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Prep for a spring show-off by working your upper body.

By the Editors of Men's Health

If you're going to work your vanity muscles (nothing wrong with that!), choose exercises that provide fast results. This routine uses overhand, underhand, and neutral grips, which combine to demand more of your biceps and triceps. Also, the multimuscle moves will build your chest, back, and shoulders, says Matt McGorry, C.F.T., who created the routine. (And if you want to ignite new growth, be sure you work these six muscles you ignore—but shouldn't.)

1. Bench press

Lie on a flat bench. Using an overhand, shoulder-width grip, hold a barbell straight above your sternum, lower it, pause, and press it back up. Keep your elbows tucked so that when you're in the down position, your upper arms form a 45-degree angle to your body.

2. Chinup

Hang from a chinup bar using an underhand, shoulder-width grip. Pull your chest to the bar. Once the top of your chest touches the bar, pause, and then slowly lower yourself.

If chinups are too hard, try a pulldown machine instead, and use an underhand grip.

(Not seeing the results you want from your workout? Try these eight weightlifting fixes for more muscle.)

3. Seated dumbbell shoulder press

Sit at the end of a bench with your torso upright. Hold a pair of dumbbells just outside your shoulders with your palms facing each other. Press the weights up until your arms are straight, and then slowly lower them to the starting position.

4. Barbell row

Grab a barbell with an overhand grip that's just beyond shoulder width. Keeping your back naturally arched, bend at your hips and knees and lower your torso so it's almost parallel to the floor. Let the bar hang, and then pull it toward your upper abs. Pause, and slowly lower the bar.

6 Muscles You Can't Ignore

By: Ted Spiker

Where would we be without our supporting cast? Peyton Manning wouldn't have time to throw, captains would be swabbing their own decks, and the Dunder Mifflin paper company's brainstorming meetings wouldn't be considered entertainment. Success typically depends on behind-the-scenes help, and your body is no different. While your abs and biceps receive all the glory, here's a secret: It's the little-known muscles that make the big ones stand out. The problem is, working the muscles you can't see—like the ones deep inside your core, hips, and shoulders—can be a difficult process. But target those areas, and your whole body benefits. Not only will you look better, but you'll also have more strength and suffer fewer injuries.

These six muscles may never earn top billing, but they may rejuvenate your workouts and ignite new growth.

Supraspinatus and Subscapularis

Know them: The supraspinatus is one of the small muscles at the top of your shoulder that makes up the rotator cuff; the subscapularis is a large muscle on the front of your shoulder blade. Blame your desk job for weak shoulders: If your upper body is rounded, it's most likely because your chest is tight, which means the opposing muscles in your shoulders are weak. Strengthen the stabilizing muscles, and you'll see improvement on your bench press and in overhead sports like swimming or tennis, as well as in your overall upper-body power.

Test them: Bring your arms straight out in front of you at about a 45-degree angle, your thumbs pointed up—like you're about to hug someone. Have a friend stand in front of you and push your arms downward with moderate pressure. (The friend's hands should be positioned above your wrists on your forearms.) If you feel soreness in your shoulders or can't resist the pressure, you probably need to strengthen your supraspinatus, Plasschaert says.

Improve them: "A lot of people think they need to work the rotator muscles like crazy," says Scott. But a simple move is all you need, says Robertson. Stand holding a light pair of dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing each other. Keeping your thumbs pointed up, raise your arms up at a 30-degree angle to your torso until just above shoulder height. Hold for 1 second, and lower to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions. The exercise will help you add pounds to your bench by improving the stability of your shoulders.

Tensor Fasciae Latae

Know it: This muscle (also known as the TFL) starts along the outer edge of your hip and can affect lateral movement (abduction), which is movement away from your body. A tight TFL can mean you're at increased risk for lateral knee pain, because it attaches directly to your ilio-tibial band--tissue that runs vertically along the outsides of your thighs to help stabilize your knees. Weak or tight abductors means you're constantly getting beat off the dribble, or you're late getting to the ball on the tennis court.

Test it: Try old-fashioned leg lifts. Lie on your side with your legs straight, and raise your top leg to about a 40-degree angle. Then lower it. You should be able to lift your leg in a straight line, without your hip or thigh moving forward, says Jeff Plasschaert, C.S.C.S., a strength coach based in Gainesville, Florida. Make sure you're using hip strength, though; many people substitute motion from their core and lower back to finish the movement.

Improve it: Stretching the TFL is the secret to improving your performance, say Robertson. To stretch your left TFL, stand with your left hip adjacent to a wall. Cross your right foot in front of your left foot. From this position, contract your core and left glute, and then push directly into your left hip. Don't let your hips move backward, and instead make sure your left hip pushes to the side. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then switch legs so your other side faces the wall. Perform 2 or 3 reps on each leg every day.

Psoas

Know it: The psoas (so-az) muscle runs through your hips to connect the lower portion of your back to the top of your thigh. It's one of your body's main back stabilizers and hip flexors (the muscles that line your hips and allow you to bring your knees toward your chest). If you sit all day, the psoas becomes rounded like a banana; then, when you stand up, the psoas pulls on your back, making you more prone to pain and lower-back injury. "A weak psoas also means you'll end up with assorted knee issues, because other secondary hip flexors take over and cause pain," Robertson says.

Test it: Lie on your back and pull one knee to your chest. Keep your other leg straight. If the psoas is of normal length, your straight leg will rest on the floor. If your leg sits above the floor, your psoas is either stiff or shortened, says Bill Hartman, C.S.C.S., a strength coach based in Indianapolis.

Improve it: The only way to strengthen a weak psoas is by bringing your knee above 90 degrees. Sit with your knees bent on a low box or bench (6 to 10 inches high) (3). Maintaining good posture and keeping your abs tight, use your hips to raise one bent knee slightly higher than your hips. If you lean forward or backward, you're not performing the exercise correctly. Hold for 5 seconds, and return to the starting position. Complete 3 sets of 5 repetitions per leg. Also, to help release some of the pressure you may feel, use your thumb to press on your hip flexor; it'll be on your side and a little lower than your belly button.

