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Think of weight loss or bodybuilding and the two words that immediately strike your mind are body fat and calories. Quite common to find people who are looking the calorie count on every food carton they plan to buy. Sometimes they even inquire if the product is made for fat loss or muscle building and does it qualifies in good fat or not. However, if you happen ask that person to explain it then most of them give you a blank expression as if it is the most naive question that could be asked. Ask them some very easy questions like what exactly does the term calories mean, what is the relationship between fat and calories, what is the best way to maintain a good fat level, do you need body fat, how are calories stored in your body . These questions sound quite simple but to an average joe they might sound a lot technical.

Here is a technical definition of calorie that can be used by everybody - "The technical definition of a food calorie (kilocalorie) is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram (1 liter) of water 1 degree Centigrade. A calorie is simply a measure of heat energy. When food is burned, it releases a certain amount of heat (energy), depending on the type of food. The more calories that are in a food, the more energy will be released when it is burned." This definition comes from the Sean Nalewanyj bodybuilding course known as 'truth about building muscle' or the muscle gain truth The word calorie is commonly used to describe the amount of energy in the food. It is also used to represent the amount of energy that is stored in the body as adipose tissue (body fat) and stored carbohydrates in form of glycogen.

This brings to an interesting way of looking at body fat also. Body fat should be considered as a reserve of energy that your body stores. By burning off body fat we mean releasing calories from that storage tank and using them like a fuel for various body activities. That should explain to you why most good weight loss programs say that not all fat is bad and that why certain basic amount of fat is so necessary for body functions.

Also, this should bring out the body fat equation in a clear manner to you. If you are idle or not working your body is simply not consuming any fat hence the fat accumulates in your body. If you are active and spending energy the same fat burns away like a fuel used in those activities. Its a simple equation where the fat stored in body is equivalent to calorie intake by calorie spend subtracted. This should clear up the basic idea of calorie as well as body fat among you. If you are looking for some good muscle building program that is effective in burning fat too, then you can read more on this the musclehead

Organic Food Is More Nutritious

musclehead — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:20:17 +0100

Medical News Today - Oct 29, 2007
Early results of a 12 million pound, 4-year EU study on the benefits of organic food suggest that some of them, such as fruit, vegetables and milk, are more nutritious than non-organically produced food and may contain higher concentrations of cancer ...

The results were released to the press but there is no mention of a of a journal publication as yet. The research team said its findings will be published in full within the next 12 months.

The findings were announced by Professor Carlo Leifert of the Tesco Centre for Organic Agriculture based at Newcastle University, UK, who with his team are working on the EU funded project called the Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project, the biggest ever to research the pros and cons of organic farming and food.

Source:

BBC News

THE SPEAKING TREE: Hands That Heal Mind,...

musclehead — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:48:23 +0200

Nature has gifted our bodies with an inbuilt mechanism to heal itself. The hands, especially, have immense healing capability. That hands possess innate healing power is evident in an Atharva Veda verse: “Gifted with the divine power, our left hand is empowered to heal skilfully by removing all barriers in the free flow of joy. The right hand is still more powerful and dexterous as it contains all the divine gift of therapeutic capability — the healing touch of which ensures detoxification, harmonisation, well-being, joyful life and salvation. Our healing hands possess 10 healing fingers branching from them...”.

The inherent healing power of the hands has been deftly exploited in various drugless therapies including Quantum Touch, Acupressure, Su Jok, Shiatsu (Japanese from shi, meaning finger, and atsu, meaning pressure), pranic healing and Reiki. Amongst these, Reiki, the ancient healing system rediscovered by Mikao Usui in early twentieth century Japan, is popular worldwide as a way to treat physical, emotional and mental disorders.

The word ‘Rei’ means universal and ‘ki’ means life-force energy or the prana. Reiki simply involves tapping into universal life-force energy and laying on of hands on a few body areas. Once you have learnt the technique, and you have gone through an attunement process whereby you are able to source the universal life-force energy, you can channel its amazing power through your hands, to heal yourself or others, just by intent, as and when desired.

