The Many Benefits of Outdoor Cardio Training

There are many benefits of performing your cardio work outdoors. The pleasant weather, fresh air, numerous exercise options, and exhilarating scenery to name a few. Cardio is the perfect complement for weight training. Sort of like a ying and yang. Two very different ways of training, almost opposite by nature, but both contribute the whole health of the person.

I always look forward to the “adventure” of outdoor cardio especially bike riding. You never know where the wind will take you that particular day. To experience all of the sensations of a bike ride really has its benefits when compared to weight training which is often done in the same environment day in and day out. That is why it is so important to break up your weight training routine with other fitness activities. The uniformity of it can lead to staleness and result in lack of progress. So keep your fitness attitude fresh with a well-rounded routine of weight training and cardio. Have a great summer and make sure you take advantage of all the outdoor exercise possibilities!

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Weight Training and Cardio Complement Each Other Well

In ancient bodybuilding times (prior to the 80's) it was often believed that the bodybuilder should not incorporate cardio training into their workout regiment to prevent the burning of too many calories and resulting in limited bodybuilding gains or "getting small". As we've all subsequently learned this train of thought could not be further from the truth. Cardio and weight training complement each other extremely well and should always be included as part of your training routine. Cardio training gives you the necessary stamina for weight training and weight training offers added strength and toning for optimal cardio performance.

Nowadays all competitive bodybuilders rely heavily on cardio training in addition to diet to burn fat. There is a fine line between burning fat instead of muscle and experience will teach you what your targeted heart rate should be for optimal fat burning. Just compare some of the smoother bodybuilder of the 70's to the champions today and you will see exactly what I mean regarding the correct cardio mix.

Don't Be Intimidated If You Are New To The Bodybuilding Gym

Everyone has to start somewhere and that includes bodybuilders. Even the great champions such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Jay Cutler all had their first day at the gym as a novice weight lifter or bodybuilder. Often the initial goal of weight trainers differ at the start. For example, some start working out to enhance their sports career in football, baseball, or track. Others have a more personal motivation for working out with weights such as trimming fat or gaining muscle mass. Eventually when progress in the form of bulging muscle appear and the physique starts to come into shape the interest often turns to more advanced bodybuilding goals such as competing.

However, along the way all weight trainers need advice and help. Don't be intimidated by your fellow experienced gym members. You may be surprised, but most bodybuilders(there are always some jerks who won't) will be more than willing to spend a few moments with you for a spot, a correction of lifting form, or even posing advice. Their mindset is that that they were all in your shoes at one time and they want to promote and cultivate their chosen sport. Bodybuilding is a sport of gym camaraderie and you will soon be part of that fraternity when your face is seen enough times at the gym and you make friends with your fellow lifters who share a common goal. Someday soon you'll be the one assisting a beginner with a helpful smile!

Work Your Lower Back Safely with Weighted Hyperextensions

Working your lower back safely is of utmost importance for bodybuilding. A lower back injury can affect almost any exercise you would perform. If you stiff-legged deadlifts on a regular basis weighted hyperextensions are a great substitute which works the same area as effectively and more safely.

To perform this exercise properly lie face down across a horizontal hyperextension bench with your hips supported on the pad. Place your lower legs under the roller pads to stabilize your body in the horizontal position. Bend forward from your waist so that your upper body is hanging over the bench down towards the floor. Grab a barbell or weight and place it behind your neck. From this position, straighten all the way up from the waist and extend backward until your upper body is slightly past parallel to the floor. Hold this hyperextended position momentarily before lowering back down slowly and repeating. Perform three sets of 15 - 20 reps for optimal benefit.

Keeping a Journal of Your Workouts

Keep a daily journal of your workouts. Include the exercises you perform as well as sets, reps, and how you feel throughout the workout. There is no better way to analyze your routine and keep tabs of your progress and sticking points.

When I started lifting I kept an extremely detailed journal of my workouts (sets and reps), diet (caloric, protein, carb and fat intake), and body weight and measurements. I was so excited to see almost weekly progress in my strength and size. This more than anything gave me the incentive to push myself above and beyond what I thought I could do. This was because I KNEW, and had actual physical proof of my progress. I learned that there was a direct correlation between the hard work I put in at the gym and my new found growth. I also learned to vary my routine when I analyzed my results and I saw that I was doing the same exercises for too long of a time period. I also had documented proof as to what worked and what did not when I tried a new exercise or varied an old one.

Keeping a weight training journal may sound a bit tedious to you but I am convinced that there is no better way for keeping close tabs on the entire bodybuilding lifestyle if you are a serious trainer.