Piriformis

Know it: This muscle near your gluteal (butt) region helps with thigh rotation and tends to suffer from overuse. Why? Because weak hamstrings and glutes force the piriformis to take on some of the work those big muscles should be doing, says Keith Scott, C.S.C.S., a strength coach based in New Jersey. This creates back and hip pain, and weaker lower-body performance.

Test it: Sit on a chair and cross one leg over the other, with the crossing ankle of one leg resting on the bent knee of the other. If you can't get your top leg parallel to the ground, your piriformis is probably tight.

Improve it: Increase your mobility with windshield wipers, says Robertson: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet placed wider than shoulder-width apart on the ground. Press your knees together, and then return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions. Now add some soft-tissue work: Sit on a foam roller with your weight shifted to your right butt, and place your right ankle on your left knee. Roll your right glutes from top to bottom, working any painful areas. Continue for 45 to 60 seconds, and switch sides. Do this daily.

Serratus Anterior

Know it: This muscle, located on the side of your chest along your ribs, attaches to and allows you to rotate your shoulder blade (a.k.a. scapula). It plays a vital role when you raise your shoulder to flex your arm and move it away from your body; that's why it's prominent in boxers but not your average guy. The reason? Blame the bench press. Because of the support provided by the bench, the serratus anterior doesn't receive much direct challenge during this popular exercise, says Mike Robertson, C.S.C.S., a strength coach in Indianapolis.

Test it: Do a pushup without wearing a shirt and have someone look at your back during the move. If you have a winged scapula, your shoulder blade will stick out; this means your serratus is weak, says Robertson. A strong one suctions your scapula in during the movement, eliminating the winged look.

Improve it: Standard pushups strengthen the muscle, but doing pushup variations is the quickest way to correct a weakness, says Robertson. Use a power rack to perform incline pushups on a barbell. Start with your body at the lowest incline that doesn't allow your shoulders to wing—which means placing the bar relatively high. Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions. As you become stronger and learn to control your scapular motion, work your way down the rack until you're doing regular pushups with perfect body alignment.

Who Needs a Gym?

by Men's Health

5 Ways to Get Bigger and Stronger--Without Lifting a Weight

Few men believe it, but you don't need barbells, dumbbells, or machines to build muscle; in fact, weight-training equipment often inhibits the process. That's because it requires you to be in a specific location, which might explain why more men consider themselves runners than lifters. After all, running is the most accessible form of exercise--anywhere you go, there's your gym. But learn a little bit about physics and the same can hold true for your muscle workout.

Consider the pullup: It's the standard by which all body-weight exercises are measured. And even the most hard-core lifters will agree that there's no better muscle builder for the upper body--with or without weights. The reason for its effectiveness: It takes full advantage of the scientific laws of motion and leverage, placing your body in a position that forces your back and arms to lift your entire body weight. Call it applied science at its finest.

Now imagine if all body-weight exercises were as challenging as the pullup. You'd be able to build muscle anywhere, anytime--at home, on the road, or even in a public park. Physical science makes it possible. So with that said . . . the Five Laws of Body-Weight Training.

Law #1: The longer your body, the weaker you become.

The science: By increasing the distance between the point of force (your target muscles) and the end of the object you're trying to lift (your body), you decrease your mechanical advantage. Think of it this way: An empty barbell is easy to lift off the floor if you grab it in the middle. But try moving a few inches in one direction and it instantly seems heavier--even though its weight hasn't changed. The same is true of your body: Lengthen it and every exercise you do becomes harder.

Apply it: Raise your hands above your head--so your arms are straight and in line with your body--during a lunge, squat, crunch, or situp. If that's too hard, split the distance by placing your hands behind your head.

Law #2: The farther you move, the more muscle you work.

The science: In physics, "mechanical work" is equal to force (or weight) times distance. And since your muscles and bones function together as simple machines--they form class 1, 2, and 3 levers--the same formula applies to your body. It's the most basic of principles: Do more work, build more muscle. Of course, in a weight-free workout, you can't increase force (unless you gain weight). But you can boost your work output by moving a greater distance during each repetition.

Apply it: Each of the following three methods increases the distance your body has to travel from start to finish, increasing not only the total amount of work you do, but also the amount of work you do in the most challenging portion of the exercise.

Hard: Move the floor farther away. For many body-weight exercises--lunges, pushups, situps--your range of motion ends at the floor. The solution: Try placing your front or back foot on a step when doing lunges; position your hands on books or your feet on a chair when doing pushups; and place a rolled-up towel under the arch in your lower back when doing situps.

Harder: Add on a quarter. From the starting position of a pushup, squat, or lunge, lower yourself into the down position. But instead of pushing your body all the way up, raise it only a quarter of the way. Then lower yourself again before pushing your body all the way up. That counts as one repetition.

Hardest: Try mini-repetitions. Instead of pushing your body all the way up from the down position, do five smaller reps in which you raise and lower your body about an inch each time. After the fifth mini-repetition, push yourself up till your arms are straight. That counts as one repetition.

Law #3: As elastic energy decreases, muscle involvement increases.

The science: When you lower your body during any exercise, you build up "elastic energy" in your muscles. Just like in a coiled spring, that elasticity allows you to "bounce" back to the starting position, reducing the work your muscles have to do. Eliminate the bounce and you'll force your body to recruit more muscle fibers to get you moving again. How? Pause for 4 seconds in the down position of an exercise. That's the amount of time it takes to discharge all the elastic energy of a muscle.

Apply it: Use the 4-second pause in any exercise. And give yourself an extra challenge by adding an explosive component, forcefully pushing your body off the floor--into the air as high as you can--during a pushup, lunge, or squat. Because you're generating maximum force without any help from elastic energy, you'll activate the greatest number of muscle fibers possible.

Law #4: Moving in two directions is better than moving in one.

