Posted August 29, 2008 
Comments(0) “I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become.” -Oprah Winferey
Fitness Motivation:
What you dwell on -
you BECOME.
Do you think you’re:
Fat
Ugly
Bloated
Fit
Beautiful
Perfect?
Who do you believe yourself to be?
Whoever that is…
keep thinking it.
Keep dreaming it.
Keep wanting it….
For eventually, it will all come.
Posted August 27, 2008 Comments(0) I know I have a lot of male readers - but since I AM pregnant and am ‘working on my fitness’ still, my motivations to stay fit have been through healthy role models.
Here is what I’ve observed being pregnant so far:
- There are a lot of people who are pregnant
- Most of them are giving […]
Posted August 27, 2008 Comments(0) “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength”
~ Oprah Winfrey
Fitness Motivation:
Strength comes from experiencing challenge -
Power comes from a resisting force.
Whenever you want to grow…
You need to be challenged.
IF you want a bicep to grow -
you need to place an opposing force upon it.
IF you want to burn fat on the treadmill -
you […]
Posted August 26, 2008 Comments(0) “Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.”Hector Berliaz
Fitness Motivation:
Time is a great teacher!
But unfortunately…
I am VERY IMPATIENT.
Especially when it comes to fulfilling fitness goals.
One of the biggest things I learned in my personal physical progress is…
You experience, you learn, you grow..
It takes time to build muscle.
It takes time to lose […]
Posted August 26, 2008 Comments(0) 
There's No Shortcuts to a Six Pack
Here’s my Top 4 Weight Loss Tips for men or women who want to burn the fat and feed the muscle.
Sure, there’s a heck of a lot more to it than just these 4 little tips but let me leave you with this.
The ONE thing that literally saved me was something Dave Draper said in his book, “Brother Iron, Sister Steel.”
Consistency!
“There are no secrets. You simply have basic God-given genetics, body chemistry and bone structure. And provided the attributes of discipline and determination, you apply yourself full bore, and your body potential emerges, slow and sure.” - Dave Draper
Posted August 23, 2008 Comments(0) 
There’s a big myth that women have to train different then men. They don’t. They can lift weights, do the same exercise, build a little muscle, become stronger and still be 100% female. Building muscle isn’t all that easy right? You don’t just do some weights and have a 21″ inch arms the next month.
My point is…
Women can do the same things as men do. And even lift heavy if they desire to grow muscle rather then maintain.
A little muscle tone is not a bad thing right? And the only way to grow muscle is to stimulate it. I’m not suggesting females go bench 315 lbs tomorrow but there’s no need to grab the pink weights and do 100 reps either while they sit there looking unchallenged and bored.
If they are worried about a particular body part taking over and making them out of proportion, then just hit them lightly and focus on the rest of the body. Just maintain them. Do not push or challenge them and they will just stay the same while the rest of her body grows, adapts and changes to fit her desired look.
I see women all the time at the gym with the tiniest weight. Because they don’t want to get big and bulky like a man. But they also look bored and just doing it because somebody told them lifting weights was something they should do.
Unless your one of the few females that has as much testosterone as most men, it’s not going to happen.
A key to muscle growth is testosterone. Females do not have high levels of it, therefore, even if they worked out like men do, with heavy weights, she is not going to suddenly become manly, bulky and bulging with muscles.
Granted, there are some females who do have high levels but it’s pretty rare. Don’t worry…
Despite what you may have heard… there’s really no such thing as toning. I’m sure to get flack for that statement but let me explain. There’s three things you can do to a muscle.
-Build it
-Maintain it
-Lose it
Toning is really for most people, the process of building muscle so there’s something to show… and once they are happy with the appearance, they maintain it. For all these reasons…
It’s important to understand that when you pick up a weight, the main goal is to work the muscle. If it’s not at all challenging, then why bother? Resistance training has a purpose. To keep your muscles healthy, your bones strong and your mobility. The older you get, the more muscle you want as it will keep you living healthier. And the older you get the more muscle you tend to los’e. Another reason to build muscle thru your life and not let it wither away because of atrophy.
But I’m getting way ahead of myself! Many women are worried about getting bulky if they workout weight weights.
There’s a simple solution to that. How about just build muscle until she’s satisfied with her appearance. Once she reaches that level, she can back off and just maintain. At that point, there’s no need to stimulate new muscle growth but you can use resistance training to maintain an appearance.
This is where ‘toning’ comes in. Toning to me at least, means maintaining the muscle’s natural tone thru resistance. Keeping it in the shape it is currently.
Also keep in mind that a muscle will appear more tone when body fat is removed from the area.
