First of all, muscles are good on men and women. Strength training exercise not only makes us stronger, but it raises our body’s metabolic activity. One pound of lean muscle burns up to 50 calories per day; one pound of fat burns nine calories a day. It’s a bit counter intuitive but what this boils down to is that building muscle through strength training will help you lose fat/weight simply because muscle burns more calories than fat does.

Here is a study that may be of interest. The American Journal of Cardiology published a breakthrough study in which researchers compared the effectiveness of aerobic exercise with strength training programs to just aerobic exercise.

Both groups completed the program in ten weeks: the first group completed 75 minutes of aerobic exercise two times a week; while the other group performed 40 minutes of aerobics and 35 minutes of strength training. At the end of the study, the group who did just aerobic exercises increased their endurance by 11 percent, but showed no increase in strength. The group that combined cardio and weights showed a 109 percent increase in endurance and a 21 – 43 percent increase in overall strength.

The study proved that that weight training is a main component for increasing women’s endurance and strength.

A valuable way to increase lean muscle mass is to eat the proper foods at the correct times. According to sports dietician and author Nancy Clark, you’ll reach your fitness goals faster if you eat some carbohydrates and a little protein ten minutes before exercise. Carbs provide fuel needed for energy and endurance; the body breaks protein down into amino acids, which help repair muscles after the workout ends.

After a long and hard workout, many muscle fibers have ripped and torn, while glycogen levels have gone down and cortisol levels have increased – all a recipe for further muscle damage and breakdown. Eating a decent portion of protein after exercising reverses this process by repairing and strengthening your body’s muscles.

And if you really want to develop more muscle while losing fat, you must sleep. Not getting a good night’s slumber will make you fatter than your more rested counterparts. Lack of sleep interferes with your body’s ability to recover after a strenuous workout. Too little rest can also wreak havoc among the hormones that regulate your metabolism and fat storage. Studies have shown that sleeping less than five hours a night reduces levels of leptin by 15 percent – which slows metabolism – and increases ghrelin by 15 percent – which increases hunger.

Most important, men have eight times more of the hormone testosterone than women; so no matter what, strength training for women will never cause us to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger – more like Marilyn Monroe who maintained her feminine and curvy body by lifting eight-pound weights.

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Machine weights take up a lot of room. If you wanted to work out at home, you would have to take up at an entire room with machines in order to get the same benefits you’d get with a set of free weights. Dumbbells and benches can be easily taken apart and packed away for later use, while machines cannot.

One of the biggest advantages of strength training using free weights compared to using machines is that free weights work the small muscles you use to balance the weight. There are no cables or rods of metal holding the weight in place, so your body has to compensate by balancing the weight all by itself. There are hundreds of small muscles that you don’t normally think about that get worked when using free weights. These tiny muscles, when strengthened, can help increase your balance and add a component of explosive strength you might not possess if you were using machine weights alone.

As with most large purchases, things eventually come down to money. Machine weights can be costly. Even if you were to buy an ‘all in one machine’, you’re still looking at a few thousand dollars for a quality machine. Free weights on the other hand, don’t cost nearly as much. For just a few hundred dollars, you can purchase the essential weights and benches needed to put together a quality workout routine.

If you have a gym membership, take a close look at the floor on your next visit. You’ll probably find that the guys and gals who use the free weights are in better overall shape than those who use machine weights exclusively. This is because strength training using free weights is more efficient. In order to get the same results from a machine, you might have to work longer, which equates to time lost in the gym.

Some of us enjoy working out and lifting at the gym, but who likes to waste their time? If you knew that strength training using free weights would make you stronger quicker, wouldn’t you choose the free weights?

If you’re planning on using free weights in the near future, it’s imperative that you use proper form. While machine weights are rarely as effective, they do help with controlling the exercise, while free weights don’t. Preventing injuries that could sideline you for weeks should be your top priority. Make sure you have a spotter, and understand each lift and the proper procedure for that lift.

Strength training using free weights is clearly the best choice. However, if you enjoy the machine weights, there’s nothing wrong with mixing in a few lifts into your routine that use free weights.

