Setting The Goals - Part One

Anything that we do, we do for a reason. Anything. There may be some times
that we do not know the reason behind what we are doing, but you can be sure
there is one. If you search enough, you will uncover it.

This is also the case in fitness. We do the stuff we do in the gym for a reason. It
may be to look good or to feel good. It may be to have an overall healthier
approach to living. It may be to become stronger or more energetic.
In order to completely excel at our fitness endeavors, we need to know exactly
what it is we are working towards. 

Each of our reasons is different. That is why it is extremely important for us to tap into our individual driving force and find the reason why we go to the gym each day. When you find that reason, take it and run with it. Use it as your prime motivator.
There are many reasons for change. 

Are you fed up with being overweight? Areyou sick and tired of always feeling sick and tired? Disgusted at the person staring back at you when you look in the mirror? You must first have an important enough reason to want to change. Then you must find a method you can use to change.

100% Whey Gold Standard Protein

Product Review

In my opinion, the products of Optimum Nutrition are the best at the market today. ON is acknowledged leader of delivering the best supplement solutions for the athletes around the world. I bought this protein powder 2 years ago, and since then I use mainly 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein. The quality is undeniable..

100% Whey Gold Standard Protein is Optimum Nutrition's premium, economy protein supplement and is made with 100% Whey Protein. Each serving provides a time-tested blend of Whey Protein Concentrates (WPC), Ion-Exchange Whey Protein Isolates (IE), Micro-Filtered Whey Protein Isolates (MF), and Partially Hydrolyzed Whey Peptides - each of which are considered to be of the highest biological value (BV) because they are loaded with indispensable amino acids and very easily digested and absorbed. 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein is particularly rich in the three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and is a good source of Glutamine and Glutamine precursors. 

In addition, contains smaller proteins called Microfractions including Alpha-Lactalbumin, Beta-Lactoglobulin, Immunoglobulins, Glycomacropeptides, and Lactoferrin that may have various health and performance benefits beyond supplying essential nitrogen-based compounds. Best of all, 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein is instantized to mix easily in a blender, shaker cup, or even with just a glass and spoon, so you can enjoy the benefits of whey proteins just about anywhere! However you use it, Classic Whey is an ideal protein Beyond The Basics.

Buy Today At The Optimal Market Price: 100% Whey Gold Standard Protein Vanilla Flavor 5 Lbs

Optimum BCAA 1000 CAPS

Product Review

When we talk about QUALITY and supplements, the first name we think of is .. Optimum Nutrition. They proved us (the fitness and bodybuilding fans) that the satisfaction of the customers is their first goal.

The product that help me when Im cutting or when Im bulking is Optimum Nutrition BCAA. It’s 100% safe product, responsible for our good performance in & after workout and for our good mood. Yeah, that’s right – you will notice that.

Among the most beneficial and effective supplements in any sports nutrition program are branched chain amino acids. These are the essential aminos leucine, isoleucine, and valine. 
Although these supplements have been around for a long time and the scientific understanding in the exercise performance benefits of BCAA supplementation is rich many people don't know exactly how they exert their effects or how and when to use them properly. 

You probably know that amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When you eat a protein food, it gets digested in the stomach and intestine into individual amino acids and short chains of amino acids that are small enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream. These amino acids have far reaching effects in the body from building and repairing tissues, to producing chemicals that enable our brains to function optimally. 

What Is The Difference Between Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids? 
Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. You must get them from complete protein foods or combinations of incomplete vegetable foods. There are 9 essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and valine. Your body can make non-essential amino acids by itself from vitamins and other amino acids. 

The term "non-essential" can be misleading since all amino acids are essential for proper metabolism and certain non-essential amino acids, such as glutamine, become very essential. The 13 non-essential amino acids are alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, hydroxyproline, proline, serine, & tyrosine. 

The essential branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) are of special importance for athletes because they are metabolized in the muscle, rather than in the liver. Here's how this works: After digestion once protein is broken down into individual amino acids these aminos can either be used to build new proteins or be burned as fuel to produce energy.

Buy Today At The Optimal Market Price: Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000 Caps, 1000 mg, Capsules, 200-Count Bottles (Pack of 2)

Fish - The Universal Meal For Athletes

Fish helps lower cholesterol (the bad kind) and it is low in fat and calories so it can aid in weight loss if it's not fried, breaded or grilled in butter or oil. 

Now there's a new study that shows fish may help stave off certain types of cancers. A research study recently done in Milan, Italy compared 10,000 hospital patients who had cancer to 8,000 other patients who did not have cancer. Before the cancer tests or hospital admission, they were all asked how much and how often they ate fish, on average. Those who ate one or more servings a week showed a definite pattern of protection against cancers such as stomach, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, colon and rectum. 

Fish may be an even healthier choice than previously thought. Remember, tuna salad (easy on the mayo) counts too as well as fish chowder and fish dips (made with low cal dressing and/or cream sauce). 
So it's not as tough as you think to include fish a few times a week in your diet.

Fitness tips: the grip is important..

