title:Weight Loss and Fitness – Facts not Fiction
The world of weight loss and fitness is certainly vast, and the American consumer can absolutely get lost in the thousands of easy effortless and ostly useless ads if not careful. With my books and research I want to clear the air about the various myths and false statements regarding our health and fitness that have clearly muddied the waters for many Americans.
What I want to stress in particular is that there is no magic answer, potion, or diet pill that is going to make everything better. The ad on TV where the pretty lady says “it’s easy. you’ll love it”, is appealing to our need for instant gratification with no effort. We don’t want to hear the facts so we continue to look for the instant solution. If there was a magic diet pill, or diet plan, over 60% of Americans wouldn’t be overweight, in spite of spending over $35 billion annually on diet products.
Achieving weight loss and fitness requires a commitment on your part to strive for a healthier you. What you will get in return for all of your hard work and dedication is a fit body, a renewed clarity of mind, better quality sleep, and perhaps even a pronounced increase in your libido. I have found that through the positive changes I have made in my own life regarding weight loss and fitness, all areas of my life are exponentially better. I wake up energized, I feel excited about my day and my interactions with people, my body feels strong and capable, and my entire outlook on life has improved significantly.
The Weight Loss and Fitness Commitment show that claims that teach you shortcuts on how to drop 30 pounds in 30 days are improbable at best and unhelathy at worst.
That claim is water loss pure and simple. You do the math: 1 pound of fat = about 3500 calories 30 pounds of fat = 105,000 calories. To lose 30 pounds of fat in 30 days you would need to reduce caloric intake by about 105,000 calories or about 3500 per day. If you are eating 3,000 calories a day now, that might be tough. OK you say I’ll exercise it off. 1 hour on a stationary bicycle running at an average over 20 miles an hour burns about 400 calories. Meaning to burn 3,500 calories a day on the bike, you’d need to ride it for about 9 hours.
If you are looking for a quick fix, you will continue to be frustrated about health and fitness.
However, if you are tired of feeling fatigued and know for sure that you are ready to make a solid commitment to your own health and mind, Living to Be Younger can act as a guide. It is my hope that you will read each page with an open mind and a willingness to make some changes that will enable you to break out of your rut.
First, lose the idea that there is a magic diet pill or supplement that will transform your body to a svelte shape. Losing weight requires that you expend more calories than you ingestplain and simple. This means that you must get up and moving at least three to five days per week, for at least 30 minutes each session. If you were considerably overweight, it would be ideal to aim for at least five workout sessions per week. Always consult with your physician before embarking on any new exercise plan. Second, take a good look at what you are putting in your mouth on a daily basis. Aim for natural foods that are high in vitamins and minerals, fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates. Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fats, sodium, refined sugars, and preservatives. When you take the Living to Be Younger Challenge, you will find that your zest for life isn’t goneit’s just been hiding. Congratulations on taking this first step towards a healthier you.
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title:Weight Loss and Exercise in Tough Environmental Conditions
Working out is working out, right?
Wrong.
Depending on the environmental conditions where you
live, there may be extra precautions that you’ll want to consider when trying to lose weight by following a healthy diet and weight loss program.
HIGH ALTITUDES
High altitude environments have less available oxygen then those closer to sea level. One of the effects of such altitude is that the heart must beat faster in order to do the job of delivering oxygen to the muscle tissues both while active and at rest.
Depending on the specific altitude and corresponding acitivity, heart rates may soar as high as 50% above normal. Also, side effects like hyperventilation, dizziness, insomnia, weakness, headache, and irratability are also common in such an environment.
Because of these possible outcomes, people who exercise in high altitudes will definitely want to consult a local physician for clearance before beginning their weight loss exercise program, and may want to lower the intensity of their weight loss cardiovascular activity—especially if they are beginners.
People living in high altitudes will also want to get medical clearance before trying any diet pills, diet patch, or any other weight loss product(s) that may elevate the heart rate to eliminate risk of more complicated health concerns.
EXERCISING IN EXTREME HEAT
Under normal circumstances, the body’s temperature is at or around 98°. In areas that have very high temperatures (around 100° or more), the body must adjust to maintain the proper temperature by transferring some of its heat back into the environment.
The primary result of this reaction is that he heart rate will be higher than normal, similar to the effect of being in high altitudes. To best aid the body in maintaining its normalcy under such conditions, make sure to drink 3 to 6 oz. of water for every 10 to 15 minutes of weight loss activity and allowing as much sweat to evaporate as possible. It is also important to wear as close to 100% cotton garments as well as stray away from rubberized or water-proof garments that will prevent sweat evaporation. Light colors should also be worn.
EXERCISING IN THE COLD
To the surprise as many, water replenishment is just as important in the cold as it is in much warmer environments.
The fact of the matter is that water is lost as vapor as inhaled during cardiovascular exercise and other activities that help you to ultimately lose weight. There is also a risk of losing too much body heat once you are done exercising.
To best be prepared to exercise in order to lose weight fast while living in cold environments, make sure to dress in layers to insulate body heat and drink plenty of water. Also wear a hat to limit the amount of body heat that escapes through the head, which is where most body heat is lost from.
To YourBestBody,
title:Weight Loss and Attitude
Weight loss specialists will tell you that attitude has a more powerful effect on losing weight than all other factors. The best plan out there won’t cut it, if you don’t follow it, and that can be a matter of attitude and motivation. Here are some tips to help you change your thinking and acting:
1. Never dwell on “failures.” Look at failures honestly, and then tell yourself, “This setback is temporary – here’s what I’ll do differently next time.”
