Cardiovascular Exercise Safety Precautions

Cardiovascular exercise has received a lot of attention over the last 15 years as the centerpiece of physical fitness, weight management, and cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) health. The terms cardiovascular exercise, cardiorespiratory fitness and aerobic exercise are all synonymous. This kind of exercise requires large muscle movement over a sustained period of time, elevating your heart rate to at least 50% of maximum level. Examples include walking, jogging, biking, swimming, and any other repetitious activity that can be performed over an extended period of time.

Cardiovascular exercise has numerous benefits. They include a decreased blood pressure, increased HDL (good) cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins responsible for removing LDL (bad) cholesterol from the cells in the arteries and transporting it back to the liver for removal from the body), decreased LDL cholesterol, decreased body fat, decreased glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (this increases capillary density and blood flow to active muscles), increased heart and lung function and efficiency, and decreased anxiety, tension, and depression.

All of these benefits combine to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing risk factors like obesity, hypertension, and high blood cholesterol. In addition, cardiovascular exercise serves as a foundation for the activities of daily living, sports, and other outdoor activities. Activities such as tennis, golf, skiing, dancing, basketball, volleyball, boxing, hiking, and strength training programs all benefit from cardiovascular exercise. Your enjoyment of day-to-day and physical activities will also greatly benefit because you will have more stamina, less fatigue and less risk of injury. However, there are several precautions you should take to help maximize exercise safety.

Post-meal Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise soon after a full meal can compromise oxygen and nutrient delivery to the working muscles, and cause gastric discomfort. Thus, you should wait at least 60-90 minutes after a full meal before engaging in cardiovascular exercise. The level of exercise and the amount and type of food consumed affect the time required for digestion to be completed before beginning exercise. The higher the exercise intensity and/or the greater the amount food consumed, the longer the time should be between eating and exercising.

Exercising in Hot Weather
Another factor that increases the risk of injury and complications is exercising in hot weather. The following are guidelines to prevent heat stress:

1. Allow 1-2 weeks for acclimatization to a hot environment

2. Avoid training in the hottest part of the day, usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., during the summer.

3. Drink water before, during and after exercise. During prolonged cardiovascular exercise, drink 4-6 ounces of fluids (preferably water) every twenty minutes.

4. Wear loose-fitting clothes that allow for evaporation of sweat.

5. Decrease training intensity by monitoring heart rate in hot environments.

6. Take a 10-15 minute rest for every 45-60 minutes of physical activity.

7. Give special consideration to, and use caution if you are a heat-sensitive person (obese, unfit, history of heat stroke, etc.).

Pollutants
Pollutants can also have adverse effects on the body. This is of concern if you exercise outdoors in or near city. Some common ones include ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. The most problematic of these pollutants is ozone, or smog, which is caused by the combination of ultraviolet light and emissions from internal combustion engines. Ozone exposure may impair lung function during cardiovascular exercise. Carbon monoxide is another common air pollutant that can reduce exercise safety and effectiveness. This is caused by exposure to crowded freeways or smoke filled rooms. Sulfur dioxide is not a major irritant for most people, but those with asthma or bronchospasms tend to be adversely affected by it.

Cardiovascular exercise provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. Cardiovascular is also very convenient, you can also do outdoors or even indoors while watching tv or reading books and even surfing the net using your ipad. However when enjoying this great form of physical activities, be sure to adhere to these precautions so that your program is not only affective but safe as well. Good luck, I hope to enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a safe and effective cardiovascular exercise programme.

FAT LOSS TIPS

Believe it or not, losing a little or a lot of fat involves pretty much the same concept - consistent dieting coupled with cardiovascular exercise and weight training. This is how the professionals do it, and it works.

Many of you may be hesitant to start a weight training program, but the benefits far outweigh any reservation you may have. Weight training enhances your fat loss by increasing your muscle mass and more muscle means more calories burned (faster metabolism). It also it gives your skin a more tone, tight appearance, lowers your blood pressure, strengthens your bones, improves your agility, increases your flexibility strengthens your immune system and gives you more energy and a brighter outlook on life.

