A lot of people who start of working out, and are considered in the beginning stages of it, have this tendency to always train. Every single day, they feel idle not doing something, and feel as if they have to train because they have seen all the experts doing it, so they feel bad and instead of resting, do some form of physical activity.

Now, this is encouraging that they are focused on keeping active and reaching their fitness goals, but are they really getting the most out of the training, or are they really just reaching further than they should?

The reason I mention this is because I think a lot of beginners, think they are on the level of experts and forget about the luxury aspect of the fitness lifestyle; resting and recovering. They fail to understand the importance of this part of training, that they push themselves so much, that when they reach a plateau or stop seeing gains, or are exceptionally exhausted, they wonder what’s going on.

Now that tends to be the question. Most people divide themselves into the bodybuilding category or the powerlifter category. In fact, most tend to classify themselves only as one over the other, and it tends to be a tag-o-war of who’s better and what not in the weight training community. This doesn’t really bother the average joe, but the average joe still would like to know if strength training trumps regular weight lifting and which one they should choose.

In fact many people would love to include some type of strength program into your routine but love the weight lifting lifestyle that focuses more on the bodybuilding routines where you lift a weight for a relatively high number and call it a day. In fact, most would love to incorporate the both, without having to switch back and forth, between programs every couple of months.

Maybe you have thought about this, or maybe not but I found this to be a very simple but effective way of incorporating strength training protocols basically, into my regular bodybuilding routine.

Continue reading if you are interested in finding out this very easy concept!

Back in the day, we all just assumed that jumping on a cardio machine of our choice and putting it on, was all that we needed to lose body fat. I mean it did make sense, just do more physical activity than you’re accustom to and your body is suppose to just lose body fat from the excess energy that’s required to perform those said activities. But did you know there are two different forms of cardio, that tend to do two separate things. So you have to wonder, which one is best for me?

If you are interested in finding out which type of cardio is good for you, then please continue reading!

Losing body fat is not an easy task. Anyone who says otherwise, were probably born with the genetics of a god and has no worries about having to cut in the first place or has an easy time doing it without much effort. Unlike those individuals, the rest of us have to either count our calories to the T, do a mountain of cardio, stay away from carbs like it’s the black plague, or turn towards fad diets in times of desperation.

Instead of going through those frustrations, some have sworn by a little stack called the EC stack. It’s seemingly effective for a lot of people and have some interesting side effects that’s suppose to lead to interesting fat loss.

If you are looking to add a little extra kick to your fat loss program, without expecting a miracle to happen, keep reading to learn more about what an EC stack is and how to use it!

So it’s that time of the year again. We already had Thanksgiving and some people are probably experiencing the affects of that day all now, right when another hearty eating holiday is right around the corner. But, because of that, we don’t want to jump off the wagon and not be able to get back on it for a while. So this post is going to be focused on some little techniques you can use, to help keep on track and surviving the christmas holiday. We know it’s not just the day itself that’s the culprit but the days leading up to it and the days afterward, where if you have left over goodies, you are tempted to eat them.

If you are looking to find some ways to get away from overindulging this Christmas holiday, keep reading!

I have spoken about high intensity interval training before in this blog and as with other concepts that have been spoken on again, I am back to providing some more information that would benefit you from using HIIT. This cardio style is generally what you see done, to provide the physique that most sprinters have. As you can see from the picture, exceedingly long sessions of cardio doesn’t yield the maximum amount of muscle but with HIIT, you can retain your muscle or even build it, while perform some intense cardio for short spurts, rather than very long ones.

The thing about all these different forms of cardio, is the different tweaks that can be done to it, to keep the intensity going. There is no point to get good at something and keep at it, because that would just be you at a maintenance level rather than at a fat loss level. We all know the body is able to adapt, so once it does, this is one tweak you can make to your every loving HIIT session and keep the fat loss coming!

IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS, the eating protocol that most strict fitness experts may not advise their clients to follow, but I have personally tried it and have gotten excellent results from it. It’s no miracle eating protocol and it’s not the eating protocol to save all eating protocols. It’s a concept that I have seen others yield great results from and myself.