For a kick butt strength training program using free weights that will get you lean and strong in just 90 days, visit: MAXWORKOUTS

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The benefits of strength training are immense. While there is certainly nothing wrong with cardio training if it’s not overdone, the benefits of strength training are numerous, and anyone who is serious about losing weight neglects weight training at their own peril. In this article we’re going to have a look at just a few of the many benefits of strength training.

Boosts Metabolism

The more muscle you have, the more calories your body needs. In essence, strength training exercise turns your body into a fat burning machine, which is something that cardio can’t match. In order to build muscle, you need to convince your body to build more and the only way to do that is to put your muscles under stress. Strength training is the only way to appreciably increase your muscle mass and therefore increases your metabolism, which means that you’ll burn more calories throughout your day.

Prevents Injury

As you age, it becomes more important to keep your muscles from deteriorating. One of the greatest benefits of strength training is that it strengthens not only the muscles that support your joints, but your ligaments, which means you’re far less likely to suffer from an injury.

Increases Bone Density

If you’re inactive, your bone density will decrease over time. This can lead to bone breaks and osteoporosis. You can prevent this from happening by working out using weights. It’s a proven fact that strength training can increase bone density, restore lost bone density and prevent diseases such as osteoporosis.

Increase Strength, Endurance, Flexibility and Balance

Strength training benefits include more strength and endurance, since your body will have more lean muscle mass to rely on. Not only that, but more muscle means more stability, which increases your balance and prevents falls.

Wards Off Diseases and Health Problems

Strength training actively helps to prevent diseases and health problems, such as:

• Stroke
• Heart attacks
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Arthritis

And many more! The benefits of strength training really do reach into every facet of your life, including your health and wellness.

Increased Self Confidence

Would you feel more confident if you had a pot belly or if you had washboard abs that turned people’s heads?

Yes, it’s true that the fitter you are, the more confident you will be. Every time you work out, you will be filled with a sense of accomplishment. It’s also true that confidence attracts the opposite sex, which is never a bad thing.

And finally, the last benefit of strength training we’re going to mention in this article is that fact that you’ll feel better and look better. You’ll age slower and feel stronger throughout your day, making strength training one of the best anti-aging prevention treatments known to man.

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What are Intervals?

Intervals are when you perform cardio in short bursts of speed and intensity with even shorter rests to cool down. This somewhat schizophrenic fast-slow, fast-slow method is not new. Serious runners have used it for almost fifty years.

The Evidence

However, recent studies have shown that incorporating these types or weight loss workouts into your fitness routine will render greater fat loss, increased muscles, and better endurance. It can also improve your cardiovascular fitness and increase your body’s metabolism.

For example, a 2005 research study conducted by University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada examined whether interval training would change the way the body burned fat. Eight college-age women completed ten sets of four minutes of intense cycling, followed by two minute rests. They completed seven interval workouts within a two-week span. After interval training, the amount of fat they burned in one hour of sustained moderate cycling increased by 36 percent.

British exercise scientists discovered that speed-rest workouts on stationary bicycles increased the subjects’ levels of human growth hormone, a key ingredient in building muscle and burning fat.

In addition, a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that after just two weeks of interval training, six of the eight college-age men and women doubled their aerobic endurance. The eight volunteers in the control group showed no improvement.

Example Interval Workouts

Even if pure running or cycling isn’t your game, you can still choose from a variety of interval workouts. If you want to improve your cardio fitness and muscular strength, then look no further than the Circuit Interval Workout. You simply perform two mainstays of fitness – strength and endurance – in specific alternating time cycles resulting in excellent overall fitness.

Another first-rate interval weight loss workout is called good old-fashioned hill sprints. Simply charge up a hill or increase the treadmill’s incline and sprint for two minutes, then slowly trot down the hill or lower the incline and jog for one minute, repeat. Three weeks of these killers will give you the strongest quads in your city.

The Benefits

Researchers and fitness experts believe that interval sessions enable you to perform more prolonged high-intensity weight loss workouts than you could in one continual effort. The rests gives your body time to flush out waste products from your working muscles, while lowering your heart rate just in time for you to rev it all up again.

