Thursday, December 9, 2010

5 Tips to Supercharge Your Weight Training Progress

Use these 5 powerful tips to supercharge your weight training progress. Don’t start lifting weights before you read this!
Weight Training Tip #1 – Eat Well
When you engage in weight training it is necessary to be very intentional and consistent with your eating and meal frequency. Before you start working out, if you haven’t been doing so, make sure you eat 6 meals per day. Your body requires the necessary stored nutrients at its disposal to fuel your training and for recovery. Don’t just show up in the gym one day without thinking about nutrition! You diet is just as if not more anabolic then training.
Weight Training Tip #2 – Prepare Your Mind For Success
Packing on muscle mass is going to be hard work and you should know that up front. That is what I love about the No-Nonsense Muscle Building program. Vince doesn’t sugarcoat the fact that it’s going to require a lot of discipline, consistency, and dedication to your training and nutrition program if you want to reach your goals.
So get excited about eating and training because you are going to be building a better you. It’s as much a lifestyle change as it is building a healthier, stronger, and more muscular you. Clear any negative thoughts from your mind and start to embrace change.
It’s important that you work hard, but don’t try to rush success. Set yourself achievable goals so that when you reach your goal weight or size you are no longer doubting yourself if you can actually do it.
Weight Training Tip #3 – Strength Training The First 3 Weeks
Even if your primary goal is to gain weight and muscle mass, it would still be a good idea to engage in strength training for the first 3 weeks, lifting in the 10-12 reps range, until you have learned how to perform each exercise with proper weight lifting form. This will allow your body to build a solid foundation and help you establish muscle memory with regard to proper technique.
After 3 weeks or more of strength training you can engage in mass training, where the goal is to use a weight that is heavy enough that you can only successfully complete about 6 reps. It is a lot of hard work and you will be glad that you first took the time to build a proper foundation.
Weight Training Tip #4 – Get As Much Sleep As Your Body Needs
You are going to feel exhausted during the first few weeks of your weight training program. This is normal as an intense training program is very taxing on your body, and your system will respond to mass training by becoming bigger and stronger. Most of the muscle repair and growth takes place while you are sleeping, so make sure you listen to your body and get sufficient sleep.
Weight Training Tip #5 – Design A Solid Weight Training Program
All of your efforts may be in vain if you use an inefficient training program. There are various factors which can inhibit muscle gains, so you want to ensure every component of your weight training program is designed to achieve your desired results. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you design a weight training program that will build muscle yourself.
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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

10 Tasty High Calorie Snacks for Weight Gain

High calorie snacks are great but it’s best to have a well thought out eating regimen, so you can plan and prepare your meals for the week. However, we’ve all had those times where we get away from our plan or fail to prepare a meal and we need something quick to maintain our caloric intake. Below are some suggestion for snacks you can have when you can’t get to, or don’t have time for a real meal. With that said, please keep in mind the importance of consuming regular balanced meals. I suggest using high calorie snacks like these to fill in the gaps.
Breakfast cereal – Cereal is a great tasting high calorie snack that you can take and eat almost anywhere; just remember to also pack some fruit and nuts. A 50 gram serving will give you about 185 calories. Some cereals can be full of added sugar and don’t offer much in the way of nutritional value, so instead you should go for a healthy cereal option like Special K. Check to see if the cereal contains ingredients like whole grains, oats, and has 13 grams or less of sugar, per serving. Also, who says it’s suitable to eat only for breakfast? You can have it anytime of the day, it makes a great night time snack.
Meal replacement shake – These are great and many different companies make shakes like these. Some of these meal replacements come in a powder form that you mix with water or milk; while others are already in a liquid form that you can drink whenever you’re ready. All of them usually have a good balance of all the macronutrients you need to support healthy nutrition.
Protein bars – Weightlifters have a notorious reputation for always munching on these or stocking their bags with these bars. I recommend trying a few different brands until you settle on a product that taste great, can be easily chewed and digested, and has sufficient calories and protein.
Granola bars – These are much cheaper than protein bars and sometimes they can be just as effective. Just compare the nutritional panel on each of them and find a bar that meets your needs.
How about a smoothie – You can make smoothies at home and take them with you or if you live in a city like New York with at least 2 delis on most city blocks, you can get someone else to whip you up one in a jiffy. Most of the shops or juice bars that make smoothies usually have some protein powder on hand and a bunch of other stuff that you might not have otherwise considered adding to your smoothie.
Ice Cream or a milk shake – Very tasty and plenty of calories in the form of carbohydrates, protein and fat. I suggest choosing a brand that is lower in cholesterol and saturated fat.
Bananas – This fruit is a good source of potassium, quick calories, and fiber. You can find bananas almost anywhere in the world, and at anytime. Have a couple bananas when you can’t get to a full meal.
Yogurt – Not only is yogurt full of protein; it’s a very valuable snack because of the active cultures (good bacteria) it contains. These cultures have been known to improve your digestive system and support a healthy immune system. When you’re shopping for yogurt be sure to read the label and only buy brands that contain

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3000 Calorie Weight Gain Diet Plan