The science: Human movement occurs on three different geometric planes:

* the sagittal plane, for front-to-back and up-and-down movements
* the frontal plane, for side-to-side movements
* the transverse plane, for rotational movements

Most weight-lifting movements--the bench press, squat, curl, lunge, and chinup, to name a few--are performed on the sagittal plane; the balance of exercises--for instance, the lateral lunge and side bend--occur almost entirely on the frontal plane. This means that most men rarely train their bodies on the transverse plane, despite using rotation constantly in everyday life, as well as in every sport. Case in point: walking. It's subtle, but your hips rotate with every step; in fact, watch a sprinter from behind and you'll see that his hips rotate almost 90 degrees. By adding a rotational component to any exercise, you'll automatically work more muscle--since you'll fully engage your core, as well as the original target muscles--and simultaneously build a better-performing body.

Apply it: Simply twist your torso to the right or left in exercises such as the lunge, situp, and pushup. (For an example, see the "T Pushup" in "The Weight-Free Workout," on the previous page.) You can also rotate your hips during movements such as the reverse crunch.

Law #5: The less contact your body has with the floor, the more your muscles must compensate.

The science: The smaller the percentage of an object's surface area that's touching a solid base, the less stable that object is. That's why SUVs are prone to rolling, and tall transmission towers need guy wires. Fortunately, humans have a built-in stabilization system: muscles. And by forcing that internal support system to kick in--by making your body less stable--you'll make any exercise harder, while activating dozens more muscles.

Apply it: Hold one foot in the air during virtually any exercise, including pushups, squats, and deadlifts. You can also do pushups on your fingertips or your fists.

20 Super Foods You Need to Build Muscle & Lose Fat

To build muscle & lose fat, you need a variety of proteins, veggies, fruits, carbs, and healthy fats. Eating protein helps building & maintaining muscle. But it also helps fat loss: protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs/fats.

Eating fats also helps fat loss: your body holds fat if you don’t eat fats. Fruits & veggies contain vitamins & minerals, necessary for recovery from your workouts. And carbs fuel your muscles so you feel full of energy at the gym.

Lots of you struggle to get these foods. Sometimes because you’re too busy or sometimes because you just lack information. This list will help you — 20 super foods you need to build muscle & lose fat.

1. Whole Eggs. Cheap & rich source of protein: 7g/egg. The yolk contains most nutrients: half the protein, vitamins A/D/E and cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels.

2. Fish Oil. Reduces inflammation (joints/skin), lowers body fat and increases testosterone levels. You need 9000mg EPA/DHA per day. Since you’ll probably struggle to get that from eating fatty fish, consider a fish oil supplement.

3. Wild Salmon. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that also gets you 20g protein per 100g serving. Farm raised salmon is, however, omega-3 deficient: it’s corn/grain fed. Go with wild salmon.

Image credit: wintercove

4. Berries. Strong antioxidants that prevent cancer, heart & eye diseases. Any kind works: cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. Buy fresh or frozen berries and mix with oatmeal.

5. Yogurt. Contain bacteria that improve your gastrointestinal health. Don’t buy frozen yogurt or yogurt with added sugar and fruits at the bottom. Get plain low fat yogurt. Eat it with berries & flax seeds.

6. Flax Seeds. Source of fiber, protein & omega-3. Grind the flax seeds to get the most out of them. Take 1 tbsp with yogurt & berries before going to bed. Stay away from flax oil: it’s unstable and contains no fiber.

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.

8. Mixed Nuts. Contain mono- & polyunsaturated fats, proteins, fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Mixed nuts are caloric dense, great if you’re a skinny guy who wants to gain weight.

Anything works: almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, … Peanut butter also works as long as you buy natural peanut butter without added salts/sugars.

Image credit: Inside_man

9. Red Meat. Protein, vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, creatine, carnosine and even omega-3 if you eat grass-fed beef. Eat steaks & hamburgers from top round or sirloin. Read Dr. Lonnie Lowery’s article on Meat.

10. Broccoli. High in cancer-fighting phytochemicals and anti-estrogenic indoles. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low calorie, helping fat loss. Eat other cruciferous vegetables for a change: cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, kale, …

11. Spinach. One of the most alkaline foods. Spinach prevents muscle & bone loss, but also cancer and heart diseases because of its high nutrient profile. Try one of the spinach recipes I shared a while back.

12. Turkey. If you don’t believe saturated fat is good for you, try white turkey. The leanest beef has about 4.5g saturated fat/100g, while white turkey has close to 0g (that why it’s so dry). Eat turkey with spinach & quinoa.

13. Quinoa. South American “king of grains”. Quinoa is higher in fiber & protein than rice or oats, tastes a lot better and is gluten free. Buy the whiter grain, it’s better quality. Eat it post workout with meat & spinach.

14. Oats. Reduce cholesterol, provide you with low-gi carbs for energy, and high in soluble fiber. Try this post workout shake of whey & oats.

15. Tomatoes. High in lycopene, which prevents cancer. The lycopene in tomato paste is 4 times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Have pizza or pasta with tomato sauce & olive oil post strength training.

Image credit: gingerbugjones

16. Oranges. Vitamin C to fight diseases, magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-oxidant beta-carotenes, etc. Quit drinking processed orange juice which often has added sugars. Eat oranges or make your own orange juice.

17. Apples. Pectin in apples helps weight loss by increasing satiety. Apples are also the strongest antioxidiant after cranberries (eat the peels). Unfortunately apples are one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits. Go organic.

18. Carrots. Their huge vitamin A content improves eye-health, especially night vision. Carrots are also rich in fiber, low calorie and taste good, even raw.

19. Water. Your body holds water if you don’t drink enough. Drinking prevents water retention, helps muscle recovery and prevents dehydration from strength training. Get a brita filter and drink 2 cups of water with each meal.

20. Green Tea. Strong antioxidant and natural diuretic. Green tea also speeds up fat loss, prevents cancer and improves blood sugar & circulation. Drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee. Real green tea, not the teabags.

