Hey guys. There are a lot of myth surrounding fitness and working out. All though I don’t completely agree with all those showing here, I found a good workout infographic.
Source: http://fitbodyhype.com/culture/10-exercise-myths-to-toss-infographic/
So what do you guys think? Is that helpful? Do you agree with everything on there? Chime in, in the comments below.
So you hear it all the time. You need to eat your proteins. Get in your calories. But what about Vegans? Can vegans build muscle? Well guess what. If you’re a vegan then you’re in luck. (I’m sure you already knew that though) Here’s a great article that is very through on the subject by Jeffery Morgan.
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A vegan with muscles is not a far-fetched thing anymore. I mean the result can be seen everywhere, when they prove to be equal to the non-vegans. Veganism cannot result
in a bad and fragile health with lack of strength and muscles. The thing can be both ways, sometimes people who are non-vegans are not that fit and healthy as compared to the vegan people. People all around the world following a vegan diet; have demonstrated their power and strength in body building and athletic competitions. The main idea lies behind what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat.
WHAT YOU EAT?
It is important to determine, how much nutrition you take in a day to meet the expectations of your body. For starters, the ideal consumption is around 45 calories per kg of their weight. The total body consumption of calories comes to be body weight X 45. Eating in the right manner is very important for your body in able to help you gain the muscular portion. Maintain your dietary pattern in a way that you eat more when you do heavy and core strength training and eat less when you do light exercises. This will provide a balance to your body revving up the metabolism and increasing the muscle recovery time. This way you will not pile on calories on the days when you are not exercising. People, who are addicted to drugs, face a difficulty in gaining muscle mass because they lose fat and gain muscles at the same time.
Important thing is the balancing of the diet being divided among the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Protein is the main source of muscle development. When starting the training programme, the average requirement is around 3 grams per kg of the weight. Protein intake should be evenly distributed throughout the day because we cannot ingest more than 30 grams of intake in a 2 hours time. The absorption of the protein increases after a heavy round of training. The best vegan sources are tofu, chickpeas (hummus), tempah, soya, lentils, beans, both red and black, vegetable patties, peanuts in raw form or peanut butter etc. Amino acids present in the protein help in building the muscles. You can create a balanced diet out of cereals, nuts, seeds and legumes. Protein can also be taken in the powdered form like dry vegan soy or pea hemp protein powder.
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy and fuel to our body. Carbohydrates provide a good amount of strength to perform the daily chores as well as a good workout regime. The daily intake should be around 55% of the calories required per day in the form of carbohydrates. To calculate it in grams, half the amount of calories required in a day, then divide it by 4. You will get the grams required as 1 gm of carb contains 4 cals. Sources include brown bread, wheat pasta, whole grains, oats, spinach, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli. Choose complex carbohydrates over simple ones and the better method to select your food is through the glycemic index ratings. Those foods which have a lower GI are healthier because they do not cause a drastic change in the glucose levels.
The unsaturated fats present in the food are healthier and can be easily sourced from fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and their oil, healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil, leafy vegetables, avocados, coconut milk etc. The food should be rich in both types of omegas i.e.; 3 and 6. Avoid diets that are high in saturated fats. Vegans must include omefa fatty acids in their diet to maintain healthy cardiovascular as well as healthy brain systems.
WHEN TO EAT?
It is very important to distribute the diet evenly in a day to have a high metabolic rate, easy digestion and continuous supply to the muscles. One should aim at following 4-5 meals distributed evenly. The meal after a workout session is an important one as your body feels the deficiency and needs to be loaded immediately to gain the muscle mass. Balance between the carbohydrates, protein and fats. You can also opt for the protein supplements immediately after working out along with a banana. Your body is in need of calories after waking up; do not skip breakfast at all. In fact, this should be the most important meal in your day and should include fruits, cereals, milkshakes and eggs.
HOW MUCH TO EAT?
Heavy muscle building requires a heavy workout session with intense weight training and a good amount of diet with a considerable amount of calorie intake. You can adjust the diet on non-active days as per the body needs. Roughly, the following needs to be applied:
Daily calories required= Weight X 45
Daily carbs required= Daily calories required X1/2 ÷ 4
Daily protein required= Weight in kgs X 3 Grams
Daily fat required= Daily calories required X 1/5 ÷ 9
Have a good warm-up before starting an exercise programme. Vegans can follow the same exercise regime as non-vegans, concentrating on the intense workouts and compound weight training programmes. The reps should be stressed upon as they bring the results if done under the supervision of a professional trainer. Nothing can hold back Vegans, from not able to achieve the desired muscular frame.