I have previously spoken about IIFYM (IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS), in this blog but now, I want to talk about how to use this eating protocol to your own personal benefit. I had mainly hit the points of what it was, and how it generally works but I want to make it a little clearer this time around.

Now, a lot of people when they see IIFYM, they assume that they can eat whatever they want and call it a day, which puts a negative name on the whole concept. In all honesty, IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS, is meant to allow one to eat the things they like, and also keep to their diet and fitness goals on track.

But, if you’re interested in learning how to use this eating protocol to your benefit, please keep reading this article!

Since I have been cutting myself, I have been looking into different methods of accelerating my fat loss, after I have finished using one method. First was Intermittent Fasting, next was just eating regularly but utilizing HIIT (high intensive interval training), and soon it’s going to be using an EC stack and then along with it, fasted cardio.

Each one of these forms of dieting or training protocol, has yielded excellent results. Soon, I will be able to critique the use of an EC stack and fasted cardio, which you can follow this journey through my own personal fitness blog. I have done my research and here I am providing you with the information on why fasted cardio will work. Eventually, I will write up an article on the use of an EC stack, to effectively lose body fat, so keep tuned for that! But if you’re interested in learning about fasted cardio, please keep reading!

Nutrition is considered the MOST important aspect of fitness training. A lot of people who initially get into fitness training of any type, particularly those who are more focused on the bodybuilding component of it, fail to recognize the importance of nutrition. They focus mainly on what’s happening in the gym and neglect to develop a proper diet or to calculate the right amount of calories they are suppose to consume to get a particular goal they are seeking.

The reason for this, is pretty obvious. People observe the training at the gym but don’t see what these individuals who have the 6 packs, developed pecs and definition in their arms, are putting into their mouth when they leave the gym. It’s a type of illusion that can fool a beginner to be convinced that training is the ultimate component of fitness training and not the diet.

This article isn’t going to focus on what types of diet to consume, because that’s been talked about many times in here and will be talked many times again. But rather, this article will focus on the very EASY way to calculate your caloric intake if you find the link I have under the Useful Links, is a tad bit too confusing.

I am writing this post because recently I was training my mom at the gym and I just realized along with some others at my gym, that form is something they’ve thrown out of the window. People think that lifting weights and just putting them down is sufficient but lack the understanding that proper form with reasonable weight, will produce better results than half-reps of heavy weights unless proper form is performed previously.

In this article, I am going to talk about how to really work that muscle and reap the best benefits from working out, in the first place. I see it time and time again and wish I could assist those in the gym with performing those exercises properly, but it’s not my place really and people tend to love to be left alone while training.

What I do know, is that at least through this article, I can get my readers to perform their exercises properly, and give them an idea on how to know they are performing those exercises with proper form.

The question many tend to ask me over and over again, is the simple one; how much protein is enough protein? There are basic ratios that assist in acquiring the right amount of protein in take, to build muscle mass but, there’s also goals that need to be looked at to assume how much protein is needed for a particular body type.

Someone who’s a hardgainer, may require a little more because of the overall requirement of calories to gain weight period, while other body types may just follow the basics. This article is going to just focus on the basics and not go into the nitty gritty of it, I’d rather leave that for another post. In fact, I am just letting you know why the numbers are the way it is, why you should or shouldn’t follow it and at the end of the day it’s up to you to choose which of the 2 ratios, is the one for you and you’re long term muscle building or maintaining goals.

This entry is going to be short and sweet, and straight to the point. Many of us have been performing certain exercises, in ways that do not directly target the muscles we’re looking to train. When we do bicep curls, some of us swing the barbell or dumbbell, without giving much resistance to the bicep itself. Did you know, it’s the negative (down movement), that is the most effective part of the bicep curl? Well, now you do. That’s why it’s always highlighted by those who are in the know, to slowly move the weight down, let the muscle completely extend and then slowly bring it back up in controlled movements. One of the best exercise to work on the peak of your bicep and really work it out, is the preacher curls. This gives you an idea, of how certain exercises, truly target the muscle group you want to.

