Strength Training Video

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Most women desire to have a higher metabolism is order to further their weight control efforts. Strength training increases muscle mass and increasing muscle mass most definitely will increase an individual’s basal metabolic rate. What this means for females is that they will have a harder time gaining fat as the percentage of lean muscle tissue in their body increases.

Obesity can be greatly reduced by sustained participation in a vigorous weight training combined with a sensible eating plan. Osteoporosis is common among women who do not exercise as they age, strength training is a proactive step women can take to prevent bone density loss. Scientific studies prove that weight bearing exercise increases bone density. Strength training done with moderate resistance also fights aging by strengthening ligaments and tendons. Weight training has also been shown to improve balance by increasing the power or core muscles; which in and of itself will prevent injuries due to falling or stumbling.

Strength training has been shown to decrease blood pressure and increase circulation. Circuit training with weights has been shown to improve cardiovascular fitness. Improved cardiovascular fitness works to prevent cardiovascular disease. Women who strength train can also expect to perform better in sports, activities and life in general. Strength training women have more energy, strength, and stamina for all kinds of activity. Energy, strength, and stamina are factors which can also improve relationships with spouses, friends, and even children.

Who does not want to improve their appearance, confidence and self esteem? These are all improved in women who participate in strength training programs. Depression is a huge issue among the women of America. It is this writer’s contention that much of the mild depression treated with medication could be eased or eliminated by a sustained participation in a vigorous strength training program. Increased self esteem due to improved appearance and health is a natural antidepressant.

Anti-aging medicine is one of the fastest growing industries in our country today, strength training is almost always prescribed as part of the Anti-aging doctor’s overall program. Strength training helps women naturally age more gracefully because it naturally fights the decrease in muscle mass, strength and flexibility that comes with aging.

The benefits to women that strength training can provide are myriad, this writer doubts there are few if any women who would not desire to have the benefits provided by weight training. Ladies, it is time to put down the laziness and procrastination that has stopped you from self improvement. Start today and improve your life.

by Joe Kozma

Technorati Tags: strength training, strength training workouts, weight training for women

The researchers and athletes have been fascinated for years on how to push the limits for human endurance and strength. The journey to put on some more muscles, or to be able to lift a few kilos more have been doggedly researched in a laboratory setting as well as in the gyms.

As we progress in history with this journey to more muscles, the answers get more complicated. Through research though in exercise physiology new ideas and more answers are found. The new insertion of using a Boot camp setting has helped us discover genetic and metabolic relationship in the response in the skeletal muscle structure for strength training.Strength is the result of the numerous myofibrils that are neatly arranged into the formation of a muscle. With strength training you try to up the protein that goes into the muscles and the surrounding tissues for support.

This is where the resistance training is beneficial, because it causes actual chemical reactions, whereas the proteins become more effective and create growth in the muscles. This is helped by consuming food that is high in protein. This particular reaction can occur no matter what your age, but it is much less effective when you hit your elder years. In young people the muscles can be affected in a positive way from amino acids and protein for as much as 2 days following your workout, at least according to Tipton KD, Philips SM, and some others. The only growth limitations to the muscles during this time is the amount of protein made available to the muscles.

There are some secrets to increasing the muscle growth during strength training. Muscles do have their limits on what they can handle. They can only handle a specific amount of amino acids at one time basically this is about 6 grams of good protein. This response does go on for about 2 days though, and it is recommended that you take a supplement of at least 3 to 6 grams of a good quality of protein.

On a regular basis within the two days after doing your workout to optimize the potential of the synthetic response, of the protein without overloading the basic enzyme system, this was proven in a study that Bohe J. published through the Journal of Physiology in 2003. It is also beneficial to combine carbohydrates with the protein supplements in the ratio of 6 grams of protein with 35 grams of sucrose.

The carbohydrate is actually the fuel that helps the fibers of the muscles assimilate the protein so they can grow.Studying the reaction of the strength athletes that are not trained came up with some results that may surprise you. The increase need for the proteins only gets larger, not matter whether untrained or trained. But the needed protein of the athlete that is untrained as far as kg a day often surpasses the athlete that is trained.