If you have a high level of body fats, or you have never been able to successfully lose fat, you should consider trying a program that not only focuses on dieting, but also includes adequate cardiovascular activity and weight training.

If you are already very muscular, and you just want lose a little body fats, then a fat loss program that includes regular cardiovascular activity and weight training is perfect for you. The best way to get ripped and maintain as much muscle as you can is to diet slowly. The truth is, when you are on a low calorie diet, your body prefers to use muscle tissue for fuel rather than excess body fat. So, the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are losing fat and not muscle.

Ideally, you should aim to lose no more than 1lb - 1.5 lbs per week that's it.

If you are obese, then you should try to lose no more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. Any more than that and you are sacrificing muscle.

Women do tend to lose fat at a slower rate than men, but don't let this discourage you. Women simply store fat more efficiently than men because it is needed during and after pregnancy. As your body fat levels drop, you will notice that the fat loss comes off in reverse of how it was put on. So, the most recent fat gains will come off first, while the old fat that has been there for a while will take the longest to lose.

The most difficult fat to lose usually centers around the waist, belly and lower back areas for men, and the upper thigh and buttocks, area for women. The fat in these areas are the most difficult to totally get rid of. These areas are comprised of mostly brown adipose tissue (fat). This type of fat is difficult to lose because the low blood flows in these areas hinder the fat mobilization. So, if the fat can't be moved into the bloodstream to be used as fuel, those love handles will never go away.

That's why thermogenic agents like ephedrine and blood thinning supplements like aspirin help to improve fat loss - they increase circulation into these hard to reach areas and mobilize the stubborn fat.

Remember that you cannot spot reduce! What I mean by this is that you can't pick and choose the areas that you would like to lose the fat and do exercises that work those areas expecting the fat to just magically disappear in those areas. Your body does not work that way. The only way to decrease the amount of fat in certain key areas is by lowering your total body fat levels. As you lose fat, it will come off all over your body, not just in specific areas.

If you follow a complete diet and weight training program for at least 12 weeks, you will begin to see dramatic changes occurring with your body, and I'm not just talking about the obvious physical changes, I'm also talking about the psychological and physiological changes. You can expect lower body fat (of course), increased muscle mass, increased metabolism, increased sense of well-being, more energy, lower bad cholesterol level, increased good cholesterol level, decreased risk of heart disease, deeper more restful sleep and most important, increased self-confidence.

To be successful, your fat loss program should include the following:

* A calorie restrictive diet, which requires you to eat no less than 10x and no more than 15x

* Regular cardiovascular activity for at least 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week.

Some recommend a moderate pace while other recommends a vigorous pace – it doesn't really matter as long as you are exercising.

* Weight training.

* Supplementing your diet with vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Vitamin C, L-glutamine, and a good multi vitamin are the bare essentials.

* Adequate dietary fat, including high amounts of Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-6 and Omega-3).

Finally, make sure that the program you decide on is compatible with your lifestyle and schedule. You can have the greatest program in the world, but if you cannot implement it then it is worthless. There are thousands of fat loss diets and workouts that will work, but the hard part is finding one that works for you and the specifics of your diet and schedule restraints.

A WORD ON CONSISTENCY

Ok, so you want the secret to fat loss? Well, here it is: CONSISTENCY. You can have the best diet, the best training schedule, join the best gym that has the best equipment, but without consistency it's all worthless.

Over the past years, I've talked to hundreds of people who have successfully transformed their physique. Though most of them trained in totally different ways, there was one common denominator that appeared throughout each success story: Day in and day out, they followed their pre-determined plan, consistently without fail. There are many paths to your goal but you will never reach it unless you consistently put one foot in front of the other. You must find the determination and drive within yourself to see this through. If not now, then when?

