Muscle fitness and training is an important facet in the bid to get overall body fitness and health. It is of key importance that you get all relevant information about the muscle and fitness training system that will bring you to your objective without wasting time and effort.

Many a muscle and fitness training system come out of well tested and proven training methods passed and learnt from years gone by. A good system related to muscle and fitness will, however, be the one which will offer a full body service not just concentrating on one set of muscles.

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It is important for a balance to be attained so as your body does not become disfigured. This system should allow for building of all body muscle including abs, legs and arms both upper and lower and chest muscles. Such systems can be gotten by training and exercising with professionals in the gymnasiums e.t.c

The effective training systems can also be self taught through the use of training videos and workout programs run by professional trainers. These are well presented to offer step by step guidance into achieving body fitness. This practice has fast gained notoriety since not every one gets the time to attend gym sessions what with the busy life schedules and all.

Training equipment to be used in a muscle and fitness training system range from the mundane like makeshift paint cans weighted with cement to the sophisticated weights. These things can really help you out in building muscles quickly.

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For those who understand how to design a great workout, it may come as a surprise that the best components of circuit training workouts for fat loss center around periods of rest. For those who love the gym, it is easy to adopt the all or nothing approach. When you hit the weight room you go until you can’t go any more. However, this type of training is the fast track to burn out, and can even prevent fat from being lost or muscle from being gained.

Rest in the sense of a circuit isn’t a long period of rest; in most instances the rest period shouldn’t be longer than 30-50 seconds. This type of rest is strictly for momentary recovery, and is not designed to allow your heart rate to drop. This way your metabolism is burning big time, while you are training the muscles. The trick is timing. Creating the space between the circuit training and the interval training is what will keep your workout intense enough to see results.

An example of a perfectly timed circuit would look something like this: Lunges for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Step ups for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Shoulder press for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. After you complete this set three times, you depart from the exercise and hop onto a treadmill for 2 minutes; 45 seconds of that time is all out high intensity sprinting, the next 45 seconds is what makes up the rest period. After you complete the circuit and the interval then you can replace those three exercises with a different set of exercises, but continue to keep the resting time and working time the same. If you can keep this intensity up you will trigger your HGH hormones, and that is what will trigger the “fat melting” hormones in the body.

Another component in addition to rest is quality of movement. The reason that it makes sense within a circuit to switch up certain muscle groups is that you can avoid fatigue to the point of poor performance and form. If the form of an exercise is compromised, no matter how heavy you are lifting, the exercise will actually do more damage than good to the body. It will put more strain on the joints and ligaments in an area that the body was not designed to handle. It can also cause muscular imbalances within the body since most lifters have a side they favor more, and one that is more able to lift heavier amounts.

If form is correct and the intensity of the interval sprints between lifting is of accurate tempo, the body will be at its optimum release point for HGH and the results will be amazing. Simply following the timing of a well-designed circuit is no guarantee that you will be able to tap into your body’s optimal cadence for fat loss. You must understand that in order to become a fat loss expert of your own body, you have to challenge it to a level of quality and consistency that hasn’t been in your previous workout regimes.

There are certain weight training exercises for women to get toned fast. After all, isn’t that what we all want, fast results? All of this can be accomplished without the need of so called fat burners and fad diets. All you need in order to succeed is the will to not give up. The weight training exercises that you do can be done in the form of super-sets or circuits. When you combine exercises in this fashion you will optimize your body for maximum fat shedding and you will have a flat stomach in no time.

Circuit Training 101

One of the most respected weight training exercises for women is circuit training. If you want to get a cardio workout and strength training workout all at once then circuit training might be for you. So what is circuit training? Well, to put it in easy terms, it is a combination of 6-10 exercises done back to back without resting. For example, you would follow an outline something like this.

1A) Squat- 10 reps

2A) Chest Press- 10 reps

3A) Lunge- 8 reps

4A) Push ups- 15 reps

5A) Lateral Raise-8 reps

6A) Sit ups- 20 reps

You would do all of these exercises back to back then take a 2 minute break and repeat for a total of 2-3 times. Not only will you build muscle, you will also get an amazing cardiovascular workout because this type of exercise raises your heart rate. It is kind of like jogging and lifting weights at the same time but you get more fat burning out of your efforts.

