How a Protein Shake Helps to Build Muscle
Muscle Milk High Protein Shake Mix in 6 Great Flavors - Big Discount
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If you’ve been working out a lot lately but aren’t sure how to build muscle quickly, you should take a look at your diet. Are you getting enough protein? Is the timing of your consumption correct? If you aren’t already doing so, you should strongly consider starting to take a post-workout protein shake on a regular basis.
Especially when taken right after working out, protein supplements can be an incredible boost to your system and help your body to build muscles much more quickly than it would have otherwise. This is because right after working out, you have 40 to 60 minutes to take in as much protein as is safely possible to get the maximum benefit for your muscles.
If you’ve been working out regularly already but haven’t seen the gains you’d hoped for, protein shakes are probably the missing ingredient to your overall fitness plans. Even if you’re getting enough protein in your normal diet (experts recommend about 1.6 grams of it per kilogram of body weight for active adults), you should restructure the timing of your protein intake to take advantage of the “magic window” of time that immediately follows high-intensity workouts.
This is because resistance training and endurance training both prime your muscles to take in carbohydrates, water, and protein much more rapidly than they do at any other time in the day. In other words, the timing of your protein consumption is just as important as the amount of that consumption.
If you aren’t sure whether you should add additional protein to your diet in the form of supplements like shakes or bars, you should use the above formula to calculate how much protein you should be taking in, and if you’re already getting enough or too much, scale back your intake from your main diet so that you can still add protein supplements for right after working out. Your muscles will thank you.
Guest Post By HumanBodyKnowledge.com
Resistance Training to Lose Body Fat
Weight Training Workouts and Diet Plan that Work
One great way to lose body fat is to weight train. Weight training (or resistance training), is the quickest way to lose weight, because it speeds up your resting metabolism, so you burn more calories at rest. Why is this important? A pound of fat burns only two calories at rest, a pound of muscles burns six. Only a four calorie difference you say? Yes, but you want your body working for you all the time, not just when you are exercising.
If you build, say, an extra ten pounds of muscle, you will burn an extra 40 calories an hour…so, an extra 960 calories a day, and an extra 6,720 calories a week. You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound…so…if you are eating right and exercising, resistance training is going to be the best exercise to lose weight.
Which exercises in particular at the best for fast weight loss? Let us look at a variety of upper and lower body exercises and point out their benefits.
For the upper body, you need to hit all the major muscle groups. An unbalanced body will look odd and may result in pain in the underdeveloped muscles. For example, you must work chest and back, biceps and triceps. They are opposing muscle groups, and need to be worked evenly to promote balance. For chest, the granddaddy of all exercises is the bench press. Another really great chest exercise is the butterfly.
For the back, make sure to do a variety, as there are many muscles in your back, and the back is very important to your daily life. The back is part of the core, and as the term implies, it is the core of all movements. Rows, using a barbell or dumbbells are an essential back workout, as are dead lifts. Dead lifts work not only your lower back but also your hamstrings, quads, and abs.
Tricep and bicep work is probably self-explanatory. Bicep curls are something that everyone knows, but not everyone knows that the biceps work as helper muscles in triceps exercises. Tricep dips on a chair or bench are great for shaping the muscle, as are tricep kickbacks. Make sure to use a lower weight on kickbacks, as a heavier weight is unnecessary and will only compromise your form. To build tricep muscles, overhead presses and lying triceps extensions will do the trick.
Lower body exercises can be done two to three times a week, as the lower body contains the larger muscles. These muscles will burn more calories and get the heart rate up, so you will get a little cardio benefit as well when you work these muscles – another way to lose body fat. One of the best exercises to tone up in the lower half is the squat. Everyone has to do squats if they want to work the legs. Next in line are plie squats and lunges. Calf raises round out the lower half, and are great definers.
Put together, all these exercises will provide anyone with an excellent full body workout. Remember to alternate upper and lower body days, giving muscles groups at least one day of rest between workouts. Abdominals can be worked every day, or every other day, but no more than 15 to 20 minutes per day. Done correctly, these exercises will not only help you to burn excess body fat, but give you a toned, beautiful body as well.
Buying the Right Workout DVD
Best Selling Workout DVDs at Amazon
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Many people, on the road to losing weight have looked at the tons of workout DVDs on the market and wondered which ones would be the right one for them. This is not an easy question, but it gets a bit easier if you can ask yourself a few simple questions. Asking yourself these questions can really help narrow the field down to a few choices for you.
Keep in mind that losing weight is a persistence game – not only with your diet, but with your choice of exercise as well. Keeping this in mind, your first question should likely be, “What kind of exercise will I actually enjoy?” If you do not enjoy the exercise, you will not stick with it. There are many different types of exercises that work well for losing body fat. Some of those include cardio, Pilates, Yoga, interval training, and more. You should investigate as many as you can to find the one (or ones) that you are most likely to stick with.