In the grand scheme of your life, can you afford a slight inconvenience to create a fantastic physique -- or will you continue to be an 'Average Joe' for 80 more years! Which sounds more inconvenient to you?

I can see it's easy to make excuses; after all, I used to do the same thing.

Don't get caught up in this. The truth is, the hardest part any training routine is getting started. You've got to break your old habits and make new paths for yourself. If I can do this, anyone can. The only thing that separates me from most other people, is the fact that once I decide on a goal, I will not stop until I reach it. It's that simple.

Gaining muscle or losing fat, like anything in life, is a simple matter of staying focused and being consistent. Fortunately, it's never too late to get started because I started when I'm in my late 20s, and you will thank yourself a few months down the road. Remember that saying, 'Do what you've always done, and you will get what you've always gotten'. Now, read it again.

Question from someone who ever ask me in a gym where I work.

Q: I am slightly overweight female who has a good amount of cellulite on my upper legs and rear. Is it possible to get rid of this?

My answer to her: 

A: For women, lower body fat and cellulite are very common problems. Unfortunately, it is an area in which the fat stored there has very little circulation. In other words, the lack of blood vessel activity in those areas make it very difficult for the body to move that fat into the bloodstream where it can be used as fuel by the body. The only non-surgical way to remove the cellulite is to simply go on a long-term fat loss program. To begin to see a reduction in these areas, you will have to get your body fat levels down to around 16-18%.

ABDOMINAL TRAINING FACTS

It's time to let you know and learn the facts about abdominal training!

It's time to get real. You may have heard this many times before, but until you believe it in your heart and soul; I believe that it is worth repeating:

No amount of weird exercises or machines will magically reveal your abs. The ONLY way to reveal your abs is to lose that layer of fat covering them. Now, the only way to lose the abdominal fat is by consistent dieting and cardiovascular exercise and crunches period. All those odd hanging, leg twisting, body contorting exercises are no better than simple crunches.

"Abs are not made in the gym, they are made in the KITCHEN!"

The big problem is that intellectually, many people totally agree. However, emotionally it does not click. I know this because day after day I see people doing marathon abdominal work in the gym. They do four or five different exercises. They think the more they do, the more defined their abs will become. They try to target the upper, lower, inner and outer, left, right, etc. Give me a break.

They do tons of weighted side bends trying to get rid of the love handles.

Here's a news flash -- It won't work. You cannot spot reduce! What I mean by this is that you can't pick and choose the areas that you would like to lose the fat and do exercises that work those areas expecting the fat to just magically disappear in those areas.

Your body does not work that way. The only way to decrease the amount of fat in certain key areas is by lowering your total body fat levels. As you lose fat, it will come off all over your body, not just in specific areas.

It's kind of interesting to watch sometimes. They have the right motivation, but they are doing the wrong things. If they expended 1/2 the energy on their diet as they do doing rep after rep of hanging leg raises, they would already have their six pack. Developing a visible set of abs is simple.

Abs development can be boiled down to a few simple steps

First, go on a fat loss diet.

If you have a high body fat percentage, the abs won't show no matter how much you work. Once your body fat falls below 8% for men, or 14% for women, your abs will begin to show through.

Your diet should consist of higher protein intake, moderate fat and moderate complex carbohydrate. You should cut out all excess simple sugars, lower your dairy intake and eliminate excess saturated fats. The majority of your dietary fat should come from essential fatty acids (EFA's -- omega-6 and omega-3).

To lose fat you need to eat fewer calories. You should create a mild caloric deficit when dieting. In other words, you should be using more calories than you are taking in from your diet. This way, your body has to get the extra calories it needs from fat stores (hopefully). I say hopefully because if you drop your calories too drastically, your body may prefer to use muscle tissue for energy instead of fat. This is why many people who go on fad diets look so soft. They lose almost as much muscle mass as fat those drastic diets.

Second, start exercising aerobically.

