Things You Should Do Before Every Workout

8 Things You Should Do Before Every Workout

 

Pre-workout Necessities 

 

A solid pre-workout routine begins long before you step into gym shorts or break a sweat. And like everything else, sloppy prep translates to sloppy execution. That can lead to uninspired training sessions or injury, both of which inhibit strength and muscle gains, or weight loss. So to help you craft a sound pre-training regimen, we asked Patrick Solano CSCS, strength and conditioning specialist at the UFC Gym in Torrance, California for his pre-workout necessities.

1. Eat for Fuel

 

The timing in which you eat a pre-workout meal or snack depends on your digestive tendencies. In general, munching on something an hour or so before exercise should provide you with an adequate amount of energy; however, there’s no hard-and-fast rule.
“Some people get an upset stomach when they eat too close to a workout,” Solano says. “I’m one of those people who can eat right before or even while I train and be fine, so it changes from person to person.”
Regardless of the timing, make sure carbs and protein are on the menu. “Toast with peanut butter is a good option because it contains carbs, fat, and protein,” he explains. “Fruits like bananas, apples, and oranges are complex carbohydrates, which are a more sustainable form of energy. A protein shake or bar also works.” 

2. Drink 20 oz. of Water

 

Hydration requirements hinge on variables like age, gender, weight, height, and the intensity of your workouts. As a guideline, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that active people drink 20 ounces of water prior to exercise.
What you don’t want to do is start chugging water immediately before you train. The countless pee breaks will be a disruption and you can actually end up peeing out more than you retain.
The importance of hydration can’t be understated. For one, you’ll be more comfortable — unless you enjoy training while battle things like muscle cramps and dizziness; plus, studies show that adequately hydrated athletes perform at higher levels than dehydrated athletes

 

3. Supp Up

 

Pre-workout supplements aren’t a necessity, but they can heighten focus and provide an energy boost.
“Most pre-workout supps are similar in that they contain caffeine and amino acids that’ll help your veins and arteries dilate to increase blood flow,” he explains. “Take it 30-minutes prior to your workout so by the time you’re in the gym you’re at the peak of its effects.”

 

4. Review Your Workout Itinerary

 

Whether you’re using an app like the M&F Trainer or going old school with a pad and paper, knowing what’s expected in terms of reps, sets, weights, and rest periods removes guesswork and can help make your workout more efficient.
“It’s a way to prepare mentally,’ Solano says. “If the exercises you’re doing and the loads you’re planning to move are all programmed in, all you need to do is execute.”
It’s also a way to keep yourself honest. When you’re bushed and only on set 6 of 10, it’s easier to omit a set or two when you’re not looking at stats.

 

5. Warm-Up Part 1: Aerobic 

 

“A well-designed warm-up increases muscle temperature, core temp, and blood flow. It should also allow your tendons to get warm as well,” says Solano. “This will help the muscles work at optimum strength and power.”
In this section of the warm-up you’re looking for a little bit of perspiration; the objective isn’t to get completely drenched. Spend five minutes working at a low-to-moderate level on a treadmill, stationary bike, or rowing machine.

 

6. Warm-Up Part 2: Foam Roll

 

While using a foam roller can be a painful and quasi-unpleasant experience for some people — the exception would be for masochists, obviously — the pros of using one outweighs the cons.
“Muscles are fibers that are held together with tendons and perimysium, which is a sheath of tissues that holds together muscle fibers,” Solano says. “When we train, that tissue can become bunched up. Think of it like a snag in a zipper. Using a foam roller can break the bunched areas up so the muscle contracts more efficiently.”
Spend up to a minute per area ironing out the kinks of the muscles you’ll be utilizing during your workout.

 

7. Warm-Up Part 3: Dynamic

 

Now it’s time to zero in on functionality and ensure that what you’ll be using during specific lifts will be ready for action.
“’Dynamic’ means warming up through movement,” he reveals. “Go through the muscle groups you’re going to use and perform compound bodyweight or lightweight movements that execute the full range of motion. This will help make sure areas like the shoulders, knees, and wrists will be warm and ready.”

 

8. Make a Playlist

 

Some eggheads recently studied more than 6.7 million fitness playlists and complied “the ultimate workout playlist” that featured artists like Katy Perry, Rizzle Kicks, Daft Punk, and Little Mix. We suspect your playlist might contain more power chords, pick slides, and songs that induce head banging.
“Psychologically, listening to your ‘workout’ song or playlist might pump you up,” he says. “It’ll also block out the dumb music that’s playing in the gym.”
Other studies have shown that tunes that fall between 120-140 beats per minute (BPM) were the best for exercise Source: Google, MuscleandFitness.com
 Image Source: TIG/SWNS.COM

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Reasons You're Holding onto Body Fat

10 Reasons You're Holding onto Body Fat

 

 With many other factors that could be playing a role in why you aren't losing body-fat, these 10 reasons are usually behind the slow progress. Make sure you are doing your very best at controlling these so you can optimize your results and get the lean body you've been working for, faster than ever

1. You're Eating Too Much

 

 

 

This should be pretty obvious to most people by now. Most people do not know how many macros (protein, carbs, fat) come with the food they are eating and simply measure it out by sight. They believe what you see is what you probably get but don’t take into consideration simple things like sauces which add calories to the food. Sometimes you think you are making a healthy choice by ordering a salad at the airport or your favorite restaurant but you could be getting a 600-calorie meal without even realizing it. At the end of the day you should not be consuming more calories than what you’re using because this will, over time, add unwanted weight and inches to your body.