Source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzEwLzI2I0FyMDIwMDI=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Should You Grunt During Bodybuilding Wor...

musclehead — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:15:15 +0200

Jane Ross, a 42-year-old Boston area gym buff, is honest about it: When exercising, she sometimes grunts. "I think it's part of going to a gym -- I grunt during a workout, and I think that most people do," said the mom and former personal trainer. "When you are exerting yourself, it's a release." But not everyone is so accepting of those loud fitness club exhalations. A real good story.... Complete Story Here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20071024/hl_hsn/expertssoundoffonworkoutgrunting;_ylt=Ah1fGA2CoqA0DeIVjIuh__fVJRIF

Common exercises and how to train abs, s...

musclehead — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:08:59 +0200

The most common body building exercises people perform are compound exercises. When you are performing compound body building exercises you are primarily working on mass. That is, compound exercises mean that more than one body part is used to lift the weight. Bench presses, while generally considered chest exercises, also provide secondary stress to the biceps, triceps and shoulders. So, these other muscles grow as well as the chest although not to the same degree. Other common body building exercises that perform compound exercises include squats and military presses.

The second type of body building exercises that are employed are those exercises that are isolation exercises. These exercises do not involve more than one muscle group and are designed to specially develop the muscles of a particular area.

The ripped look is something most body builders and even average people strive for. It is a particularly attractive look but to exercise the abs is the wrong direction. Let me explain. The abdominals are the center piece of a ripped muscular body. No two ways about it. If a guy or gal has a nice developed body but their belly has a pouch or is distended in the case of a pot belly, the muscular body some how loses it's legitimacy. It's just a fat guy or girl with nice arms or shoulders or whatever. The reason for that can be found in the science of aesthetics.

First and foremost, you must realize what you want. There seems to be a lot of confusion about the abdominal body part. The confusion lays in working them. It seems logical, that if we want better looking abs we should work them and grow them. This fact is responsible for more people quitting and never bothering again. The confusion is understandable, but you should approach this intelligently and you will get the results you are after without too much work.

Getting a good set of hard abs is about presentation and not the muscles themselves. Its about a visual balance and aesthetics. Working your abs for hours and hours a week actually has the opposite effect, hence this is why most people give up. Their muscles grow around the waist as a response to their diligent work outs. Then they despair as they notice something strange. They dont look good!

When you put on swimming clothes and go down to the beach, possibly the opposite sex barely even notice you much less admire your abs. When these fitness models go to the beach, everyone notices. Everyone looks and admires. Whats going on here? You have the same abs they do right?

What is the confusion? What is the difference? Suddenly we realize something completely new. A great, strong set of abs is less about the muscles and more about the presentation of those muscles.

The fitness model has exactly the same abs you do. Only the skin covering across their abs is thin. supple and tight. The skin across your abs is thick with engorged fat cells, it is flabby loose and your abs are not even visible.

The key to abs is having them sure, it takes little to get this large muscle group to respond to stimulation, however the real work of this task is getting your body fat percentage lean enough so your abs DO show through a little!

Three Powerful Hormones That Make Your M...

musclehead — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:26:29 +0200

Hormones are gatekeepers of body functions & regulate most of the body processes. Excess or deficiency of any hormone can have a lot of impact on your body. Any imbalance in hormones results in a side effect. e.g. acne is widely attributed to hormonal imbalances.

Muscle building is no exception. Here too hormones act as gatekeepers. Your muscle building success depends a lot on how you manage these hormones. Below is a list three of the critical hormones and the role they play in muscle building. There are hormones that simulate muscle growth while some other simulate breakage of muscle tissues.

1) Cortisol

This hormone has following two important functions

1) Increasing abdominal fat storage

2) Stimulates the breakdown of muscle tissue.

This hormone is released if you are workout time is extended beyond the one hour mark or if you are not taking proper rest. This hormone results in breaking up of muscle tissues. So, don't extend your workouts beyond the one hour mark. It will not bring any benefit.

2) Testosterone

This is the hormone found in most steroids under different variants. Increased quantity of this hormone results in more muscle growth. If you are following a bodybuilding program than make sure that all the while you have higher testosterone. Higher levels of testesterone will result in more muscle development. Again, improper rest or incomplete sleep decreases the testosterone levels in your body.

3) Growth Hormones

The name itself indicates the functions of growth hormones. They regenerate the body and play a vital role in muscle development. The body increases the production of growth hormones during rest and sleep.

One important conclusion from the above is the need of proper rest. All the above hormones are controlled or produced by your body while you sleep. So while depriving yourself of sleep may result in more production of cortisol that will increase the muscle breakage, taking proper sleep will result in more production of testosterone and growth hormones that bring in the necessary muscle gain.

These ideas are the basics of any bodybuilding program and are critical to your success or failure. The two most recommended muscle building programs are muscle gain truth and the musclehead. If you want more information on muscle building programs you can read this review of muscle building programs.