Maintain Your Cardio Activity During the Winter Months

People generally tend to cut back on their cardio training during the cold winter months and lean towards increased inactivity. This may be due to the weather making it a more difficult task to get to the gym, excessive holiday partying, or the poor outdoor conditions making it too difficult to perform your regular outdoor cardio routine. These are all reasonable explanations but it is no reason to cut back on one of the most important aspects of your training regiment.

Bring your cardio indoors and work the treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike, or rower. You can make it more fun and interesting by setting distance and time goals for yourself. Staying in shape and strong will also help boost your immune system and ward off those nasty winter illnesses.

Exercise of the Week: Seated Cable Rows

Cable rows are a great exercise to work your lats and middle back. Form is of the utmost importance when doing this exercise as your lower back can be easily injured if proper technique is not followed.

You can use either a bar, rope or a V handle. I prefer the latter. Position yourself on the cable row machine and grasp the handle with both hands. Keep your knees slightly bent and you back arched. Bend forward and when you are at peak extension slowly pull the handle into your upper stomach area and hold it there for a one count. This will ensure peak back muscle contraction. Ease the weight back to the starting position slowly so you are working the muscle on the return portion of the rep as well. Warm up thoroughly and use a weight that you have to fight to get 8 - 10 hard fought reps. 3 - 4 sets if done properly should leave your back muscles pumped and exhausted.

Perform Dumbbell Concentration Curls for a Super Biceps Peak

The concentration curls give your biceps that well-rounded peak look bodybuilders strive for. It has been a staple exercise and used by bodybuilders since the golden age of bodybuilding in the 1970's. There are many videos and images of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his contemporaries performing this exercise. It is a favorite because of the isolation factor and the subsequent great pump you can achieve if this exercise is performed properly. Perform this exercise after your heavier biceps movements like standing barbell or seated dumbbell curls. The concentration curl will isolate each bicep muscle ensuring that the biceps are responsible for all of the work.

How to Perform The Concentration Curl: Sit on the end of a flat bench with your legs apart and lean forward slightly. Pick the dumbbell up in one hand with your palm facing upward and place your elbow on the inside of your thigh letting the dumbbell hang down. Slowly curl the weight up while keeping your elbow steady and locked in place against the inside of your thigh. As you are performing the curl twist your wrist to the outside to work the muscle more completely. Squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement then slowly return to the starting position and repeat. Remember the downward part of the movement is as important as the lifting portion to completely fatigue the muscle.

Ingredients for a Great Chest Workout

Today I will be working my favorite body part, chest. To me nothing makes you feel more virile and powerful than the pump you feel after working chest. I start out with bench presses 4 - 5 sets including one warm-up set. When bench pressing focus on using your chest muscles to push the weight. Bring the bar down slowly then explode upwards once the bar touches your chest. Never bounce the weight or arch your back as cheating does not increase your muscle mass or strength and you will also leave yourself at risk for shoulder and back injury.

The next chest exercise is one of my favorites, inclines presses. No muscle burn feels better to me then the deep muscle ache you feel during a hard worked set of inclines. A well developed upper chest gives you that powerful table-top look that people really admire. I usually perform 3 - 4 sets of 8 - 12 hard fought reps. That does the trick for me. If you do these correctly you should have a difficult time even lifting the bar after the last set.

I complete my chest workout with either dumbbell flyes or cable crossovers. When performing dumbbell flyes your motion should be similar to that of you hugging a tree. But be careful and don't extend to far down at the bottom of the movement as you leave yourself vulnerable to shoulder injury. Same with cable crossovers, use a moderate weight and flex your pecs at the peak of the movement. Don't overload the weight as you will also expose yourself to injury.

When your done working with the weights spend a few minutes flexing your pecs in front of a mirror to really bring out the cuts and striations with this isometric exercise.

Legs Take the Longest to Get Back Into Flow After Layoff

Well my comeback just completed two workout cycles. By that I mean I completed workouts for each body part two times. Without question legs seem to be the most difficult to get back into a good rhythm. For this second leg workout I did barbell squats first for three sets of 135x12, 185x12, and 205x15. Not bad for the second workout but my conditioning or lack thereof showed during this exercise. My rest time in between sets was probably twice as long as when I am in shape and my fatigue level was very high. I never quite recovered my wind which hindered my effectiveness for the rest of the workout. I finished the workout with calves - raises on the leg press and standing calf raises. I was able to get a fair calf burn but not a great pump which I again attribute to my conditioning. I will be hitting the cardio harder so my focus and energies can be with the task at hand and not fatigue.