The following is a which is suitable for a 150 pound person who wants to go on a bulking up diet to gain 5-10lb of lean muscle mass.
If you find that you are not putting on any weight in a couple of weeks then you probably have an especially fast metabolism and would need to increase your caloric intake by an extra 300-500 calories.
On workout days, it would be the same meal plan, except that you would also take a weight gain protein shake for the post-workout meal to makeup for the calories you burned during the training session.
6:00 am Breakfast: 6 Egg Omelet
6 eggs, whole
1 cup of mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of onions, thinly sliced
1 cup of green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups low-fat chocolate milk
9:00 am Snack: Banana Oat Weight Gain Shake
2 cups low-fat milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup Quaker Oatmeal (cook with boiling water)
1 small banana
1 tablespoon honey
12:00 pm Lunch
1 baked potato
150 grams of canned tuna
salad with low fat dressing
1 glass of orange juice
3:00 pm Snack: Grilled Chicken Sandwich
2 grilled chicken breasts
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 banana
6:00 pm Dinner
2 cups of cooked white rice
100 grams of grilled swordfish
1/2 cup of cooked vegetables
1 glass of water
9:00 pm Late Night Snack
2 cups cooked white rice
100 grams of chicken breast grilled
1 cup broccoli
Total Calories: 3082
As you would know, you need to be eating every 3 hours or so. To maximize the time you spend in the gym, no matter how hard you train, if you do not eat properly and supply the body with the necessary calories and nutrients, then ultimately you are stopping progress. That’s why bodybuilders attribute about 80 percent of their success to a “clean” diet.
However, although you now have a better idea of what a 3000 calorie diet plan looks like, in the case of failing to stick with an elaborate diet plan like suggested above, it would be advisable for beginners to follow these guidelines:
Do’s
Consume a small amount of protein at every meal. Eat meat, fish, eggs, poultry and dairy products. The body can only digest and absorb about 60 grams of protein at every meal, making it unnecessary to cram large amounts of it in one sitting.Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that are as natural as possible.Eat a little vegetable fat, such as seeds and nuts, which is useful for healthy nerves and skin.Take some form of vitamin supplement each day.Eat at least three times a day. Light meals are digested better and more effectively uses by the body.Drink a lot of water.
Dont’s
Eating highly processed food like fried chips and fast food which have a high sugar and fat content.Eating excessive amounts of animal fat (try to remove most of the fat from the meat or choose lean cuts).Drinking alcohol or carbonated drinks.Using too much salt or seasoning for salads, etc. --

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Monday, December 6, 2010

Weight Gainers

This article will discuss the characteristics of high quality and how to use them effectively in your weight gain diet to help achieve your goals.

One reason that some people don’t become successful and maintain consistency when trying to gain weight is because they hate the taste of the weight gain powder or drink they were consuming. If you don’t enjoy doing something then you will struggle with motivation. There are that many choices when it comes to picking there really is no excuse for not liking the one you use.

What Makes A Good Weight Gainer?

should taste good and be easy to consume. You may not think this is an important quality, but I don’t believe in punishing myself day after day by force feeding myself something that is difficult to swallow or that tastes horrible. Whether or not something tastes horrible is completely subjective, but building a better body should be an enjoyable process, and you should enjoy every part of your weight gain diet including your supplements.

Of course you can make yourself swallow something with the belief that it is going to be good for you in the long run, and many of us have done this, but the point is that there are enough brands of and flavors out there for you to find something that you enjoy consuming.

While we are talking about the qualities of a good weight gainer, let me stress the fact that a good weight gain supplement should dissolve well into water, milk, or whatever liquid medium you are using. Some people don’t mind this, but I absolutely hate trying to swallow any liquid that contains lumps of powder that haven’t been dissolved properly (those unexpected lumps are the worse).

I don’t always have the time to find a blender in the middle of the day to use to mix all the ingredients that goes into making weight gain shakes. So for my success it was very important to find supplements that taste great, and that can be easily and completely dissolved in a portable shaker cup.

should be easy to digest and not interfere with the rest of your diet. A good quality supplement should be formulated in a way so that your digestive system can easily break it down and absorb it for utilization. So it shouldn’t sit on your stomach for hours or make you feel sick to your stomach. It also shouldn’t give you excess gas or diarrhea.

In some cases when you start using a new weight gain supplement there is a period of adjustment that your body goes through as it gets used to the new product. But this adjustment period should not be prolonged and it shouldn’t lead to excess disturbances in your digestive system.

A good supplement should fit in well with the rest of your diet and eating plan and not stand out as something that makes you completely lose your desire for food. Some brands of protein powder can just sit on the stomach making you feel awful and unable to eat for the rest of the day. If any prevents you from your normal daily activities, including your training and nutrition program then get rid of it because it is counterproductive.

Choosing

Choosing the best weight gainer is one that will help you meet your daily caloric needs for gaining weight. However, don’t just consider the with impressive calorie numbers as some of the brands are filled with simple sugars and fats. Look at the protein and complex carb ratios and decide which supplement will work best for you. I am a big fan of Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer because in my opinion they set an industry standard, and exceed the aforementioned criteria.

