Category: Exercise

There is a lot of exercise equipment and exercise machines out there, and it seems like more are being added regularly. I don’t plan on doing a review of too many on this site as I don’t use them.

If you have a home gym or are putting one together, don’t get too carried away with equipment in the beginning.  Maybe even never. My recommendations for a simple home guy are

• exercise ball
• adjustable dumbbells
• chin up bar
• treadmill
• cables (optional)

The treadmill is an option but I like it a lot. I prefer to run outside but there are plenty of days here in Ohio when that is just not feasible. I use a Wii program when I run on the treadmill and I will talk about that in a future post.

An exercise ball is not a gimmick and I highly recommend one. I also feel a chin up bar is a must if your goal is developing strength and muscle and is overlooked a lot by home exercisers.

A good set of exercise cables gives you a  variety of exercises and is a good investment.

I’ve been asked about the abs belt. You know, the one that says you wear it while watching t.v. and it tightens your ab muscles? Right.

There are weight machines such as the Nautilus and Bowflex and  the Total Gym and others.  I like the looks of these and I would think they might be worth a look if someone is interested but I would try them out first before making an investment. The thing about them is they do require you  to work so that’s a good thing. The amount of space they take is a downside to many of us.

7 Reasons Why Your Muscles Stop Growing

Have ever wondered why your muscles stopped growing after a few months of training even though you are training very hard? Here are 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing and how to get your muscle to grow again.

• You are training too hard – Every time when you train your muscles intensely, you are actually breaking down your muscles. So your muscles need to recover from the damages you inflicted on them. So train each muscle group only once or at most twice a week.

• You are training too long – Keep your workout intense but do not workout more than an hour each time. After 45 minutes of intensive training, your cortisol level will increase. This hormone is known to destroy muscle cells.

• You are sleeping too little – You need to sleep more for good muscle growth. Your muscles grow when you sleep. So sleep more than 8 hours a day and watch those muscles growing fast.

• You are abusing alcohol – Alcohol is known to break down muscle mass plus many other body destruction ability.

• You do not change your workout routine – You must change your workout routine every 6-8 weeks. Your muscles adapt to your routine and stops growing.

• You do not progressively overload your muscles – You must try to increase your reps or weight every time you next train a particular muscle group. Otherwise, there is no reason for your muscles to grow.

• You do not eat sufficient protein – If you want to build bigger muscles, you must eat more protein. Protein is the building block for your muscles. It is recommended that you need 1 gram of protein per pound of your body weight equivalent. If not enough protein is consumed with your normal diet, do supplement with protein shakes.

There you are, the 7 reasons why your muscles stopped growing even though you are training hard. There are many more methods on how to grow your muscles bigger but these 7 reasons and how to overcome them will be sufficient for an average bodybuilding beginner.

I thought you might be interested in this, especially since Christmas is coming up. Makes a great gift.

Whether you are or not, I would urge you to go to the site as there is a section that will show you some exercises you may not have thought of.

Going to the gym for some fitness exercise and training should only have one main purpose- to stay fit and healthy through exercise. Going to the gym should be trying to achieve that purpose and nothing else. But sadly, there are certain mistakes that many people going to the gym make that can keep them from fulfilling this purpose. There are certain mistakes that even experienced gym rats make that prevent them from getting the very best benefits that going to the gym offers. Here are some of them:

Socializing at the Gym
True, it can be easy to get to know a lot of people while visiting their neighborhood gym. But the mistake that they make is that many tend to focus more on socializing with friends and other gym members instead of trying to keep fit. It seems that a lot of gym members may have the wrong notion of going to the gym if it is socializing they?re after. The gym may be a good and ideal venue to meet up with other people who are also eager in eventually getting fit and healthy, it isn?t really what the gym?s purpose is. One should try to keep their socializing at the gym in check because it can just as easily prevent one from using the gym to the utmost advantage to stay fit.
(more…)

In following an exercise and training regimen, it is important that certain guidelines be followed in order to get more effective results. Knowing about exercise and training basics will provide the basis on what and what may not be considered as good practice in the training regimen. Here are some of the general training guideline basics to keep you properly guided fitness-wise.

Cardio Exercise And Training Cardio training programs help strengthen the heart muscles as well as the lungs. Not only will such training do that, it will also help in improving a person?s endurance. Cardio training can also help the body burn calories more efficiently which in turn aids in losing weight. But not all cardio training programs can be ideal for everyone. It can usually be set according to a person?s personal fitness level and would vary from person to person.
(more…)