2. Not Eating Enough Protein

 

 

 

Protein has a lot more functions than repairing and growing muscle tissue. It’s mainly women who don't follow this rule but there are some guys out there as well. Protein increases satiety at meals, which can lead to overall decreased calorie consumption.

3. Drinking Too Many Meals

 

 

 

Convenience is a huge factor, so many decide that shakes are the best route for them. When you want to get ripped it’s always better to chew as many of your calories as possible. The very act of chewing and digesting solid food burns more calories than drinking shakes does. Of course, you should avoid drinking sodas that contain high amounts of sugar as they too will increase your caloric intake for the day. And regular diet soda consumption has been shown to lead to caloric over-indulgences elsewhere.

4. You Think You're Eating Healthy

 

 

 

How many times have you heard that eating fruits or nuts is great for you? Well technically they are fantastic for you as the omegas in nuts and seeds and the micronutrients and phytogens that come with fruit are awesome for your health. But guess what? In excess, they carry sugars and higher calories than you think. Remember, one gram of fat contains 9 calories. Now when you pick up some almonds and start snacking on them most of the time you don't measure them, you simply estimate what an ounce or gram looks like (if you estimate at all). Don't get carried away as these seeds and nuts are high density source of calories and could jack up your total for the day

5. You're Not Training Intense Enough

 

 

As you become better trained, you need to start pushing your body harder to elicit the same results. You need to push yourself hard at the gym every time you go so that you are actually creating a demand for your body to have to use its energy to push beyond it's max. Journaling can help you avoid the certain plateaus that come with normal, repetitive training. Challenge yourself to do more work in less time, more weight for the same amount of reps, etc.

6. Too Much Cardio

 

 

 

So many people spend countless hours doing cardio and yet still achieve no results. Excessive amounts of cardio lead to an overproduction of cortisol, which leads to more abdominal fat and numerous health problems. Start with one or two sessions per week, then add time to each session, throw in an extra interval or add an additional cardio workout if results start to slow.
 

7. Not Managing Your Stress

 

 

When you get stressed out your body produces a hormone known as cortisol. This increases bodyfat storage if it’s not controlled. Most people are stressed out all day long which means their cortisol levels are always high. That leads to an increase in bodyfat even if their diet and training are perfect.

8. Lack of Sleep and Rest

 

 

Going back to the previous post about stress, lack of sleep and rest will raise cortisol levels too and your body will never fully recover. When you’re short on sleep your insulin sensitivity decreases, which means that your body is more likely to store fat, and your cortisol goes up. Both things lead to less than optimal fat loss environment. Make it a priority in your lifestyle to get more sleep! Studies show that getting at least seven straight hours is optimal.

9. Not Drinking Enough Water

 

 

Did you know that drinking water helps boost your metabolism, cleanses your body of waste and acts as an appetite suppressant? Your body requires water for all of its metabolic processes and functions. A well-hydrated body will function towards fat loss faster and more efficiently.

10. No Consistency

 

 

 

You would think this is a clear one but consistency is the glue that holds the previous nine reasons together. If you are not consistent with your lifestyle and your fat loss goals, your body will not change on it’s own. You need to be consistent with all the nine points mentioned previously in order to achieve your dream body.  Source: Google Image, MuscleandFitness.com

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Easy Metabolic Boosters

4 Easy Metabolic Boosters

 

 

Metabolism is such a nebulous term in the fitness industry. But it has a specific and very elaborate meaning. For our purposes, it is the rate at which your body burns energy. This, of course, is good to know for those of us concerned with body composition because the more energy you can burn, the leaner you will generally be. Resting metabolism refers to the rate that your body burns energy while you do nothing. So if you can find a way to crank up your metabolism, you’re on your way to a much better body. There are a few ways that you can enhance this rate of burn and some might be less obvious than others.

Use this short checklist to see if you’re doing as much for your metabolism as you can.

1. Exercise

This shouldn’t come as a shock. Even daily movement such as walking around your home or office will increase your metabolism but they key here is exercise – a conscious effort to train your body (and metabolism). Exercise releases a variety of hormones that benefit your body in more ways that you can imagine. By strength training just a couple of times a week, you’ll reverse 50% of the seemingly inevitable metabolism slow-down that comes with age.

2. Build Some Muscle

Have you ever heard a family member or friend say that a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat? It’s true! However, what each does to your body is completely different. By exercising and building a leaner and stronger physique you can change your body composition into more muscle and less bodyfat. What’s the advantage there? Muscle is more metabolic – a pound burns 5-6 calories per day at rest – and demands more calories to be burned up in your body than fat. The more muscle you carry the more calories your burn daily.

