Showing posts with label top. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top. Show all posts

Monday, 19 August 2013

Bodylastics Resistance Bands Exercises - Top 2 Chest Building Exercises

 Bodylastics Resistance Bands Exercises - Top 2 Chest Building Exercises

 Top 2 Chest Building Exercises

By Azeez shukurat
If you're thinking about investing in a home gym then you may want to consider Bodylastics resistance bands. Why?
Well, for one thing Bodylastic is one of the few resistance bands home gyms that allows you to perform more than 140 health club quality type exercises.
As incredible as this may seem, it's really true.
The secret is in the fact that Bodylastic utilizes a so-called "clip system." In essence, each resistance bands has a metal clip which allows you to attach it to the handles. In fact, you can attach up to seven bands to one handle.
In this fashion, this unique exercise bands home gym mimics a quality set of adjustable dumbbells. However, without the hundreds of dollars that dumbbells cost.
The one thing I really liked is that all these resistance bands exercises are the same as the ones you can do with free weights, exercise machines, cable machines, and dumbbells.
Bicep curls are performed exactly the same way with the Bodylastic bands as its done with a barbell. You can perform benchpress exercises, lat pulldown type movements, and many other exercises by using the door attachment. In addition, the leg attachment allows you to perform many more exercise movements that are possible with other fitness tubes.
For example, here are two of the best chest movements that you can use with your Bodylastics resistance bands:
Incline Chest Press
1. Attach the door attachments three quarters of the way down the door. (Just below the door handle.)
2. Grasp the handles and turn so that your back is facing the door.
3. Press fitness bands away from your chest just below chin level.
This is a great movement to add mass to your upper pectoral muscles.
Chest Press
1. Attach the bands to the door as before however, place them exactly at chest level.
2. Grasp the handles, with your back facing the door, 1 foot in front of the other and press the bands away from your chest.
Of course, as you know the chest press is the granddaddy of all pectoral exercises.
Adding these two exercises to your chest workout program will quickly shape and define your pectoral muscles.

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Resistance Band Exercises to Flatten Your Stomach

Monday, 17 June 2013

Resistance Bands Exercises - 3 Top Tips For Your Strength Training

 Resistance Bands Exercises - 3 Top Tips For Your Strength Training

By Azeez Shukurat 

program. In this article you will uncover some key strategies to making your workouts more effective.So many times people want to know what are the best resistance bands exercises for their strength training
Resistance bands are a fun, simple and convenient way to get a good strength training workout. Here's the thing, they are so portable that it really doesn't matter where you train, you can work out in your office, at your home or even while vacation.
Let me throw in a bonus tip. It is very important for you to identify what your fitness goal is. Usually they are three goals in a workout routine.
1. Increase muscle size
2. Develop greater strength
3. To increase muscular endurance
Each of these objectives has a different workout strategy. For example, to increase strength perform 6 to 8 repetitions. For greater muscle size workout in the 8 to 12 rep range. And finally for greater muscular endurance -- repetitions from 12 to 20 are appropriate.
Now that we have that out of the way remember to utilize those tips in your strength bands training.

Best 3 Strategies In Resistance Bands Exercises

1. It is crucial that you perform the movement slowly in the eccentric phase of your resistance bands workout. For example, if you were doing a chest press -- the centric phase is when you are bringing your hands back toward your chest. Make sure that you perform this part of the exercise slowly to get the maximum benefits. Scientific studies have shown that there is more muscle growth from the centric training
2. The heavier your training the more rest you will need between exercises. If your goal is greater strength than rest a little water between 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. For muscle mass rest between 45 seconds to one minute..
3.Don't workout the same muscle group more than twice per week. So for example, if you exercise your chest muscles on Monday, you can do a second chest workout on Saturday. However, make one of the workouts a heavy workout and the other a much lighter workout (in terms of resistance levels used.)
I'm going to include one additional bonus tip that I know will keep you motivated and support your fitness objectives.
If your workout normally takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour then, spent a few minutes ahead of time selecting some exciting fast-paced music to listen to on your MP3 player. Choose music that makes you feel energized. This type of music will keep you going even on the days we are lacking a little energy. And since I'm feeling generous, here is one additional strategy. It's very simple, and perhaps you are using it already.
And don't forget to log your exercises and the amount of resistance used. Of course record the repetitions, and number of sets as well. Keeping track of your progress will not only aid you in your workouts but it will also provide you with visual evidence of your strength gains that you're making with your resistance bands exercises.