Balance is the Key to an Eye Pleasing Physique

You've probably noticed this too but I've walked into the gym way too many times over the years only to see some of my buddies the "regular gym rats" who perform only a select few exercises and call it a day. They only exercise the "showy" muscles with disregard for the rest of the body. A fine example of this are the "cantaloupe smugglers". You know those guys, the ones who only work their pecs and biceps and look like they are carrying four large melons under their shirt. They probably think that they look strong or muscular. But with little muscular development elsewhere they in fact look horribly disproportionate and even silly. If you look closer at these guys they probably have spindly under-developed legs and look ludicrous in a shorts or a bathing suit. Another good example are guys who work everything but their abs. They may have a great back, chest, arms, legs etc. but if your stomach is not sporting some semblance of a six-pack you're not going to look in shape.

The whole idea here is proportion. I've been to many bodybuilding contests and the overall winner more often than not is not the biggest, strongest person in the contest with flashing oversized body parts. It's the guy or gal who is proportionally or evenly developed and has the fewest weaknesses. This type of physique will catch your eye at the pool or beach as being much more impressive than the cantaloupe smuggler type. Remember a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and this especially holds true for the human body.

It may not be fun to blast your legs with squats or do endless calf raises and sit-ups. But if you do work out the entire body in proportion there is no doubt in the end you'll be more than pleased with the results.

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My Favorite Giant Set Routine for Biceps and Triceps

One of my favorite giant set routines…

Out of any body part or muscle group I really love doing giant sets when I am training arms. You recover much quicker between sets as the biceps and triceps are relatively small muscles and you can really increase the intensity for a maximum pump once you get the hang of it. Here’s one of my favorite routines which has minor variations to avoid monotony and stagnation. Use weights or resistance which you can perform the following repetitions:

* Standing Barbell Biceps Curls: 8 – 10 reps
* Triceps Pushdowns: 8 - 12 reps
* Seated Dumbbell Curls: 6 - 10 reps
* Skull Crushers (lying triceps eye raises): 8 – 12 reps
* Preacher Curls: 8 – 12 reps
* One Arm Triceps Extensions: 8 -12 reps.

As you see I alternate bi's and tri's I perform four circuits of this for a total of 24 sets (12 for biceps and 12 for triceps) in around 30 minutes! I love it because of the intensity you can obtain along with the short workout time! However I usually do this about 1 out of every 3 - 4 times I do arms so the routine remains fresh which translates to higher intensity and more muscle growth. There you have it, the benefits of giant sets. They can really give you a lift when your arm workout routine needs a boost.

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Benefits of Giant Sets as Part of Your Bodybuilding Routine

Most of you experienced weight trainers have heard of giant sets, the circuit training equivalent for bodybuilding. You perform one set and directly go to the next with minimal rest (preferably for the same body part or group of muscles) and keep going until you complete about 5 – 7 sets and finish the circuit. Perform this circuit 3 - 4 times and you've completed the workout. This method of training has numerous benefits:

1. It helps you maintain a quick pace during your workout which is an aid to cardiovascular training.
2. It cuts down on your valuable time by allowing you to complete your workout faster.
3. Giant sets break up the monotony of your routine in a quick and efficient manner.
4. It helps you attack the targeted muscle group in a new and effective way.

However there are a few precautions to note when attempting to complete a giant set workout:

1. Use a moderate weight for each exercise as the quickened pace and going directly to the next set will fatigue your muscles more rapidly.
2. Stay focused as the increased intensity and muscle fatigue of performing sets quicker may open yourself up to injury.
3. Listen to your body. Your conditioning will let you know how much time to rest you need between sets.

I suggest resting 60 - 90 seconds between sets the first time you attempt giant sets and gradually reduce it to 30 – 45 seconds as your conditioning improves.

Next time I will outline in full detail one of my favorite giant set routines.

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Barbell Squats are Great for Strength and Conditioning

There really isn't a better exercise you can do for overall body balance, mass and conditioning that the barbell squat. When squats are performed as part of your leg routine you will feel your overall strength and conditioning increase almost immediately. You will also have more energy and stamina for the rest of your workouts and every exercise will seem that much easier to do.

If you've never squatted before start out with a light weight until your form is perfected. Proper form is imperative for barbell squats. If you do not have good form not only will you not work the muscles you're supposed to but you will leave yourself susceptible to serious injury as well. So go ahead and squat and reap the benefits of the best overall exercise there is!

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Aging and the Benefits of Bodybuilding (Weight Resistance Training )

Bodybuilding or weight resistance training is often viewed as a young person's sport, but that couldn't be further from the truth. People of all ages can and have benefited from lifting weights. Studies have concluded that even people in their 90's have become stronger and have increased bones density through weight resistance training. Many years ago the top bodybuilding champions were often in their early 20's and by the time they reached the "advanced" age of 40 they were considered over the hill. Today that is far from the norm. Recently, Ronnie Coleman won the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding championship when he was well over 40 years of age. The current Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler is 36 years old and is showing no signs of slowing down. There are also many current champions in their 60's and even 70's who look decades younger than their chronological age. These people have all reaped the physical and mental benefits of weight resistance training well into middle and old age.