Super Set Weight Training

Super-sets are also great weight training exercises for women to do. This is very similar to your circuit training workouts the only difference is that instead of doing 6 consecutive exercises you are only doing 2. This is why they are called sets. With super-sets you will have to go a bit heavier on the weights to get the most out of the exercises. Instead of resting for 2 full minutes after each super-set you will now rest only 1 minute. Also, if you want to burn body fat much faster then it is better to pair upper and lower body exercises in the same super-set.

By Rob Rayburn, Personal Fitness Trainer

In the first Keys To Explosive Gains installment, I discussed the absolute need for and value of variation as an integral factor in any successful personal training program. I am going to follow that up with another topic that has frustrated many a young aspiring bodybuilder. This article is going to discuss plateauing in great detail and further reinforce one’s understanding of the importance of variation as a part of one’s training program.

The International Fitness Professionals Association defines plateauing as “the point in training at which one no longer sees improvements from one’s current exercise routine; maintaining one’s muscular size, strength, and/or athletic performance in spite of increased training efforts.” Plateaus had proven extremely tough to overcome in years, and perhaps decades past; however, in our ultra-modern era, training technique and method has become so scientifically targeted and understood, that there is really no logical reason for anyone to be stuck at an impassible plateau.

There are several options here off the top of the head:

·         Variation-There’s that word again. Variation in a program needn’t be scrapping the routine and starting from scratch. Something as simple as grip or hand placement during an exercise is a variation that will result in the same exercise hitting the intended muscle in a different way (the stimulus changes). One can also change the order of the exercises performed in the training session.  Altering intensity also changes the exercise stimulus and can result in additional gains. One can alter the intensity of his individual training session by performing explosive sets, perhaps, as the last sets of the day, or may choose to open with explosive sets at the next training session.

·         Explosive sets-An explosive set refers to the increased speed at which a particular exercise is performed for one set; also referred to as ballistic training, this sort of explosive technique should be used only by experienced exercisers as there is an elevated risk of injury. The caution here is to be sure not to try to explode through repetitions at a resistance that one normally works out with. Drop the resistance at least 15-20 percent initially and utilize an abbreviated set in order to see how it feels. The number of repetitions used is relative to one’s routine. The objective is to achieve explosive and full muscular contraction. One additional safety note: if performing biceps curls or skull crushers, be careful not to crack yourself in the forehead! Almost forgot…the explosive happens on the exertion phase of the movement…not on return.

·         Pyramid sets-For increased strength gains and hypertrophy, start heavy and progress to light, or vice-versa. Regardless of the exercise used for a pyramid set, begin with a resistance that one can perform for 4-6 good repetitions. Decrease the resistance to perform the next set of 7-10 repetitions in the pyramid (the last couple of reps should be moderately difficult). Decrease the resistance yet again to perform the last ascending set of 11-15 repetitions. This completes the ascending set of the pyramid. Perform one additional set of 11-15 reps at current resistance. Increase the resistance to perform 7-10 reps; then increase the resistance again to complete the last set of the pyramid with 4-6 good repetitions.

The techniques I listed above can be used to influence the training effect of individual exercises, but are, with the exception of variation, intended only for experienced exercisers as the risk of injury is increased. There are several other training systems and techniques that can be extremely helpful in avoiding the dreaded plateau, one of which is to employ drastic intensity variations in every training session. In other words, one could go heavy resistance (lower reps and more rest between sets) on day one, and then go lighter resistance (more reps and minimal or no rest between sets) on day two, and then back to heavy on the next training day, and so on.

There are literally so many different tactics one can use to avoid a plateau that I cannot adequately cover them all in one article. Keep in mind that the simplest strategy and the one used perhaps more than any other is variation. Keeping the body off balance is the objective. As long as the training stimuli change periodically, one will never encounter a plateau that can’t be overcome.

A fascinating fact about your subconscious mind is that it’s completely deductive in nature. In other words, it’s fully capable of working backwards from the end to the means. You don’t need to know how to reach a goal at the time you set the goal. If you “program” only the desired outcome successfully into your “mental computer,” then your subconscious will take over and help you find the information and means and carry out the actions necessary to reach it.

Many people are familiar with affirmations and goal-setting as ways to give instructions to your subconscious mind. But perhaps the ultimate mental training” technique is visualization. In one respect, affirmation and visualization are the same, because when you speak or think an affirmation first, that triggers a mental image, being as the human brain “thinks” in pictures.