Putting it All Together. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & fats every 3 hours. 2 cups water with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Junk food 10% of the time. Get stronger in the meanwhile and you’ll build muscle & lose fat.

from: stronglifts.com

10 things NOT to do at the gym (and 10 ways to deal with the jerks who do)

You can tell a lot about a person just by how they carry themselves at the gym, don’t you think? How people operate in a throng of sweaty (and probably cranky) people vying for limited equipment with limited time can be indicative of how they carry themselves in the real world. And it’s been my experience that people who are rude at the gym are usually rude outside of the gym.

Not that I have to worry about any of my Cool Broads…we don’t check our cool at the door. That’s why after each rule, I include a suggestion as to how to deal with the a-hole who’s violating that rule.

At the gym, Cool Broads…

1. Don’t cut in line.

This rule is for people who either a) didn’t graduate from preschool or b) are so worried that they won’t get their favorite spot, that their manners just fly right out of their ears. If you don’t get your favorite spot or all of the equipment is gone by the time you get to the front of the line, c’est la vie. Get to the gym earlier next time. If you disregard the line and bully your way ahead of others, you might get your favorite spot, but you’ll end up looking like an asshole.

If someone cuts in line: roll your eyes and make a mental note never to invite him/her to a party.

2. Respect people’s space.

Whether you’re in a class or the free weight room, don’t crowd those you’re sharing space with. When you put down your yoga mat, make sure that the person next to you has enough room to execute a perfect downward-facing dog. Despite what some may think, most people don’t go to the gym to get closer to others. They’re there to exercise in peace and would rather people not crawl up their bunghole.

If someone is crowding you: accidentally drop a dumbbell on his/her foot and then apologize by saying that you get nervous and twitchy when people get so close, but you and your shrink are working on that.

3. Don’t talk loudly on your cell phone.

If you’re waiting for an important call, put your phone on vibrate and excuse yourself before beginning the conversation.

If someone on the treadmill next to yours is carrying on a loud conversation: act like you’re listening and laugh hysterically when they say something only moderately funny.

4. Clean up after yourself.

I love sitting in a puddle of someone else’s bodily fluids (not). It’s gross and with staph infections making their rounds in gyms…it’s also potentially dangerous.

If someone didn’t wipe down the machine you’re waiting to use: wipe it down yourself, but as you pass by the offender, accidentally spray him/her with the sanitizer and then apologize by saying that you’re a little flustered because you just had to clean up some fat pig’s sweat.

5. Follow gym rules and use machines for allotted amount of
time (unless there are several similar machines free).

Rules are rules. Don’t be a putz.

If someone is taking up more of their fair share of time: Tell them that if you don’t get on the machine fast, your ass will get big and your pimp will beat you for it.

6. Put your weights back properly.

Apparently some people can’t read. The weight stand is marked 10 lbs. because they want you to put the 10 lb. weight there.

If someone can’t seem to put their weights back where they belong: accidentally drop one of the weights on his/her foot and then apologize by saying that after rearranging the weight stand, due to some idiot’s inability to put the weights back in the right place, your arms are like Jell-O.

7. Don’t smell up the place (excessive body odor, smelling of
garlic from last night’s dinner, flatulence, and too much
perfume).

Oy…this is never a Cool Broad offense.

If someone next to you stinks to high heaven: wave your hand in front of your nose and exclaim, “Jesus, do you smell that?”

8. Don’t camp.

If you need to take breaks between each set on the weight machines, step off so others can work in. Never sit idly on your machine and carry on a conversation with someone if others are waiting…this is so rude it makes me want to hurt myself.

If someone camps: Tell her that her ass won’t get any smaller just by sitting there…if it’s a man, tell him that you heard that men who sit on machines for too long without using them will begin to lose their hair.

9. Don’t stalk:

Breathing down someone’s neck while they’re using a machine is worthy of a restraining order. Respect their space and stand back until they’re done (don’t worry, they can see you).

If someone is stalking you: do an extra set (or three) or reps just to piss them off (you’ll pay for it later but, oh well).

10. Don’t be noisy:

If someone grunts loudly enough after every lift to startle you: run up to them and ask if they’re ok and whether you need to call the medic.

from: www.thatcoolbroad.com

10 Ways To Be A Gentleman At The Gym

Perhaps it is the rush of testosterone and the feeling of primal power that accompanies working out, but many men seem to check their manners at the door to the gym. But just because you’re getting in touch with your inner man beast, doesn’t mean you should turn into an inconsiderate boob. Gyms should give new members a course on etiquette, but they don’t, leaving many men wholly ignorant of how to act civilly while pumping iron. Here are the rules of etiquette every man should know and keep. Feel free to tape them up in your gym’s locker room.

1. Rack your weights. Would you whip up a meal in the kitchen and then leave the dirty dishes from someone else to do? Well maybe you would, but then your roommates are currently plotting how to get you kicked out of the house. Show some respect to your fellow gym patrons and rack your weights. And rack them correctly. Nothing pisses me off more then when there’s a 25 lb plate racked behind three 45 lbs plates. Take those few extra steps to put the same weight with the same weight.

2. Don’t hog the machines. Get in, get your work done, and leave. A gym is a community, so sharing is required. And no, you can’t lay claim to a machine by simply laying your towel on it. Not being a hog on a machine can get difficult when you’re doing super circuits. Before you move to the next machine, tell the person who’s using the machine after you that you’ll be coming back shortly to finish up your circuit.

3. Use a spotter. If you’re throwing around heavy weight, make sure you have someone spotting you. First, it’s a safety concern. Second, you’ll look like an idiot struggling with a bar over your chest.

4. Don’t hover. While hogging machines at the gym is a faux pas, what irks me more is when people start hovering over a machine that you’re in the middle of using. These hoverers passive-aggressively lurk by the machine to give you the signal that they want you to leave. If you want to use the machine, wait until the person has finished their set to approach them. Then politely ask if you can get a set in.

