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Have you ever wondered if cardio increases your muscle building?

Most of the old time bodybuilders will tell you that doing cardio will just waste your time. This is really another one of the many myths spread about building muscle.

Cardio not only helps build muscle, it helps in two different way.

1) Muscle building cardio warm-up.

A short five minute session of cardio is the best way to warm for a weight lifting routine.

This short cardio session raises the core temperature of your body and preps your limbs for your weight lifting session. This prep is needed to help reduce the chance of injury doing your workout and should never be skipped.

Any type of cardio is good for this whether it is cycling, running, jogging in place, or using equipment like an elliptical trainer or stair climber.

Cardio will increase your heart rate causing increased blood flow throughout your body so that it is properly prepared and warmed up for weight training.

2)Cardio is good for building muscle.

If your primary goal is to just build strength and muscle volume, then cardio will not play much of a role except during your warm-up.

But, if you want to get six pack abs and be able to show of a great ripped look then you need to add some high intensity cardio to your weight routine.

In gyms all over the country you can see people that start wanting to look like their favorite sport or screen idol with that fabulous ripped  physique so they hit the gym.  They pump iron for months and they do get bigger and gain strength if they are doing it right. But they simply don’t get the definition and tone they wanted. Definition will never come if they do not include muscle building cardio in their workout routines.

So which type of cardio do you include? Do you do a hard 45 minute treadmill workout 3 times each week or long pleasant run through your local park?

Neither of them will give you what you need. You need to go for high intensity, low interval cardio if you are truly serious about muscle definition. It is a must to get those washboard abs and a seriously ripped body.

Running on a treadmill or taking a long run through the park will not do it for you. Not just any old cardio will do the job. To be really effective, muscle building cardio can be short but it has to be intense.

Okay. We know that cardio has to be intense to be effective, but how often do we need to cardio and is there a best time? Studies have shown that if you do your high intensity cardio immediately after your weight training workout you will burn the maximum fat.

Since you are going to do both your weight training and cardio at the same time you can truly have an off day to relax and enjoy. If you are up to it, doing some additional muscle building cardio on your off days can also maximize your fat loss.

Like all new routines, when you begin high intensity cardio to build muscles, you need to start slow. Trying to make up for lost time will only increase the chance of injury. This doesn’t mean that you should reduce the intensity of your workout but you should not do it every day of the week.

Some guys think that cardio is just too easy to build muscle but they are wrong. It is hard work.
When you are panting for breath, with your eyes watering and muscles burning, you may want to quit.  But if you keep on, you will finally see those muscles you have been building which have been hidden beneath the fat.

And you will realize that cardio can build muscle and it was all worth it.

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For speedy muscle gains you should base your muscle building strategy on science instead of relying on myths and hearsay. Besides, following expert advice is many times easier than getting all wrapped up in the mumbo-jumbo of muscle building that you often hear.

For example, hitting the sack on an empty stomach is among the worst things which you can do when you might be looking for speedy muscle gains.

You must supply your body with nutrition before you go to sleep since that is when your muscles recover from the stress of your workout and the day’s activities. If you go to bed without having supplying your body with these nutrients, you aren’t allowing your muscles to recover, and this will hinder your ability to get rapid  muscle growth.

Stop and think about it.

When you are working out, you need a minimum of eight hours of sleep each day, but if you head to bed on an empty stomach, your body is forced to starve for this entire duration. To be able to achieve fast muscle gains, you need to stop this forced time period of starvation.

On the other hand, you do not want to stuff your face with a five-course meal just before going to sleep.

If you do, you will only end up with a bad nights sleep and indigestion. All you have to do is eat a little snack about a half an hour before your bedtime in order that your muscles have all of the required nutrients handy for the next eight several hours. Basically, you should aim to keep your body in an anabolic state for as extended a time as feasible so that you can get rapid muscle gains even while at complete rest.

Pre-bedtime nutrition helps to promote rapid muscle gains as it enables a sustained release of all the essential nutrients for your body even though you happen to be asleep. If you keep your body in an anabolic state whilst asleep, less muscle tissue is broken down. This is the mechanism that results in quick muscle gains.

The ideal pre-bedtime snack must contain fats, amino acids, and carbohydrates for easy recovery. It should also be a “slow release” snack. This means that the meal needs to be made up of some unsaturated fats and slow release carbs and proteins.