You can use visualization to plant goals into your subconscious mind. You simply close your eyes, use your imagination and mentally create pictures and run movies of your desired results. For example, in your mind’s eye, you can see the “body of your dreams”. If repeated consistently with emotion, mental images are accepted by your subconscious as commands and this helps with changing habits, behavior and performance.

Although there are some new and creative ways to use visualization, (which you are about to learn), this is not a new technique. Visualization has been used formally in the fields of sports psychology and personal development for decades and philosophers have discussed it for centuries:

“If you want to reach your goal, you must ’see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.”

- Zig Ziglar

“The use of mental imagery is one of the strongest and most effective strategies for making something happen for you.”

- Dr. Wayne Dyer

“Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create what you want in your life.”

- Shakti Gawain

“Perhaps the most effective method of bringing the subconscious into practical action is through the process of making mental pictures – using the imagination.”

- Claude Bristol

“There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking.”

- William James, 1842-1910, Psychologist and Author

Despite these glowing endorsements and a long track record, some people can’t get past feeling that this is just a “hokey” self-help technique. Rest assured, however, that visualization is an effective and time-tested method for increasing personal success that has been used by some of the highest achievers the world.

The Soviets started to popularize visualization in sports psychology back in the 1970’s, as detailed in Charles Garfield’s landmark book, “Peak Performance.” They dominated in many sports during that period, which validated visualization anecdotally.

In the last 10-15 years, there has been some groundbreaking new brain research which has validated visualization scientifically. Here’s something that was written recently by Dr. Richard Restak, a neuroscientist and author of 12 books about the human brain:

“The process of imagining yourself going through the motions of a complex musical or athletic performance activates brain areas that improve your performance. Brain scans have placed such intuitions on a firm neurological basis. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans reveal that the mental rehearsal of an action activates the prefontal areas of the brain responsible for the formulation of the appropriate motor programs. In practical terms, this means you can benefit from the use of mental imagery.”

So much for visualization being a “cheesy” self-help technique.

Although visualization is widely used today, even people who are familiar with it often don’t realize its many applications. Arguably the most common use of visualization is by athletes, musicians and other performers as a form of “mental rehearsal.” Research shows that “practicing in your mind” is almost as effective as practicing physically, and that doing both is more effective than either one alone.

A common use of visualization in the fitness context is “goal visualization.” In your mind’s eye, you can see yourself having already achieved your physique goal or your ideal goal weight. You can also visualize a specific performance goal such as completing a difficult workout or a heavy lift like a squat or bench press.

One creative way you can use mental imagery is called “process visualization.” Once you’ve set your goals, it’s easy to come up with a list of the daily habits, behaviors and action steps necessary to reach your goal. So write down the action steps and visualize them – the entire process, not just the end result. See yourself food shopping and grabbing fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, ordering healthy foods from restaurant menus, saying no to sodas and drinking water instead, and going to the gym consistently and having killer workouts. Some people visualize their entire “perfect day” as they would want it to unfold. When you do this as vividly, emotionally and in as much detail as you can, you will be neurologically priming your brain to carry out those behaviors.

The least known of all mental imagery techniques is called “physiology visualization.” An example would be picturing the fat burning process in your body or seeing the muscle fibers growing larger and larger. Using this technique, could it be possible that you might be giving subconscious instructions to your body’s cells, organs and tissues?

Well, consider the work of Dr. Carl Simonton, a physician and cancer researcher who taught his patients (as one part of a comprehensive program), how to visualize powerful immune cells devouring the cancer cells. I’m not suggesting that you can cure cancer or materialize a lean and muscular body just by visualizing, (there’s a step in between thought and manifestation – it’s called action – a step that many self help ‘experts’ forget to mention). However, thoughts and mental images are the precursors to action and the fact that a mind-body connection definitely exists makes this an exciting prospect.

Scientists have established the mind-body link in many contexts, and not just by the existence of a placebo effect. There’s also direct evidence as in the way emotional stress can contribute to physical disease. The mind does influence the body! The mere fact that a branch of science has been devoted to this area is proof that it deserves critical investigation and is not just the domain of infomercial self help gurus. The science is called psychoneuroimmunology.