If you’re not gonna squat, get out of th...

musclehead — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:36:12 +0200

Has this ever happened to you? You hit the gym early in the morning, all pumped up for a great session. It’s leg day and you know what that means, so you put your serious face on and trudge into the gym. Only to find that some 16 year old pipsqueak is standing in the squat rack doing bicep curls! I’ve got nothing against 16 year old kids in the gym, trying to improve their bodies. I used to be one of them myself, once upon a time. What I do hate is when those kids spend their time in the squat racks, doing bicep curls. They’re called squat racks for a reason people. And it’s not just the young guys, oh no, this is a far bigger problem. People of all ages think it’s fantastic to use the squat rack to do bicep curls. Is it because you can leave the barbell on the supports so you don’t have to actually bend down to pick the bar up? Probably. If you’re one of these people, stop doing it. This is what you need to be doing instead. Head into the squat rack and load up a bar with a good weight for you. Get under the bar and then start squatting. I guarantee if you only made this change to your workouts, you would see startling results. At my local gym, I love it that no one squats. Apart from those idiots who do their bicep curls in it, I pretty much have it all to myself. But when I’m trying to be nice (And that’s not very often) and actually help people out, I tell people squatting is a must. It’s such a powerful exercise, you would literally be a moron to not do it. The thing that holds people back is pain. I won’t sugar coat it. The squat, when done correctly, takes a lot of effort and a fair bit of discomfort. But it’s this pain and discomfort that forces your body to grow, so unless you can get out of your comfort zone and push through the pain barrier, you’re going to be in trouble. So I hope you now realize what you need to be doing. If you are one of those pesky guys doing bicep curls in the squat rack, stop immediately. Quite simply, if you don’t squat, you’re really holding yourself back. So go and do it! The Musclehead is a natural bodybuilder and the author of the brutally honest and revealing book "The Muscleheads Guide to a Godlike Physique". For more hard hitting information on how to get the body of your dreams, visit TheMusclehead.com

Are You A Bicep Warrior?

musclehead — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:31:33 +0200

Of all the jokers that I see in the gym, the bicep warrior is one of my favorites. I’d pretty much guarantee you that you have a few of these guys at your gym. Heck, you’re probably one yourself.

For those of you who are unaware of what a bicep warrior is exactly, let me explain. They are usually motivated by ego, travel in packs and may even wear their best clothes to the gym. But the thing that makes a bicep warrior is the way he trains.
You see, a bicep warrior is at the gym so he can look good in front of the ladies. Nothing wrong with that. If you saw how much attention I get from the girls, you’d be at the gym too. But what is really wrong with how he goes about it.

This is how the bicep warrior thinks. “Ok, girls love big biceps, a nice chest and abs. So I’ll go to the gym every day and do the same workout. That will have me looking awesome in no time. 50 sets of bicep curls, followed by 20 sets of bench press, then I’ll finish up with 1000 crunches. Ooh yeh“

Let me tell you now, that is a dumbass way to think. Sure, girls might love biceps, but thinking like that is the wrong way to go about it. There are so many things that are wrong with that mindset and it will really kill your results if you go about it like that.

Instead, you need to realize that building muscle is more than just doing a few bicep curls and bench presses. For maximum results you need to take an intelligent approach. I know the word intelligent makes you cringe, but hold on a second, it doesn’t have to be scary.

You just need decent advice and that’s where I come in. Instead of just hitting your biceps and chest, start working out your entire body. I know the concept may seem foreign at first, but it’s a sure fire way to increase the level of results you’re having.
There are a few reasons why exercising your entire body will help you greatly, but they’re beyond the scope of this article. If you’re interested, go check out my package, if not, just listen up anyway. Doing exercises like squats will actually help you build bigger biceps. Don’t believe me? Try it for a few weeks and see if you notice any differences. What have you got to lose?

Of course there is more to this than just what’s written here, but if you have been a bicep warrior up until this point, now’s a good time to stop and learn the proper way to build some serious muscle.

The Musclehead is a natural bodybuilder and the author of the brutally honest and revealing book "The Muscleheads Guide to a Godlike Physique". For more hard hitting information on how to get the body of your dreams, visit TheMusclehead.com

Have you been training like a girl?

musclehead — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:21:05 +0200

I’ve always found the fitness industry interesting. And spending a lot of time inside a gym like I have, meeting lots of fitness enthusiasts, you always get told lots of B.S. It’s amazing how little people actually understand about how to change their body.

