bodybuilding

  As you get more and more into the sport of body building, you may want to consider showing off your hard work by entering into a body building competition. There are many local gyms that hold contests as well as national competitions that are held on an annual basis.   Before you actually enter a body building competition, you really need to know what they’re all about in the first place.   Take the time to attend a competition before entering and pay close attention to the techniques the exhibitors use and ask questions about what the judges are looking for.   Do not enter a body building contest just because you’ve lost a bunch of weight. These contests are about great physiques with toned muscles – not about people who’ve lost body fat. Your muscles must be well-defined and toned ready for display.   Remember early on in the book when we talked about the “Grecian Ideal”? That’s what body building contests are really about.   Be realis...

  Most teenagers are not yet full grown, so special considerations must be taken when a teen undertakes a body building program. However, you should know that this is a great time to start a workout program that you can carry through to your adult years. There are some things to keep in mind before you start, though.   1.    DO NOT start lifting weights or undertaking an intense body building regiment before you turn 13. You can exercise before this “magical” age, but limit your exercise to low-impact workouts like push ups and sit ups.   2.    Squats and dead lifts should never be performed either before you are 16. These types of exercises require some execution techniques that need to be performed properly or else you will injure yourself.   3.    UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you take any type of testosterone supplements before you reach adult hood. You already have plenty of testosterone in your body. Adding more cou...

  Many women are concerned with how their bodies look. Dieting and weight obsession are very real parts of life for many women. Body building and women really fit together well when you think about it. Focusing on healthy weight gain and muscle fitness makes a woman look and feel a lot better. Body building is a lot more than just dieting and lifting weights. Much of the advice given in previous chapters can apply to both men and women. But women do need to change a few things when it comes to a workout plan that will work.   Some women have never considered body building as a sport because they are afraid that they will get big, bulky, and become masculine looking. Nothing could be further from the truth. A trim, solid body on a woman is extremely sexy and very healthy.   Women cannot naturally produce the amount of testosterone that men do, so it is impossible for women to increase their muscle size in the same ways that men do just by picking up ...

 There are literally hundreds of supplements on the market targeted at body builders and meant to increase your body size. They are designed to maximize the body’s natural abilities and help you get the body mass you want. How do you know which supplement is right for you?  Creatine Creatine is the most popular and commonly used sports supplement available today. There are numerous studies backed by anecdotal evidence that support the efficacy of creatine supplementation. For the majority of the population, including both elite athletes and untrained individuals, creatine supplementation increases fat free mass and improves anaerobic and possibly aerobic performance.  Creatine is a natural constituent of meat, mainly found in red meat. Creatine is manufactured naturally in the body from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine. This process takes place in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas.  Approximately 40% of the body's creatine stores are free creatine (Cr...

  Rest is one of the most overlooked parts of an exercise regimen, but the reality is it is actually a quite important principle. Sleep is one of your most valuable tools for growth that you can have in your body building arsenal.   Muscle adaptation and growth often occurs at night. During the suspended state of animation you are in, your body is doing exactly what you have been asking it to do during your workouts – build muscle.   Lack of sleep can have an intoxicating effect on your body. According to the Journal of Applied Sports Science , being awake for 24 hours has the same physical effect as a blood alcohol content of 0.096, which is above the legal driving limit in most states.   Working out in this state has its obvious downside. For starters, your lack of muscular coordination places you at a much higher risk for injury. Just as you'd never head to the gym after drinking a few beers at your local tavern, you should never work out...

  You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to cook nutritional meals that can complement your body building program. Cooking can be a great way to gain control of your eating and pick what you put into your foods like salt and fat. Meals can be as simple or as complicated as you like. Here are a few recipes to get you started.   Cereal Casserole Your favorite cereal Skim milk Honey 1 cup yogurt   Fill half the bowl with cereal. Add milk until it reaches the top of the cereal. Add yogurt. Top with more cereal. Add more milk. Drizzle with honey.   Protein Pancakes 1 cup of Oatmeal 11 egg whites 1 whole egg 1 packet of sugar free Jello any flavor Stir all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Drizzle onto hot non- stick fry pan.   Tuna or Salmon Patties 1 can tuna or salmon 1 onion 1 tablespoon of salt 1 teaspoon of pepper 1 teaspoon of parsley 1 whole egg 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed   Mix potatoes, tuna, ...