Using “physiology visualization,” you could, even in the middle of a workout, imagine the fat burning process taking place, and visualize fat being released from adipose tissue storage in your abdominal region or elsewhere. You could see the free fatty acids entering your bloodstream, being carried to the working muscles and being burned for energy in the muscle cells. You could also visualize the physiology of muscle growth.

To make your imagery as accurate and detailed as possible, my best suggestion is to refer to an anatomy & physiology textbook that shows pictures of fat cells, blood vessels, myofibrils, motor units, sarcomeres, and cell organelles like the mitochondria, so you know what the structures look like. You could also get more details about the processes by looking up lipolysis, hypertrophy or beta oxidation.

Even if you had no idea what the internal structure and workings of the body were like, you could still use this method. Your body responds to mental imagery even if it isn’t anatomically correct. We know from the field of hypnosis that the subconscious mind responds well to metaphor – maybe even better than literal suggestions. Facts and logic are the domain of the conscious mind, while emotion and metaphor can slip right past the conscious and into the subconscious. Dr. Simonton often wrote about his young patients who created (metaphorical) mental images of immune system cells as “knights in shining armor”, slaying “the dragon” of cancer cells.

One of your greatest mental powers is imagination. You can visualize anything you want and you can embellish and exaggerate your imagery as much as you want. For example, you could imagine the free fatty acids being burned for energy in the “cellular powerhouse” – the mitochondria – and you could imagine the mitochondria as a fiery furnace… “incinerating” the fat! I think it’s a pretty cool idea to “see” your fat cells shrinking and visualize your body as a “fat burning furnace.”

Should you not believe that there’s anything to the physiology visualization technique, that’s ok, because we know that the subconscious is deductive. Just give it a goal, tell it what you want and it will get you there automatically by altering your attention and behavior. Therefore, we can be confident that physiology visualization will be effective even if only as a subconscious directive about your desired goal. If science someday provides us with conclusive evidence that visualization actually does cause cellular – physiological changes in the body, well, that’s just all the better.

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One of the major keys to keeping improvement consistent is changing a weight training routine every 4 weeks on average. There are an infinite amount ways to change things around… one of those that creates fast and significant results is adding plyometric training.

What is Plyometric training?

Think of plyometirc training as explosive training. It consists of many jump ups, jump downs, fast push ups, explosive push ups, and many more. It is a prime training method of building power.

Athletes tend to use this type of training a lot because of its ability to build great power. Power is your muscles ability to produce maximum force in the shortest amount of time. This type of training is not just for athletes… normal people can use it too.

It has the great ability for the “normal” person to create more energy. It also builds up the stabilizer muscles in the joints… making your weight training 100% more effective.

The Amazing Effect of Plyometric Training & Weight Training

Normally I would not have thought about combining these two types of training. It would seem that the intensity would be so great that over training could result. A study conducted by the Department of Physical Education at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in Spain proves otherwise.

They took 37 male physical education students and divided them randomly into a training group and a control group. The training groups of students follows a training schedule that consisted of 6 weeks of weight lifting and plyometric exercises.

Since this test was use to measure an athletic act, they measured their maximal angular speed of the knee during instep kicks on a stationary ball. That is not the important measurement though. Just list to what happened to their other statistics…

Training resulted in a 4.3% gain in muscle hypertrophy, increase in size of type2a muscle fibers by 8.4%, increase in 1 rep maximum of their inclined leg press by 61.4% and their half squat by 45.1%, and in increase in their vertical jump.

In the control group, these variables remained unchanged. You would expect that because the control group did not do anything according to this study. I was hoping that they would have at least done just weight training or just plyometric training.

However, it was concluded that weight training and plyometric training showed significant improvement to not just the kicking speed, but many other physical capabilities.

This would be an ideal method for 4 week training. In order to get the most out of this type of training while not killing your body, you need to follow this schedule.

Alternating weeks do one week of 3 days of weight training and 2 days of plyometic training. The following week do 3 days of plyometric training followed by 2 days of weight training. You would need to keep the weight training routines balanced. I suggest you use super-sets with alternating muscle groups (random).

After these 4 weeks take an entire week off and measure your results from the first week you started. The ability of your body just skyrocketed and you not only feel great, but you look even more amazing.