You’ll also train your body to burn fat more efficiently and effectively. As you exercise at maximum capacity, your body employs new muscle fibers. As the fibers develop, they will help the body burn fuel and calories even during light workouts. Now that’s efficiency.

The best part of interval training weight loss workouts? . . . the benefits are noticeable within weeks. After just five interval sessions within 15 days, I was back on track to getting fitness results.
* Photo by bensonkua

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If you would like to get the most out of your skiing holiday then increasing your leg, hip and back strength will allow you to perform better and enjoy skiing more. Strengthening the muscles used during skiing is not that difficult and results can be obtained in as little as 20 minutes a day, 3 time per week prior to ski season.

Ski Exercises

Before you begin these exercises it is important to warm up the muscles and allow them to become more pliable to movement. A few side to side rotations, toe touches, forward and backward stretches will help to get the muscles ready for exercise. It is also a good idea to warm up the muscles before you go out on the slopes as well. Skiing is exercise to the body and a good warm up will help you avoid injury and have a pleasant experience on the slopes.

• Squats: Squats are the traditional leg strengthening exercise of choice, are easy to perform and can add considerable strength for skiing maneuvers. To perform a squat hold a barbell across your shoulders with the back straight, then bend at the knees to about a 90 degree angle, next straighten back up to the original standing position. Squats can also be performed holding a dumb bell in each hand which will not only work the legs but the arms as well. Both exercises are great for working the quadriceps and hamstrings. Quadriceps and hamstrings are muscles used frequently in skiing and it is important they be as strong and as flexible as possible.
• Squat Jumps: Squat jumps are another great exercise for skiers. Begin with the feet together, bend slightly at the knees and simultaneously jump with both feet to the left. Bend the knees again and squat jump to the right. For a higher level of difficulty place a step platform to your right and squat jump over it, squat jump back to your original position. To increase the level of difficulty, try raising the height of the step platform. Also the squat jump can be performed while holding a weighted dumb bell in each hand or by wearing ankle weights. When you land from the squat jumps try to make the landing as gentle and graceful as possible, controlling your body weight during the entire landing.
• Back Extensions: Many skiers complain of lower back pain or fatigue after a day of skiing. This can be avoided by strengthening the lower back muscles. Back extensions are a great way to build strength in the lower back muscles. This exercise can be performed on the straight bench or by using a gym ball. Lay face down, body completely straight but not tense. Place hands behind your head and lift your upper body about 20 degrees back. Slowly lower the upper body back to the original position. You want to control both aspects of the movement, both up and down. This is a great exercise for developing the lower back muscles which are used very frequently in skiing maneuvers.

* Photo by dburka

For the ultimate strength training program to get you in shape and ready for the ski season (with detailed pictures and videos) , visit: MAXWORKOUTS

A compound workout characteristically incorporates numerous muscles during the execution of a specific lift. Numerous exercises can be considered compound exercises because no lift is truly a pure isolation lift. Every exercise incorporates one or more other muscles in order to perform the exercise correctly. Specific to true compound exercises are multiple muscles movements and high one repitition maximum (1RM) weight loads. Routines using compound exercises traditionally are those routines utilizing exercises that target the chest, back and leg muscles. Below is a sample of well known compound exercises:

• Chest: Barbell Bench and Dumbbell Press, Peck Deck Fly, Incline/Decline Presses (Muscles recruited: Deltoids, Pectoralis Trapezius, Triceps)
• Back: Pull Ups, Barbell Rows, Dead-Lift, Dumbbell Row (Muscles recruited: Lats, Trapezius, Rhomboid, Deltoids)
• Legs: Barbell Squat, Hack Squat, Leg Press, Barbell Lunge (Muscles recruited: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Gluteus Maximus)

Weight Loads for a Compound Workout

The weight loads used during compound workouts are going to be higher then during isolation exercises. Due to the fact that more major muscles are recruit creates the environment for heavy loads. The major muscles engaged are high energy muscles and the exercises using the heavier loads will require their toll. Total weight loads for compound exercises can be somewhere around 100-120% of the lifter’s total body weight. For this reason it is recommended not to get too carried away too soon or you will pay the price in recovery time. Strain and soreness from overdoing it during compound routines is common. Take your time and keep your weight loads around 80% of your 1RM and you’ll save yourself the setback. Also considering the heavy loads you will be using during compound exercises pay particularly close attention to lifting form. Improper lifting form with these heavy loads can cause muscle strain and injury.

