Building Better Bodies Fitness

Yes, working out and spending time lifting weights can help you build muscle. If your eating habits are crap, though, it may counteract all the time you’re sweating it out in the gym. It’s important to combine the proper workout routine with a proper diet in order to build muscle.

Less Fat and More Protein

High protein, low fat foods such as boneless, skinless chicken breast, baked potato, green beans, and corn are all foods that can help keep your metabolism running efficiently.

Avoid Condiments

In moderation, condiments are fine, but avoid eating large quantities of ketchup, butter and cream-based sauces. Substitute these high fat condiments with lower fat condiments such as salsa and mustard.

Snacks

Fruits and vegetables are low calorie, low fat foods that can help contribute to your muscle building. High protein snacks can also include wheat thin crackers with a low fat cream cheese spread along with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruit combined with cottage cheese is another healthy snack option – all which help you to build muscles naturally.

Balancing your workout routine with a high protein diet is the best way to build muscle. Getting the right amount of protein also helps boost your energy level – promising a great workout.

Burning fat is not much of a fun experience for anyone. You may mentally sike yourself up for an hour a day routine at the gym moving from cardio machine to cardio machine, but in the end you either give up or go into a coma from boredom. A better fat burning option is using the High Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT

What is HIIT?

HIIT is several short, but hard exercises followed by short and less intensive exercises. Some of the benefits of HIIT are that it doesn’t take a lot of time to complete a workout and it doesn’t take a lot of time to start seeing the positive results. The drawback is that these types of workouts are tough.

Research studies reveal, however, that HIIT programs tend to burn nine times the number of calories burned in traditional cardio workouts. Shorter, more intense workouts with far better results than longer, more boring workouts; it seems like a fair tradeoff.

How HIIT Works

A HIIT workout causes the heart rate and energy consumption to spike, which triggers the release of huge amounts of growth hormone and other fat burning and muscle growing chemicals into the body. Intense workouts, such as HITT, also turn the metabolism on full blast, so a higher rate metabolism continues for several hours after your workout is over.

It’s not to say that HIIT is an easier way to lose weight and burn fat because it is intense. HIIT does, however, payoff faster and more effectively than any other type of cardio workout.

As I laced up my tennis shoes the other morning to head out for a run, I asked my girlfriend if she wanted to come with me. She scoffed at me and said something to the effect of, “I don’t run. Running is bad for your knees and back and stuff.”

Contrary to my girlfriend’s beliefs, running is one of the best exercises you can do. If you’re not much of a runner, per se, then walking is right up there as being good for your health and your body. Running and walking are two exercises that give pretty much your entire body a workout.

Not only does it work on your leg muscles, thighs, butt and more of your exterior parts, running is also good for your internal organs like your heart and lungs.

While it’s certainly acceptable to jump on the treadmill, running or walking in the great outdoors can do wonders for you too. If you always walk or run at the gym, try something new and jog in a park near your home or go a couple rounds at the local high school track instead. Your trusted treadmill will be there for you when you return, but switching up the location where you run or walk can keep the exercise slightly more exciting – making you more apt to continue to do it.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic formula you can use to create the perfect body building routine. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to create the most effective body building routine for you – a routine that blends your body’s needs with your schedule.

Overall Health

The first item to consider when creating your routine is your overall health. Are you physically fit or do you have health problems you need to consider before starting your routine? Your health determines what your body is capable of doing so understanding this upfront helps you to cater your workout to fit your health. Whether you’re physically fit or not, most health experts agree scheduling rest days into your body building routine is imperative.

Concentrates on Body Parts

Another important aspect of an effective body building routine is that the routine concentrates on specific body parts. While one day the routine may work on your upper body, the next day focuses on your lower body. Cardiovascular workouts should also be included throughout your routine. At least two days of rest should also be included each week.

Clearly Defined Goals

Another important part of your bodybuilding routine is setting specific goals. By setting goals, you have something to strive for and have a way of measuring your success (or failure) in reaching your goals. Your goals also dictate how to create your routine because someone who is trying to lose weight is going to have a different workout routine than someone who is trying to build body mass.

In order to create an effective body building routine, make sure your routine contains these three important aspects. Creating the right routine for you and your body depends on it and helps you to achieve your body building goals.

When training my clients and friends I always keep in mind that we don’t have a lot of extra time to devote to body maintenance and work outs. That is why I try to incorporate exercise routines that are short and to the point – to get in and out of the gym with the most bang for your buck and time. These exercise routines usually take less than an hour and will have you building muscle, burning fat and becoming physically fit. I try to incorporate at least one of the following training methods when helping my friends and clients.           

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) 

This method of training has been shown in countless scientific studies to be superior to the traditional hour long session of cardio training. One good way to do HIIT is by running as fast as you can for one full minute, either on the treadmill or outside. Follow this one-minute run by two minutes of walking. When the two minutes is up, run again as fast as you can for one minute and then walk again for another two minutes. Continue this routine for a full 30-minute session. Also remember to properly warm up for 3-5 minutes at the beginning and end. 

Circuit Routine

Circuit routines save time by having you use a circuit of various exercises. Using light to moderate weights, do about 15-20 repetitions and run through the circuit 1-3 times in 30 minutes, with minimal to no rest.  I usually rest long enough to go from one station to the next and when I’m really tired less than one minute. Once I finish one circuit I rest about two minutes. Track yourself so next time you can try and set a new personal record.

The exercises consist of working out the bigger muscles first and finishing off with the smaller ones. My routine consists of squats, incline dumbbell bench press, deadlifts, sitting dumbbell press, alternate dumbbell curls, triceps extension, calve raises and crunches. This method gets a lot of work done in 30 minutes, and it is very effective in building a better body. It can be pretty grueling, so start of slow and work your way up.

Core Training

With this type of training weights are not needed and can be done in the comfort of your home, office, hotel or local park.  In my core workout I incorporate pushups, boxer squats (squat down and come up lift one leg and throw a jab repeat for opposite leg and that is one rep), bicycle (lie on your back and pedal your legs from side to side while crunching your abs from side to side hands behind your head), front planks, and side planks(hold in this position for as long as you can rest and repeat three times). All exercises are done to failure and at a quick pace do 3-5 sets with little to no rest leaving the planks for the end of your routine. Basically, you have no excuse not to workout with these routines you can get your workout on in less than one hour. Good luck, have f

As there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, there is good fat and bad fat. Foods high in fat can be good for you or they can be bad for you. If you’re trying to lose weight, here are some foods you can concentrate on eating to help you burn more fat.

• Lean beef
• Skinless chicken
• Fish
• Nuts

Eating these foods cannot only help you burn more fat, but eating these foods can also help curb your appetite so you stay away from food that is bad for you.

Foods to avoid include:

• Donuts
• Pre-packaged cereals
• Pastas
• Chips
• White bread
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Muffins
• Processed foods

Eating right in conjunction with working out can help you achieve your weight loss goals in a faster and easier way.

Mom always told you to eat your fruits and veggies–that it would make you grow big and strong. Turns out she was right and there is a study to prove it. The Library of Science Medicine journal published study findings showing that those who don’t smoke, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation add an extra 14 years onto their life.

Fruits and vegetables are part of the four major food groups and essential to a healthy mind and body. Fruits and veggies are full of vitamins and minerals for healthier living and to create a balanced diet. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better your chances are of decreasing illness, boosting your immune system and fighting off major diseases such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, stroke and osteoporosis.

Plain and simply, eating fruits and vegetables makes you feel better, look better and improves your overall well-being. So, eat at least five portions of fruits and veggies each day.