So that’s why cardio is an important aspect as well if she is looking to lean up. But as I’ve said before, there can be such a thing as too much cardio. So no need for marathon sessions please.
Bottom line…
In general women do not need any different routines then a man. It’s the myth that has been around forever that men lift weights, women do cardio. It’s simply wrong.
About the Author: Marc David is the editor of BodybuildingSecretsLive and author of NoBull Bodybuilding and Shredded Abs. Get more from Marc on Twitter.
Posted August 22, 2008 Comments(0) “Training is principally an act of faith. The athlete must believe in its efficacy; he must believe that through training he will become fitter and stronger; that by constant repetition of the same movements he will become more skillfull and his muscles more relaxed…He must be a fanatic for hard work and enthusiastic enough to […]
Posted August 22, 2008 Comments(0) 
Photo Credit: Estherase
This article was submitted by Derek Manuel, owner of Hardgainers Weight Tips. See Hardgainers Weight Tips for more information on packing on quality muscle mass without the fat.
If you really want to know how to build muscle size and strength as fast as humanly possible, study the old-timers. Long before steroids and the BILLION dollar supplement industry, there was a time when men trained with nothing but heavy iron and a grueling will to build size and strength. One very distinguishing factor between strength trainers and bodybuilders of yesterday and today was the intensity of their training.
One training technique they used that is very rare to see today is something called “Death Sets.” By the name alone, you can tell they definitely aren’t a walk in the park. But what they give you is results. Real results, and faster then any supplement or home gym can promise. In fact, applied properly with the right food to eat to build muscles, they can very well be the fasted way to build muscle and gain weight.
I had first read about death sets in a one of the greatest books ever written on strength training, Dinosaur Training, by a man named Brooks D. Kubik. If you are a hardgainer, or someone really serious about training for strength and size, then death sets can and will slap more pounds of muscle and strength on your frame then practically any other way of training. They are perhaps the most intense type of training you may ever do, but like I said, the results you get will be like nothing else. So if you really, really want to learn how to build muscle size and strength faster then ever before, and aren’t afraid of some hard work, these are for you.
So what exactly are death sets and how do you do them? Death sets were properly named because they trigger what Kubik calls the “Grow or Die” mechanism. Unlike conventional training, they really work you closer to your absolute limit like nothing else. Basically, death sets are heavy, high rep training. Sounds like a paradox, doesn’t it? Normally, you either train with heavy weight and low reps, or with lighter weight and high reps. So how in the world do you train with heavy weight and still do a high amount of reps? Two factors: certain compound exercises and mental toughness. Death sets are not meant for your smaller muscle groups like arms or neck, but rather for the big muscle groups such as your legs and lower back.
Though you can apply death sets with most larger muscle groups, performing squats or deadlifts with them are by far the most grueling, but effective. Since our legs can withstand much more physical endurance then the rest of our body, (given that we walk and stand on them all day long) it is very hard to reach their limit. And your body will do everything it can to get your mind to quit before your body. But you have to train your mind to withstand pain and accomplish your goal. Even though squats and deadlifts are known as mainly leg exercises, you can no doubt expect your whole body to grow. The intensity will include your whole body to come into action, and as a result the rest of your muscles will benefit, especially doing stiff-legged deadlifts.
Some examples of death sets are 15, 20 and even up to 30 reps of squats or deadlifts, but with HEAVY weight. Heavy enough to where you feel finished at the tenth rep. But this is where your will power and focus come into play. This is a good test of your mental strength, because as soon as you even think about quitting or giving up, your body will do it. This is why it is so important to mentally prep yourself before the set, and to stay in that animal instinct throughout the whole set.
The good news is that you only have to do one of these sets per exercise, two at the maximum. But after you are finished you will feel completely wiped out. You may throw up or feel like passing out, but as long as you complete the set and make sure to nourish your body after with plenty of good food and rest, your body will grow. You certainly won’t grow overnight, this is at least a two month process; but if you work hard enough and build up to heavy enough weight, your body will literally transform. Your mental toughness will also develop and you will eventually become as tough as nails both physically and mentally. Now that’s a true strength trainer!
So if you got the guts, give these a try, but remember not to do too many other exercises in your program along with them. You can very easily overtrain with these, especially if you are a hardgainer. Just a couple other major compound exercises for your upper body should be plenty, and don’t neglect proper nutrition and plenty of rest or you will be completely wasting your time and effort. This is perhaps the best way on how to build muscle size and strength fast.
This article was submitted by Derek Manuel, owner of Hardgainers Weight Tips. See Hardgainers Weight Tips for more information on packing on quality muscle mass without the fat.