Once that question is answered, it is time to find the best DVD for that category. The best DVD, does not necessarily mean the one that is supposed to burn fat the fastest. The best is more likely to be the one that can keep you motivated to actually plug the DVD in and do the work. It can be the most effective weight loss exercise in the world, and it will be useless if it doesn’t motivate you enough to use it! So ask yourself, “Will this DVD motivate me to keep going?”
My best recommendation is to go to a reputable retailer, such as Amazon.com and read the reviews. Don’t just look at how many reviews they have, but what the people say about them. When looking at the reviews, you could ask, “How long did the people stay with the program?” ” Did it work to motivate them?” ” Did it get them to lose weight and feel better?”
Another option is to go to a site that reviews a lot of DVDs and find out their recommendations especially one which deals with weight loss, or Pilates, or Yoga, or whatever it is you want to try and gives unbiased opinions on which ones they recommend. Sites that offer a workout DVD guide are great for steering you in the right direction.
Good luck!
5 Healthy Exercises No Matter What Your Age
Age Defying Fitness: Making the Most of Your Body for the Rest of Your Life
Exercise is good for everyone, no matter how old you are and in fact it gets more and more important to stay active as you get older. While you may not want to practice extreme sports risking life and limb, there are some great exercises you can do throughout your life.
1.Swimming: There’s a reason that you see so many senior citizens swimming and so many classes offered in the water. This is by far the best exercises that the elderly can partake in. It’s gentle on the joints and muscles, yet so beneficial in terms of the activity that it provides. The elderly may find that a quick dip on their own or even an organized class is more their style, but there are endless options. This is one exercise that senior citizens should always consider.
2.Biking: You may not consider this to be an appropriate exercise, but it really is. Jumping on a stationary bike or getting outside to ride can be as easy and gentle as you make it. By being able to set the tone and the pace, you can control your input level. It’s easy on the joints as well but provides some great exercise that your body craves. So it’s well worth starting out slowly with this exercise to see how well you get on with it.
3.Walking: Another popular exercise amongst those getting on in years, and you can quickly see why. Walking is easy enough to do and can be done anywhere, so it has great appeal. It gets you up and moving, but doesn’t have to be strenuous. You rarely risk injury and you can control how far and fast you go. This is very appealing to the elderly who want to get in some activity but don’t want to risk injury. You can get outside to enjoy it, or you can simply hit the local mall or walking track, to get in your daily activity.
4.Yoga: Many senior citizens don’t necessarily think of this activity off hand, but it can work quite well in terms of overall well being. Yoga promotes stamina and flexibility and also ensures some very necessary physical activity. There are all different types of yoga classes nowadays so you can choose one that fits your lifestyle and particular situation. This can be good for the mind as well as the body, and that’s what makes it such a great exercise option.
5.Weight Training: If you never really thought of weight training as an appropriate activity once you get older, then think again. You can control the weight that you lift, and it helps to keep bones strong and healthy. It promotes flexibility and can in many instances prevent injury, which makes it a great option.
If you are still young and agile, you may not think of the elderly as being big into exercise, but there are so many serious advantages that you should persuade family and friends who are getting on in years to make sure they include exercise in their lifestyle.
This is a guest post by Mary M Frederick, who has a website about how to find Nurse Practitioner Online Programs.
Olympic Weights Set
York Barbell 300 lb Olympic Weight Set With Bar and Collars FREE SHIPPING (CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS)
Resistance training or weight lifting presents an opportunity for people to improve their physical fitness. The weights’ mass provides a force that resists the muscle’s ability to contract. This causes muscles to work, and results in muscle growth as well as an increase in strength. This short and high intensity muscle movement is called anaerobic exercise. Olympic weights provide one option for weight training.
Weight training that utilizes free-weights has advantages over weight machines. The weights cost less, and they are easier to move. They require less space in the house. Individuals lifting free-weights utilize more stabilizing muscles, improve their body’s balance and the lifting action follows a more natural movement. Machines offer fewer exercise options, and limit workout flexibility. With free-weights the athlete trains with a complete movement, and doesn’t just build strength.
Olympic weight plates differ from standard free-weight plates in a couple of ways. The Olympic plate has a bigger hole in the center of the plate, 2 inches instead of 1 inch. The larger hole accommodates a sturdier bar, allowing the weight lifter to work with greater weight. Also, Olympic weight manufacturers produce plates calibrated closer to the labeled weight.