2. Look at setbacks as opportunities. Problems and temporary failures provide a chance to learn how to do it better. Use them as steps towards success.
3. Think in terms of solutions, not problems. “I have such a hard time resisting temptation,” becomes, “When have I resisted, and what can I learn from that experience?” Reaching for the convenient junk food isn’t a problem, but a lesson: Don’t let it be convenient.
4. See success, both your own and other’s. Noticing even a little progress reminds you what is possible, and it keeps you motivated. This is a powerful way to stay on track. Little successes give the motivation for bigger ones.
5. Imagine yourself how you want to be. When you see yourself how you want to be repeatedly, this gets your subconscious mind working towards that image. Do this often.
6. Do something now. Action often precedes and stimulates attitude and motivation. Eat some healthy snacks, read a useful article, or get out and take a walk. Do anything, however small, towards your weight loss goals. Momentum is created by taking any step in the right direction.
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title:Weight Lifting for Beginners
author:Travis Van Slooten
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_3514.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:11
category:health
article:
Weight lifting for beginners can be overwhelming. There is so much to learn and there are so many resources available to get help from. Where do you begin? While it’s true there is a lot to get your hands around when it comes to the world of weight lifting, I want to provide some basic tips to get you started on the right foot.
Before we discuss the basics to make weight lifting for beginners easier, let’s talk about the human body for a minute. There are three main body types: endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph. Each body type has its own unique charasterics. A person with an endomorph body type is considered to be carrying around too much fat and tends to have trouble losing weight. Someone with an ectomorph frame does not have enough fat or muscle and has a tough time building muscle or gaining weight. A mesomorph is perhaps the ideal body type with a well-formed body and can gain or lose weight fairly easily.
Understanding what body type you have is important so that you can set realistic weight lifting goals. An ectomorph, for example, is going to have a tough time putting on muscle and will probably never look like Arnold schwarzenegger in his prime (who has a mesomorph body type). You can’t get a sedan to perform like a sports car and the same is true of our bodies so the first thing the beginner should do is set realistic goals.
After setting realistic goals, here are some basic tips that will make weight lifting for beginners easier, safer, and more effective:
Understand the Lingo
The lingo can make Weight lifting for beginners confusing when they first get started. The two basic terms that every beginner must know are “reps” and “sets.” A rep is simply one exercise, or movement. For example, doing one pull up is considered “one rep.” Consecutive reps without a rest form a set. For example, “10 reps” of doing pull ups is “one set.” So if a weight lifting routine that you’ve come across calls for you to do pulls ups of “3 sets of 10,” you’ll know that means you need to do 10 pull ups, three times (3 sets) – with rest in between in each set.
Consider Hiring a Personal Trainer
If you’re tight on cash, don’t pass by this tip so quickly because personal trainers aren’t as expensive as you might think. I’m not talking about hiring a personal trainer full-time. Hiring a personal trainer for one to two sessions can go a long way in getting you off to the right foot and making weight lifting for beginners safer and more effective. A personal trainer can show you how to correctly execute your weight lifting exercises to prevent injuries and to make sure you are working the muscles properly for the best results. They can also correct any bad habits you might have developed. Weight lifting for beginners can be so simple with just one or two sessions with a personal trainer so consider it if your budget allows.
Avoid Spending Too Much Time in the Gym
A lot of guys make the mistake in believing that if they start seeing results with just 45-60 minutes in the gym, then more time would reap even greater results! Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, overtraining of any kind can actually hamper your results. Spending too much time exercising can wreak all kinds of havoc in the body. For example, after about an hour of rigorous exercise, levels of the hormones in your body responsible for muscle growth start to diminish. Other hormones, such as cortisol, are released instead and they can actually destroy muscles and ruin all your hard work. Instead of getting bigger, you may actually get smaller! Weight lifting for beginners should not require more than 60 minutes in the gym per session. Beginners can achieve results with as little as 30 minutes of weight lifting per session so long as the session is focused and the exercises are done correctly.
Be Focused When You’re at the Gym
Nothing drives me nuts more than seeing a guy reading a newspaper in between sets. I want to smack the guy in the head and ask him if he’s here to read or lift weights! Save the paper for after your workout. When you’re at the gym, stay focused on the task at hand and you’ll get better results and you’ll spend less time in the gym. A lot of guys who say they lift for more than an hour, probably spend half the time talking with other people or reading newspapers. If you have that kind of time, then go for it. For me personally, I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the gym. I like to get my work done and get out of there.
Concentrate on Large Muscle Groups
There are so many different exercises to learn that weight lifting for beginners can be down right overwhelming. The best thing the beginner can do is concentrate on exercises that will work the large muscle groups. These groups include the legs, chest, and back. You’ll get more bang for your buck spending your time doing weight lifting exercises that work those muscle groups. The more muscle mass you build, the more fat you’ll burn throughout the day. Since these are large muscle groups, it makes sense to make them bigger so you can burn more fat! These are also the muscle groups that will be the most noticeable to others. What woman doesn’t notice a guy with a well-formed “V-shaped” back or muscular legs in the summer when you’re wearing shorts? Let’s not forget about the chest. The chest is one of the first muscle groups everyone notices! As a beginner, don’t waste your time with small muscle groups because those muscles don’t do nearly as much fat burning and t!
hey’re not nearly as noticeable to others.