While some of us are blessed with naturally proportioned muscles, most of us have ‘problem areas’. From narrow chests to ill-defined triceps, we’re held back from looking our best. But maybe what’s holding you back is how you’re holding the bar. 
Let’s start with that scrawny chest. Two-time middleweight NPC champion Richard Baldwin says that by putting each of your hands five inches further out on the bar when benching, you’re allowing your ribcage to expand and you therefore have more area to add muscle. “I like a wide grip on bench with elbows out,” Baldwin says. “Keeping your humerus parallel to the bar will also allow more of your pecs to be involved in the movement.” 
He recommends 3 sets of 8-10 reps, but doesn’t say this should become a replacement for normal bench presses. “That’s a big problem people have,” Baldwin says. “They find a certain way to do an exercise and then that’s all they do. Keep a fun variation for the days when you’re least in the mood to do an exercise and you’ll find it will be a release. Somehow people got the idea that routines have to be routine.”
Now where do we have to go to get those terrific triceps? Don’t get up! Just move those hands inward on the bench press. How far depends on your comfort level. “Close-grip benches allow me to grow the most triceps mass of any movement there is,” Baldwin says. “I actually like to move my hands in just short of touching knuckles, but there’s less control in that. You should define how close together your hands should be by how much balance you have throughout the rep.”
Another area that can benefit from a wide grip is the lats. Casey Viator, a former pro bodybuilder and author of Casey Viator’s Total Fitness, says using a wide grip allows him to get the fullest stretch, as well as bringing the traps into it. If you do three sets in your routine for 8-10 reps, the thickness and detail should follow, says Viator. But former Mr. Universe Dave Draper is quick to remind that everything should be in moderation. Working outer or inner grips, particularly for biceps curls, will develop full muscles, but can also lead to the development of tendonitis if overdone. “There’s a reason why the middle of your arm contains most of the meat,” Draper says, “so make inner or outer muscle movements the exception, not the rule.”
Sometimes it’s not just the distance of the grip that helps, but the grip itself. Viator swears by the ‘false grip’ for heavier benchpressing. By holding your thumbs on top of the bar instead of rolling them under, Viator says, you end up not stretching the finger flexors; this causes greater strength in the movement and allows Viator to hit that ‘last percentage point’ of weight. But this is another example where balance must be monitored. Eddie Robinson, a former world record holder in
the bench, warns that someone who doesn’t feel comfortable may find the bar falling from their grasp. “I can see the benefits,” says Robinson, “but definitely not without a lifting partner right over you.”

Cardio training basics - the point of cardio training

Aerobic means “with oxygen”. Aerobic exercise is any physical activity done for an extended period of time that forces your cardiovascular system (heart, lunges and blood vessels) to increase the amount of oxygen and blood circulating trough your body so you’re benefiting even when you are at rest. By increasing your cardiovascular fitness level, you are increasing the rate in which your body burns calories.

The question is: HOW OFTEN? 30 min/day x 3 times weekly (unisex) is good place to start but for weight loss you could require more depending on metabolism. The first 20 minutes your body burns mostly carbohydrate. After that, the body burns mostly fat. So the longer you exercise aerobically over 20 minutes, the more you will burn. Having said that, I must also mention that too much cardio or aerobic exercise can work against you! When you do aerobic exercise, the body first burns food that you eat then fat stores and then muscle. If you are doing too much cardio your body will basically eat its own muscle. And the less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be.

I heard a story by another trainer that really sums this point up. This trainer had a client that was doing very well and staring to really get in shape. She had very balanced weight training and aerobic plan that was helping her reach her weight loss goal. After a while the client was baffled as to why she was no longer losing weight and was not feeling as energetic as before. After her trainer asked a few questions he found that she had increased her cardio to two 60 minute sessions a day! The only people who train this way are seasoned athletes that eat a very specific diet to support such a plan. Her body was basically eating its own muscle, preventing her from losing weight and not to mention really messing up her metabolism. Once she returned to her original plan she continued her weight loss and felt much beter.
Morel of this story.. More is not always better!

Training ectomorph - the problems with the fast metabolism

Well, if you have super fast metabolism, you need a fatty diet. You need help be bulk up, you want your chest and arms good enough, but what you must understand is that your approach should be complexed.

1.) Eat every 2-3 hours
2.) Breakfast, Pre/Post workout should be your biggest meals
3.) Protein sources from eggs, cottage, chicken, lean beef
4.) Carbs from oats, brown rice, WW bread, sweet potatoes, veggies, fruits
5.) Fats from olive oil, PB, nuts, oil caps
6.) Invest in a multi-vitamin

Don't be afraid to eat. I had this problem before, and don't be afraid to gain a little fat!!! If you want to be big, you have to eat big.
   


I never eat less than six eggs at a time. I usually eat 4 egg whites and 2 whole eggs (boiled). You might try adding an egg to your breakfast every few days or so.But remember, eggs might be dangerous if you overdo. In between breakfast and lunch, eat some nuts, peanut butter or something like that, and eat something in between lunch and dinner. 

In my pre-competition period I eat a lot of turkey burgers in between meals. Then I eat supper a couple hours later. Turkey is really cheap and and got a lot of protein in it. 

Don't forget to eat fruit and vegatables. I eat a lot of yogurt and cottage cheese too. Shop smart and look for the deals. Don't ever let your stomach growl. Everyone's different, but from my own experiences, gaining weight isn't as hard or technical as it's made out to be.
   
Make sure you're eating every 3 hours.



Learn how to bulk succesfully with minimal fat gain, but fats are not a terrible problem for hardgainer, so don't worry. Start adding meals as you go along. You will know when its enough. Measure yourself the same way every couple of weeks and you will see where the growth is. If gain is in Muscles keep going up. If its in the waist cut down a bit or wok out harder. (you will gain some waist size)

The staples of my bulk diet are whole milk a gallon a day. Raw oats, whole eggs, peanut butter sandwhiches, wholewheat pasta chicken , fish, Homemade trail mix ( mostly oats) cheese and veggies. Shakes (whey) are in there too. All this is calculated for me. You have to do the work to find out the specifics for you. Good luck.


supplements proper for hardgainers. Consult with your doctor befor using:

* creatine with carbs
* glutamine (for combining with the creatine)
* protein gainer 
* 6 meals with ENOUGH sources of fats