But what about the shoulders? Preacher curls is a very basic exercise and no one would deny that movement and the form involved in it, but what about lateral raises? Did you know, most likely you have been performing the lateral raises completely wrong? If you aren’t sure, keep reading to find out the proper way to perform lateral raises.

It’s sometimes a fighting battle when it comes to this competition we call fat loss. Through the basics, we shed some body fat while building or retaining muscles, depending on where in the training hierarchy you fall. But one of the best ways to lose weight, is to count your calories. Knowing exactly how much calories one is consuming, helps to keep their weight loss program on track.

But what about those juices? I have seen people drinking their juices in place of the sodas and as awesome as that is, I doubt they realize that that too, needs to be counted. Remember, the reason we count our calories is because we want our body’s metabolic activities to be fueled by the fat we already have stored in our body, rather than using acquired energy from outside sources (e.g food), so counting helps keep this fat loss mechanism on a continued flow. This is also why some people prefer doing a low carbohydrate diet because this encourages even more fat loss because your body’s number one choice for fuel, is carbohydrates. But that’s not the topic of this entry

I know some of you who are reading this, are like “duh”, of course you have to count your juices but then there are some who are still in the dark about this. So keep reading if you already don’t count your juices and to learn why, it’s important to start doing so immediately. Remember knowing is power, from this knowledge you have a more understanding on how to develop and improve your weight loss program!

Anyone who’s now getting into the fitness lifestyle, tend to follow the normal path and focus on the basics. This is very good for progress and to prevent injury, but as one progresses, they need to venture off into other aspects of weight lifting that can yield some awesome results.

Generally, we focus on doing one exercise, for 1 set, with one body part and then break for 45-60 seconds and then move onto the same body part, doing the same exercise. With supersets, you’re going to be allowed to continuously work on a particular muscle group, but utilize another exercise for that body part.

There are different variations to supersets to make it more challenging as time goes by and to also make it more interesting, basically tricking your body into continuously growing to adapt to the new challenges and never become stagnant and stalling from the lack of new stimulation. For this article though, I am going to focus on the basic premise behind supersets and the basic routine that goes along with it. Later on, I will expand with other forms of supersets in other articles in the future.

If you are interested in incorporating supersets into your routine, I suggest you continue reading!

In the community of weight lifters, there are two types; bodybuilders and power lifters. The latter group focuses more on strength gains and sometimes disregards aesthetics, or physical appearance for those gains. The former group is focused on sculpting the body, to that of a Greek god.

For those who may be unaware on the physiological and biological components that are involved in each type of weight lifting, power lifters focus on a different aspect of the skeletal muscle, to gain those strength. The same goes for bodybuilders, who are focusing on another type of aspect of the muscle, when it comes to their training.

Just lifting up a weight and putting it down, doesn’t train all of the muscles. It’s only part of the muscles that are being trained. So, doesn’t it make sense to incorporate or develop a weight training program, that targets all of the muscles for optimum and maximum gains?

Continue reading the article to learn about myofibrillar hypertrophy and why it should be incorporated into your current weight training program.

High Intensity Interval Training, is an awesome way to lose fat. Actually, it’s the most effective way to lose body fat, contrary to what you may think. Yes, walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes, will inevitably lead you to lose body fat if you’re caloric intake is on a deficit, but why not cut that time in half, if you can?

I am going to just talk about why HIIT works, and why you should use it every now and in then in your workout and routine, towards losing weight efficiently.

Ever just feel like munching down on that chicken sandwich at Wendy’s or Burger King, or whoever it is that you get your chicken sammich from? Unfortunately for you and I, we’re on diets. So how can we even consider eating something so tasty, when we’re trying to lose body fat? There’s no way that eating that meal, would benefit us when it comes to cutting. Maybe if we’re bulking, but how can we eat this sandwich and still lose weight?

Well, people eating that sandwich is what is called a cheat meal. I am going to talk about some of the benefits and some of the disadvantages, of including a cheat meal into your overall diet.