Perform some form of cardiovascular exercise on a regular basis -- at least 3 times per week. It doesn't matter what you do (walking, running, cycling, aerobics, stair stepper, etc.), as long as it keeps your heart rate elevated for at least 30-45 minutes. This will speed your fat loss by elevating your metabolism, thus burning more calories.

Finally, work your abs 2-3 times per week.

Work your abs like any other body part. Training them more than once or twice per week is unnecessary. More is not necessarily better. I typically do only two different abdominal exercises. The first is the simple crunch (yes, crunches) and reverse crunches. That's it.

Contraction is everything when working abs. Remember that your abs work like an accordion, not like a hinge. So when doing crunches, you should concentrate on crunching together rather than moving your body upwards. This will maximize muscle tension.

You must concentrate on contracting your muscles as tight as you can. This will cause them to fatigue faster. It does not matter how many reps you can do; the only thing that matters is how hard you can contract your abdominal muscles.

If it takes you 100 crunches before your abs begin to burn, then you are wasting your time. Your abs should be fatigued at no more than 20-25 reps. If they are aren't, you need to add weights to your exercise and work on contracting the muscles tightly for each rep. Don't concentrate so much on "how many" you can do, but instead focus on "how hard" you can contract the abdominal muscles

Contrary to popular belief (another myth), doing full sit-ups, lying leg raises or hanging leg raises DOES NOT give your abdominals the best workout. In fact, these exercises work your hip flexor muscles (psoas major) much more than your abs!

Remember, the most effective exercises for working the abs must involve a "scrunching" type contraction, like an accordion.

WEIGHT TRAINING ROUTINE

WEIGHT TRAINING SPILTS

One-Day-On, One-Day-Off

With this split you work half your body on one day, take the next day off, and work the remaining half on the third day.

There are several ways to split the body. Dorian Yates, in his excellent book “Blood And Guts”, stated that on day one he worked chest, back and deltoids. On day three he worked legs, biceps and triceps. I would concur in that this is a logical split for both synergistic results and the equal division of workout time.

Three-Days-On, One-Day-Off

A majority of pros utilize this routine but it requires excellent recuperation. Dorian Yates states that “there was no way I felt I could recuperate after going three days in a row 100 percent all out on every exercise every workout”.

Remember, though, that most people don’t train at Dorian’s level of intensity, and many great bodybuilders have gotten great results with this routine. As an example, Lee Haney used this routine.

In my opinion, I would only use this routine for a short period of time to avoid overtraining. The most popular split of this routine is Chest and Arms on day one. Legs on day two, and Back and Shoulders on day three. Lee Haney supported the “Push Pull Principle” ,the Lee Haney split is as follows:

• Day 1: Biceps and Chest (AM), Triceps, Calves & Abs (PM)
• Day 2: Front Thigh (AM), Hams (PM)
• Day 3: Back & Abs (AM), Delts & Calves (PM)

Two-Days-On, One-Day-Off, One-Day-On, One-Day-Off

• Day One: Chest and Arms
• Day Two: Legs
• Day Three: Off
• Day Four: Back and Shoulders
• Day Five: Off

Five-Day-Split

This program was developed by “Health for Life”. This company is highly recommended in that they produce excellent quality products and services. As you can see, with this routine you train three days on, take a day off, train again for two days, and take another day off. You continue to rotate your training days, which means it will take you three weeks to complete the full cycle.

• “L” Day: Legs and Abs
• “B” Day: Back and Biceps
• “C” Day: Chest, Delts and Triceps

Routine Summary

The following are a listing of the training splits presented thus far. I’ve summarized them in table form and have listed them from easy to hard.

Training Splits	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
3 Day	on	off	on	off	on	off	off
4 Day	on	on	off	on	on	off	off
1 on, 1 off	on	off	on	off	on	off	on
3 on, 1 off	on	on	on	off	on	on	on
2 on, 1 off 1 on, 1 off	on	on	off	on	off	on	on
5 Day	L	B	C	off	L	B	off
	C	L	B	off	C	L	off
	B	C	L	off	B	C	off

The three day, four day, and one-on, one-off routines can be considered beginning to intermediate training splits.