The first phase of doing fat loss and resistance training actually is a growth in the skeletal muscles that comes on quite rapidly. A determining factor can be the basic inefficiency of the untrained body to process the protein effectively. Well made supplements of protein are always needed to maintain the early stages of the resistance training. This does not mean that the protein needs of the athlete that is trained in anyway compares to that of couch potatoes. And then when the maintenance stage is reached for the resistance training, the amount of lean mass in the body has increased.

Now the amount of proteins which get processed in the body of the athlete that is trained remains at a higher amount than normal everyday levels. In a review Philips SM, stated that the levels of protein needed can be up to 1.5 times more than baseline levels. The search is on for the kind of high protein type diet that supplies the right amount of amino acids. The protein supplement should also be easily absorbed into the body and that can deliver the amino acids effectively after your workout.

If the protein can be absorbed fast enough than more than one dose can be taken during your after Boot camp type workout. You need to intake only about 3 – 6 grams of protein at a time to prevent any bodily waste of the protein supplement. There are numerous supplements of protein that provide the right requirements, one such supplement is the Profect protein drink made by the company called Protica Research, and is used quite often by the weightlifters.

The perfect blend of ingredients that is in Profect does provide you with the all the types of amino acids needed for the muscle fiber growth. Profect does encourage the production of Glutathione, which is one of the antioxidants that helps to get rid of free radicals. These types of free radicals are generated during resistance training and can harm the membrane of the cells. This can cause anywhere from muscle sprains to aging to cancer, because of the free radicals.

Taking a supplement such as Profect helps to increase your levels of Glutathione, which helps keep away the damage that free radicals can cause.There is no denying that protein not only helps with strength training that you can learn in Boot camp, but also with fat loss. The only thing that stands between you and more muscle is usually the amount and type of protein in your everyday diet.

By: Dan Clay

Technorati Tags: muscles growth, strength training equipment, strength training exercise, strength training programs

If you have been dieting and haven’t lost weight, stop! Don’t even think about trying another diet, because it will produce the same results you have already seen.

Below you will find “Scientific Guidelines” for weight loss that have always been around, but are not followed by the majority of weight loss programs these days.

Now let’s have a look at a few basic principles.

1. Increasing Your Metabolism

In order to produce Sustained, Permanent and Long-Term Weight Loss, it’s imperative that you boost your metabolism. And the most effective way to raise your metabolism is to have a greater proportion of functional muscle on your body.

The only way to build this lean muscle so you can raise your metabolism is through “Strength Training”. There’s no other method that works wonders on the Metabolism like Strength Training.

By performing Strength Training, you’ll effectively increase the amount of functional lean muscle on your body so that your metabolism will elevate.

After a Strength Training session your body will undergo a significant increase or “Spike” in Metabolism, which will allow you to burn much more fat then you were able to before.

2. It’s All About Lean Muscle

“The amount of fat the body can burn is directly related to the more lean muscle your body can hold.”

If your muscle system can sustain more energy and use this energy significantly when performing strength training, then it will be able to burn off the calories you eat and the excess fat on your body.

In other words, if your muscles become stronger and can hold more energy then you should be able to release this energy more efficiently to increase your metabolism, and to burn off excess calories that you have eaten.

Once we can build more lean muscle through our own strength, then our bodies will become more efficient at burning fat.

It’s also the amount of lean muscle on your body that makes you LOOK GOOD. Once you burn off the excess fat from your body, the lean muscle underneath your skin will be exposed making you look healthy, energetic, and well toned.

3. Decrease Your Daily Calories

For years now, we have been told to use dieting to rid the excess fat from our bodies.

The trouble with this concept is that the low calorie restricted diet would throw the body into starvation mode, with the body holding onto the fat and using precious muscle tissue for energy.

This would then lower the metabolism causing greater muscle loss and when the diet is broken the unwanted fat would not only return but actually increase because to the lowered metabolism.

The way around this is to cut your daily calorie intake by a small amount of calories only. This will stop any starvation mechanisms from clicking in. You can do this by making up a seven day eating plan and writing down every thing you eat for the week, and then work out the calories you have eaten with a calorie counter. Divide this figure by seven and you have your daily calorie value.

Decrease daily calorie value by a couple of hundred calories per day and no more. This will generate slow weight loss and the majority will be fat loss only. The daily calories should be consumed during the day with small frequent meals.