So please reconsider when you're thinking that you are too old to start or continue a bodybuilding program as age is no longer a valid excuse. Of course get clearance from your doctor prior to the start of any exercise program and be reasonable regarding the amount of weight you lift. Also, don't become a "weekend warrior" weight lifter, you'll only increase your chances of injury. The body at any age, needs consistency in exercise to get the most out of it and reduce the chances of injury.

Set Micro Goals To Get Past Tough Sticking Points

A micro goal is any goal that you can complete in a short time and see immediate results. For example, when you're on the treadmill today you may want to set a goal of running (or walking) one minute longer or increasing the incline one more level. For lifting weights it may be completing one more repetition or slightly increasing the poundage for a one set. A micro goal can even be pushing yourself to complete your workout routine a few minutes faster and with greater intensity. Making these daily goals will keep you focused and in tune with your workouts and help make your long climb up that mountain easier. Conquer the small hills and the larger mountain will come into focus before you even realize it.

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Always Maintain Proper Form During Exercise

I can't emphasize how important proper form is. Proper form will enable you to get the absolute most out of each set and totally fatigue the intended muscle group. Improper form will often bring ancillary muscles into play decreasing the effectiveness of the exercise and wasting most of your effort. For example, have you ever seen a lifter with well developed pecs who bounces the weight off of their chest? Or a bodybuilder who uses mostly back during a squat with large well developed legs? Probably not on both accounts. Improper form often occurs when the lifter is more concerned with the actual weight they lift instead of form. These trainers are wasting their time by cheating their way through the exercises and the heavy weights they claim to lift are mostly false bravado. Good exercise habits begin early but are never to late to correct. If you feel that you have poor form you can correct it by performing the exercise in front of a mirror for self critique or have a seasoned lifter or personal trainer at the gym show you proper form.

If you want to speed up your workout at the gym to increase the cardiovascular benefit or you're in a time crunch then decrease the time in between sets. Never perform your exercises faster to save time. You'll only end up compromising your form and leave yourself susceptible to injury.

In Addition to Exercise Eating Properly Helps Get That Six Pack of "Ripped" Abs

Eating properly is essential in order to obtain lean muscular abdominal muscles. You should drink plenty of water throughout the day with your protein intake equaling about one gram per pound of body weight. Eat plenty of chicken and turkey which are excellent sources of lean meat and are high in protein. Fish, eggs, protein bars and shakes are also solid sources of protein as well. Your carbohydrate intake should include carbs that are high in starch such as rice, oatmeal, and cereals. Always avoid eating junk foods and foods that have a high fat content. To keep your metabolism functioning at increased levels to burn fat eat 5-6 small meals per day and healthy snacks in between. Adhering to this basic dietary plan will help you gain muscularity, lose fat, and with proper exercise result in a six pack of "ripped" abs.

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Perform Your Abdominal Repetitions Slowly

Have you also seen people appear to be in some sort of crazy ab race to perform as many reps as quickly as possible on the ab machines or on the sit-up boards at the gym? Unfortunately, I've been witness to this way too many times. Granted, you can probably complete more repetitions per set for abs than any other exercise, but that is not the point of ab training. The point of ab training or any other exercise for that matter is to get the most out of the exercise. And for abdominals it is to work the muscles in the most effective way possible, which is SLOWLY. It is not the number of repetitions you complete but the quality of the repetitions. You will get a much deeper burn and work the muscles more completely by slowing down your reps, concentrating, and tightening your midsection as you perform each rep. You will not be able to complete as many reps per set but the ones you do complete will work and exhaust the midsection more thoroughly.

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Seven Important Factors to Consider When Choosing A Gym

A good gym should always motivate you to come back. The atmosphere should be conducive to your personal goals and should meld with your personality. Keep these seven factors in mind when choosing your gym:

1) Location: Choose a gym nearby. Having a gym close will allow you to fit time in your schedule. Usually a location between your home and office is convenient.

2) Hours: Make sure the gym is open for hours that will work with your schedule.

3) Staff: The staff members should be friendly and helpful. They should be able to answer questions whenever you need.

4) Cleanliness: Towels should be available around the gym to wipe off the equipment. This will help avoid health problems.

5) Equipment: Make sure that the equipment will benefit you. Also check if there are enough machines for everyone to use. There is no use in waiting in a long line to workout.

6) Classes: Classes are a great way to get motivated. Look at the list of classes and see if there are any you would enjoy. Also decide whether or not these classes fit into your budget.

7) Fees: The cost of gyms can be very expensive. This could also be a deciding factor of whether or not to join. See if you pay each month or if you are committed for a year or more. Choose according to your needs.