Archive for August, 2009
Do I Have To Gain Weight To Build Muscle?
There is a misconception floating around the internet within the walls of chatty homes and gliding down the sidewalks alongside the misinformation highway that misconception? You have to gain weight in order to build muscle.
Many people mistakenly believe that muscle weighs more than fat; this is simply untrue. This fallacy is destroyed by simple logic ten pounds equals ten pounds whether it is fat muscle gold or water. To be fair though five cubic inches of muscle would weigh more than five cubic inches of fat; however this does not mean that muscle weighs more than fat.
Some women and men as well are afraid of working out and building muscle because they think that they have to gain weight in order to do so. However such fears are not founded on sound facts. They believe that if they head to the gym lift weights or even take part in anything more than a light cardiovascular activity that they will inevitably increase their weight and “bulk up”.
Muscle building does not have to be all about “bulking up”; it can be all about strengthening your body and redefining the way that you look. Let’s say for instance that you are a male five foot nine inches tall and weigh onehundred and seventyfive pounds. You’re happy with your weight but you’re not happy with the way that your body looks. By focusing on adding definition to your build rather than adding obscene amounts of muscle you can maintain your same weight while completely redefining your shape.
The same can be said for women if you’re five foot four inches tall and weigh onehundred and twentyfive pounds your current weight may be acceptable to you but you’re afraid to work out because you hear that ‘muscle weighs more than fat’. The same principal applies here you can maintain your onehundred and twentyfive pounds build muscle lower your body fat percentage and still maintain your current weight albeit with definition and strength rather than with the lessthantoned look that you may currently be sporting.
Bottom line you do not need to worry about gaining weight when you work to burn fat and build muscle. By building muscle you will be burning fat as well as adding definition and by exercising a little bit of control over your workout routine you can maintain your current weight and proudly show it off on the new and improved you.
About the writer: Build Muscle Up answers common musclebuilding questions and shows individuals how to build muscles quickly. Learn about muscle weight gain and read reviews on the top musclebuilding systems at http://www.joefission.com/buildmuscle/
Do Bodybuilding Genetics Limit Muscle Gain And Fat Loss?
Unrealistic expectations have proven to be the downfall of many who pursue muscle building or fat loss as bodybuilding far too often becomes a pursuit of transforming into someone else as opposed to maximizing the individual genetic potential that each of us has been granted. We may frequently see individuals on the Internet TV or in magazines who have the bodybuilding physique we aspire towards so we somehow feel that by weight training and eating a certain way we can develop an identical appearance when in fact our physical makeup is unique and specific to each of us meaning that results others produce do not in any way indicate we are capable of the same or conversely we may even be able to greatly exceed the bodybuilding success of those we admire. Yet there is no way of knowing our own individual potential without first following an effective diet and weight training routine to determine how our body responds.
The unfortunate downside of basing our own level of bodybuilding satisfaction upon achieving the physique of another is that although we may produce muscle building or fat loss progress that impresses nearly every person we meet in our own mind we remain inferior since our standard is not based upon how much weve achieved but rather whether weve become the person we choose to emulate and therefore regardless of how our progress appears to others we continually seek for the impossible dream and eventually either quit bodybuilding altogether or decide to experiment with dangerous drugs or bodybuilding supplements instead of modifying our expectations to match our own potential.
Genetics offer us a barrier which we all must obey no different from one who wishes to become a basketball superstar but lacks sufficient height yet in bodybuilding very few ever achieve their own genetic potential not necessarily due to lack of effort but rather resulting from diet and weight training errors which plague muscle building or fat loss efforts. Certainly if one were training and eating perfectly genetics will then eventually limit future gains and will also impact the overall speed of results but most who feel genetics is curtailing any positive change actually are eating and weight training without any sense of direction which is the true culprit behind disappointing progress.
Muscle building or fat loss is as unique as our personalities and we should never try to emulate or become another in our pursuit of physical fitness rather forging our own road by maximizing the individual bodybuilding potential each of us has and doing so through an effective bodybuilding diet and weight training routine. When we begin to view bodybuilding as an experiment in personal achievement we then begin to finally relish in the improvements we make as opposed to feeling constantly deprived by focusing on the achievements of another.
About the writer: Francesco Castano is the owner of IncrediBody a physical fitness company dedicated to helping others learn exactly how to gain muscle mass and lose weight without supplements or drugs. He authors two programs one called MuscleNOW teaching the correct bodybuilding diet and weight training program to follow for muscle gain and Fat Vanish which teaches how to lose weight burn fat for natural weight loss. He includes lifetime email personal training with both programs where he personally assists all of his clients with training and diet questions and has hundreds of testimonials validating the effectiveness of his techniques. You may visit his web sites at www.MuscleNOW.com www.FatVanish.com and www.IncrediBody.com where you will learn more about his products and please feel free to contact him at any time with your fitness questions!
Cutting Fat As A Female Bodybuilder
I wanted to talk to you about cutting fat as a female bodybuilder. A lot of people have no clue on how to cut fat off their body. They just start to starve themselves and expect it to happen. When it comes to cutting the fat off your body you have to follow an exact science. The key as a bodybuilder isn’t to just drop weight on a scale but you want to be able to allow the fat to melt off of you and leave just the lean muscle underneath. That is where the skill needs to come from and that is what requires the work. I wanted to share with you information on cutting fat as a female bodybuilder.
Step one is obviously eating every 23 hours. If you haven’t been doing this you have to start now!! You need to be eating this often to boost your metabolism. This allows your body to work more efficiently and burn more fat. That’s the key when your body has nutrients constantly coming in it’s more likely to metabolize fat on the body than storing it.
Step two is to cut your daily calorie consumption about by about 400 calories per day. That isn’t much but that means your body will be forced to metabolize 400 calories from the fat on your body per day. It has to be a slight because if you cut your calories too much your body will go into starvation mode and your body will store fat.
Step three for cutting fat as a female bodybuilder is to completely eliminate all carbs after 5pm. This is an odd rule but carbs can be a real problem if you eat them in the evening. It’s very easy to eat too much and too many will be stored as fat. Since it’s hard to find the right amount it is best just to not eat them at all and stick to protein.
About the writer: Learn more about the Female Bodybuilding Diet