The last three splits are advanced with the three-on, one-off being the most rigorous. Regardless of the training split that you use, you must change your workouts regularly.

Most importantly, you need to train instinctually, and know when you are beginning to over-train and back off. 


This routine is appropriate for those who want to increase their muscle strength and bulking it up.
All names mention in this articles are professional bodybuilders who I love to read about their training routine to help me in my career as a personal trainer.

SETTING GOALS

Knowing what goals we want to achieve is not difficult. Often, the hard part is setting the right goals that will provide direction and sustain our levels of persistence in the long run. How do we set goals that drive us to reach our final destination?

Use the SMART guideline to help you set effective goals:

S- Specific
Goals must be stated in specific, behavioural terms, within a certain time frame. Instead of simply saying "I want to win" or " I will do my best", define the standard of success as detailed as possible. Begin with the long-term goal you want to achieve. Next, think of mid-term goals that will lead you to your long-term goal. Finally, think of some immediate short-term goals that you can focus on achieving. 

M- Measurable
Goals should be measurable & observable, in order to guide effective behavior change. For eg, I want to complete ___ pull-ups in 1 min.

A- Action-oriented
Develop daily action plans that can be implemented during training. Based on the short-term goals, simple plans indicating how to perform the desired actions can be designed.

R- Realistic
Strike a balance between challenging goals & achievable goals. Goals that are unrealistic and too difficult to achieve will lead to frustration and loss of confidence. It is important to consider the capability and commitment level of the individual.

T- Timely
Timely feedback to monitor the progress of performance is important. Regular evaluations will help to review the effectiveness of goals set and the rate of successful progress.

7 Factors that will help to reach your Achievements.......

Setting Goals Factor

You can’t get achievement without a goal.

Accountability Factor

Personal Trainer will keep you accountable to ensure your achievement is maximized

Nutritional Guidance Factor

More than half of your achievement will depend on what, when and how you eat.

Program Design Factor

“Tailored” program to suit your needs and achievement

Motivation Factor

Additional & proper motivation can make the difference between achievement & failure.

Technique Factor

With proper technique optimal achievement can be made with less risk of injuries

Consistency Factor

With consistency, achievement is just a step away.

Personal trainer will help you to reach your achievements.

WHY CAN'T YOU GAIN WEIGHT?

Though there may be many reasons why you may be thin, the most apparent reason is because of your genetics. If your parents are naturally thin or have a small body frame, then you will most likely have the same small body type.

To some degree, your size can also be controlled by your metabolism. If you haven a difficult time gaining weight of any kind (fat or muscle) then you most likely have a fast metabolism. That simply means that your body burns calories at a faster than normal rate. You must take this into account whenever you are considering a particular diet or training program. Is it geared towards someone with your metabolism and goal?

Though much of the information cover here is not as "magical" as you may like, consider these rules to be the basics with regard to weight gain. These are not all of the answers, but they are definite elements that must be addressed in any successful weight gain program.

You should be able to easily integrate these rules into your current program to make it more suitable for your particular body and goals.

GENERAL RULES

1. Get the proper information that pertains to your SPECIFIC condition and goals.

The first big problem in most people is the lack of correct information.

Yes you are motivated and doing things, but your effort is wasted on incorrect dieting and training information. Basically, skinny guys are taking advice from people who have never had a weight gain problem. Want to know how to gain weight? Then find someone who has walked your shoes, someone who has been where you are.

2. Set a specific goal and create a plan of attack

If you were to drive cross country to another city, would you just start driving randomly, or would you plan a route that would get you quickly and efficiently?

Think of your plan as a road map and your goal as your destination. Without a plan and a specific goal you will be without focus and can easily get lost or side tracked. This happens more often than you know. Many people in the gym just doing whatever, or just eating whatever -- no plan or specific goal.

They wonder why they don't make progress. They have no focus.