In addition to weight plates, minimally, weight lifters need a bar, bench and spring collars. It might be best for beginners to buy a complete olympic weight set. The 7 foot bar has wider circumference and sturdier than the standard bar. It also weighs more, about 45 pounds. A set comes with about 160 pounds of weights, and two collars. Buy the spring collars; they are easier to work with than setscrew collars. The collars hold the weights on the bar. You also need an olympic weight bench. It is sturdier than a standard bench.
Olympic weights and weight lifting help people improve their lean body mass, or muscle. This increases the body’s basic metabolic index (BMI), and allows the body to burn more calories, keeping you slim as well as healthy. To be fully fit you will need to add aerobic exercise to your routines. You can run outside or buy a treadmill for use at home. If that is beyond your budget think about treadmill hire to give you a treadmill at home without a huge outlay.
Thule Car Bike Racks
Thule Bike Rack - the Thule 958 Parkway 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2 inch receiver
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Whether you are an avid cyclist or just a casual enthusiast that occasionally enjoys a nice bike ride in the park, you will inevitably find yourself having a need for a car bike rack. The sheer volume, size and variety of bike racks on the market can be intimidating for the casual rider who isn’t very well versed in these products but rest assured, it’s easy to find the right rack for your needs.
Car Bike Rack Quality
The first issue you probably want to address is what price range are you looking at. A casual rider may not need the very best bike rack on the market while someone who is loading and unloading their bike several times a week will want all of the bells and whistles that a higher end bike rack has to offer. The good news is that you can have both as even some of the higher quality bike rack manufacturers still offer products on the lower end of the price scale. They feature the same high quality construction, just maybe not all of the bells and whistles.
One of the names in this industry that you can always count on to product a high quality product is Thule Bike Racks. Thule has been in this industry for years and has even been an OE supplier to many of the car companies that offer these accessories new at the dealer, definitely a name you can trust.
Bike Rack Reviews
As we mentioned earlier, there are a huge number of different bike racks from many different companies available when you go looking for them. One of the best things you can do to help you research these products is to find a website that offers a large number of bike rack reviews. You can read Thule bike rack reviews on these types of sites and find the perfect model bike rack for your needs.
So whether you are a casual cyclist or a budding professional, all it takes to get it right is a little bit of research before you buy.
Ready for a Pilates Reformer Workout?
Stamina AeroPilates Pro XP 556 Home Pilates Reformer with Free-Form Cardio Rebounder
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Pilates has become one of the fastest growing forms of exercise methods and for good reason. Everyone from Hollywood stars to stay-at-home moms are finding results with the Pilates method. The Pilates Method is particularly known for its ability to build core strength and the long, lean muscle tone often associated with dancers. These results mean that many people are turning to Pilates classes or a Pilates DVD in an effort to gain the many benefits this exercise program can offer.
Despite all the information around, the world of Pilates for beginners can seem a little overwhelming with its different methods and various types of equipment and machines. One very popular Pilates machine is the Reformer. If you’ve never used, or seen, a Pilates Reformer, it can be a little intimidating. The Reformer has gears, straps, springs and pulleys and to a beginner, it appears a bit medieval and menacing. The Reformer is used to provide additional resistance while working through the Pilates exercises.
However there’s no need to be scared provided you progress at the right pace and don’t rush to get busy with a Reformer too soon. The machine looks kind of like a single bed frame with a sliding carriage attached to it. The Reformer uses springs that can be adjusted in order to regulate the resistance and tension. With its various cables, bars, straps and pulleys, the Reformer is a versatile machine allowing various Pilates exercises to be performed in a variety of positions.
Many instructors will require beginners to start with mat Pilates before they attempt to use any of the Pilates equipment or machines, such as the Reformer. Mari Winsor, founder of the Winsor Pilates Method, agrees. “Mat work is a great option for beginners because of its emphasis on learning how to control your muscles during exercises,” she says. “The work is too specific to be done in a group reformer class. You need to be watched like a hawk in the beginning.” Most students take mat Pilates and practices the Pilates exercises for about three months before they attempt a Reformer Pilates class.
And even when ready to start a Pilates Reformer workout, many students take several months of private instruction before they join a group class. In fact, many Pilates studios won’t even let a beginner take a Reformer class until they’ve had several private lessons to master the basics of the Reformer.
The pulley and spring system of the Reformer creates a challenging workout, more challenging than the Pilates mat workout. However, it also results in visible results in a very short time. Legs, arms, and abs become firmer and more defined.
The Pilates Reformer is now available in many models for home use, these are reasonably priced and often come with an instructional DVD featuring a certified Pilates instructor but don’t rush into using one until you are quite ready.