5. Wipe down the equipment. I am convinced that many men feel that their gyms’ “please wipe down your equipment” sign applies to everyone but themselves. How else to explain why a man who has soaked his shirt through with sweat would walk away from a machine he’s coated with perspiration? Nobody wants to sit in a pool of a guy’s sweat, much less a layer of it composed of an afternoon of inconsiderate gym goers. If you moisten a piece of equipment, wipe it down with your towel. If you are sweating profusely, also use the disinfectant spray that the gym provides.

6. Don’t drop the weights. When you’re finished cranking out a set of dumbbell presses, lay them down like a normal person. Don’t just drop them off your shoulders. First, it’s dangerous to do so. You don’t know if there are any feet or hands that the weight can land on. Second, it’s bad for the weights and the floor. Even if your gym has those rubber floors, dropping the weights from great heights will eventually cause some wear and tear. Finally, it’s distracting. Dropping weights creates a bunch of ruckus that can distract other gym patrons.

7. Don’t hit on women. The gym is not a bar. You’re there to work, and so are the women. Don’t bother them. Most women feel sweaty and messy when they’re working out, and are not in the mood for love. If the woman is not sweaty and messy, and instead has perfectly coiffed hair and a full face of make-up, you should still steer clear; you don’t want to date the kind of woman who gets guzzied up for the gym.

8. Don’t give unsolicited advice. So what if you got your college degree in sports nutrition and exercise? No one cares what you have to say about how to get chiseled abs. Only if someone asks for some advice, or is in serious danger of hurting themselves, should you step in and let loose a river of all the workout knowledge that’s stored in that big cranium of yours.

9. Leave the cell phone in the car. One of the most obnoxious things to see at a gym is a person yapping away on their cell phone while walking on the treadmill. Usually the culprits of this gym crime are snooty soccer moms, but I’ve seen men do this as well. Nothing is unmanlier than a man whose focus is somewhere else and not on developing and strengthening his body.

10. Don’t use the girly machines. No man should ever be caught on that machine that works your inner and outer thighs.

from: www.artofmanliness.com

How to Gain Muscle - Diet Tips

Adding weight that is all or mostly muscle can be a tricky thing if you aren’t too sure how to approach it. We’ll just assume that most people know that to add weight to your frame you are going to need to consume more calories and to lose weight you need to consume less calories, but the process of adding muscle weight is just a tiny bit more complex than that simple equation.

When people are trying to drop pounds, they often look to eliminate empty calorie foods that are high in fats – desserts, cookies, whole milk, fried foods, etc., so a simple assumption would be to gain weight by adding these things to your diet. Well you could gain all of the weight that you wanted by wolfing down bags of cookies and buckets of fried chicken, but it’s not going to be the type of weight gain that you are looking for.

It isn’t really as difficult as it sounds, but too many people stop listening after they hear “eat more food,” and end up eating too much of the wrong things.

So what do you do when you are attempting to add muscle mass?

If you’ve been on the standard diet consisting of three meals, it’s time to start stepping up your numbers. You want to consume anywhere from four to six moderately sized meals a day. Don’t get too excited, I’m not saying that you sit down to six steak dinners a day, there are some very simple ways to get the extra calories and protein that you’ll need to help your muscles grow.

Restructure your three normal meals so that each one contains a good lean source of protein if it hadn’t already – your breakfast could be built around eggs, lunch could be chicken breast and dinner could focus on fish – that will most likely add some of the necessary protein without having to do any extra work at all. For the three additional meals you can keep it simple: a meal could consist of cottage cheese and some fruit, your favorite yogurt and a couple handfuls of trail mix or if you could even have a couple peanut butter sandwiches, it’s really that simple.

Protein drinks and meal replacement shakes are also excellent ways to tack on extra high quality calories. Many people don’t like to eat right before bed because it can disrupt their sleep pattern, which can also affect the rate of recovery – a great way to combat this is by drinking a protein shake shortly before you turn in. The shake shouldn’t overload your stomach or make you feel like you’ve just eaten a full meal before laying down, but it will provide just as many calories and, chances are, even more protein than a small meal. There are even some people that drink a shake before bed, then set their alarm clocks for about half way through the night to get up and have another shake before going back to sleep.

And just because you’ve upped your meal anti to five or six a day, that doesn’t mean that you should necessarily cut out the snacks. A glass of milk and a handful of mixed nuts will add even more protein, vitamins and essential fats as will carrot or celery sticks with peanut butter or a few hard boiled eggs.

The simple fact is, no matter what your body type, even if you see yourself as a so called “hard gainer” – If you approach your training intelligently, always using proper form and high intensity; allow your body plenty of time for recovery, and increase your calorie intake with good lean sources of protein while maintaining a well balanced diet, your muscles will grow.

source: www.musclemecca.co.uk

Myths about Female Bodybuilding

Many women believe in fallacies about gym workouts, such as the following one: once a woman starts doing some weight lifting, she immediately turns into a competition standard bodybuilder. Such image scares the females away from the gyms long before they get a chance to experience the beauty of those trainings. Before you decide to go into bodybuilding, you need to know the true story about this sport. Let’s explode the common myths about the female bodybuilding.

Female Bodybuilder Is Manly

It is impossible from the physiological point of view; female body produces ten or even hundred times less hormone responsible for the muscle mass gain, testosterone, than a male body does. Thus to become extremely masculine, you would have to be born with the male chromosomes dominating in your body or completely change your hormonal state and work out like crazy at the same time. “Natural”, or non-stimulant, bodybuilding can not give such results simply since it is physically impossible to build such a mass of muscles.

Weightlifting Makes the Woman Massive

Such belief is simply a misunderstood conception of conditioned bodybuilding. Surely, serious correction of the body structure is impossible without building up some muscle mass in the under-built areas; but we are talking here about correction that is not intended to exceed natural proportions. Competent training will never harm your figure’s grace. Muscles can be sculpted to be well-formed and in-tone, rather than blankly massive.