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Is Cardio Counter-Productive To Weight Gain



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How To Increase Appetite

naturally? If you have nagging questions in your head about increasing your appetite enough to get all the calories you need to gain weight, the ways to increase appetite mentioned in this article will definitely help.

It’s no big secret that in order to gain weight you need to eat a lot. However, I’ve heard hardgainers complain that a lack of an appetite is what kept them from gaining muscle mass naturally, and I cringe every time I hear this. Even though weight gainers can be used to increase caloric intake in a convenient manner, simply increasing your appetite will make you pack on the pounds without the need to consume countless protein shakes.

Interestingly, a nutritional approach is not the only effective strategy to solve this problem, but it can’t be ignored. One of the keys to increasing appetite and feeling hungrier is to avoid foods which are slow to digest. When digestion is slow or sluggish, or your appetite is low, it is a sign that your digestion needs improving.

To stimulate appetite, try eating smaller quantities of food but eat more frequently through the day. The reason for this is that consuming excessive amounts in one sitting can be very hard on the digestive system. The body is required to expend too much energy and too many nutrients all at once.

Instead, if you stick to eating smaller meals at regular intervals, for example every 2-3 hours, by maintaining this regular eating schedule, your body will get used to eating at specific times of the day, and you should start to feel hungry at these times.

High fat highly processed foods are equally hard on the digestive system. The body has to provide energy and nutrients in order for these foods to digest, but it doesn’t get enough nutrients back in exchange because they have been processed out of the food.

Even though water is important for building muscle and re hydration, you should avoid drinking a lot of water or other fluids before meals as they make you feel full sooner.

Medical marijuana is also a proven method to increase appetite and is legal in some states in the U.S. THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, triggers the CB1 receptor in the brain. This receptor is responsible for stimulating hunger, hence increasing appetite. Generally medical marijuana is prescribed to cancer patients to help maintain a healthy weight, but anyone who wants to increase the appetite can benefit.

In 1997, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) hosted an expert panel to discuss the medical use of marijuana. The report of this panel has now been released to help physicians in discussing the benefits of medical marijuana with their patients. If you do choose to use marijuana as a natural way to increase appetite, make sure to eat it, do not smoke it.

While diet is an important part of increasing the appetite, an energetic approach tends to be a far more effective way to increase your appetite so you can gain weight. should be supported by a consistent weight training program. Every weight trainee will tell you that one of the biggest side effects of regular exercise is an increase in appetite.

When you increase the intensity of the exercise, you will increase the number of calories burnt, and your body will demand the energy and nutrients it desperately needs for growth and recovery, so its normal to feel hungrier with exercise. Make sure your body is ready before jumping straight into a training program straight away if you’re too thin.

If the goal is to gain healthy weight, the mass gaining program should keep cardiovascular exercise to a minimum and have a focus on mass training routines to build size. Only through dedication to training and diet can a person gain muscle, and figuring out how to increase your appetite to fuel your workouts is one thing you need to get right!

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Friday, December 3, 2010

Adding calories to diet to gain weight in a healthy way

For those who are in need of gaining weight you will only want to add 500-100 calories a day to the normal, recommended, diet. You will want to get with your doctor and a dietitian in order to have a good weight image. You will need to plan all your meals and your snacks so that you can control your portion sizes and calorie intake. There are many ways that you can add the calories, however, you should avoid the snack cakes and sweets in order to add calories. You will end up having too much sugar and it won’t keep your diet in check. Then you could end up having more fat additions then muscle additions.

You have snacks as a great way for you to add some calories to your diet. You will want to reach for healthy snacks. Things like fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers, bagels, and bran muffins will help you to add some calories. For example, you could have eight saltines with a slice of cheese on top. You could have a cup of cereal with a whole banana and milk. Bananas and peanut butter are a great way to enjoy your snacks and also bulk up in a healthy manner.

As for some of the foods that you incorporate into your diet, you will want to use breads that are whole-wheat, rye, or pumpernickel. Make sure that you get whole-grain, because the processed bread will only have a little bit of nutrition. If it’s not all that healthy for you, then you properly shouldn’t use it in your diet, especially breads with high sugars like white bread.

Some of the better fruits that you can have that are high in calories are bananas, pineapple, mangos, raisins, and even other dried fruits. Dried fruits tend to have more calories because their dehydration changes their nutrients and brings out a lot of the sugars. If you use canned fruit, then you will want to look at the type of syrup and choose light syrup. This way you get more sugar and calories, but you aren’t eating that much more in sugar.

You will also want to watch the veggies that you eat, as well as, the meats. You will need to consider healthier items, but you consider changing the way that you prepare your foods.  You will need to eat a lot of raw veggies, because that is when they are high in nutrients, but you will also want to use olive oil or canola when you are cooking the foods. This way you aren’t adding a lot of fat and calories to your meals, but you are adding enough to your diet to gain the weight or have energy for the workouts. As for meats you will want to choose leaner meats and not use saturated fats like butter in the preparation, because that would increase your cholesterol way too much.



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