Eat a Balanced, Healthy Diet
Weight lifting for beginners is more than just pushing iron! A poor diet will prevent the beginner from achieving significant gains. The body you have today is the result of what you have been putting in it for the past several months. Get plenty of protein, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids and limit junk food, sugars, alcohol, and fast food.
Get Plenty of Rest
Again, weight lifting for beginners is about more than just pushing iron. Along with a healthy diet, you need to get adequate sleep. Believe it or not, but your muscles repair themselves and grow when you sleep – NOT when you’re at the gym lifting. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not giving your muscles enough time to repair and grow. Furthermore, if you’re not fully energized when you hit the gym, how effective do you think your lifting will be? I can lift a lot more weight and I can push myself harder when I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Aim to get eight hours of sleep every night.
These are the basics that should make weight lifting for beginners easier, safer, and more effective.
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title:Weight Lifting Exercises & Their Affect On Different Muscle Fibers
author:Patrick Mckeeman
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_3945.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:11
category:health
article:
Weight lifting exercises cause your muscles to generate heat and strength. Your muscles need to be strong, in order to help you move, breathe and so on.
This article on weight lifting exercises will look at the relationship between the exercises you use when weight lifting and your muscles.
Your actual muscle tissue is made up of 2 types of muscle fibers, actin, which are a slim fiber and myosin which are substantially thicker. Both of these fiber types help to give your muscles a striated look about them.
When performing any exercises used in weight lifting the muscle being exercised must be able to contract properly. To do this they need to become stimulated by motor neurons. These are simply nerves.
One motor neuron and the muscle fibers stimulated during exercises used during weight lifting activities are called a motor unit. These motor units or muscle fibers play a large part in the force your muscles can produce during a contraction.
The more motor units you can activate during your weight lifting exercises the stronger the contraction. Meaning you’ll be able to lift a greater amount of weight for an increased number of repetitions.
Your muscle fibers are categorized as Type I, Type IIa and Type IIb muscle fibers. The more common term for muscle fibers are “fast” and “slow” twitch.
When performing high rep weight training exercises it’s your slow twitch muscle fibers (Type I) that will be recruited to do the majority of the work. Your body uses this type of muscle fiber when endurance activities, aerobic activity or high rep sets are used.
Fast twitch muscle fibers (Type IIa and Type Iib) are used by your body during explosive contractions. It’s these fibers that have the greatest potential for growth resulting from the weight lifting exercises you perform.
Your body will used fast twitch muscle fibers during high-intensity, short-duration exercises such as weight lifting exercises that use heavy weight for very low reps, or sprinting.
People who seem to be able to build muscle at will when performing almost any weight lifting exercises, usually will have an unusually large number of fast twitch muscle fibers in their body.
In the majority of people the muscle fiber make-up in each muscle group will be relatively equal in most muscle groups. Therefore you need to recruit both slow twitch and fast twitch fibers at some point in your exercise program.
One exception to the rule of equal types of muscle fibers is when it comes to your hamstrings. The hamstring muscles in the vast majority of people tend to be made up of mostly fast twitch muscle fibers.
For that reason, when performing weight exercises for your hamstrings, you should try to use heavier weights for a lower number of reps.
Now, when executing any weight training exercises your muscles will go through a few different actions. There are isometric, eccentric, concentric, and isotonic portions of most weight lifting exercises;
Isometric contractions can best be described as the same stress your muscle would go through when pushing against a wall.
The lifting portion of weight training exercises such as a dumbbell bicep curl is known as the concentric contraction. Lowering the dumbbell in a controlled fashion is the eccentric portion.
The more common terms for this part of weight training exercises are positive (concentric) and negative (eccentric).
The fourth type of contraction that can occur during weight exercises is the isotonic contraction. This can occur more commonly during plyometric training.
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title:Weight Lifting 101
author:Kevin Valluzzi
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_367.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:10
category:health
article:
WHY WEIGHT LIFTING?
What’s the one thing that you can do to lose weight, re-shape your body, improve muscle tone, become stronger, fight off osteoporosis, lower blood pressure, etc.?
Weight Lifting! Or as it’s also called, Strength Training!
For the rest of this book I will refer to the art of weight lifting as strength training. One of the reasons a lot of people don’t lift weights is because they are intimidated by the word weight lifting.
It amazes me to see how many people avoid lifting weights for one reason or another.
Let me make sure you are clear of one very important fact.
LIFTING WEIGHTS IS ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR OVERALL HEALTH!!!
Let’s jump right in and start off by covering exactly “what” strength training is.
It’s actually very simple. Strength training or weight lifting is the lifting of heavy weights and/or resistance in a prescribed manner as an exercise or in athletic competition.
Notice I said weights and/or resistance. It doesn’t have to necessarily be a weight plate or a dumbbell. We’ll get into that more later.
As simple as that definition of strength training sounds, why are you and so many other people not doing it?
The answer to that is probably one of these two:
You’re not sure what to do, or you’re confused about what to do.
You have never realized that strength-training can and will build muscle, which in turn will help you look and feel great.
You very well could be on a strength-training program right now.
Even if you are, I want you to really pay attention to what we’re going to talk about for the rest of the book. I’m sure it is going to have you thinking differently about why you should be lifting weights from now on.