Sample Compound Workout

Using a compound workout is an efficient way of using your workout time and achieving your strength training exercise goals. Probably every lifter or strength trainer has their favorite compound workout. Workouts tend to be the product of preference, practice and personal choice. Each trainer will devise a workout that best suits their training goals and level of progress. Below is a sample workout to get you started on the way toward customizing your own compound workout.

Compound exercises are high energy movements and they will exact their price from you during your routine. Keep aware of your energy level as your strength begins to fade and as the workout progresses. This is where most trainers suffer injury or strain because of fatigue. If the weight load is giving you trouble cut back on the number of reps in the set or if you prefer keep the same number of reps but drop the weight load down. Better to progress gradually then to have to sit out a few weeks due to a pulled muscle or injury.

For the ultimate compound exercise workouts (with detailed pictures and videos) designed by top strength coach and fitness expert, Shin Ohtake, visit: MAXWORKOUTS

However, most beginners know next to nothing about strength training, which is why we’re going to have a look at some strength training tips.

After all, knowledge is power, and by utilizing these strength training tips, you’re sure to increase your strength and muscle mass exponentially.

Strength Training Tip 1

If you want to see maximum gains, you should be lifting at least three times per week, with a break between lifting sessions. You may think that you’ll gain muscle faster by lifting every day, but that isn’t true. Your body needs the break in between in order to recuperate and build new muscle.

Strength Training Tip 2

You should always use proper form. Some people try to lift too much weight and compensate by lifting incorrectly. Not only does this lead to injuries, but it also sabotages your chances of increasing your muscle mass. If you don’t know how to do a lift properly, you should ask a staff member at your gym to demonstrate or hire a personal trainer for an hour.

Strength Training Tip 3

You should make gains in every time you lift. Whether this means increasing the weight you lift or how many sets or reps you do, you should always be attempting to better what you did the last time you did the lift.

Strength Training Tip 4

The gym isn’t there for social purposes. If you’re in the gym for over an hour and finding that you’re getting very little accomplished, you’re probably chatting too much. You should only be resting for a maximum of 90 seconds between sets, and less time is even better. The more you challenge your body, the more muscle mass you will gain in the long run.

Strength Training Tip 5

You shouldn’t be able to lift any more than 3 sets of 12 repetitions. If you can, then you’re not lifting enough weight. In order to build muscle, you need to challenge your muscles and let your body know that it needs more muscle to complete the exercise again. Anything less is a waste of time.

Strength Training Tip 6

Eat properly, drink lots of water and sleep at least 8 hours a night. Believe it or not, most of your gains will be made after you lift weights, not while you lift them. Your body needs fuel, vitamins, minerals, water and rest to restore itself and build more muscle.

Use the above 6 strength training tips to enhance your chances of making significant gains. Stay motivated and challenge yourself constantly, and your sure to meet with success.
* Photo by practicaowl

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Today if you have a doorway you can engage in a pull up training fitness routine. Adjustable pull up bars that can be custom fit for doorways and entranceways make it an economical and efficient piece of exercise equipment. Once the pull up bar is installed learning to use it will take only a few minutes. No additional equipment is needed although there are some attachments available.

With the pull up bar all a person needs to get a great workout is their own body. Instead of changing weights for various exercises body weight and gravity provide the necessary resistance. The pull up bar can tone and strengthen the chest, arms, shoulders, back, and abdomen muscles quickly and exercises are very easy to perform. Depending on your fitness level you may have to take some time to build up to a decent amount of repetitions. But with a little work and consistency improvements to your fitness level can be made in no time at all.