Mike Thiga’s Muscle Experiment Review: How To Build Muscle Without Weights: Discover The Lost Secrets of Bodyweight Training

The Muscle Experiment is an amazing book. This is the only step by step rapid muscle building blueprint that will help you build muscle WITHOUT ever having to lift weights…and it’s simply amazing.

The Muscle Experiment program is based upon the use of bodyweight training protocols. And the best part is that you don’t have to have any previous bodyweight training experience…everything is perfectly laid out for you.

The Muscle Experiment has simply changed the way the bodybuilding game is played permanently. This instantly downloadable muscle building manual has transformed countless skinny guys into SuperFreaks…and all without the use of weight lifting equipment which literally means no expensive equipments, no monthly gym memberships to gain massive muscles.

This book dares to go where no other went. And it deals squarely with an issue that has been left unanswered for literally centuries: Bodyweight Training For Muscle Gain.

In the Muscle Experiment, author Mike Thiga puts an end to the MYTH that “you can’t build muscle without weights”.

In fact, his own body transformation that took him from 148 pounds to 187 pounds of muscle involved nothing but the use of bodyweight training protocols. And in The Muscle Experiment, he shows you exactly how he did it and how you can apply it to build massive amounts of muscle for yourself.

Hands down this is THE most practical and to-the-point muscle building program I’ve ever seen. No 300 page crap that will bore you to death. The Muscle Experiment goes straight into the meat of things. And as Mike says in the book, “I’ve only given you ONLY what you’ll need to build your perfect body. Nothing more, nothing less.”

So if you need to build muscle in the shortest time possible, then here’s your chance:

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Women using weight training as a means to burn off stubborn fats and stay in shape is not new. Although previously weight lifting and strength training are heavily associated as an exclusive male workout, the trend is now shifting and women who used weight training will actually get firmer and sexier abs, as compared to those who practice cardio exercises exclusively to burn fat.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of weight training will actually help combat osteoporosis and increases strength, while not necessarily putting on the same amount of lean muscles like their male counterparts when using the same techniques.

Did you know that muscles can actually help burn fats? Even when you’re in a resting state, lean muscles accelerate your metabolism rate, and thus literally turning you into a walking fat burning machine!

If you’re ready to get started, here are 4 simple tips to get you going!

1. 3 session training week – Inserting a 3 days week strength training session into your workout will give you immense benefits when it comes to burning fats and building muscles. If previously the majority of your gym time was spent on cardios and aerobics only, alternate them with some weights training this time.

2. Weight training reps and sets- 3 sets of 10-12 reps per set will get you started. Always aim to beat your previous sessions workout weights, preferably train to failure on your last set. However, do not compromise your form because body form is important, crosscheck with your trainer or a program to obtain the best body form.

3. Full body workout – Weight and strength training is not limited to bigger biceps or triceps, perform a full body workout that will work your arms, legs, back as well as your abs!

4. Importance of proper diet – If you’re starting on weight and strength training or you’ve already started, you’ll notice just how important a proper six pack abs diet and food intake can be for you. Don’t waste your effort by not eating right! Eating right in the correct nutrition section and the right amount can help accelerate you fitness goals!

As with any training or exercise program, it’s important to keep in mind safety and wellness, as you are about to put together a workout program.  It’s a good idea to check with a physician to ensure your body can handle the additional strain, and enlist the help of a personal trainer to put together a set of exercises that will help you achieve your goals.  We all exercise to feel better and to live a better life, and working with weights can certainly achieve that.  However, if you use improper form or over-train you run the risk of doing serious damage to your muscles.

Keeping in mind three simple rules might help you prevent injury when starting a weight lifting training program.  Take your time and lift mindfully is key because you are paying attention to your body if you follow this rule.  That is what will help you avoid injury.  Pushing your body too far too fast can cause major damage.  

It’s also important when you do a workout to pay attention to where you feel the workout in the body.  You should feel the work in the belly of the muscle, not in the joints.  If you strain the joints, you will do major damage.  Another key is to select weights your body can handle right now.  You may be working up to the bigger weights, but you have to realize that it takes time to work your way up to them, and patience is the key to a successful training schedule.

The benefits you will experience from weight lifting training are widespread.  You will build up muscular strength and endurance, as well as improve functional capacity which helps avoid falls.  There are also benefits to blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  Improved psychological wellbeing and overall wellness are also benefits that can be enjoyed.