Aerobic Trainings, Rather than Weightlifting, Improve the Figure

Aerobic workouts are great for you, there is no doubt about that; those trainings improve the effectiveness of the cardiovascular and the respiratory systems, boost the metabolism, help shed the excessive fat. Those workouts, however, are not capable of building up the muscles, so that if you need to add mass in some areas, aerobics is of no help here. Moreover, overdoing it with the aerobics can sometimes make the muscles flabby; muscles get in tone due to the development of the fibers responsible for speed-strength qualities, not endurance. Hence, aerobic exercises can help you only at getting rid of the excess fat, once you are done with that, start doing some weightlifting.

Muscles Will Turn into Fat Once You Stop Practicing the Weightlifting

Let’s start with the fact that muscles can not turn into fat, as much as an apple can not become an orange, or the heart can not suddenly transform into the liver. Those tissues of the human body have completely different structure and functions. Fat is passive and stores unnecessary, extra energy received by the organism due to unhealthy nutrition style. Muscles are active in terms of metabolism, they consume part of the energy, which would otherwise be stored as fat in case of physical inactivity Moreover, once you stop the trainings the muscles will simply shrink in size as they receive no extra stimulus then; fat, on the other hand, results from a wrong approach to the daily nutrition.

To Get Fit Do a Little of Repetitions with Light Weights

Once you go over 10-12 repetitions, you start working with the muscle fibers responsible for the muscle durability rather than the tone, strength, let alone the mass. Hence, you no longer train the muscles which are cut out to build beautiful complexion. Undoubtedly, light weights and few repetitions do have their own part in female conditioned bodybuilding, but this approach must be properly introduced at a certain stage of a half-a-year or a year-long training. What makes you slim is not the training with light weights, but a correct diet and carefully chosen aerobic exercises scheme.

Train a Lot and Often in Order to Improve the Complexion

Three-four trainings a week are enough to obtain a slender figure, elastic muscles, and reasonable level of body fat. Overly frequent and intensive training overtrain the body, its hormones are used up to their limit and the female gets easily tired from doing the weightlifting rather than from aerobics; hence, no muscle mass is gained and the hopes for a well-built complexion are ruined.

Equipment-based Training Can Add Volume to the Breasts

Quite the opposite, intensive training, especially the one directed to shed the extra fat, will down-size the breasts, which consist of the glandular and fatty tissues. Weight training can not enlarge the fatty tissues; hence it is of no help at boosting the bosom. Weightlifting, however, can shape the muscles lying under the mammal glands – the pectoral muscles. Well-planned trainings can lift up the breasts, visually improve their shape, and straighten the posture. Namely those changes should be your ultimate training goal.

A Few Pointers About the

First of all, there seems to be an endless debate about what the proper bench-press grip is. There’s a wide-grip school, a medium-grip school, and an in-between grip school. For our purposes here, I want you to try a little test that will help determine the best bench-press grip for you, not Tom, Dick, or Harry. Get on the floor, and without thinking about it, assume your natural push-up position. Have someone measure the distance between your two forefingers. That’s probably your optimum bench-press grip. Remember it, and use it during this program.

This may seem simple and unscientific, but the body will almost always assume the position that gives it the best mechanical advantage. Trust your body.

Here’s another tip: most people bench press straight up and down, like some flesh-and-blood piston. However, if you were to look at slow-motion films of just about every major powerlifter in the world, you’d notice that they don’t push the bar straight up and down. Instead, they push the bar up and slightly at an angle towards the head. This motion is called the J-lift. Use it.

I should also mention, briefly, the importance of doing proper warm-ups before doing any of the workouts in this program. This workout involves using very heavy poundages. In other words, it can be very intense, and if you’re not careful, it can cause injuries to muscles that haven’t been properly warmed up. Do about four of these warm-up sets, and then rest about three minutes before starting your work sets.

External Factors
How much progress you make during this program involves a lot of things you can't control, like muscle length, number of fast-twitch fibers, neural efficiency and all the things that fall under the category of genetics.

However, there are a lot of things you can control. As I pointed out in previous editions of Muslce Media, muscle cells don't live in a vacuum—they're a part of you and share in whatever mistreatment you subject yourself to. If you party every night, continually do shooter of Jagermeister like it's New Year's Eve, and in general, abuse your body, your muscles aren't going to be able to respond properly no matter how advanced a program you undertake. Muscle is hard enough to develop. Don't make things worse by not eating properly, not getting enough sleep or abusing your body in general.

Consistency is also vital. There are plenty of reasons not to train, so only when you make training your number one priority will you be able to make progress. I'm not saying give up every semblance of a normal life, but say to yourself, "Training, at least for this period of time in my life, is the most important thing." This will give you enormous willpower and allow you to rearrance your lifestyle, so you can hit the gym. And it's not like I'm asking you to go to the gym every day. This workout, when followed to a "T," will put you in the gym only four days a week, for an hour at a time. Piece of cake.

Muscle Chow

By Gregg Avedon, Men's Health

Men's Health

When it comes to making muscle, there's no better place to start than in the kitchen. This is the most important advice I can impart from a career that has included preparing for and shooting nearly 20 Men's Health covers. By giving your muscles the right foods at the right times, you'll speed their growth without covering them with a layer of flab.

You might think this means a diet of egg whites and alfalfa sprouts, but I've found that the real key to success is hearty, flavor-packed fare that will complement your workouts and satisfy your tastebuds. And to show you how easy it is to prepare this kind of food, I've provided a description of my perfect day of eating. It includes a variety of delicious, protein-based meals and snacks spread evenly throughout the day — the perfect formula for building the body you want. Try it yourself and you'll quickly discover that a few minutes invested at the stove are as important as the hours you spend in the gym.

7:30 a.m.

Avocado Toast

A trio of healthy-fat sources (avocado, olive oil, and flax) make for a satisfying start to your day and will help keep your midmorning cravings in check.