4. Fast Walking Burns Fat

All you need to do now is incorporate “Fast Walking” into your weight loss program to hasten the burning of excess fat.

Not only is fast walking better much easier on the hips, but it also produces a greater percentage of fat loss as opposed to jogging or running.

Here are some of the benefits of Fast Walking.

 Easy to Perform
 Most Conventional
 All Natural Body Movement
 Doesn’t Cause Injuries
 Can Be Done Anywhere
 The Best Minimal Effort Exercise for Fat Loss

“I can’t stress enough how Fast Walking is necessary in every weight loss program.”

By: famoustrainer

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Technorati Tags: strength training, weight loss diet, weight loss plateau, weight loss supplements

When you are buying a home gym it is necessary to do some introspection which will enable you to make the right choice. Similar to choosing a house pet, your character and personality will play a large role in what type of animal you will be compatible with. Will it be a pit bull or tabby cat? In the realm of the home gym this is the same as asking whether your fitness objectives are power lifting or yoga. I dont know much about yoga equipment, but for the strength trainers out there an often overlooked viable option is the Body Solid leverage home gym.

When you are shopping around for your new home gym you must take into consideration how much you can accomplish in the amount of space that you have available. Usually home workout space is limited so you want to get as many workout options as possible in as small amount of space as possible. The Body Solid SBL460P4 leverage home gym provides just that. In the amount of space that usually would make up a small bedroom you can perform over 40 basic exercises and we dont even need to get creative to fill out the list. From flat, incline, decline bench to squats, leg curls and even wrist curls; its all here. The size dimensions of the machine are as follows: Basic unit (without bench) 83″H x 104″ x 107″ Bench: 32″H (53″ Inclined) x 74″ x 28″. In this relatively small amount of space you are able to facilitate what a health club would need an entire gym floor to accomplish.

But the compact size and exercise applications are not the only home gym considerations that the Body Solid Leverage system meets and surpasses. Another aspect that home gym enthusiasts (especially strength trainers) must take into consideration is safety. With the leverage system, the self spotting mechanisms will allow you to max out at every station and prevent you from getting pinned under heavy weight loads.

In addition, the strength of all the equipment components sets the standards in the home gym market. The extra large and extra strong steel mainframe with all four side welded construction is the strongest in its class! The Durafirm pads and upholstery are guaranteed for life to never bottom out on you. Both of these considerations will be important in your long term home gym power lifting endeavors.

If strength training is your objective you need to take safety, affordability, exercise options and space into serious consideration. The special attributes of Body Solid leverage home gym package make it an easy choice for the strength training enthusiast. Dont settle for other lower priced options such as the Powertec Leverage System which only facilitates about 20 exercises when you can get over 40 with the Body Solid system. You would save a couple of bucks but then you will have to drive all the way to the health club to finish the other half of your workout, which just costs you more in the long run. Believe me – with home gym equipment you get what you pay for and the Body Solid team makes it all accessible at a very affordable price.

By: Edwin McKean

Technorati Tags: free weight home gyms, home fitness gym, home gym equipment, strength training home gym

With the popularity of full person weight lifting routines for beginners and person portion split plans for a good amount advanced bodybuilders, the time-tested upper body / lower body regimen often gets neglected. This is unfortunate when lifters of all backgrounds and experience levels undergo extensively used presently sort of routine to add massive rations of strength and muscle mass. Here is one variation of this effective muscle-building plan.

Like many good training plans, this one focuses on gaining strength in the squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and a few other compound movements. Each day has a primary lift trailed by several of the a good amount of substantial auxiliary lifts. Go through now rotation once per week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday schedule. If these days do not work well, just recently acquire absolute you do not have greater amount of than two days of training in a row, and that you experience an off day between Bench Press and Deadlift days.

Lower Body 1 – Squat
Squat – Use a strong, medium-width stance.
Dumbbell Split Squat – place one foot on a bench behind you, and squat down with the other leg while holding dumbbells to your sides.
Weighted Sit-ups – Keep the weight behind your head.
Calves – Pick one calf exercise, and stick with it for this day.