Take “toning” for example. And yes, I did write it like that deliberately. You see, I don’t really consider “toning” a word that should ever be used by someone looking to get into shape. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before, probably even said it yourself.
It usually sounds something like this. “Oh, I don’t want to get really big, I just want to get a bit more toned…”. There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to look like Ronnie Coleman, I certainly don’t. But wanting to get “toned” is stupid, because there is no such thing as toning.

When people talk about getting toned, what they really want is to increase muscle and decrease fat. Simple isn’t it? Why can’t they just say this in the first place! If you want to increase your muscle mass and decrease your fat, you need to go about things in a systematic way.

Simply doing lots of repetitions with low weight will not make you “toned”. This is a huge myth and for good reason. I know gym instructors who tell clients to use higher reps and lower weights when looking to tone up. No wonder people are frustrated with their results! There are things you need to do in order to build muscle and there are things you need to do in order to burn fat. It’s as simple as that.

Unless you have superb genetics, chances are you’re going to find it hard to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. This is because to gain weight, you need to eat more than you burn and to lose weight, you need to burn more than you lose. Sure, at first, you may be able to gain some muscle as you lose fat, but eventually your body will adapt to its new situation and you’ll only be able to do one or the other at a time.

So I hope this has cleared up a couple of issues for you. If I hear you ever mutter the word “toned” inside a 5 mile radius of a gym, I’m going to bitchslap you. And I hope you also understand the difference between building muscle and losing fat.

The Musclehead is a natural bodybuilder and the author of the brutally honest and revealing book "The Muscleheads Guide to a Godlike Physique". For more hard hitting information on how to get the body of your dreams, visit TheMusclehead.com

Instantly Increase Your Strength On Ever...

musclehead — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:11:14 +0200

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sean_Nalewanyj]Sean Nalewanyj Do you want a quick, simple and instant way to increase the amount of weight you can lift on virtually every back exercise you perform? Sound too good to be true? I speak the truth, my friend, and the reality is that if you aren’t utilizing this basic piece of gym equipment you’re missing out on some serious muscle size and strength gains. What tool am I talking about?

A pair of lifting straps!

This is such a basic and highly effective piece of equipment yet so many people neglect to use them. For those of you who are unaware, these are basically a set of thick straps made of extremely strong material that are placed around your wrists and then wrapped around the barbell, dumbbell or cable attachment. The purpose of lifting straps is to “eliminate” your grip from the equation by forming a secure connection between your wrist and the weight. If you use these straps properly you can basically hold onto the bar and perform your exercises while expending almost no energy from your forearms. Why is this so valuable? Picture this scenario…You’re performing a set of deadlifts (arguably the most powerful muscle-building exercise known to man) with the goal of performing 8 reps. You psych yourself up, grip the weight and clear the bar from the ground. The set is going well, but by the time you reach rep number 5, the strain on your grip is so great that you can no longer hold onto the bar. You’re forced to stop the set because your forearms reached muscular failure. What exactly happened here? Well, you gave yourself an amazing forearm workout! Congratulations! Unfortunately you severely limited the amount of muscle stimulation you could achieve on your back, shoulders, legs, and just about every other muscle in your body that the deadlift targets in the process. This is not a good thing! Lifting straps completely eliminate this problem by making sure that you reach muscular failure in the major muscle groups that you are intending to target rather than on your forearms and grip. They can be used effectively for almost every back exercise or any other lift where the grip is of concern. The main argument against lifting straps is the idea that they are a “crutch” and will negatively affect the development of grip strength and forearm size. Let’s get real here. What would you prefer, greater muscle mass and strength in your lats and upper back (and just about every other muscle group on your body) or greater ability to crack open a jar of pickles? Take your pick. The positive effect that lifting straps will have on your overall muscle mass and strength gains will far outweigh any negative effect that they have on your forearms and grip. Besides, you can easily incorporate specific forearm movements into your routine to develop your grip strength and forearm size. If you aren’t using lifting straps already, get on it! You can find them at almost any store that sells sports or fitness equipment or you can order them online. They sell for about 10 or 15 bucks and are well worth the price! Sean Nalewanyj is a bodybuilding expert, fitness author and writer of top-selling Internet Bodybuilding E-Book: The Truth About Building Muscle. You can learn more by visiting his website: http://www.MuscleGainTruth.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Nalewanyj http://EzineArticles.com/?Instantly-Increase-Your-Strength-On-Every-Back-Exercise&id=209446

The One Exercise You Must Do For Massive...

musclehead — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:13:08 +0200

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Adam_Ross]Adam Ross

Go to just about any gym and when it comes to bragging rights you hear all about how much somebody can bench press or maybe squat. Of course, there is a ton of hype about the latest exercise equipment or workout plan.