Having a specific program to follow allows you to take action each day. This action is focused on specifically getting you to your destination quickly. There is no thinking, debating or guessing. You just do it. A specific plan provides necessary daily structure that not only keeps you on the road moving forward, it also helps to develop good eating and training habits that will benefit you long after you have reached your destination.

3. Have confidence in yourself and belief in what you are doing.

Let’s face it; we live in a cruel world. Hate and jealously is everywhere. For most people who begin a fitness program to improve themselves, getting started will be half the battle. The other half will be staying motivated throughout the constant onslaught of negativity from others. A few negative words can do serious damage if you allow it.

The most insulting things you hear may be from friends, co-workers and acquaintances at the gym. People hate change. It makes them insecure, because they suddenly discover there’s more to you than they were probably willing to admit. They fear that you may actually achieve your goal. It makes them look less “superior”.

Once you have begun your plan, you must have faith and believe in what you are doing. Stay focused and avoids overly critical or negative people. If you have to, keep your business to yourself. When I first began my program, I stopped talking about what I was doing because I got tired of hearing things like “you can’t do that”, “that’s impossible”, “you’re wasting your time and money”. Funny thing is, now those people are constantly bugging me for advice.

It’s your life. It’s your body. It’s your dream. Don’t allow your success or failure to rest in the hands of others.

WORKOUT RULES

4. Stop listening to every ridiculous piece of advice someone gives you in the gym.

Recently a client of mine informed me that someone in the gym stated that he was training all wrong and he needed to train 5-6 days a week, and aim for more reps during his workout. Somewhere in the range of 15-20 reps per set.

The person giving the advice was quite confident about his recommendations, and he had an impressive physique that typically elevates him to the elusive "listen to me if you want to look like me" level in the gym. He was bigger than my client, so even though my client's "intellectual" mind knows that that advice is absurd; his "unrealistic dreamer" mind took this information very seriously. So seriously that he changed his program and didn't inform me until a week or so later. This particular person had been making great progress on his current program, yet he allowed this one person’s comment to overshadow that progress and convince him that his program was inadequate. This is a mistake and it showed in his lack of further progress.

In addition, don't judge the validity of what a person says by how they look. Just because the guy is huge doesn't mean he is spewing pertinent advice for you. Many people that have big physiques are big despite of their training, not because of it. I know some huge guys that know very little about training and dieting correctly. They can do whatever and still gain muscle; unfortunately we are not that way, so we much approach things in a more intelligent way.

5. Workout Infrequently

This is the most difficult concept for many to grasp simply because it involves less action, instead of more. When we get motivated and start a new program, it’s natural to want to do something. We want to train and train and train. Thinking all along that the more you train, the more muscle you will build. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth.

More training does not equal more muscle growth. Understand that the purpose of weight training is to stimulate muscle growth. That takes very little time. Once that has been done, the muscle needs to be repaired and new muscle needs to be built. That only happens when you are resting. You do not build muscle in the gym, you build muscle when resting! If you never give your body any essential “non active” time, when will it have a chance to build muscle? Think about that.

Now, add in the fact that you have a difficult time gaining weight and the importance of rest increases. Individuals who are naturally thin and have difficulty building muscle tend to require less training and more rest.

6. Focus on Multi-Jointed Lifts

Multi-jointed exercises are those that stimulate the most amounts of muscle fibers. Unlike isolation exercises which only work individual muscles, multi-jointed lifts work many different muscle groups simultaneously. For those needing to gain weight, this is ideal because these lifts put your body under the most amount of stress. This is the stress that will shock your nervous system and cause the greatest release of muscle building hormones. This results in increased muscle gain all over the body.

You can still do some isolation work; however it should not be the focus of your workouts, and should only come after your multi-jointed lifting is complete.