We’re going to talk about why developing a strength training program will ultimately help you lose weight, add some muscle tone, look better and feel better about yourself.
We will go over some “myths” about strength training and the real facts behind them.
So, whether you’re new to strength training or you’ve been doing it for years, pay close attention.
MYTHS
Let’s first clear up some of the misconceptions about strength training and the truth behind these myths.
This first myth is the “biggie” and it has prevented many of you from weight lifting (especially women).
It sounds a little something like this; “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want to get big and bulky.”
It’s a shame that a lot of people think like this because it is so far from the truth. Let’s explore that myth a little.
When you think of weight lifters, you probably think of body builders, right?
You think of the men and women on ESPN parading around in little swimsuits with big bulky muscles popping out all over the place.
There are three reasons for this:
These people are an extremely minute percentage of the population.
That is their livelihood and they spend 4 to 5 hours a day in the gym.
Some of them are using performance-enhancing drugs (steroids, etc.) to look like that
So if you can get that image of the “bodybuilder” out of your head and think in terms of the average everyday person, you will see why the myth about getting bulky is just that, a myth!
What we’re going to talk about next I will try to explain to you in an easy to understand way, without using any medical or professional terminology.
When you lift weights your body builds muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest). The more calories you burn the less you weigh.
It’s as simple as that!!!
Let me give you an example of this that might make it a little easier to understand. We’ll talk about 2 women in this example.
Let’s say you and your best friend are sitting on the couch watching some T.V. You personally strength-train 3 times a week, but your friend does not.
After an hour of watching T.V goes by, who will have burned more calories?
The common answer to that would be that you both burned the same (almost nothing), since you weren’t doing anything.
But the actual answer would be that you burned more calories, and I’ll tell you why for one simple reason. THE MORE MUSCLE YOU HAVE THE MORE CALORIES YOU BURN!!
Now you might say to yourself, “But if I lift weights, my muscles will get bigger and I will appear big and bulky.”
This does have a tendency to happen to men sometimes, and that is because of the male hormone testosterone. But what also happens to men, just like the women, is that they will get rid of the fat and replace it with lean muscle.
So the lean added muscle will now be there instead of the soft jelly-like fat.
With that said, keep this in mind. Evan though men have more testosterone, it would still be very difficult for a man to get big and bulky. You would have to train like a real bodybuilder in order for this to occur. Being genetically blessed doesn’t hurt either.
And if you did see yourself starting to “bulk” up a little, and that’s not what you want, just decrease the amount of weight you are lifting. Very simple.
Women on the other hand, do not have enough testosterone to even come close to “bulking up”.
Which brings us to another myth.
That myth being one of the most popular in the world of exercise, which is, “Muscle weighs more than fat.”
How ridiculous is that saying?
That’s like the old joke, “Which weighs more–10 lbs. of steel or 10 lbs. of feathers?”
Hopefully by now you know that the answer to that question is that they both really weigh the same. 10 lbs. is 10 lbs. no matter what it is made of.
Let’s go over this in a little more detail.
Muscle is much more compact and dense than fat. It actually takes up less space than fat does because of that. That makes sense, right?
Fat, on the other hand, is very soft and jelly-like and is a lot bigger than muscle. By that I mean it takes up more space than muscle does.
Let me give you another example to clarify this a little more.
If you were to take 10 lbs. of fat and 10 lbs. of muscle and roll each of them into a ball, the 10 lbs. of fat might be the size of a bowling ball. In comparison, the 10 lbs. of muscle would be about the size of a baseball.
Let’s take this a step further and use you and your friend in an example. You and your friend, for argument sake, are both 5′ 5″ tall and both weigh the exact same weight of 130 lbs.
Your friend, as we mentioned, does not lift weights or do any kind of strength training. Her dress size is a size 12.
You, on the other hand, lift weights and follow a strength-training program 3 times a week. Your dress size is a size 8.
If you and your friend were standing side by side people would definitely think that you weighed less than your friend. But in reality you both weigh exactly the same.
How can that be?
It all relates back to what I said earlier. Muscle does not weigh more than fat, it weighs the same. It is more compact than fat and it takes up less space. So you, the strength trainer, have more muscle than your friend does which means you will take up less space.
That’s why it’s also not a good idea to let the scale be your judge of your progress. You can very well have lost weight, but it won’t show up on the scale sometimes. A good indication of progress is how your clothes fit. If you are getting smaller, or should we say more compact/dense, you will notice that your clothes are getting a little looser.
Well all right you say, “I’ll lift weights, but I’m only lifting light weights and doing lots of repetitions.”
This is another mistake a lot of you are making. Now I’m not saying that this is the wrong way to lift, but it is not the optimal way to go about strength training if you are looking to lose weight and change your body.
So, is it all right for you to lift heavy weights and fewer repetitions? ABSOLUTELY!!
There’s another statement you need to clear your head of—“I shouldn’t lift heavy weights because that is for bodybuilders.”
You absolutely can and should be lifting heavy weights if you want to change your body!
Let’s take a moment now to recap some of the main ideas we have just covered;
Lifting weights will not make you bulky (it will make you leaner and more toned)
Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat; it’s simply more compact and denser than fat. (Remember, muscle actually takes up less space than fat)
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn (even at rest!).