Among the best sources of protein is whey protein (25-35 grams) mixed in 400-500 ml of milk. Casein, present inside milk, will slow down the release of every one of the nutrients, including whey protein. The protein will take about four hours to get digested by your body. During this time period, you will experience  anabolic growth which will result in rapid muscle gains.

Cottage cheese is another very good source of solid protein as it is rich in casein and glutamine.

Consuming a tiny portion of a slow release complex sugar before going to bed is also a good idea. This could be in the form of a little container of yogurt, a small bowl of oatmeal, or a slice of whole grain bread.

As these nutrients enter your body, they regulate your blood sugar levels and assist to ensure that your glycogen stores are maintained for as long as feasible. By adding some fat to your pre-bedtime snack, you naturally slow down the digestive method.

This is exactly what you want out of the digestive system while you’re asleep.

By consuming olive oil and flaxseed oil (in tablespoon quantities), you can make certain that the digestive system is slowed down and your body experiences rapid muscle gains by remaining in an anabolic state for a longer period of time.

Yet another good option for obtaining a dose of healthy fat before you sleep is all natural peanut butter. Be sure it is natural and does not contain a lot of preservatives. Making your own from fresh roasted peanuts is the best way to be sure it is all natural.

If you are one of the many who use glutamine supplements for quick muscle gains, this is an excellent time to take them. Just stir in one to two teaspoons into your protein shake.

Technorati Tags: fast muscle gain, natural muscle building, quick muscle gain, rapid muscle

Using any form of supplement has always started a controversy within the world of  bodybuilding. The bodybuilding fraternity is split between people who rely on them and those who would never touch a supplement irrespective of any potential benefits.

As in any debate, the truth lies somewhere between the extremes.

The hospitalization of many football players from McMinnville High School after an extreme pre-season workout will surely add some fuel to the fire of those opposed to using bodybuilding supplements. McMinnville may have to forfeit their opening game due to lack of players.

Many of the players used supplements but at this time it is not known what they used or how much or what other causes might have been. But it will certainly stir up the debates.

What a tragedy!

We need to keep in mind a few important points about any supplement you use.

Simply ingesting a cocktail of the most effective bodybuilding supplements will never give you the body of your dreams, it doesn’t matter what the supplement makers tell you.

Supplements are just a convenient way to ensure that your body is getting all of the nutrition it needs in to order build muscle tissue more effectively.

The stress is on the words  “supplements” and “convenient”.

You can get all the vitamin that you really need without dietary supplements, however think about the time and energy that you’ll have to waste in preparing the recommended five to seven meals on a regular basis for optimum muscle growth.

I believe that creatine is likely one of the finest muscle building supplements. Creatine supplements assist you in building muscle and also give you other significant benefits.

Not only does it shield you from muscular dystrophy and other diseases of the neuro-muscular system, it also reduces excessive ranges of LDL cholesterol within the body.

Where do we get creatine and is it “natural”?

Creatine is of course found in your body and can be found in foods like herring, salmon, and beef. The powdered form of creatine, nevertheless, is the best source.

Creatine increases makes your body more effective in utilizing Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP).  ATP provides your body with a sustainable power source.  Higher ranges of ATP in your cells improve their functioning.

Creatine assists the cells of your body in sustaining or rising their ATP ranges, making it the most effective muscle building supplement.

In the body, creatine is saved as creatine phosphate, and it donates its phosphate component to recharge the Adenosine Di-Phosphate (ADP) in the cells to ATP.

ATP is converted to ADP as soon as it’s used up, and creatine helps to convert it back to ATP in order that it may as soon as again be used as a source of energy.

Analysis has proven that if you consume creatine, you enhance the creatine phosphate obtainable to your cells, and this helps your body maintain anaerobic activities such as sprinting and weight training.

It is used in weight training as a performance enhancer.

As if that wasn’t enough, creatine, the very best muscle building supplement, also improves the functioning of the heart and may be very helpful for individuals who have suffered heart failure.

It enhances your capacity to workout by boosting the ejection fraction (a number that represents how strongly your heart pumps) of your heart.

Consuming creatine monohydrate, the most common type of creatine, can help athletes building muscle to see moderate to large improvement of their ability to lift heavier weights over time.