7. Focus on Using Free Weights

Free weights are preferred over machines for many reasons, but most importantly because they allow the stimulation of certain supporting muscle groups when training. Stimulating these stabilizer and synergistic muscles will allow you go get stronger, and ultimately build more muscle faster. Yes, some can most likely still build large amounts of muscle using machines, but why make it more difficult if you already have a difficult time gaining weight?

8. Lift a weight that is challenging for you

Building mass involves lifting relatively heavy weight. This is necessary because the muscle fibers that cause the most amount of muscle size growth (called Type IIB) are best stimulated by the lifting of heavy weight. A heavy weight as one that only allows you to perform 4-8 reps before your muscles fail.

Using a lighter weight and doing more reps can stimulate some Type IIB fibers, but again if you have a difficult time gaining weight, why make it more difficult? You need to try and stimulate as many as you can with the use of heavy weights.

9. Focus more on the eccentric portion of the exercise.

When you lift a weight, it can be divided into three distinct periods, the positive, the negative and midpoint. The concentric or “positive” motion usually involves the initial push or effort when you begin the rep. The midpoint is signaled by a short pause before reversing and returning to the starting position. The eccentric or “negative” portion of each lift is characterized by your resistance against then natural pull of the weight.

For example, when doing push-ups, the positive motion is the actual pushing up motion. Once you have pushed all the way up, you hit the mid point. The negative motion begins when you start to lower yourself back down. Most would simply lower themselves as fast as they pushed up, but I recommend extending and slowing down this portion. Slowing down the eccentric part of the lift will help to stimulate more muscle growth. It actually activates more of the Type IIB fibers mentioned about in Rule 7.

10. Keep your workout short but intense.

Your goal should be to get in, stimulate your muscles and then get out as quickly as possible. It is not necessary to do large amounts of exercisers per body part trying to target every muscle and hit every “angle”. This should only be a concern of someone with an already developed, mature physique who is trying to improve weak areas.

If you have no pecs, don’t concern yourself with trying to target inner, outer, upper, lower or whatever. Just work your chest. You should do no more than 2-3 exercises per body part. That’s it. Doing more than that won’t build more muscle, faster. In fact it could possibly lead to muscle loss. Long training sessions cause catabolic hormone levels to rise dramatically. Catabolic hormones are responsible for breaking down muscle tissue resulting in MUSCLE LOSS. While at the same time, long training sessions suppress the hormones that actually build muscle.

If you don’t want to lose muscle during your workouts, I suggest limiting your sessions to no more than 60-75 minutes MAXIMUM. Less if you can.

11. Limit your aerobic activity and training

Honestly, I do not do any aerobic activity when I am trying to gain weight. This is mainly because it interferes with the important “non-active” time my body needs for muscle building and recovery. I do understand that people have lives and other activities that they don't want to give up, so it must be kept to a minimum. It won’t hurt your progress as long as you don’t over do it. If you find that you are doing more aerobic activity weight training, that’s overdoing it.

I also don’t recommend it because people tend do it for the wrong reasons. Many start aerobic activity because they believe it will help them to lose fat. While that is true, it won’t do so on a high calorie mass diet. To lose fat, you need to be eating fewer calories.

12. Don’t program hop

Here’s how it usually happens. You’ve just read about a new exercise or workout that is supposed to pack on the mass. Now, even though you had already started another training program a few weeks ago, you are tired of it and really want to start this routine instead because it sounds better.

I call these people, “program hoppers”. They are very enthusiastic when starting a new program, but they never follow it long enough to actually see any results. They are easily distracted and love to drop whatever they may be doing to follow the latest "hot" workout or exercise. My advice is don’t do it. This is a bad habit that never leads to a positive outcome. Understand that it takes time for any program to work. To be successful, you must follow your program consistently. Yes, there are many different training methods and interesting routines out there, but you can’t do them all at the same time and jumping around won’t allow enough time for any of them to actually be effective for you. Pick one that is focused on your current goal and stick with it. There will be plenty of time to try the others later, but NOT NOW.