Now you are well informed of why strength training will help you look and feel great. Hopefully this cleared up any confusion you might have had and now you are ready to “hit the weights.”
“WHAT DO I DO NOW”?
So you now know what strength training is and you know why it will help you change your body.
“But how do I actually go ahead and get started?”
As I said before, this is one of the main reasons if not THE main reason that most people don’t lift weights.
But what if I was to tell you that it’s not nearly as complicated as you might think.
What we’re going to discuss now is the “nuts and bolts” of designing a strength-training program.
Let me first start out by saying that if you are out of shape, haven’t exercised in awhile, suffer from any kind of medical condition (heart problems, high blood pressure, etc.) or are over 40 years old, you should make an appointment with your doctor to get a physical to make sure you are ready to start lifting weights.
With that said, here we go!
One of the very popular questions is what equipment do I need to strength train? Or better yet, what equipment is the best?
Luckily, there are plenty of options; machines, free weights (dumbbells), elastic bands, using your own body weight, which is called isometrics (push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, etc.).
I guess the best way to decide what equipment you are going to use is to first decide exactly where you’ll be working out.
Will you be at home, or will you be at some kind of gym or fitness center?
Let’s first explore the many options you have at a gym or fitness center.
Depending on your particular gym, you will probably have the choice of using free weights (dumbbells, weight bars, weight plates, etc.) or machines.
If you are a beginner to lifting weights, I highly recommend you use the machines for a few reasons.
Almost no chance of injury
Much easier to use proper form
Easily change weights via a pin
Also when using machines, especially the newer ones, there is usually a picture on the machine that demonstrates someone doing the actual exercise.
There is also a great product out now that is a ring of 50 pocket-sized exercise cards. They not only show a full color photo of each exercise, but each card also contains easy-to-read instructions as well as helpful trainer’s tips and common training mistakes, which are found on the back of the cards.
These cards are excellent and I highly recommend them.
Log on to my web-site at http://www.thefitnessleader.com and go to the “Products” page. There you will see a link for the cards. Click on that link and order your set of cards today. There is a lot more that comes with your set of 50 cards, and they are definitely worth having.
Another option is to purchase some really great books.
There are hundreds of great picture books out there to help you get started.
If you go to my web-site (www.thefitnessleader.com) and go to “products”, there you will find a link to Amazon.
Once you click on the link, you will find some great books that I recommend that are very helpful for the beginner exerciser.
There is of course the third option, which is to hire one of the personal trainers that works at your gym or an in-home personal trainer, like myself, who comes to your house and sets you up on a program.
One word of advice if you decide to get a trainer. Make sure this person has the right credentials (personal trainer certification and/or fitness related degree). Don’t just assume that since they work in a gym or because they call themselves a personal trainer, that they are qualified.
It’s always best to watch the trainers for a couple of weeks if you are at a gym, or get a free session from an in-home trainer. See how they operate, how they get along with their other clients, what kind of personality they have, etc. Make sure you think that they will be a good fit for you.
I would personally love to tell you about all of the wonderful exercises you can do, but I would need about 200 pages just to list the pictures and explain proper form and technique.
Your best move would be to buy the cards (they are great) get your hands on a good “beginner’s exercise” book and/or hire a certified personal trainer.
Are you now saying, “But what if I don’t want to go to the gym, it takes too much time driving, it’s always packed, and I just don’t like the whole gym scene.”
“Can I still lose weight and get in shape at home?”
ABSOLUTELY!!
A lot of people feel the same way that you do. Either they don’t have time to go back and forth to the gym, or they’re just more comfortable working out in the privacy of their own home.
Depending on the space you have, you can make your own little “private” gym just for you and your family.
For this section of the book on working out at home, let’s assume that you don’t have a huge space.
The only things you actually need, believe it or not, are a bench and some free weights (dumbbells).
It would also be a good idea to get some exercise bands that you can use to do lots of different exercises, in addition to bench exercises, that will help diversify your program.
Again, I would highly recommend that you get either the Solotrainer cards or a beginner’s exercise/weight training book to help you get started with your workouts.
Okay, let’s get back to the equipment that you’ll need. First off is a bench.
BENCH
The bench you purchase should be multi-functional. In other words, it should be able to incline as well as being flat. Some benches can even decline in addition to flat and incline. It is not necessary to have a flat/decline/incline bench or even a flat/incline bench, but I definitely recommend it.
It allows you to do a lot more exercises as you get into your program a little more.
FREE WEIGHTS
There are numerous types of free weights to choose from. There are traditional dumbbells that range anywhere between 1 lb. to 200 lbs.
Depending on how much space you have and how much weight you think you’ll be lifting, this will determine what kind of dumbbells you will be looking for.
One item that comes to mind is the PROBELL 30 Classic Adjustable Dumbbell System. It sounds intimidating, but it’s not at all. It’s actually quite a space saver. It is a pair of dumbbells that can go from 2 1/2 lbs. to 30 lbs. each, in 2 1/2 pound increments, with the turn of a dial. So in other words, you get 12 pairs of dumbbells all in 1 pair.
This is a great product and I definitely recommend it, especially if you want to save some space.
You can get this item too by going to my web-site and finding it in the “Products” page under the BIG FITNESS link. It is called the ProBell Classic.
Another option, or rather an accompaniment, to the bench and free weights, is exercise bands.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with these, they are elastic rubber bands with handles at the ends and some companies also have ankle straps for leg exercises.