Upper Body 1 – Bench Press
Bench Press – Use your firmest medium or wide grip, an arch in your back, and a full period of motion.
Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press – Use a moderate weight and a range of motion from your ears to lockout.
Decline EZ bar extensions – Use easily a moderate decline. Lower the weight over your eyes additonally keeping your elbows in.
Pullups – Pick one variation, and stick with it for this day.
Chest-Supported Row – To keep your lower back out of the movement, use any apparatus that lets you row with your chest against a pad.
Curls – Pick one variation, and stick with it for currently day.

Lower Body 2 – Deadlift
Deadlift – Use a narrow stance and an over-under grip. Do not use straps for your heaviest set.
Leg Press – Place your feet as insane and wide as expected without hurting your hips.
Calves – Pick a unusual calf exercise based on data from the first down body day.
Standing Cable Abs – Using a rope attachment, brace your back against the cable attachment and crunch away.

Upper Body 2 – Military Press
Military Press – Use a medium stance and minimal hip or leg drive. Make certain your shoulders are doing most of the work.
Dips – Use a medium grip that tax dollars your chest and triceps. Dip at lowest low an adequate amount of so who your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Cable Pressdowns – Use a bar attachment and a slight swaying motion to help. Add weight to the load if necessary.
Barbell Row – Use a medium-width grip and straps for your heavy sets. Use a little bit of cheating in the motion to aide you lift a greater amount of weight.
Pullups – Pick a different variation from your original upper body day.
Curls – Pick a different variation from your mostly upper body day.

Sets and Reps – Minimal Volume, Maximal Intensity
If you try to be like how the biggest guys in the gym are doing, you will discover that they often focus on performing a few, very hard sets of a few heavy exercises. For this plan, you can perform two main sets per exercise. After doing whatever warm-ups you need to get your body ready for heavy weights, do one set of 4-6 reps and one set of 10-12 reps (in that order). The mainly set will be your main “strength-builder,” while the following, something lighter set will further tax your muscles and stimulate growth. For some exercises, these types of as dumbbell overhead press, sit-ups, and extensions, you will need to up the rep ranges a bit for joint safety and perpetual progression.

Making Progress – Increasing Your Weight and Reps
No matter what the bodybuilding “gurus” continue to write about drop sets, super sets, or whatever like techniques are in vogue, the only way to make for a long while term progress and gains enormous portions of muscle mass is to get much stouter on all of your key exercises. You should strive to add more weight and / or more reps for every exercise, every training session. Keep a log of your exercises, weights, sets, and reps, so you regularly recognize what you should do to surpass your previous records.

Eating for Massive Gains
No matter how hard you press yourself in the gym, you would not progress in strength or muscle mass if your diet is not up to par. Make sure you are putting your body in a caloric surplus all day, and that 30-40 percent of your calories of coming from sources of comprehensive protein such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy. You serves to need to tedious work just as hard in the kitchen as in the gym.

Sticking with the Plan for the Long Haul
Whether you are just beginning out lifting weights, or you are changing your current program, stick with this procedures for several months before even thinking just about switching things up. Following the teachings of so-called “experts” and switching up your workout conventional any few weeks to “keep your body guessing” will leave you with no progress and a lot of wasted time and energy. As for a long while as you are eating enough to gain 3-4 pounds per month, you can almost certainly be expanding strength on your lifts and putting in some sizeable muscle mass.

By: Muscle Trainer

Technorati Tags: core strength, core training, exercise stretching, weight lifting routines

Strength training exercises are not just important for body-building. They are important for preventing injury and for weight loss, too. In fact, to maintain your weight on the long-term, one of your primary goals should be to increase your muscularity and burn the fat.

Most people recommend reducing calorie consumption for losing weight. But, if you reduce your caloric intake, too greatly, or you reduce the amount of fat in your diet to less than 20%, your body may actually burn muscle tissue for energy and save the fat stores. It is often referred to as “starvation mode”. Your body believes that you are starving and it must conserve fat for later use.

If you are just starting out, instead of thinking about calorie reduction, think about making healthier food choices. Regardless of whether you need to gain muscle, lose fat or both; you should try to eat healthier foods. If you want to gain muscle, you will need to strive to take in one gram of protein per pound of body weight. That is your current weight. As you gain or lose, according to your goal, adjust the protein intake accordingly.

There are a variety of strength training exercises to choose from, today. While companies selling body-building equipment or free weights will say that “their system is better than all the rest”, any of them work. If you are just starting out, body-weight exercises are just as effective, as anything else. Elastic bands are simple pieces of equipment to use. But, regardless of the system that you choose, learn how to use it correctly. Proper form prevents injury. Never try to lift a weight that is too heavy and get your doctor’s okay, before you begin.