2 tsp honey mustard

2 slices whole-grain bread, toasted

½ avocado, peeled and sliced

½ tomato, thinly sliced

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

½ Tbsp ground flaxseed

Salt and black pepper to taste

How to Make It

Spread the honey mustard on the toast slices. Lay on the avocado and tomato. Drizzle with the oil. Top with the basil, flaxseed, and seasonings. I cut each piece into quarters to make it easier to eat. Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 394 calories, 11 grams (g) protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 21 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 14 g fiber, 112 milligrams (mg) sodium

Variations

Add a few thin slices of cucumber or a pinch of Parmesan cheese. If I have fresh baby spinach handy, I might add a few leaves between the avocado and the tomato.

10:30 a.m.

Tuna Salad on Celery Sticks

Protein helps keep your metabolism burning hot throughout the day, which makes these crunchy tuna boats the perfect bridge between breakfast and lunch.

1 can (6 oz) low-sodium chunk white tuna (packed in water), rinsed and drained

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped apple

2 Tbsp plain yogurt

Ground black pepper to taste

14 ribs celery, rinsed and ends trimmed

How to Make It

1. Put the tuna in a small bowl and break it apart with a fork. Add the vinegar, onion, apple, yogurt, and pepper. Mix well.

2. Spoon an equal amount of tuna salad into the gutter of each celery rib. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to eat. Makes 7 servings

Per serving: 50 calories, 7 g protein, 4 g carbohydrates, 1 g fat (0 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 80 mg sodium

12:30 p.m.

Stuffed Peppers

Tired of turkey? These meaty pepper pockets provide a huge dose of protein for a midday energy boost. Make up a batch for dinner on Sunday and you'll have three quick lunches ready to go for the rest of the week.

4 bell peppers (green, yellow, or red)

¼ tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 egg white

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

2 Tbsp canned corn

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Pinch of ground black pepper

¾ cup tomato or spaghetti sauce

1 tsp prepared horseradish

How to Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and then carefully remove the seeds and white membranes and discard them. Lightly coat the outside of the peppers with the oil.

2. In a large bowl, combine the beef, egg white, onion, corn, parsley, black pepper, and ¼ cup of the sauce. Stuff the mixture into the four peppers, dividing it evenly.

3. Pour ¼ inch of water into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and add the peppers, cut side up. Bake for 40 minutes.

4. Remove the peppers. Combine the horseradish and the remaining ½ cup tomato sauce and add a little of the mixture to the top of each pepper. Bake for another 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 217 calories, 27 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 96 mg sodium

3:30 p.m.

Spicy Roasted Nuts

This homemade nut mix provides the perfect combination of healthy fats, protein, and powerful antioxidants for a filling midafternoon pick-me-up.

2 cups unsalted almonds

2 cups unsalted pecan halves

1 cup unsalted walnut halves

¼ tsp ground red pepper

2 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp paprika (smoked or regular)

2 tsp ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

How to Make It

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and toss to coat the nuts evenly. Add the oil a tablespoon at a time, tossing well after each addition. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

2. Set the mix aside to cool before storing in a plastic container or zip-top bag. Makes 20 servings

Per serving (¼ cup):240 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 24 g fat (2 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 59 mg sodium

5:00 p.m.

5-minute Chicken Salad Sandwich

Downing some protein before workouts has been shown to boost muscle growth even more than having it after workouts.

My take: Why not do both?

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 Tbsp finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp pine nuts

1 heaping tsp spicy brown mustard

1 heaping tsp fat-free sour cream

1 heaping tsp plain yogurt

Pinch of ground black pepper

2 cans (3 oz each) chunk chicken, rinsed and drained twice4 slices whole-grain bread

2 leaves lettuce

How to Make It

1. In a large bowl, mix together the celery, onion, pine nuts, mustard, sour cream, yogurt, and pepper. Add the chicken and toss lightly so you don't break it apart too much.

2. Divide the salad, spreading each half on a slice of bread.

Top each with a lettuce leaf and another bread slice. Makes 2 servings

Per serving: 267 calories, 28 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 5.5 g fat (0 g saturated), 11 g fiber, 410 mg sodium

6:30 p.m. (postworkout)

Chocolate Almond Recovery Shake

The carbs in this shake trigger a hormonal surge that drives nutrients into your muscle cells, speeding their growth. They also replenish energy stores, ensuring you'll perform your best at your next workout.

½ cup milk

1 Tbsp instant coffee

10 unsalted almonds

1 Tbsp lecithin granules

2 packets (2 g) stevia or other sugar alternative

1 cup crushed ice or 6-8 ice cubes

2 level scoops chocolate whey protein powder

How to Make It

Put all of the ingredients except the ice and protein powder into a blender. Blend on high until fully mixed. With the blender on medium, add the ice and protein powder. Increase the speed to high and blend until smooth. Makes 1 serving

Per serving:393 calories, 47 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 2 g fiber, 55 mg sodium

7:30 p.m.

Mahi Mahi Wraps

There's no better way to cap your day than with a low-carb, high-protein fish burrito loaded with heart-healthy omega-3s.

4 mahi mahi fillets (6 oz each)

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon-pepper seasoning

1 cup plain yogurt

Juice of 2 limes

Ground black pepper

8 large leaves Boston lettuce

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, seeded and grated

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup shredded carrots

How to Make It

1. Heat a very clean, oiled grill or grill pan on medium. Brush the fish with the oil and sprinkle it with the lemon-pepper seasoning to taste. Grill the fish, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. Carefully flip with a spatula and cook for another 5 minutes, until the fish flakes easily.

2. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and lime juice and season to taste with pepper. Fill each lettuce leaf with about 2 Tbsp each of the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, and carrots. Top each with several chunks of mahi mahi. Drizzle each with an equal amount of the yogurt sauce. Fold each lettuce leaf into a wrap. Makes 4 servings

Per serving (2 wraps): 293 calories, 37 g protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 6 g fiber, 213 mg sodium

For more muscle-building, fat-burning recipes from Men's Health cover model Gregg Avedon, pick up a copy of Muscle Chow (Rodale), available wherever books are sold.