I personally use these myself and with all my clients. I love them!!!
BODYLASTICS is a great company that makes an excellent little package. It includes 4 bands (each one a little harder), 2 handles, 2 ankle straps, 1 door anchor, and a video and booklet. At the time of this printing the price for the package is $50. It’s a great value.
You can also find these on my web-site under the “Products” page.
Okay, now you know what equipment you’ll need, but what about questions like:
How many days a week?
How many sets and repetitions?
When do I change my routine?
These are all very good questions. Let’s take a look at the first question now.
HOW MANY DAYS A WEEK?
There is not a straight forward simple answer to this question. It really all comes down to two things:
How many days can you realistically devote to lifting weights?
How much improvement are you really looking to get from your program?
Before we address these two questions let me first say that lifting weights once a week is probably not enough and four or five times a week might be a little too much (especially for a beginner).
That leaves us with 2 or 3 times a week.
As you can probably imagine, 2 times a week is good but 3 times a week is better.
This is of course assuming that you are training every body part during each workout. Some people prefer to train 1 or 2 body parts a day. There are good and bad points to this.
The good thing is that since you are only training 1 or 2 body parts (an example would be training your chest and triceps) you can really do a lot of exercises for each body part. The bad thing is that if you train 2 body parts per work out, and since there are 6 major body parts (chest, back, triceps, biceps, shoulders, and legs), even if you work out 3 times a week you will only be able to train each body part once.
That’s why I recommend training every body part, every work out. This way you’ll be training every body part at least twice or maybe even three times a week. The most bang for your buck.
So, getting back to the issue of how many days a week. If you have the time and you are really looking to see some changes in your body, I definitely say go for 3 times a week.
With that said, if you really aren’t sure about the time issue and if you are a beginner, start out at 2 times a week.
This will give you a chance to ease into it. Once you’re comfortable, in a routine, and you find that you have time to add an extra day, then consider bumping it up to 3 times a week.
HOW MANY SETS AND REPETITIONS?
Let’s first start out by explaining what sets and repetitions are.
When you do any particular exercise, let’s say the arm curl, each time you curl the weight up and bring it back down would be considered a repetition.
Now let’s say you did 12 repetitions, took a break for 1 minute, then did another 12 repetitions. You would have done 2 sets of 12 repetitions.
Simple, right?
What sometimes seems confusing for some people is that they think they should do a certain number of sets and reps (reps is short for repetitions).
The fact is that there is no certain number of sets and reps that you should be doing. It will probably vary from time to time, based on your goals.
The one BIG mistake a lot of people make is doing too many repetitions.
Often times at the gym I’ll see someone doing 20 or 30 reps.
Now like I said, there is a place for that depending on your goals. Certain sports require extensive muscular endurance, in which case you should do a lot of reps.
But your goal is to lose weight, get stronger, and change your body. So the best way to achieve that is to lift a weight that is heavy enough to fatigue your muscles between 8 and 12 reps.
Remember, YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY!
Okay, so what if you can lift a weight for 13, 14, or 15 reps and beyond?
Very simple. Just increase the weight slightly and that will get you into the 8 to 12 rep range.
HOW MANY SETS SHOULD I DO?
Same thing applies here as it does to the number of reps; nothing is set in stone.
I can give you a recommendation though. 1 set is definitely not enough and depending on how much time you have to exercise, 4 or 5 sets might be too time consuming.
If you are first starting out, I would say do 2 sets for each exercise. Just like with the number of days you are lifting, it’s a good way to ease into it. Also, starting out right away with 3 sets will probably leave you feeling very sore for the first week or so.
And just like with the days of the week, a good goal to shoot for is to work your way up to 3 sets. This will make sure you are working your muscles to fatigue, and that’s when you will really start to notice some changes.
And again, you’ll see as you get into it more and more, you might want to challenge yourself and add in a 4th or 5th set on some exercises.
This ties in nicely to our 3rd question.
WHEN DO I CHANGE MY ROUTINE?
Never!
Just kidding. That’s actually another big mistake that a lot of people make. They do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out.
That will work for a beginner just starting out, and you will see some improvement, but after about 6 to 8 weeks you will start to plateau.
Your muscles need to be challenged or “shocked” in order to stimulate them.
On the other hand, you also want your muscles to adapt and improve to the increasing weight.
By that I mean you want to give your muscles a chance to get stronger and you want to be able to increase the weights on the same exercise and see what the most weight is that you can actually lift on that same exercise.
For that reason you don’t want to change your routine every time either.
“So what’s the bottom line then? How often should I change my routine?”
A good rule of thumb to follow is to keep your routine relatively the same for about 6 to 8 weeks, then make some changes.
“What exactly do you mean by change the routine?”
The best way to change your routine is to do totally different exercises. Let’s say for example that for your leg muscles you’ve been doing leg presses, lunges and leg extensions. For a complete change you can now do squats, leg curls, and abduction (for the outer thigh).
Other changes include;
changing from using a free weight to a machine for a particular exercise.
doing 4 or 5 sets instead of 3.
switching the order of your exercises. Instead of training your chest, back, biceps, shoulders, legs and triceps, you can do just the reverse. Triceps, legs, shoulders, etc.
The possibilities are endless. The nice thing is that there is no “wrong” way.
Which brings up a good point. There is no wrong routine, but your form and/or technique can be wrong.