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Top 10 Reasons Why the Mediterranean Diet is Good For You

Low in Saturated Fat
Physicians and nutritionists the world over all agree that a diet that is high in saturated fat can have very negative consequences on a person's health and wellbeing. Indeed, a diet that is high in saturated fat can cause a person to suffer heart disease, can lead to cancer and can cause a whole host of other health problems and concern.
The Mediterranean diet is noteworthy because of the fact that it is very low in saturated fat. The typical person who follows the Mediterranean diet intakes less than eight percent of his or her calories from potentially harmful saturated fat. This is significantly below the average of people who do not follow a Mediterranean diet regimen.
Includes Plentiful Amounts of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Another reason why the Mediterranean diet is good for you lies in the fact that the diet includes the consumption of a significant amount of fruit and vegetables. Indeed, the diet encompasses more fresh fruits and vegetables than any other dietary program or plan today.
Fresh fruits and vegetables have a significant beneficial effect on a person's health and wellbeing. People who following the Mediterranean diet and consume generous servings of fruits and vegetables each day have a lower incidence of certain diseases including cancer and cardiovascular ailments.
High in Whole Grains and Fiber
A benefit in the Mediterranean diet is found in the fact that it lowers in the incidence of certain types of cancer. One of the reasons that the Mediterranean diet lowers the incidence of cancer is found in the fact that the diet is rich in whole grains and dietary fiber. Both whole grain and fiber have proven to lower the incidence of cancer, including colorectal cancer.
High in Anti-Oxidants
The Mediterranean diet is high in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants play a significant role in maintaining the body -- including organs, muscles and skin -- in top condition. A diet high in anti-oxidants is believed to ensure that a person will live a longer, healthier life.
Low in Red Meat
Because the Mediterranean diet is low in red meat, the diet plan works to reduce the amount of "bad cholesterol." A diet low in "bad cholesterol" lessens the incidence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke.
High in Lean Meats
The Mediterranean diet includes lean meats in moderate portions. The reasonable amount of lean meats -- including fish and certain seafood and fish -- provides a health source of protein and energy for a person.
Low in Dairy
The Mediterranean diet is low in dairy products. In fact, a true adherent to the Mediterranean diet includes almost no dairy products at all. Any dairy that is included in the diet is low fat or non fat. Because the diet is low in dairy, particularly fatty dairy products, the diet encourages a person to obtain or maintain an ideal weight. Additionally, the diet aids in reducing cholesterol and works to prevent heart disease.
Prevents Disease
As mentioned, one of the reasons that the Mediterranean diet is good for you rests in the fact that the diet plan appears to reduce the incidence of certain diseases including:
-- heart and cardiovascular disease
-- cancer
-- diabetes
-- hypertension
-- diabetes
Longevity
The history of the people of the Mediterranean region demonstrates that the Mediterranean diet works to extend a person's life. In addition, while working to extend a person's life, this diet scheme works to ensure that a person's longer life will be healthy as well.
A Convenient Diet Program
Finally, the Mediterranean diet is good for you because it is a convenience diet program. In order to follow the Mediterranean diet you do not need to buy any special products or prepare a unique and hard to manage diet plan. If used with moderate exercise, it is a great way to lose weight while remaining healthy.

Saturday, 15 June 2013

Best Exercises For Lean Muscle Mass Gains and Fat Loss

Which bodybuilding exercises are the best ones for lean muscle mass gains and fat loss? This is one of the most common questions that I get asked on almost a daily basis.
In weight training, there is a variety of exercises that one can choose from to sculpt the body of your dreams. Results in bodybuilding are generally measured in body composition changes; increased muscle mass or tone, depending on the goal, along with decreases in body fat. The speed at which such changes are acquired depends on the training protocol used, the nutrition plan followed and the amount of rest (good night sleep) that the trainee gets.
In order for a training protocol to work at peak efficiency, not only must it be periodized or cycled but it also must include exercises that give you the most stimulation in the minimum amount of time.
Different exercises provide different levels of stimulation. Exercises like the leg extensions, while excellent for sculpting the lower part of the quadriceps, produce less of a stimulating effect than an exercise like the squat. The efficacy of an exercise really depends on the exercise's ability to involve the maximum amount of muscle fibers and also on its ability to provide a neuromuscular stimulation (NMS).
Neuromuscular stimulation is of crucial importance as it is the nervous system that ultimately sends a signal to the brain requesting to start the muscle growth process. Having said that, how do we determine what the stimulation factor of each exercise is? Such will be the topic of the next section.
How To Determine Which Exercises Are Best for Muscle Gain and Fat Loss? - NMS Classes
In order to rate what the NMS of each exercise is, I borrowed the Class rating system used for classifying the speed of DSL systems (technology used to achieve high speed connections to the Internet through your phone line) and tailored it to fit my purpose. In this system a Class 1 technology has lower speeds than a Class 2 technology.
Therefore, in our exercise rating system composed of four classes, a Class 1 exercise yields the lowest NMS (this class is composed of variable resistance machine type of exercises) while a Class 4 exercise yields the highest NMS and is therefore the hardest but most stimulating one. In each class we may also have subclasses such as Class 1a and Class 1b. A Class 1a exercise will yield less NMS than a Class 1b.
Class 1a
Class 1a exercises are composed of isolation (one joint) exercises performed in variable resistance machines (such as Nautilus) where the whole movement of the exercise is controlled. These type of exercises provide the least amount of stimulation as stabilizer muscles do not need to get involved since the machine takes care of the stabilization process. An example of such an exercise would be the machine curl.
Class 1b
Class 1b exercises are compound (multi-joint) movements performed in a variable resistance machine. An example of such movement would be the incline bench press performed in a Hammer Strength machine. Since the movement is a compound one, more muscles get involved and therefore the neuromuscular stimulation is higher than that offered by a machine curl for instance. However, the fact that the machine takes care of the stabilization issues limits the growth offered by the exercise.
Class 2a
Class 2a exercises are composed of isolation (one joint) exercises performed with non-variable resistance machines. An example of such exercise would be the leg extension exercise performed in one of those leg extensions attachments that come with the benches that are sold for home gyms. These attachments lack the pulleys and the cams that would make the exercise a variable resistance exercise. Therefore, the muscles need to get more involved in the movement, something that as a result provides better stimulation.
Class 2b
Class 2b exercises are composed of basic (multi-joint) exercises performed with non-variable resistance machines. An example of such would be the bench press unit that is attached to the Universal type of machines or a leg press machine that contains no pulleys or cams that would make the exercise easier. Since there are no pulleys or cams to make the exercise easier as you lift the weight, the NMS is higher.
Class 3a