Sometimes it’s pretty hard to be able to get to the gym. Not only that but some of us don’t have the funds to purchase a membership at a gym. Not even $15 a month is sufficient for some people, because there’s more important things like say; food!

I am writing this article, with you in mind. Maybe you are too busy to go to a gym (which I doubt, because if you really wanted to, the time you are on the couch watching tv, you can relax and get your sweat on!), or maybe you want to start off with some body weight exercises, and then progress to a gym environment. Whatever it may be, here’s a break down on some different types of body weight exercises.

One of the worst consequences of dieting under your normal calorie intake, is the dreaded hunger pangs. Those suckers can make the most discipline person, run towards that slice of cake, or that extra serving of chicken, or whatever it may be.

Dieting is a challenging thing and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s a mind control game, where you are struggling to succeed and win. Not only that but if you succumb to the temptations that surround you during your dieting, you feel absolutely disappointed in your lack of will power.

If you keep reading, I am going to try to give you some encouragement and some advice, on how to succumb those hunger pangs and keep on your diet!

One of the influences we experience or obtain when entering into the lifestyle of weightlifting, is having someone in mind we want to look like.

Nothing is wrong with this, but you have to be careful with who you pick to be your physique ideal or inspiration.

Continue reading to learn what is realistic and why you should choose certain physiques to idolize.

If you’ve been following my blog, you would know that I always emphasize and stress on nutrition. If you aren’t eating enough to build those muscles, nothing is going to happen. You’re going to be crunching out reps after reps, and becoming disappointed with your results. Your strength may not go up, weight may stay the same or you may end up losing (not in a good way), or any other type of discouraging act.

But on the other end of it, there’s the fact that some people push into the heads of newbs, that if they do not get their macros in, if they skipped a meal, or if they end up eating way below their calorie intake, they are going to be set back some and not see any gains.

I am just here to tell you, that that isn’t so.

Keep reading if you want to know why, and how you don’t need to be panicking if you had yourself a very hard and long day, where you didn’t get time to eat lunch or get in much calories.

For a beginner to weight lifting, there is some confusion of what exercises to do, when and how often. The hardest part is also building up the confidence to do certain exercises. I know personally, doing certain compound exercises is a little intimidating as it requires precise form and can surely be dangerous if not done properly.

This article is going to talk about some compound exercises, what compound exercises are and why they are useful to incorporate into your weight lifting activities/routine.

I am going to make this post a little short and sweet, if I say so myself. This is being done so that you as a reader and visitor of my blog, can really ask yourself the question; “What am I?”

When you’re starting off with weight lifting, you have to make sure that you have an idea of where you want to go because if you don’t, sometimes you end up no where or in places you didn’t want to be in the first place.

To help guide you to that place, where you want to be, you have to ask yourself whether you’re a bodybuilder or a weight lifter.

What’s the difference you may ask? To you, it may seem that they are one in the same. But, in actuality, they are not.

Continue reading to learn the difference, so that you can start setting goals right now, to get to that specific place that you want to be with your physique.

Those unsightly little red marks or lines, that are seen in certain aspects of your body that have you scrambling to find solutions to get rid of it.

Those little suckers actually come with the territory of bodybuilding and weight training. Now, the thing is, you may say “Oh, I already knew that”. But, the thing you may not have known is that certain areas you thought you’ll never experience stretch marks because you’ve experienced stretch marks before, are going to be new playing grounds for them.

In this post I am going to talk about stretch marks, obviously and solutions to combating them when they are occur or even preventing them or at least in the drastic amounts that you would receive if you were unaware of them in the first place.

Nutrition is a very important part of weight training. I could speak about training with the weights, different exercises, strength training, hypertrophy and supplements but if you don’t have your diet down, then you aren’t going to go anywhere.

This is ultimately, the most damaging part of beginner’s when it comes to training properly. They think it all has to do with the gym but a lot of people believe that it’s about 5% training and 95% everything else, which includes sleep and optimum recovery time.