Always remember to use a slow, controlled motion. Don’t use momentum or “jerk” the weights around.
It should take you approximately 2 to 3 seconds to lift or push the weight (which is called the positive) and 3 to 4 seconds to lower or let down the weight (which is called the negative).
That’s right, it should take you a little longer to lower the weight than it takes to raise it.
Most people do the opposite and that’s why you see a lot of people using momentum and jerking the weights around. You’re not using your muscles when you do it like this.
And that’s really it! As you can see, it’s not all that difficult. What it does take is a COMMITTMENT. If you can make a COMMITMENT and be consistent with your strength training program, I GUARANTEE you that you will be successful and notice considerable changes in they way you look and feel.
With that said, just take a moment now and look over the main areas of a successful strength-training program:
The optimal strength training routine should be performed 2 to 3 days/wk.
you should do 2 to 3 sets for each exercise.
use a weight that will fatigue or challenge you to do between 8 and 12 reps.
change your routine approximately every 6 to 8 weeks to prevent plateaus.
always use proper form; slow, controlled movements. No jerking the weight or using momentum.
and most important, make sure to visit your doctor and get a physical so you know you have no medical conditions that would prevent you from participating in a strength training routine.
There you have it, a nice little introduction to the world of strength training. Something that I hope will help you get started.
So give strength training a try, you have nothing to lose (except for maybe a few pounds of fat!!!).
If you’re a woman and you’d like to learn how to lose weight by exercising and eating healthy, please go to: http://www.booklocker.com/books/1370.html
This is a great book that will have you looking and feeling better than you ever have.
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title:Weight Gaining
author:Armen Hareyan
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_1029.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:10
category:health
article:
I learned about gaining weight when I heard the question of a skinny girl asking, “how does someone gain weight.” First I came to surprise because gaining weight is not something that people want to have around you. On the other hand we hear that everyone is asking each other for tips on how to lose weight.
Weight Gaining
This article does not intend to provide the reader with good and healthy ways of gaining weight. The intention is informative and is raise an awareness about the fact of how many people are interested to gain weight.
I promised her that I will do research on how to gain weight and on gaining weight without hurting your health.
I was surprised to see that in this age when the majority around us are searching for various weight loss programs, there are so many who are looking for ways to gain weight.
The data provided by Overture.com shows that in May of 2004 the number of searches that were conducted for “gain weight” was 20514. 16810 searches were done by using the term “weight gain.” Slightly differently, “gaining weigh,” were searched 5621 times. This does not include the pregnancy category because that number is 4858.
The conclusion is that to our surprise there are many in various countries and cultures among us that are interested in weight gaining. eMaxHealth.com will attempt to bring more articles on this topic that would serve the weight gaining information needs of our readers.
Copyright 2004
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title:Weighing in on Weight Loss
author:Ben Sather
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_1481.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:11
category:health
article:
Dieters have long searched for secret paths to easy weight loss. Soon enough, anyone trying to lose weight will discover a mind-boggling variety of weight loss plans, even some that appear to contradict others. The reason for this may be that that every person has a different set of factors to consider when starting a weight loss diet.
Individual differences in knowledge about food as well as differences in individual preferences make certain diets more appealing than others to each individual. Motivation and past experiences with dieting may make some people look for weight loss plans that are very scripted, while others will opt for more general information to apply to daily life.
One thing to remember when deciding how to go about losing weight is that there is no single best way to lose weight. There are, however, some basics common to all successful weight loss plans.
The basics of weight loss are simple.
To lose weight, you must consume fewer calories than you burn. Calories are burned through exercise or products that boost metabolism. Eating less, as well as choosing low calorie or low fat foods limits the number of excess calories that must be burned in order to lose weight. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to become educated about what foods and behaviors to choose.
Once you know the basics of good nutrition and exercise, you can develop a successful weight loss plan. The most successful weight loss efforts do not fall into place overnight. You will have to do some experimenting and careful research to find the method of weight loss that works best for you.
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title:Weighing-In On Low Carb Diets
author:Arnel Ricafranca
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_2132.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:11
category:health
article:
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of information, it’s no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the value and safety of low-carb diets. It seems like heated debates are raging everywhere!
Whether it’s Atkins, the South Beach or some other low-carb plan, as many as 30 million Americans are following a low-carb diet.
Advocates contend that the high amount of carbohydrates in our diet has led to increasing problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. Critics, on the other hand, attribute obesity and related health problems to over-consumption of calories from any source, and lack of physical activity. Critics also express concern that the lack of grains, fruits, and vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of some key nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and several minerals.
Any diet, weather low or high in carbohydrate, can produce significant weight loss during the initial stages of the diet. But remember, the key to successful dieting is in being able to lose the weight permanently. Put another way, what does the scale show a year after going off the diet?
Let’s see if we can debunk some of the mystery about low-carb diets. Below, is a listing of some relevant points taken from recent studies and scientific literature. Please note there may be insufficient information available to answer all questions.
– Differences Between Low-Carb Diets
There are many popular diets designed to lower carbohydrate consumption. Reducing total carbohydrate in the diet means that protein and fat will represent a proportionately greater amount of the total caloric intake.
Atkins and Protein Power diets restrict carbohydrate to a point where the body becomes ketogenic. Other low-carb diets like the Zone and Life Without Bread are less restrictive. Some, like Sugar Busters claim to eliminate only sugars and foods that elevate blood sugar levels excessively.