Source: http://www.business2community.com/health-wellness/can-vegans-build-muscles-0158337
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That is a great through article. I found another article by Jason Ferruggia that backs this up. You can read the full article here.
http://www.criticalbench.com/build_muscle_vegetarian_diet.htm
If you like to read interviews, I found a good one about how vegetarians can build muscle here.
I found this video of a guy who is a vegan that works out. He doesn’t give as through of tips as above but look at his strength.
So you want to build more muscle and you hear people say you need to take creatine. Well that’s a good call. First let’s talk about what creatine can do for you.
I found this article on Muscle and Fitness…
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Why is creatine so popular among athletes and gym-goers? Quite simply because it works, and it works well. Literally hundreds of studies have been done on creatine showing its effectiveness for increasing muscle strength, muscle power, muscle size, overall athletic performance and even enhancing certain areas of health.
Creatine is a nonessential dietary protein-like compound found in high abundance in meat and fish. It is synthesized in the body, primarily in the liver, from the three amino acids, arginine, glycine and methionine. Muscle tissue does not produce creatine, and therefore it must take up creatine from the bloodstream. Once inside muscle cells, creatine gets a high-energy phosphate attached to it and is then known as phosphocreatine (PCr) or creatine phosphate. It is this high-energy molecule that is one of the most critical components of creatine’s beneficial effects in the body.
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They start getting really technical there. Let’s jump to the next good part of the article.
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Numerous studies have reported significant improvements in one-rep max strength of subjects taking creatine. For example, Belgian researchers reported in a 1997 issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology that untrained subjects taking creatine while following a 10-week weight-training program increased their one-rep max on the squat by 25% more than those taking a placebo while following the same program. A 1998 study by University of Nebraska (Omaha) researchers found that trained collegiate football players taking creatine while following an 8-week weight-training program gained a 6% increase in their one-rep bench press strength, while those taking a placebo experienced no strength gains at all.
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There are a plethora of studies showing that creatine significantly boosts muscle growth. The University of Queensland researchers found that the powerlifters taking creatine gained an average of over 6 pounds of lean body weight, with some subjects gaining as much as 11 pounds of lean body weight in less than four weeks, while those taking a placebo had no change in body weight at all. Since creatine supplementation likely does not increase bone mass or organ mass, the increase in lean body weight is more reasonably the result of a gain in muscle mass.
To read the full article, it’s here.
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So there ya got what creatine can do for you, let’s look further into it. So how much Creatine should you take to build muscle? Well Jimmy Smith over at jimmysmithtraining.com has a great post on that. Here’s part of it…
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Should you load creatine? Not really. While a loading phase of 20 grams for 5 days has sped up the creatine saturation process, it doesn’t do much to increase the actual amount of creatine in your muscles. So you don’t really need to load creatine. Most of the the benefits of creatine are seen around 3-5 grams per day.
Here’s some pointers
-Creatine can be taken with a warm drink like green tea.
-You can take creatine before or after your workout in your shakes.
-Take a break from creatine for 12 weeks after 12 weeks of usage.
Now you know how much creatine you need.
Source: http://jimmysmithtraining.com/six-pack-diet/how-much-creatine-do-you-need
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Now that should cover the basics for you. I definitely agree with Jimmy that most supplements should be cycle for your health and to see the most impact. Leave a comment if you have any tips on using creatine. I would love to hear from you.
Stan
If you are reading this blog then I know you want to have the perfect male body. Well one of the best body physiques are that of gymnast. Yeah, I know…most of us don’t want to wear tights around, but those dudes are jacked. Well I found a some crazy videos on building the gymnastic body.
Check them out from gymnasticbodies.com.
Here is a sample workout:
Complete four rounds:
2 Cast Wall Walks
5 HSPU
2 Cast Wall Walks
10 Wheels
2 Cast Wall Walks
20 Swinging Dips
Finish with 2×10 Wrist Pushups
Wheels – (Dynamic Pushups)
Swinging Dips
Wow! That is no sissy workout there. I’m not sure if many guys from the gym could hang with that.
Well how about a workout that you can do to get a gymnastic body without all the crazy moves? Well I found a great article on http://looklikeanathlete.com
Here’s part of the article here.
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In order to get in shape and get that gymnast type body is much easier than you think. For best results I recommend doing strength training type exercises and cardio exercises. Rather than working out 7 days a week, 3 to 5 days a week schedule will work well.
A 4 Days A Week Routine
Day One- Upper Body Emphasis
* Note: You should do from 3 to 4 sets per exercise and 10 to 12 repetitions per set. Rest one minute between sets.
