Posts Tagged ‘muscle’

Do You Know The Side Effects Of Creatine?

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Very little is known about creatine and its effect on the body. Most of the people who take it in the form of supplements are unaware of the possible side effects of creatine supplements and continue to abuse them. The truth is that people who act better if they knew better.

Creatine is taken in the form of supplements but in actual fact the body makes creatine of its own in the kidneys and liver. The main use of creatine is to give the muscles the energy to carry out normal daily activities. When creatine is produced by the body a large portion of it is stored in the muscles and the rest is used for other purposes by the body. But sportsmen make use of inorganic creatine supplements to supplement the creatine the body manufactures.

When you take creatine supplements carelessly you can pollute your body with creatine. Now when creatine is in the body it has a natural ability to absorb water. So when you have too much creatine in your system the absorption of water from different parts of the body can lead to muscle cramps owing to dehydration.

Owing to the ability of creatine to absorb water weight gain can be an unforeseeable consequence of having too much creatine in the system. So when creatine is stored in the muscles in excess amounts what eventually happens is that these areas eventually get clogged with water resulting in weight gain.

Diabetes can emerge or worsen if glycemic sugars are taken in order to enhance the uptake of creatine by the body. Glycemic sugars eventually accumulate in the system to the point where insulin meant to breakdown sugars fails to execute this function effectively. So when the glycemic sugars are not broken down by insulin the sugar levels in the body become intolerable to the point where diabetes sets in or worsens.

But these are not the only side effects of creatine. When creatine is taken in excess you can experience heat exhaustion and kidney stones. Other side effects are damage to the kidneys; liver and blood vessels owing to diabetes.

Ever heard of creatine monohydrate? It’s imperative you learn the side effects of creatine, immediately. See what you need to know.

How to Get Muscular Pecs: Tips And Advice

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

A lot of guys dream of having massive, manly pecs that will impress everyone that sees them. Unfortunately, achieving that dream can be a lot harder than it may seem. There are a lot of pitfalls that can trip up a person who is trying to build a set of muscular pecs. Here are a few of them, and how to avoid them.

1. The first mistake that most guys make is simply overworking themselves. They think that the quickest way to build up their pecs is just to lift as much as they can as quickly as they can. The truth is that this provides almost no results and only damages the body.

As in all things, moderation is the key. Remember that it’s more about the quality of the workout than the quantity. Generally, it’s better to do more reps than it is to add more resistance, but doing too many reps can also be bad for you.

2. The second error that prevents guys from getting the muscular pecs they desire is by focusing only on bench pressing. Some people may tell you that bench pressing is the foundation for building the pecs, but that is just a common misconception.

When you are bench pressing, you are building your entire upper body. Therefore, trying to focus in on just the pectorals is practically impossible with this exercise. Instead, you should to include flys and inclined bench presses, since they can help to isolate the pecs and effectively build them up.

3. A third simple mistake to make has to do with the diet. Some people don’t realize that their diet may be holding them back from building up their muscles the way they want. A diet that is rich in proteins is absolutely vital if you want to build up your muscle mass and achieve powerful pecs.

4. The last mistake but the most common is not to follow a proven training program.

On my personal blog I reveal the method I used when I asked myself how to get pecs naturally and fast. You’ll also find this blog post interesting: muscular pecs.

You want to know how to Lose Weight?

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Weight loss…doesnt that term scare you? Does it seem like something that has plagued your life for all eternity? Well, this article will discuss the basics to weight loss, why you have to quit trying the easy way out and get on top of your life once and for all!

Lets begin with diets. In a few words, avoid diets like the plague. They are short-term quick fixes. In all honesty, can you see yourself staying on a diet in the long term? The honest answer is no…so then why waste your time and money now, just to realise that you arent going to get anywhere.

Exercise machines advertised on TV are practically all the same - promise a lot yet deliver very little. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. These machines are absolutely no exception to the rule. Unfortunately they play of peoples misunderstanding of how to tone, shape and sculpt the body. By performing a certain motion, this does not necessarily yield the desired result.

Please, avoid diet pills. They are costly and promise the world yet again deliver very little. Sure, the advertisements seem great…but consider the reality of the situation - they are a seemingly easy way out whereby no effort is required on your part, but massive results are obtained. Seriously, do you believe that hype?

Believe it or not, lifestyle is the key factor to weight loss in most individuals. So, if we make some changes here, big weight loss will be induced in the long-term!

For starters, exercise is a key ingredient to maximum weight loss. Yes, this is common sense, but many people avoid exercise like the plague.

Exercise does not mean going to the gym seven days per week, but it means getting active! You can walk, run, ride your bike, do a boxing class, swim - or whatever. Anything that gets you moving!

Dietary intake, as I am sure you would be aware, is very important. So, watch what you eat. You know the drill, eat a variety of foods that are healthy. But to lose weight, you just need to take in less kilojoules than what you presently consume. So try making your portion sizes smaller as a start.