Provided by Men's Health

Same Workout, Bigger Muscles

Reported by Selene Yeager, Men's Health

Strength training today suffers from the Starbucks effect. Just as it's increasingly difficult to fight off the sprinkles and foam when you order a cup of joe, it's hard to call yourself a modern muscle maker when you do a weight-lifting move without a few added kinks.

"It's great fun to watch guys trying to do squats while standing on stability balls," says former Olympic weight-lifting coach Harvey Newton, C.S.C.S., of www.newton-sports.com. "But the truth is, if they just did the basics better, they'd produce the results they want without involving all the bells and whistles."

Now hold on, Harvey. Those big balls do a lot of good. On the other hand, all these half-caf mocha-latte workouts are starting to get on our nerves. Sometimes you just want to bust a move and make more muscle.

So we asked exercise experts to help us pinpoint ways to make the classic moves we all do—squats, rows, bench presses, and crunches—work better. Follow their advice and see fast results. . . without the sprinkles.

TAP WHEN YOU SQUAT
Experts agree: The squat is one of the best muscle builders in a man's portfolio because of the number of muscles the exercise engages. Experts also agree that most lifters perform it incorrectly. Namely, they don't squat down far enough, nor do they place the emphasis on their glutes by anchoring with their heels. This means the glutes are never fully engaged. New York Cityâ€Ã‚“based trainer David Kirsch, C.S.C.S., author of The Ultimate New York Body Plan, offers this solution: Stand in front of a weight bench. Squat down until your butt touches the bench, then immediately press through your heels back to the starting position. Using the bench forces you to squat all the way down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, so the exercise will yield better results.

GIVE 'EM A SQUEEZE
As you prepare to lift, contract the muscles you're working and keep them that way throughout the entire move. "You won't be able to lift quite as much weight, but your muscles will be doing more work overall, so they'll grow," says Sam Iannetta, C.P.T., owner of Functional Fitness and Wellness Centers in Boulder, Colorado. "For instance, on the bench press, imagine you're trying to bring your hands toward each other but don't move them at all, so your pecs are squeezed together. You won't believe the pump."

BRING THE SITUP BACK FROM THE DEAD
"Men spend entirely too much time doing crunches, which involve only a 30-degree range of motion—way too small to build much muscle," says Patrick Hagerman, Ed.D., C.S.C.S., a professor at the University of Tulsa. "If you want to build your abdominals, do a full situp. Your abs spend more time working dynamically under tension, so they'll grow bigger and stronger. Full situps also strengthen the hip flexors, which can get pretty weak if all you do is crunches." (To improve your crunches, add a Swiss ball. See below left.)

To do situps right, lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent about 90 degrees, hands clasped lightly behind your head, and elbows out to the sides. Tuck in your chin, contract your abdominals, and roll all the way up until your chest nearly touches your knees. Then slowly roll back down.

THINK MARINE TRAINING, SIR
Ditch the heavier-is-better mindset. "Before you rush to pick up bigger, heavier plates, ask yourself, Do I want to look like a giant Olympic powerlifter or a totally ripped Marine?" says Iannetta. "Being able to bench 300 pounds doesn't necessarily mean you'll look good with your shirt off."

Want a guaranteed beach-ready body? Do more total work with your muscles. "Our armed forces look awesome because they're doing 150 pushups a day," Iannetta says. "Volume ultimately gives you better size and shape than going heavy."

Determine your optimum volume—the total work you do in a workout—by multiplying weight times reps times sets. For example, if you do three sets of 10 curls with a 50-pound bar, your biceps have done 1,500 pounds' worth of total work. Now suppose you do three sets of 20 curls with a 40-pound bar. That's 2,400 pounds' worth of work—a 60 percent increase in overall load.

To sculpt like Michelangelo, Iannetta recommends reaching into the 18-rep range. But keep the weight heavy enough to be challenging. Your muscles should still feel fatigued (although they won't hit failure) at the end of each set.

LOSE THE BENCH
By working while standing, you involve more muscles and burn more calories, says Douglas Lentz, C.S.C.S., director of fitness for Summit Health, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. "Except for a few sessions devoted to increasing mass, our athletes do almost everything standing," he says. "It engages your core, so your total strength increases."

A classic example is the bent-over dumbbell row. Most men lean over and brace them-selves on a bench, then perform the exercise with one arm. Instead, assume a wide, stable stance and bend from the hips, keeping your back flat—and don't use a bench. Perform your rows from that position. You'll work your core for stability and do a bit more mid-section work. You won't be able to lift quite as much weight, but your entire body will benefit from the move.

WHITTLE WHILE YOU WAIT
Instead of sitting around working your mandible between sets, exercise another body part. "Supersetting helps you use your time better," says Lentz. And, if you do it properly, it builds more muscle. For the best results, alternate lower- and upper-body moves, such as a leg press followed by a lat pulldown. That way, each muscle group has time to recover between sets. Alternating upper- and lower-body exercises also keeps your heart rate revved up and stimulates your circulatory system, so you deliver more oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to your working muscles and burn more calories.

Don't like blending upper- and lower-body workouts? Do ab work between sets. You'll be less likely to blow it off than if you save it for the end.

PACK IT INTO 1 WEEK
The classic way to organize workouts, referred to by exercise scientists as linear periodization, might actually be counterproductive for you, says Lentz. In linear periodization, you alternate training phases aimed at building strength with phases focused on growth. "But what most men want out of the gym is big muscles, and that's not what linear periodization was designed for," he says.

So mix it up every time you hit the gym: Change intensity and volume. A study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that those who followed such a program for 12 weeks increased their bench strength by 29 percent and leg-press strength by 56 percent. These were nearly twice the gains of a control group.

Work with this kind of periodization, and your body is always adapting, says Lentz. Include one type of workout in each week's plan. For example, Monday, heavy with low reps; Wednesday, moderate weight and reps; Friday, light weight and high reps.

From Yahoo health