EATING RULES

13. Eat more

This rule is pretty simple, but usually the one that is not done correctly. If weight gain is your goal, then you will need to eat more food. Period. In most cases, you will need to eat more than you are normally accustomed to.

One large problem that I had when starting out is I just had no appetite. I knew

I needed to eat more, but I just did not want to. I had to force myself to eat at each meal. Thankfully, after about 2 weeks, my appetite grew. I was becoming hungry before each meal, and if I didn't eat my meal at the normal time, my body knew it.

If you have this problem, you still must eat something, no matter how much.

Start off making yourself eat something small like fruit every few hours. Then, as your appetite becomes more active, gradually move into more real food.

What this will do is gradually get your body accustomed eating at regular intervals. Eventually you will be hungry before each meal time.

When eating more, you will need to make sure that you are getting plenty of good quality protein. Protein is a nutrient that is essential for building muscle. Every meal that you eat should contain some form of protein. Meal Replacement Powders like Myoplex are excellent for this purpose. They enable you to eat large amounts of good quality protein in a very convenient manner.

14. Eat more often

In addition to eating more calories, you should also strive to eat more often throughout the day. Eating infrequently, or going long periods without eating, will cause your body to breakdown muscle tissue for the calories it needs. This is especially true for those with fast metabolisms.

Spreading your meals throughout the day will give you more manageable meal sizes, improve nutrient assimilation, and make sure that your body always has the calories it needs for muscle building and repair. I recommend eating a high protein meal every 3 hours. During normal waking hours, that usually equals about 6 meals.

Now, I know what you are saying, “I’m too busy to do this”, or “how can I do that with a full time job and school?” Don’t let the thought of this being too difficult keep you from doing it. It may seem very inconvenient at first, but once you get in the habit of doing it, it becomes second nature and you don’t have to give it much thought. Trust me, I’ve been doing it for years and do not feel that it’s limiting or time consuming.

15. Use Nutritional Supplements.

Before you buy any product, remember that supplements are not magic. Too many people think that just because you buy the latest product, it guarantees that you will automatically begin to pack on the pounds. The truth is that supplements are only there to enhance an already solid diet and workout program.

They can give you the extra edge by:

* Adding More Convenience: Using food supplements like Myoplex or Precision Protein help to eliminate the common problem of 'not enough time', by providing you with a quick, efficient way to get your required nutrients each day. They make eating large amounts of calories and protein easier for people with low appetites.

* Increasing Strength Levels: Products that contain Creatine, like Phosphagen HP or Riboforce enable you to swing the odds of gaining more weight in your favor by increasing your strength output. Creatine enables you to lift heavier weights, which will stimulate more muscle fibers and cause more muscle growth.

* Decreasing Recover Time: Using certain vitamin and amino acid supplements help to minimize the negative side effects of weight training and speed your recovery.

Vitamin C is essential to prevent free radical damage, which is accelerated after the heavy trauma of weight training. It is also essential is helping to repair connective tissue. All of this helps decrease the amount of time you are sore.

* Enhancing Your Immune System: Weight training increases the body's need for many minerals like magnesium and selenium. I always use a good multi-vitamin ensures that I am not deficient in any major essential vitamin or mineral. Deficiency symptoms include muscle weakness and suppression of the immune system, muscle cramping and fatigue.

Glutamine is an amino acid that is used to strengthen your immune system and preserve lean muscle tissue during low calorie periods. I make sure to get plenty of glutamine because my body can use glutamine to convert into energy instead of muscle tissue.

* Increasing Your Body’s Production of Muscle Building Hormones: Certain supplements like EAS ZMA HP have proven to increase your body’s natural testosterone production. More testosterone equals more muscle.

I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide. I simply don't have the time or desire to do it any other way. This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Yes, but I have to be honest and say that from my experience, gaining weight is much more difficult than losing fat. Even if you are doing everything right, it will still be difficult because you are fighting against what your body naturally prefers. If you are naturally thin, building an impressive physique involves persistence and determination, but no matter what anyone says, it is well within your ability.