Cardio: do short burst interval training. Do a 30 seconds fast sprint followed by one-minute rest. Repeat this sequence for 10 to 15 minutes and finish with a 15-minute jog.
Day 2- Lower Body and Abs/ Core Emphasis
Note: You should do 3 to 4 sets per exercise and 10 to 12 repetitions per set. Rest one minute between sets.
Cardio: Do a 15 to 20 minute walk or jog.
Day 3- Rest/ Cardio optional
Day 4- Repeat day 1
Day 5- Repeat day 2
Day 6 &7: Rest
A 3-Day Sequence
Week One
Day One- Upper Body
Day Two- Rest
Day Three- Lower Body
Day Four- Rest/ Do an activity like walking
Day Five- Upper Body
Day Six and 7- Rest
Week 2
The following week switch your upper body days for lower body exercises and your lower body day (day 3) for upper body exercises. Switch back the following week.
Week 3
Switch back to week one.
Cardio: do burst training interval style cardio on upper body days and walking or jogging on lower body days.
Source: http://looklikeanathlete.com/how-to-get-a-gymnast-body/
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That looks like a great workout to get that really lean ripped look. So are you thinking about building the Gymnastic Body? Leave a comment below of what you think about the workouts and what you would change up.
Stan
P.S. Here’s another crazy move for you.
If you want to get a great looking back, then you need to be able to do pull ups. Rows and weighted pull ups should be the main moves when you are trying to bulk up. I found a couple of great articles on how to do more pull ups plus this great video.
What do you think of the routine? Most people wouldn’t think of doing push ups to do more pull ups but he layouts a great routine.
Now on to a article that gives some great tips. One of the best 10 tips I found that teach you how to do more pull ups was on stronglifts.com.
Check out Mehdi’s tips here.
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1. Avoid Machines. Machines balance the weight for you and force you into fixed motions. The strength you build on the Lat Pull-down and the Assisted Pull-up Machine
won’t carry over to Pull-ups. Don’t use them.
2. Use Resistance Bands. Attach a resistance band to your pull-up bar and loop it around your knee, like in this video. I have Iron Woody bands: they’re cheap & quality. Check their Assisted Pull-up Package.
What’s the difference with the Assisted Pull-up Machine? Resistance bands only help you in the bottom position. You’ll have to do most of the work in the top of the movement. Assisted Pull-up Machines help you from start to finish.
3. Do Chin-ups. Chin-ups (palms facing you, like in the top picture) are easier than Pull-ups (palms away). Start with Chin-ups. Once you can do 5 reps with proper technique switch to Pull-ups. You’ll be able to do at least 1 rep.
4. Get Help. Ask someone to grab you by your side and help you on the way up. Do most of the work yourself: don’t push off with your legs too much. Pull yourself up using your back muscles as if no-one was helping you.
5. Use Momentum. Pull yourself up while using hip drive like Jesse Marunde in this video. Once you can do about 5 Pull-ups this way, drop the hip drive and use strict technique again.
6. Do Negatives. Grab your pull-up bar and get yourself in the top position by jumping up. Lower yourself slowly and jump back up on each rep. 5 sec count on the way down is enough. Expect lots of soreness using this method.
7. Grease The Groove. Get a doorway pull-up bar and do 1 Pull-up or Chin-up every time you pass the bar. Read this & this for more info.
8. Do Multiple Sets of Low Reps. Start with 10 sets of 1 Pull-up. Take as much rest between sets as you can. When 10×1 gets easy, switch to 10×2. Continue until you can do 10 sets of 5 Pull-ups.
Once you can do 10×5 Pull-ups, you’ll be able to do 10 Pull-ups on your 1st set when going all out. Remember: if you can’t do 1 Pull-up, do Chin-ups using the same approach.
Worst case use a resistance band.
9. Armstrong Pull-up Program. Guaranteed to get you to 20 Pull-ups within 8 weeks if you stick to the program. Read the guide. Check also the Recon Ron Pull-up Program which is similar.
10. Believe. Drop your excuses. You’re not too heavy and being a woman or old doesn’t matter. Others have gotten stronger at Pull-ups and so can you.
See the rest of the article here
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Now if you follow those 10 tips I know you will be able to knock out a lot more pull ups….plus you should have a jacked back.
While looking around I found some other articles that you may like.
Some other great articles on how to do pull ups:
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/how-to-do-more-pull-ups/
http://relativestrengthadvantage.com/insanely-good-chin-ups-pull-ups/
So what do you guys think? Was this helpful? How many pull ups can you do? Leave a comment below.