But when it comes to massive muscle gains bench presses, squats, and equipment cannot complete with this one simple exercise. If you want to pack on major muscle mass, and who doesn't, there is one exercise that you must have in your repertoire - the deadlift.

The great thing about deadlifts is that they require no fancy gear, only a straight bar and as much weight as you can handle. The problem is that nobody likes deadlifts and very few people actually perform them correctly.

Deadlifts are such a great muscle gain exercise because it works the entire body. In fact it engages just about every muscle - from your fingers right down to your toes. Of course, the main focus is on the back and hamstrings, but you'll feel it all over.

The fact that the deadlift works the entire body means that it also helps in the excretion of muscle building hormones, such as testosterone and human growth hormone. No need for needles here - you get an all natural muscle gaining boost from the deadlift.

How to do a deadlift

Obviously, you should not try deadlifts if you have back problems (and always consult with your physician before beginning an exercise routine).

There are several varieties of deadlifts, but here we'll focus on the standard basic version - the bent-legged deadlift. Begin by loading a straight bar with the appropriate amount of weight. If you have never done deadlifts (or it's been awhile) you should err on the side of lighter weight.

You begin this movement with you feel shoulder width apart. Squat down with your back flat and grab the bar with your hands outside your legs. A quick note on grip. You'll get all sorts of advice on this at the gym, but it doesn't really matter. Use whatever grip you want - the traditional overhand grip is just fine.

Now, lift the weight off the ground by driving down with your legs. Think about pushing your feel through the floor and you'll have it about right. Keep the bar against your shins and thighs the entire way up. When you get to the top pause for a second and then slowly lower the weight back down - again keeping the bar against your shins and thighs.

Repeat until you reach muscle failure or your goal reps. This is an intense exercise so 6-8 reps will usually suffice. But you can also go with lighter weight and more reps (I know people who do up to 20 per set).

It is very important to keep your form all the way through the exercise. Keep your abs tight and this will help avoid back injuries. If you form begins to breakdown lower the weight and/or number of reps.

Since deadlifts are such a good muscle gain exercise, you'll need plenty of rest after doing them. So you might want to put them into your plan only once or maybe twice a week.

Learn [http://www.easymusclegain.com/musclegainarticles.htm]how to gain muscle mass and read weight training reviews at [http://www.easymusclegain.com/]EasyMuscleGain.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Ross http://EzineArticles.com/?The-One-Exercise-You-Must-Do-For-Massive-Muscle-Gains&id=758557

Also See: vince del monte

the musclehead review

Warming Down for Bodybuilders

musclehead — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:07:34 +0200

Warming Down for Bodybuilders

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Shareen_Aguilar]Shareen Aguilar

Doing a an executable routine of warm-up is how should a bodybuilder start his bodybuilding training and exercises. There should always be adequate form of warm up exercises for each set of muscles. The main reason why bodybuilders should always do proper warm-ups before the main training is to prevent him from any type of injury.

Joints and muscles that haven't been properly lubricated and stretched are going to be the main root of injuries. Nobody wants to be injured especially if what he does is all with good intentions. Now you know why it is important to do warm-ups during each and every bodybuilding training, another important set of exercise shouldn't also be neglected.

If there is a way up, there is always a way down. The same thing is applied to bodybuilding training. Warming up prior to any strenuous activities is done to prevent the body from any type of injury. Whereas warming down exercises are light stretching exercises that are done to properly cool down the body. Though this may be the last stage to completing a bodybuilding training, it is as important as the set of reps done during the training proper.

The reason? You really don't want to wake up the next morning with sore muscles and aching body, do you? Not only that, an abrupt halt from heavy exercises deprives the body from going back to its normal heart rate, pulse and body temperature. This makes it difficult for the muscles to adjust and relax as well and results to the tightening of muscles and joints.

Distribute light stretching exercises to your hamstring, biceps and quadriceps. Each set of light stretching should be done equally. Try to move in the same pace when shifting from an area of the body to the next.vince del monte

Allow your body to work its way from fast and heavy exercises to slow and smoothing stretches to ensure you of a sore-free body afterward.

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for [http://www.body-building-book.com]Bodybuilding Training Program which has information on Bodybuilding and other fitness topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shareen_Aguilar http://EzineArticles.com/?Warming-Down-for-Bodybuilders&id=759850