Just a quick run through on the basics I have talked before, about nutrition. We know our protein needs to be about 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight to build muscle mass, 2 to 2.5 or even more, grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight, to gain muscles mass as it’s the body’s main source of energy and finally, we have that fats should be around 100 to 150 grams. All these numbers obviously pertain only to the individual, based on their desired goals, their weight, their height, etc. Point being, they are essential and they are needed for the body to function and recover. We all can say, if we haven’t eaten properly for the day, we feel lethargic and exhausted or if we haven’t had enough carbohydrates, the same unfortunate symptoms occur. This just proves how eating helps us function.

But, the trick is eating properly because just eating can actually make you feel bad because of the types of foods you consume. Simple sugars, high fatty foods, lack of water intake or not getting all your essential vitamins and minerals can cause you to start feeling down and depressed, tired, weak, etc.

So now that we are familiar with how food affects us, and how some types of food can affect us negatively more than others, as weight trainers, we want to consume the right foods.

Some time in the past, I wrote an article talking about the 9 steps to a healthy lifestyle, through healthy food consumptions but that is always easier said than done.

I have had my own personal experience in coming in contact with temptation and still eating foods I am not suppose to, but there are ways to get around it and their is a timeline. You aren’t expected to go cold turkey from eating all the junk food you like, to suddenly being a vegan or competition mode like a bodybuilder. Unfortunately, a lot of people think this to be true and don’t realize, it takes time. Fortunately for you, I am going to explain to you how to do it, and how to keep on it. That’s if you keep reading, of course

This two day split is what I used when I didn’t have the means to get to the gym often enough. Now this doesn’t say what you do in those split, but just give you an idea of how to workout twice a week and maximize your gains.

Day 1: Upper body

- do 2 exercises per body group and make sure to not exceed 45 minutes. If you have been working out for a couple of months now, and training time is limited and you need to do only 2 days a week training, then you can add 3 exercises per body part and stay in the gym for 1 and a half hours.

Day 2: Lower Body

- because this can be very strenuous even for the avid trainer, I’d suggest keeping this to only 2 exercise per body part.

Because of this split, you can do it one day after the other, so Monday train and Tuesday you train and the rest of the week you are off. Or Friday you train and saturday you train and you be off for the rest of the week. Or, you can do Monday train and friday train, every day in between and afterward, is off days. The point is, that because your training each body part once a week, you are not going to over train and you’re definitely not going to lose the possibilities of making gains. I actually made my best gains under this type of training, earlier this year. So it’s definitely possible to still see gains. Unless you trying to be a bodybuilder, who competes, there’s no reason to get to 5 days a week, if you can’t.

Continue reading for some more information in regards to breaks in between, resting and etc.

Throughout my own attempts to become as knowledgeable as I can, when it comes to weight training, especially for women, I came across a website that was speaking about staying on track. What makes bodybuilders and professional trainers different from the rest?

As obvious as it may be, it may not always be so obvious. Keep reading if you feel that when you step forward, you only fall to temptation and move a few steps back.

Alright this is going to be straight to the point and without any extra information in it. But, some people have asked me about creatine and what it is, and how does it help with weight training. Not only that but some people when they ask me about creatine, they link it with whey protein asking, which is better and if they do the same thing. Because of this simple misconception and confusion, I think a lot of people are staying away from a very good product. Now, if you are just starting off, and haven’t trained a day in your life, then I’d suggest leaving creatine alone until maybe 6 months into training.

The basic staples that you need right now, is just whey protein powder, and that is it. A protein supplement is just there to help you get your protein macros in check. As for other supplements, I see no need for them at the moment. When I started weight training back in the day, all I used was a weight gainer and that is all. I gained my mass pretty steadily and quickly, because of what we call newbie gains. Not only that but I know now, I should have just gotten a protein supplement and call it a day. Focused on my nutritional part of weight training and once I had gotten that down, then step into other supplements.

One of the most important part of training, is nutrition, but this isn’t the topic of this discussion and I have already went off course with the staples, and protein, etc.