– What We Know about Low-Carb Diets
Almost all of the studies to date have been small with a wide variety of research objectives. Carbohydrate, caloric intake, diet duration and participant characteristics varied greatly.
Most of the studies to date have two things in common: None of the studies had participants with a mean age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted longer than 90 days.
Information on older adults and long-term results are scarce.
Many diet studies fail to monitor the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric expenditure, while participants are dieting. This helps to explain discrepancies between studies.
The weight loss on low-carb diets is a function of caloric restriction and diet duration, and not with reduced carbohydrate intake. This finding suggests that if you want to lose weight, you should eat fewer calories and do so over a long time period.
Little evidence exists on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Despite the medical community concerns, no short-term adverse effects have been found on cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among participants on the diets. But, adverse effects may not show up because of the short period of the studies. Researchers note that losing weight typically leads to an improvement in these levels anyway, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The long range weight change for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.
Most low-carb diets cause ketosis. Some of the potential consequences are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion. During the initial phase of low-carb dieting some fatigue and constipation may be encountered. Generally, these symptoms dissipate quickly. Ketosis may also give the breath a fruity odor, somewhat like nail-polish remover (acetone).
Low-carb diets do not enable the consumption of more calories than other kinds of diets, as has been often reported. A calorie is a calorie and it doesn’t matter weather they come from carbohydrates or fat. Study discrepancies are likely the result of uncontrolled circumstances; i.e. diet participants that cheat on calorie consumption, calories burned during exercise, or any number of other factors. The drop-out rate for strict (i.e. less than 40 grams of CHO/day) low-carb diets is relatively high.
What Should You Do? – There are 3 important points I would like to re-emphasize:
– The long-range success rate for low-carb and other types of diets is similar.
– Despite their popularity, little information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carbohydrate diets.
– Strict low-carb diets are usually not sustainable as a normal way of eating. Boredom usually overcomes willpower.
It is obvious after reviewing the topic, that more, well-designed and controlled studies are needed. There just isn’t a lot of good information available, especially concerning long-range effects. Strict low-carb diets produce ketosis which is an abnormal and potentially stressful metabolic state. Under some circumstances this might cause health related complications.
The diet you choose should be a blueprint for a lifetime of better eating, not just a quick weight loss plan to reach your weight goal. If you can’t see yourself eating the prescribed foods longer than a few days or a week, then chances are it’s not the right diet. To this end, following a moderately low fat diet with a healthy balance of fat, protein, carbohydrate and other nutrients is beneficial.
If you do decide to follow a low-carb plan, remember that certain dietary fats are associated with reduction of disease. Foods high in unsaturated fats that are free of trans-fatty acids such as olive oil, fish, flaxseeds, and nuts are preferred to fats from animal origins.
Even promoters of the Atkins diet now say people on their plan should limit the amount of red meat and saturated fat they eat. Atkins representatives are telling health professionals that only 20 percent of a dieter’s calories should come from saturated fat (i.e. meat, cheese, butter). This change comes as Atkins faces competition from other popular low-carb diets that call for less saturated fat, such as the South Beach diet plan. Low-carb dieting should not be considered as a license to gorge on red meat!
Another alternative to “strict” low-carb dieting would be to give up some of the bad carbohydrate foods but not “throw out the baby with the bath water”. In other words, foods high in processed sugar, snacks, and white bread would be avoided, but foods high in complex carbohydrates such as fruit, potatoes and whole grains, retained.
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title:Weider Crossbow Home Gyms Analyzed
author:Abdul Martin
source_url:http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_2534.shtml
date_saved:2007-07-25 12:30:11
category:health
article:
Crossbow Weider or the Joe Weider CrossBow or CrossBow and Weider.
Make sure you see the difference between Weider crossbow home gyms and Wieder crossbow home gyms.
Weider home gyms use a compound resistance system (CSR) instead of lead weight. The bows provide resistance via cables and the amount of resistance can be changed using the bows.
Minimum resistance of 5 lbs and a maximum resistance of 240 lbs can be applied. Although the maximum resistance can be upgraded to 440lbs.
Exercises, which can be performed.
Wide set cables for chest, shoulders, arms, back. Leg extensions, lat pull downs
Leg curls and leg press.
The only disadvantage is that not all the exercises mentioned can be performed with ease. A few exercises are not so practical.
The Weider home gyms the crossbow ones comes with a 5 year warranty and costs less than 1000$.
If you want to buy Weider home gyms at bargain prices then go to shopzilla
If you want to buy Weider home gyms from the manufacturer directly then visit the weider home gyms site http://www.weiderfitness.com
If you want to compare different home gyms and then decide then visit http://www.shopping.com
Weider home gyms are also available at ebay.
Finally read all the online reviews available at the consumer reviews sites.
You may find different comments about same home gym from different people.
When confused always ask for a long-term warranty.
Recently epinions.com displayed reviews from customers who were utterly unhappy with the home gyms they bought but at the other end of the spectrum there were happy faces yelling the great home gyms.
For more information on home gyms, what to look for and where to buy visit our home gyms site http://www.homegymsforyou.com
Visit our site http://www.homegymsforyou.com to learn all about home gyms.
http://www.homegymsforyou.com
http://www.exercise-equipments101.com
http://www.nutritioninfopage.com
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