Pull up bars vs. weight lifting
Iron Gym Total Upper Body Workout Bar - over 400 buyers loved this product
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When it comes to your body and physical health it’s important to include a plan for strength training in addition to any other cardiovascular exercises you may be doing. Building muscle helps burn more calories and reduce fat in addition to making your body stronger. There are different exercises to do for each part of your body including upper body, abdominal and lower body exercises.
For upper body exercises you can either use weights to increase your muscle mass or you can do exercises that use your own body weight as resistance. The latter requires fewer pieces of equipment and space so it is less expensive and more efficient. Weightlifting maybe be more precise in that you can target certain muscles more or customize the amount of weight depending on your abilities and goals.
Pull ups are one type of exercise that is very good for the arms, chest and back muscles. Basically the exercise involves using a bar to pull oneself up using the arms. The standard pull up requires you to stand facing the bar and grip it with palms facing outward, hanging with arms straight to begin. Keeping the shoulders down and back straight you smoothly pull your chest towards the bar by bending your arms, holding briefly and then lowering yourself back down.
There are a few different types of pull up bars but the one most commonly used is the type that is installed in a doorway. Pull ups can also be done on free standing pull up bars that are either held up by posts on the floor or ground or hanging from someplace higher like a tree or a beam. These can be purchased or built and installed by yourself at home. This one piece of equipment will allow you to get started on some quick, simple but effective upper body exercises that will begin building muscle mass right away.
Safe Kettlebell Workouts
Art of Strength Kettlebell Training Clinic DVD Anthony Diluglio
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It is really fun to bring home a new fitness toy to play with. You have spent the money, you have made your goals, and now it is time to get after it. We have all been there. But it is important to use every piece of fitness equipment in a controlled way so that you are safe and actually get fitter and stronger rather than injure yourself or anyone else. If you want to start working out with kettlebells, here are some tips that will help keep you safe and making steady progress.
1. Make sure you have enough space
Kettlebell workouts involve movements that you might be unfamiliar with if you have done much training in a traditional gym, or have followed programs out of magazines. You will be swinging a weight through the air, and will be standing up from the ground with a kettlebell pressed overhead. So rule one is: never contest for space. Make sure the area around you is clear, that the surface you are on is level, and that there are no pets or children in the vicinity.
2. Do not push too hard, too soon
This isn’t specific to kettlebell training, but it does apply. The surest way to slow down or stop your progress (or motivation) is to work too hard in the beginning. Use an appropriate weight and use appropriate speed for the movements. Learn good habits from a kettlebell instructor and work within your limits.
If your face is turning purple, you’re probably working harder than you need to. If your jaw is clenched and you have excessive tension in your body, you’re probably working harder than you need to. Our bodies don’t learn as well when they’re in a rigid, uncomfortable state.
So challenge yourself, but slow down enough to become familiar with the movements and never push into pain.
If you use kettlebells correctly, your life will change in ways that you will love. You will get stronger and feel better. If you use them incorrectly or unsafely, they may still change your life–but in ways that you will not enjoy.
Be safe, have fun, and you’ll make great progress.
The Best Indoor Bike Trainers
The Best Indoor Bike Trainer
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Many warm weather exercisers find it to be a struggle to maintain their fitness levels when the weather turns cold and daylight savings time kicks in. Getting dark early and those cold temperatures don’t make it very easy to continue an outdoor fitness regimen of any kind and very few sports are impacted as much as the sport of cycling. The good news is that you can cycle indoors with a simple purchase of a device called an indoor bike trainer.
What Is An Indoor Bike Trainer
Indoor bike trainers consist of two basic kinds of devices that simulate the act of riding a bicycle. There are freestanding bicycle trainers that are more like an exercise bike that you would see at a gym and then there are the bike trainer stands where you load your actual bicycle into a frame. This bike trainer has a roller device that applies friction to the rear wheel requiring more exertion on your part to maintain your pedaling cadence.
These bicycle trainers can vary slightly in design and function but ultimately they all seek to accomplish the same thing and that is to allow you to ride your actual bike indoors and out of the cold weather elements.
Types of Indoor Bike Trainers
There are two basic types of indoor bike trainer stands with one being a magnetic trainer that is commonly referred to as a Mag trainer. The other type is a fluid trainer and might often be referred to as a kinetic bike trainer. These two machines appear very similar on the outside but they are quite different on the inside.
You might have already guessed the main difference in construction, the Mag trainer uses magnets to provide the friction that you must overcome while a fluid trainer actually uses a thick silicone based fluid that creates friction required to pedal the trainer. While these trainers appear quite similar, they function differently and can have some major differences in ride quality as well as noise level that they put out.
These may not be important to you or they could be a deal breaker. The best thing you can do if you are considering purchasing an indoor bike trainer is to read reviews on the various machines and make the best decision for your own personal situation. The best indoor bike trainer for you is the one that fits your needs the best.
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