Anyways, creatine is a compound that can be readily found in some of the foods you eat, especially your fish products. But because creatine is a compound that isn’t in high abundance in fish as it would be in a supplement, athletes and bodybuilders or any fitness trainers, tend to want more of this so supplementation is recommended. The reason for the desired amount that fitness individuals are interested in consuming, generally 5 grams, is because of what creatine does.

Creatine kinase, that’s used in a metabolic process to produce energy that will be discussed in a second, has a phosphate group attached to it’s chemical structure, because of this, when ATP (the energy required by the body to go through it’s metabolic pathways and activities), breaks down and becomes ADP, it requires another phosphate to get back to ATP. When the phosphate breaks off of ATP, energy is produced. ADP then gets a phosphate, and yet again, ATP produced, energy is produced and the cycle begins all over again. Creatine kinase does the wonderful task of providing our ADP pal, with that extra phosphate so that energy production can be done in a faster way than the body can do naturally. A kinase is just an enzyme that provides a phosphate, hence CREATINE kinase. So, this benefits a weight trainer or athlete, because it allows for the muscles to be able to contract sooner, than if it was just the regular pathways produced by the body to provide ADP the extra phosphate. This extra energy is very beneficial. It’s suppose to keep the individual in the gym longer, and have them be able to push weight they haven’t been able to push before.

Although this is a fun thing, the reason why it’s not recommended for regular joes is because creatine can cause dehydration. This is why one has to be able to handle liquid consumption at an optimal level before handling creatine. Not only that but creatine has shown to have side effects of bloating, which some people don’t like. Also, water retention is another consequence of using creatine. When you cycle off of creatine, you will realize your size would have decreased because your cells are no longer holding the water. Creatine causes water to be pushed into your cells and gives you that “buff” effect. So, expect when you cycle off of it, that you will shrink a tad bit. But, the idea with using creatine, is so that when you’ve pumped those heavy weights for that 3 weeks, that when you’re done cycling creatine, you are suppose to have reaped the rewards of hypertrophy and have gained muscle mass.

If you would like to know a more detailed break down on how creatine works, keep reading.

One of the hardest things that people come across when it comes to weight training, is eating properly. I have already spoken on how important nutrition is, whether it is for bulking or cutting. Certain things you should try to focus on accomplishing no matter what, although there are debates on whether to be sticklers about it or not. Either way, that’s not the topic for today. Today I want to focus on eating for a bulk, but not really focusing on counting calories.

The best way to eat on a bulk, without counting calories is the most logical thing; use one day out of the whole week and count them damn calories!

But if you want some more suggestions instead of that obvious one, then continue reading!

I just want to settle something once and for all, because it’s a huge misconception and falsehood that I am a little irritated by. I think women should know exactly what they are getting into, when it comes to weight training. They have a warped sense of what can happen once they pick up a dumbbell and I think men have it also.

When it comes to weight training and women, the woman needs to know what kind of physique she wants. She’s not going to suddenly turn into a shehulk, if she starts lifting weights. I see girls avoiding weights like it’s the plague because they have a misconception yet again, on what they will look like. You will not look like me, if you’re curling 10 lb weights, or squatting in the 50s. I see them using just the bars, and doing deadlifts and so forth. Fine, that’s cool but you’re not going to get huge like a man, if you lift weights.

Yet, there’s guys who think that if a woman lift weights, she’s going to only start looking like a fitness model. How naive of them to assume just because females have a lower set of testosterone surging through their body, that they wouldn’t have a physique nearly as equal to them? If you have a goal, to look muscular, nearly as much as some dudes, as a female, YOU CAN DO IT! You can also do it, without the assistance of anabolic substances. All you have to do, is lift heavy. Starting lifting in the range that dudes lift in, and you will get an awesome physique. Not even men can get to the massive sized muscular look, without using anabolic substances. So don’t let them deter you from what it is you desire to look like.

Continue reading if you require a visual recap of what was said. I am writing this because I want you women, to recognize your worth and not let generalizations get you down, thinking you can’t achieve something because of some unaware individuals.