Here is the important tip - with both exercise and nutrition, do not go too extreme. Remember, you have to be able to form a routine and sustain it in the long-term. Find something enjoyable so you can actually look forward to losing weight!

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Are muscle building supplements worthless?

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009

If you have ever read a book on goal setting, you know that one of the most important concepts is being able to divide your goal into smaller chunks. Writing your goal on paper and pointing out obstacles from the very beginning are also important to help you reach your destination. However, I think the most important aspect of goal setting has to be the emphasis on long-term gains instead of short-term achievements.

Like many people, I usually focused on the short term results of my actions rather than focusing on a long-term investment. Basically, if a project didn’t work out immediately, I would get discouraged or distracted and move on to something else. After all, there’s always something new and exciting to drag you away. Now, how exactly does this tie into strength training or muscle building?

When it comes to trying to build muscle, too many people are spending their precious time trying to find that perfect supplement that will take care of all their needs. Instead of focusing on the most important concepts, they try to find a shortcut so they don’t have to do the work.

Let’s face it, supplements are not the core of a muscle building program, regardless of what the advertisements out there might be telling you. The latest supplement fad from the bodybuilding gurus will not improve your workout or make up for your lack of self discipline.

Unfortunately, it seems that human nature is to look for a shortcut or silver bullet that will give us the results that we want without the hard work. This is absolutely relevant to bodybuilding supplements, because most trainees are looking for an easy way out instead of focusing on the fundamentals. If you try to look for a muscle building supplement to do all the work for you, you really are wasting your time and money. When you think about how simple (although not easy) natural weightlifting methods are, it really is unnecessary to focus on supplements. It all comes back to self discipline and trying to achieve a goal slowly over time.

Many experts trainers who have the muscles to back up their theories are warning us about trying to rely on supplements. Supplements will have only a slight benefit for the advanced bodybuilder, and they might have zero benefit for a beginner.

Most supplements, however, are either useless or are simply not necessary. The essential components of any bodybuilding program will always be progressive resistance training and increasing one’s daily calories. Looking for shortcuts when you have not even mastered the basics will simply lead to disappointment and a lot of wasted money.

I know it doesn’t sound very exciting when you’re told that supplements are not the way to go and that you’ll have to work hard to achieve the results that you want. It’s also not that comforting to imagine all of the workouts you’ll have to complete and how strict you’ll have to be with your diet plan. However, when you realize that there really are no shortcuts, you have to decide whether or not it’s worth it. I think you know that it is worth it, but you just have to start thinking about long-term results.

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How a little planning can avoid a lot of muscle pain

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Starting out on any project can be a lot of fun. There’s usually excitement, and this is enough to get people going for a while. Unfortunately, this period is more like a honeymoon and doesn’t really last long. Building muscle, for example, takes consistency over long-term.

If you’re serious about building a huge amount of muscle, you’ll need the right information to get started. This information can help you make progress more effectively and more quickly while avoiding injury. If you don’t take time to learn some fundamentals in the beginning, you may end up paying for it down the road.

The first thing you should do is address any preexisting injuries before taking on an intense muscle building program. Getting a checkup with your family doctor is a good start, but you may need to consider some other therapies such as myofascial release to clear up any trigger points or scar tissue. Even some forms of massage therapy can be quite helpful, and many are surprised by the relief that these therapies can provide.

You may not be familiar with these kinds of therapies, but more and more people are taking advantage of them. The key is to tackle these injuries before they get out of hand, and you certainly should be careful before beginning any kind of weight training while nursing an injury.

After beginning a muscle building program, many unfortunately don’t follow a good recovery program. You have to remember that the actual growth of your muscles does not occur in the gym, so you need to give your muscles enough rest in between workouts. Following this warning can help you progress more quickly as well as avoid injury. So many make the mistake of increasing their workouts when they don’t see immediate results.

Their logic is simple: more is better. While this may be a simple concept, it is inherently flawed because it ignores the basic principles of muscle-growth. The goal of a strength training workout in the gym to is to challenge the muscle beyond its previous limits and create small tears in the muscle. The body will adapt to this new stress by rebuilding the muscle in a larger size (hypertrophy). However, the growth of the muscle itself will occur during the recovery phase, not during the actual workout in the gym. Allowing the body to heal before the next workout is critical to long-term success, and many experts only recommend as few as 3 hours of training per week!

Getting plenty of rest is actually one of the most important parts of muscle building. Do not underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep. Growth hormone is released during deep sleep, which is why you need to get plenty of sleep if you’re serious about building a good amount of muscle. Also remember that your entire body is under stress during a workout, not just your muscles. You need to give your entire body a chance to recover before returning to the gym.

The last bit of advice I would like to give you before you begin your new weightlifting program has to do with listening to others. When you start going to the gym or hanging out in a bodybuilding forum, you’ll probably be exposed to many different opinions that contradict each other. It’s tough to sort it all out, but you need to look for people who have proven their philosophies and achieved success. Look for a trainer who has proven how to build muscle naturally without steroids and even with no supplements (or a minimum of supplements).

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