Healthy Ways for Men to Gain Muscle

Healthy Ways for Men to Gain Muscle

Men with high metabolisms will do just about anything to go from skinny to muscle. After all, it’s no fun being the wimpy-looking guy. If you’re doing all you can to gain muscle but it’s still not working for you, you can pack on muscle using these healthy methods. Diet to Gain Muscle If you want to gain muscle, you have to eat the right way. This means protein, protein, and more protein! Protein-rich foods such as beef, eggs, poultry, beans, and dairy products help build muscle while helping you recover from workouts faster. Pair your protein with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit for a well-rounded diet. While we’re talking about what you need to eat to pack on muscle, it’s also just as important to know what to avoid. Processed foods are a big one. When you’re trying to gain muscle and trim down, the last thing you want to are eat fast-food cheeseburgers and burritos. Carbs are another food group to cut down on. The bulk of your nutrients should come from … [Read more...]

Coffee: weight loss miracle or another dead end?

Coffee: weight loss miracle or another dead end?

When it comes to weight loss, we all tend to look for a magic bullet; that miracle that will make a difference. A number of studies have shown a link between coffee and weight loss, but there is some controversy about long-term effectiveness. How it works There are a number of legitimate, scientifically documented way that coffee contributes to weight loss:   1. Coffee helps curb cravings. Coffee is a natural appetite suppressant, and eating less leads to weight loss. No conclusive studies have been done to determine how long the appetite remains suppressed after drinking coffee.   2. Coffee is a diuretic. Water weight can leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable. Coffee aids digestion and helps you shed extra water. You should be aware that this is a temporary weight loss. While a discernable weight loss coupled with less bloating offers a significant psychological advantage when starting a new diet, only sustained effort will keep the weight … [Read more...]

A Workout is Incomplete without Music

music for working out

You are fully geared up for your exercise session. All that is missing to push you towards the perfect workout session are the soundtracks. For most of us, our MP3 players or our iPods become our personal trainers while working out.   The impetus Music is the impetus that helps you complete a perfect workout session. If you look through the pages of history, you will see how important music was to the warriors setting out for a war. The Greek warriors always marched off to fight to the tunes of the Dorian music.   Music has always excited and inspired the energy levels of people. Even today, while running on the treadmill most of us listen to motivational numbers and pumped up music like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queen and Madonna.   Listening to this kind of music helps you pick up your lagging energy during an intense workout session. It keeps you on the move constantly.   Music pushes you to the limit Good music for your workout session gets you all … [Read more...]

The Best Things to Eat or Drink Before or After a Workout to Kickstart Your Metabolism

what to eat to kickstart your matabolism

It’s time to hit the gym. Whether you have plans to do cardio, strength training, or yoga, strategic eating pre- and post-workout can ensure that your metabolism fires up and stays running for hours after your workout is complete.  Adding rocket fuel to your metabolism is the key to getting maximum benefits from your workouts.  It can also help you reach peak performance in whatever sport or activity you pursue. Choose the foods you eat both before and after you workouts carefully to be the best athlete you can – and burn fat and build muscles for hours after your workout ends. Pre-workout Choices Depending on the time of day you exercise, it’s important to get adequate calories to fuel your body and get your system revving.  If you are a morning person who squeezes in a run or hits the gym before work, it’s especially important to take the time to eat breakfast. Working out on an empty stomach doesn’t mean that you’ll be burning extra fat; it just means that … [Read more...]

Pre-BootCamp Foods to Help Maximize Sessions

Pre bootcamp food

One of the easiest ways to kick-start your weight loss regime into over drive is to join a bootcamp class.  Not only do these intense fitness courses help build muscle and break up fat, but they also can lower your medical bills since a healthier lifestyle means less frequent trips to the doctor. But in order to get the most out of your  bootcamp workout and avoid getting too fatigued or ill during (or after), you need to  eat the "right" easily digestible  foods to give you fuel— especially if you plan on joining an early bird session and just underwent 7 hours of foodless sleep. That said, below are a few ideal foods high carbohydrate, moderate protein, and low in fat to help give you the proper energy you need to withstand an hour long (or longer) bootcamp session. Plain, Non Fat Greek Yogurt Yogurt is known for being a great source of probiotics and vitamin c which helps regulate the digestive system and boosts immunity respectively, but it's also an excellent source of … [Read more...]