Class 3a exercises are isolation (one joint) exercises performed with free weights. An example of such exercise would be a concentration curl performed with a dumbbell. It is still not very clear whether a multi joint exercise performed on a machine offers the same amount or better NMS than the one offered by a free weight isolation exercise. However, for the purposes of this discussion, we will assume that the free weight isolation exercise provides more stimulation as stabilizer muscles come into play (especially if you do the exercise standing up).
Class 3b
Class 3b exercises, as you probably guessed by now, are multi jointed basic exercises performed with barbell free weights.
Class 3c
Class 3c exercises are multi jointed basic exercises performed with dumbbell free weights.
The barbell exercises provide less NMS as the movement is more restrained as opposed to dumbbells where the weights can go in all types of directions unless all of your stabilizer muscles jump in and constrain the movement. Because of this, dumbbells provide the highest NMS in this category.
Class 4
Finally, Class 4 exercises, the king of exercises, are free weight exercises where your body moves through space. In other words, any exercise where your torso is the one moving, such as squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, close grip chins, pushups, lunges, and dips, will provide the most stimulation possible and therefore, the fastest results. Haven't you seen at the gym how many people do great amounts of weights in a pulldown machine but have trouble doing pull-ups?
The reason for this is that in order for you to perform these type of exercises you need to be capable of not only carrying the added resistance but also involving your bodyweight as well. Therefore, many muscles are called into play in order to perform this feat. If you look at it, by performing dips, chinups, squats and deadlifts you are really hitting every single muscle in your body! These exercises not only give you fast results, but they also create functional strength; in other words strength that can be used for your daily activities.
If you are great at performing pull-ups and you go to perform a pulldown you'll see how easy the task of performing a pulldown is. As a matter of fact, depending on your pull-up strength, you might be able to lift the whole stack in most pulldown machines. However, the reverse in not true. While you may be very good at performing pulldowns you may not be able to perform many pull-ups as the strength gained in the pulldown exercise is not as transferable as the one gained in a pull-up. Again, the reason for this phenomenon is NMS.
Conclusion
Now that you know what exercises are the ones that give you the most bang for your buck, then my recommendations are the following:
If you follow very low volume routines (3-7 sets per bodyparts), please choose only exercises in the Class 3b, 3c and 4 region.
If you follow a medium volume type of routine (8-13 sets per bodypart), stick mostly to Class 3b, 3c and 4 type of exercises but for those bodyparts where you perform 12 or 13 sets, you may want to incorporate 2 or 3 sets at either the beginning or at the end of the workout from one of the lower classes. This is especially true for legs in which a leg extension movement at the beginning of the workout is a great tool for pre-exhausting the quads or at the end of the workout serves as a great finishing movement.
For high volume routines (14-20 sets per bodypart) you can get away with having 1/3 of your routine composed of lower class (Classes 3a and below) exercises.
Remember, convincing your body to grow and develop muscle is not an easy task. However it becomes an impossible one if you choose exercises that do not provide a significant NMS effect. Therefore, always choose exercises from the higher classes in order to show your body that you mean busi