Although creatine was actually discovered in 1832, it took nearly a hundred years to discover that up to 95 percent of creatine is stored within the muscles. Its effects on bodybuilding were discoverd three years later.

Creatine, is produced naturally in the body by the pancreas, liver, and kidney, helps to strengthen the muscles. Taking creatine as a supplement adds to this effect.

Creatine is hundred p.c natural and is even found in many foods. Because of this, it has never been banned by any sports body.

Creatine monohydrate,  the best muscle building supplement, should be consumed at a dosage of 5 grams per day in complement form. It should be consumed as soon as you get up in the morning or immediately after your workout.

The best way to take creatine is with a liquid serving of simple sugars in order to maximize its absorption within the body.

A BIG Caution! Creatine, itself, in the recommended amounts is not harmful. However, even plain water can kill you if you overdose. And yes, you can overdose on water.

Take your advice and direction on bodybuilding supplementation from someone who does not gain from selling you the supplement. Keep away from the chemical company ads and the hype in magazines. Look to a recognized fitness authority like Sean Nalewanyj. Sean’s Total Body Fitness Formula is a good place to start.

Technorati Tags: bodybuilding, bodybuilding supplement, creatine, muscle building supplement

A really common concern of new lifters is whether it is possible to get a solid workout at home or whether it is only possible at the local gym. The short answer is Yes, you can build muscle at home if you go about it properly with the right equipment.

Gyms are great for several reasons including the companionship but they are not a requirement. Many lifters not only begin building muscle in their basement or garage but make that workout area and got to a gym only occasionally.

There are several reasons for this. Gym memberships can get to be spendy and it takes time out of your workout time just to travel back and forth. Many potential liters are also just a little shy of showing their underdeveloped physique in public until they get a little tone.

Don’t worry about it!

Working out at home can be great. Travel time from the living room to your workout area is in seconds not hours and you can go their anytime. You can set it up to suit your own personal tastes – music, lights, etc., whatever you want. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks.

You can make any noise you want to as you go through your sets and when you get too pooped to go on, you can collapse on the floor for a bit before taking that long walk to the kitchen for a post workout shake.

Sound great?

There is a downside to building muscle at home and that is that unless you have a fully equipped gym – read expensive – your exercise routine selection will not be as varied as at the gym. Yes, you can buy home gym exercise machines that provide virtually anything that a gym does, but they are expensive and many of them take up more space than most people have.

The good news is that when you are just starting to build muscle at home you do not need the multi-purpose fancy equipment. Free-weight exercises can be substituted for many of the machine exercises you would typically perform at a gym. You can start  building muscle at home with some pretty basic equipment:.

A cast iron set with sufficient weights to permit you to continually progress from week to week is the best buy. Instead of purchasing an entire set of dumbbells, this will be more efficient and cost-effective. When you buy the barbell and dumbbells, choose ones that come together in a single set.

A sturdy bench will also be needed for doing bench presses and other seated movements. Be sure to find one that can be set on an incline and which has safety catches. This is critical if you are going to be training alone.

Typically the hardest and most expensive piece of equipment to get is a full squat rack. Squats are a major component of any solid workout, especially if you don’t have a leg press machine handy.

If you really can’t afford a squat rack then some creativity may do the trick. While building muscle at home, you have to get some sort of apparatus that allows you to safely unrack a loaded bar and drop it onto a safety catch if your strength gives out.
You should never squat without a safe place to drop the bar! As many full squat racks provide a chin-up bar on top, it’s easy to kill two birds with one stone if you invest in one of these essential equipment.

So there it is: five pieces of equipment necessary for setting up a home gym. You will not have to join a traditional gym to workout effectively if you equip your home gym with these tools. You find the best home gym equipment for your own needs by shopping online at several sites.

And if you just can’t afford any equipment to begin with, don’t give up your dreams of building muscle. Many builders have used bodyweight routines for years.

Technorati Tags: bodybuilding, bodywieight routine, exercise, muscle building workout, muscle experiment

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Sean has gained his well deserved reputation by not sugar coating anything and always – always – delivering more than he promises.

Except in this rare instance.

It would be virtually impossible for him to over deliver on his current offer, The Total Body Fitness Formula. There is a good reason for that.

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Technorati Tags: fitness formula, muscle gain truth, Sean Nalewanyj, total body fitness