10 Surprising Weight Loss Facts

Fork and measuring tape

Here is something a bit different for you today I decided to forgo the usual bootcamp related posts and go with some interesting Weight loss facts Working out and staying active is a lifestyle choice, yet there are always those who would rather fast-track the process instead of staying committed to a healthy lifestyle and losing the weight gradually. Those wanting to fast-track usually get caught up in the unhealthy 'healthy' ways of losing weight, thinking they know what's best, however that's usually not the case. Here are 10 surprising fitness facts that just might rock your whole weight loss world and make you rethink the ways in which you are going about your healthy lifestyle. The Top Ten #10 Your body burns more calories in the 23 hours it's not exercising than in the 1 hour in which it is. #9 You CAN eat anything and still be losing your weight. However, 'weight' does not always equal fat, it can mean muscle too and muscle is something you don't want to lose … [Read more...]

Bootcamp Workout for a Holistic Fitness regime

Bootcamp Workouts

Bootcamp workouts are relatively brief compared to regular workouts and require your complete focus and dedication. In addition, bootcamp workouts take less time and make you burn more calories quickly. The exercises are varied to avoid boredom and are done in a circuit fashion with no break in between to make your entire body respond efficiently. You can easily fit boot camp workouts in a busy schedule, as they don’t require any equipment. Here is a list of enjoyable and result-producing boot camp workouts: Running in place: Prior to starting any workout, most of us need to warm up a bit to get up to the pace. By running in place for 2 minutes, you will warm up to the right level that is required to continue other workouts. As the duration is only 2 minutes, you won’t feel tired after this workout. Hops and Pops: For this workout, you need to alternate between five jumping jacks and five pushups by dropping to the floor in between. You need to perform at least 20 … [Read more...]

Event Based Motivation To Start At Fitness Bootcamps Can Be A Winner

tyreflip

For many of us, motivation to actually get off our fannies and enroll in a fitness bootcamp workout program is just too much. It starts with the best of intentions and often ends in 'well I'm too busy now' So it's good to hear where you can give yourself a kick to get started. A great way is to target a specific event such as a wedding. One that really stands out though is Memorial Day. It the real start of summer and the day to break out that bikini. But you have to get on to it now: Jim White, registered dietician, ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. But you'd better get started now. "After all the shrieking and gasping about how 'time flies' and it's 'too soon' to be exposing that muffin top, it's time to get realistic and take action," he explains. "A month is not a tremendous amount of time to shed any accumulated winter fat, but before you break out into cold sweats, it is not unreasonable to lose 10 pounds or one … [Read more...]

The fat loss secret of the Russian Kettlebell

kettlebell workout

The kettlebell had become the latest training tool to reach the limelight, celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Penelope Cruz use them. TV workouts are promoting kettlebells almost like the second coming. So why exactly is there such a big buzz around kettlebells. Well they're not just a new "fad", they're promoted because they really work. Find out why you can achieve far better weight loss with kettlebells. Difference between fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibres Our muscles are comprised of fast twitch and slow twitch muscles, the fast twitch allows you to run fast and hump high, the slow twitch are more for endurance and allows marathon runners to run for hours. Heavy strength training stimulates the fast twitch muscle fibres, which makes the muscles larger and appear ripped on trainees with low body fat. Strength training does nothing for the slow twitch fibres. On the flip side running for long periods of time, like marathons and 20+ minute runs on the treadmill … [Read more...]

How to Stay Motivated

how to stay motivated

One of the biggest challenges in sticking to a healthy lifestyle is staying motivated. Whether it is eating healthy, not giving into the cravings, or simply getting your butt out of bed every morning and committing to your workout, motivation may just be one of the most difficult things to stay consistent with. Sure it's easy for the first few weeks when you are focused and riding high, but what about 2 months down the road when you just don't want to workout? Believe me, I have been there. No matter how many pictures I pasted to my fridge, how little junk food I kept in the house, or how much I tried to vary my workouts so I didn't get bored, some days I just slipped up. Fortunately, I discovered 3 magical little tricks that helped me stay focused, keep my goals in mind, and ultimately drag myself out of bed to get to bootcamp each week. Here is how I did it: Schedule It Have you ever noticed that some of the most dedicated athletes, or even your friends who live a healthy … [Read more...]