When using a pull up bar there are a few variations which will affect the amount of resistance placed on the muscles being worked. First are the grips, there are three grips used with the pull up bar:

• the underhand grip
• the hand-over-hand grip
• the overhand grip

Next is the width of the grips, there are two:

• wide
• narrow

The underhand grip with a wide width is not used as it places too much stress on the wrists. The hand-over-hand grip is also not used with a wide width as it places undo stress on the shoulders.

Here are the best combination pull up grips and widths:

1. underhand grip - narrow width
2. overhand grip - narrow width
3. hand-over-hand - narrow grip
4. overhand grip - wide width

Besides the resistance the grips and their widths place on muscles there is range of motion, positive and negative resistance.

Range of motion is the amount of distance the particular exercise moves the body. If your arms are completely extended and you raise your chin up to the bar and lower it completely back to full arm extension this is full range. Beginning with the arms at 90 degrees and returning to 90 degrees is half range. Both provide a different level of resistance and challenge to muscles.

Positive resistance is the resistance when body weight and gravity must be negotiated and the muscles contract. Negative resistance is when the muscles are lengthening such as returning to full arm extension. After you raise your body up to the bar (positive resistance) the temptation is to let gravity return you to the starting position (negative resistance) and lose the value of half the exercise. But by lowering your body slowly to the starting position you can capture the negative resistance making the movement twice as effective.

For a comprehensive strength training program incorporating pull ups (with pictures and videos), visit: MAXWORKOUTS

The term “core” signifies the central role of the abdominal muscles in physical exercise or sports performance. The abdominal muscles are at the center of the human body and are active in most movements and actions. A core strengthened with core strength training will greatly enhance the physical performance of a person just as a weak core will diminish it. Many believe a strong core means having strong abdominals but a strong core is not just having strong abdominal muscles but having strength in all the region’s muscles. The core is not only the abdominal muscles specifically, but it also includes the muscles in proximity to the abdomen.

Defining the Core Muscles

The core is made up of 4 muscles that work together to produce core performance. Some activities require equal work by all the core muscles while other kinds of activities require only a few. The 4 muscles comprising the core and their associated functions are:

• Rectus Abdominis: flexing the trunk
• Internal Obliques: moving the torso side to side
• External Obliques: moving the torso side to side
• Transverse Abdominis: compressing the abdomen

Developing a Core Strength Exercise Routine

You should perform a wide variety of core exercises on a rotating basis that will engage all the core muscles. Goals for a core routine should focus on strength, flexibility and functionality. Some exercises will concentrate only on certain core muscles and that’s alright as long as you work all the core muscles on a regular basis.

Initially, core exercise frequency should be 3 times per week and no more. The duration of each routine should be around 20 minutes. This will allow you to obtain a threshold of acceptable core strength. These frequency and duration levels will also allow for adequate muscle healing time. It is during this healing time that the body will rebuild muscles producing a stronger core. The intensity of workouts can progress from medium to high as your core strength begins to develop.

Sample Core Strength Exercise Routine

• Reverse Crunch: Day 1 = 25 reps | Day 2 = 26 Reps | Day 3 = 28 reps
• Decline Bench Crunch: Day 1 = 75 reps | Day 2 = 79 reps | Day 3 = 83 reps
• Oblique Crunch: Day 1 = 50 reps | Day 2 = 52 Reps | Day 3 = 55 reps
• Abdominal Crunch: Day 1 = 100 reps | Day 2 = 105 reps | Day 3 = 110 reps

Each workout should begin with light warming up of the abdominal muscles. The easiest way for you to do this is to mock the movement you expect the muscles to be performing for 5 reps or so. Perform to do the warm up slowly for the first exercise and then switch to next exercise and so on, until you have work through all the exercises. This will give the muscles an opportunity to get warm and ready to perform at a more intense pace. Begin by just attempting to complete the total number of reps no matter how long it may take. As your core strengthens and you progress in the exercises you can set a goal to complete them in 2 minutes or less.
* Photo by adriarichards

For the best workouts available to develop a lean and powerful physique, rock solid core and 6-pack abs visit: MAXWORKOUTS