Strength training exercises help your body burn more calories at rest. Because of this, you may find that calorie reduction is not necessary. But, as mentioned, you may still need to make healthier food choices. Try eating more fish, less pork and beef. Cut out trans-fatty acids entirely. This means cutting out a lot of fast food, including pizza and biscuits. Restaurants prefer to use shortening or lard, because of its long shelf-life. But, that is the primary source of trans-fatty acids in most people’s diet.

Strength training exercises will also help you build stronger bones, an important thing to think about. Many people start to lose bone mass and density as they get older. The result is often a condition known as osteoporosis. People with osteoporosis have curved spines and brittle bones that are more easily broken.

Regular exercise helps you sleep better, improves your sense of well-being and boosts your stamina. Anyone with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, back pain, depression or diabetes should consider it. Just remember to check with your doctor before you begin.

Strength training exercises that only require you to lift your own body weight are a good place to start. These include abdominal crunches, push-ups and leg squats. They require no monetary investment, just your time. If you are not able to do a push-up off of the floor, you can start by pushing away from the wall. So, get up and get started.

By: Dewayne Blalock

Technorati Tags: fitness exercises, strength program, strength training, training bodybuilding

    To prepare yourself in 10 weeks for a half marathon, you have to be able to run 3 miles, three to four times a week. If you have never set foot in a pair of running shoes, then why not get fit for a shorter run instead? With four weeks’ training, you will be able to do a 3 mile race, and you will be prepped to do a 7 mile run if you hang in there for eight weeks.

The training regime below is made up of the following components:

1: Regular runs

Run at a comfortable pace. If you’re training with a friend, you should be able to hold a conversation while you’re trotting along – if you cannot, slow down!

2: Long runs

Include a program with one long run a week, and a gradually increasing distance. This build-up is vital if you’re serious about finishing the half-marathon. Over the 10 weeks, your shortest run will be 1 mile and your longest 7. Once you’ve accomplished this distance, you will easily be able to do the full 13 mile half-marathon on race day.

3: Rest days

Rest is just as important as the running component of your marathon training. If you don’t allow your body to recover, you will set yourself up for burnout and injury – the last thing you need with race day looming. Week 10 is the so-called taper phase, where you reduce your exercise sessions so your body can recover from previous workouts. This will help you perform at your peak on race day.

4: Cross-training

Running heavily for 10 weeks can take its toll on your lower-body joints and muscles, not to mention put you at risk of injury. You can prevent this by cross-training – taking up aerobic activities other than running, such as cycling, swimming, snowboarding or skiing.

5: Stretching

To relieve muscle soreness, prevent injury and improve your overall flexibility, it’s important that you stretch your calves, quads, and hamstrings after each run – especially the long run. On the day following your long run, make sure you stretch every muscle group including your arms and shoulders – they, too, can become stiff from all the swinging while you run. Hold each stretch for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

6: Strength training

If your muscles are strong, your body will be better capable of supporting the areas that are prone to wear and tear from the impact of running, like the knees and hips. Do exercises using your own body weight, such as press-ups, squats and lunges, or use free weights and machines at the gym.
Runners are better off using lighter weights and doing more repetitions rather than lifting heavy weights. Strength training also promotes good posture, which helps even out bio-mechanical imbalances (i.e, putting more impact on one leg or knee when running).

Can I change the order of my workouts?

It’s fine to change the order of your training sessions to suit your work or family life – as long as you do as many of the stipulated weekly workouts as possible for the training schedule that you are using.

Where do I run and how do I measure the distances?

Pedometers are an obvious choice; I can’t see myself running without one now. They can be inexpensive, just make sure you calibrate yourself to the pedometer first. It is important that you choose to run in an area that you enjoy, for example around a lake or along the sea. You can measure the distance by car or bicycle and ask seasoned runners for tips on great places to run. Changing the route also keeps things interesting

Important note: Before attempting a half-marathon for the first time, it is wise to get the all-clear from your doctor, especially if you are over 35.

By: romeoicq1

Technorati Tags: fitness training, strength training women, weight training exercise, weight training workouts