lbs’ or something to that effect. Two points.

First they started walking/running, which means that they were sedentary before more than likely. If you do NOTHING and then add ANY physical activity to your life and all else stays they same, you will lose weight. Your calorie burn rate would increase. They could have started gardening instead of running and would’ve lost weight, assuming they had been a couch potato previously.

Secondly weight loss through cardio is less likely to be permanent and it isn’t the most efficient way to drop pounds. Unless they change something else they will have to maintain the walking/running at the same level forever or the weight would come back on.

The benefits of weight training to longevity and quality of life are irrefutable. There is loads of scientific study to back this up. The benefits to ‘weight loss’ aren’t as publicized because it’s a different KIND of weight loss. When you step on the scales after a month of weight training you may NOT weigh less. But your body composition will have changed as you lose fat and gain muscle. Muscle does in fact weigh more than fat (it’s more dense), so a pound of muscle takes up less space on your body than a pound of fat. So you weigh the same but LOOK smaller.

But here is the REAL benefit. If you add 3 lbs of muscle to your body, you will burn as many calories just sitting there as you would’ve running a mile every day. Think about that. You can run a mile every day for the rest of your life to lose some weight or add 3 lbs of muscle and with the same calorie intake as before, and your body burns that same miles worth of work just ‘being’.

Oh and by the way, you burn more calories in a one hour weight session than you do running for an hour (unless you run instead of jog/walk). So after the 3 lbs have been added you look smaller, stronger and better, with less fat than before. Who cares what the scales say?

What do you think happens when you gain 10 lbs of muscle?

Steve Robbins has been a fitness enthusiast his entire adult life. He can bench double his weight and run a marathon, all at 52. Editor and main contributor to http://www.muscleandhealth.org where Free weight lifting routines, beginner – advanced and muscle building supplements can be found.