3. Get a Morning Kick Start

If you are not a morning person, then listen to this: Exercising in the morning can lead to greater caloric expenditure throughout your day. An elevated metabolism throughout the day only means that you'll burn more calories and lose more weight.

4. Eat to Increase Metabolism

Every time you consume food your body needs to break it down so it can be used by your body. That process in and of itself increases your metabolism – it’s called the Thermic Effect of Food. That’s just one of the ways that eating solid meals increases your metabolism. But certain foods contain certain properties that can increase your metabolism.

Source: Google, MuscleandFitness.com, santabanta.com

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Popular Lifts You Can Live Without

7 Popular Lifts You Can Live Without

We asked certified personal trainer John Rowley, author of The Power of Positive Fitness, his thoughts on a handful of exercises people should consider omitting from their regular routines. And without hesitation, he had answers.

“Just watch what everyone else does in the gym. If you do the opposite, you’ll get in great shape,” he quipped. Some of his thoughts on certain staple lifts will likely surprise you. “There is a time and a place for all of the exercises I mention, but sometimes the risk just isn’t worth the reward, or the movement isn’t necessary." 

Check out the 7 exercises on this list and see if you agree. 

1. Shoulder Press

It’s the pathway to boulder shoulders, right? According to Rowely, you can detour around them en route to a solid set of delts.

“I know plenty of guys who have built incredible shoulders only using laterals,” said Rowley. “With the shoulder press, all of the weight is being put on your vertebrae. Especially for the average person, the risk isn’t worth the reward. You’re better off doing exercises like front laterals, side laterals, and upright rows.”

Rowley continued, “Larry Scott was a close friend of mine and he was a stickler on shoulder exercises. He’d have you do all lateral movements, and if you were going to do shoulder presses they’d be done with a dumbbell in an almost lateral raise-type movement.”

2. Deadlift

Ask someone who’s serious about training what the best exercise is and you’re all but guaranteed an answer of the squat or deadlift. Rowley believes the latter, however, is overrated for most lifters.

“Deadlifts are a great exercise … if you want to be a sumo wrestler, lineman, or powerlifter,” he explained. “Are they the best choices for physique development or superb body composition? Absolutely not. Someone who is only looking to build a pleasing physique can do without them.”

Rowley suggested focusing on bent-over rows, T-bar rows, shrugs, squats, and leg presses as individual movements instead of knocking them out with deads. However, if you’re a deadlifter for life, he recommends doing them inside of a power rack to reduce the chance of injury. “That’ll lessen the risk by about 80 percent.”

3. Barbell Bench Press

Along with the deadlift and shoulder press, Rowley lumped the bench press in with “ego movements” that people rely on to impress others in an attempt to inflate their self-esteems.

“People like to load up the bar with as much weight as they can, and then they don’t concentrate on form or engaging the muscle; it becomes about moving weight,” he noted. “Your pectoral muscles aren’t a pressing muscle; they’re a pulling muscle. The dumbbell bench press is a better alternative because the arms aren’t locked in and the movement allows you to bring your arms across the body.”

4. Behind-the-Neck Lat Pulldown

You’re better off doing standard lat pulldowns or pull-ups, advised Rowley.

“The behind-the-neck lat pulldowns are one of the dumbest exercises around,” he said. “They’re dangerous for your neck and shoulders, and the result you get from doing them is … none.”

He continued, “When you do a lat pulldown, basically, you’re using your body as a lever to pull the weight toward your body and your body toward the bar. You arch your back and push your chest toward the bar to engage your lats. Going behind your neck does the opposite of that.” 

5. Dumbbell Side Bend

The issue isn’t the exercise, Rowley claimed; it’s the usage of heavy weight and a lack of efficiency that make these omittable.  

“Using 60 or 80-lb. dumbbells to work your obliques will give you a thicker waist, not a nice V-taper,” he says. “When performed with lightweight, it’s a decent exercise — but it’s far from efficient. Leg raises and crunches will do the job for 99 percent of the people in the gym. The twists are a finishing movement guys do three or four weeks out from a show.”

6. Rolling Shrug

Shrugs train the trapezius muscle, what you commonly refer to as your traps. As for rolling shrugs, Rowley says pass. “Here is another dumb exercise. I don’t know who made it up, but rolling shrugs are dangerous to your shoulder girdle because they push everything around.” 

7. Leg Extension Machine

The main issue Rowley has with leg extension machines — and leg curl, lower back and abs machines, as well — is that the people using them are uninformed when it comes to proper usage.

“Most people don’t know enough about physiology to understand if their body fits into a machine appropriately, or if the machine is adjusted properly,” he said. “So between the machine not being adjusted correctly and using too much weight, you can end up getting injured.”

Source: Google, MuscleandFitness.com, santabanta.com

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HOW MANY SET IS ENOUGH

HOW MANY SET IS ENOUGH

How many sets do you do per exercise? One? Ten? Somewhere in between? Most fall somewhere in the middle but there are the outliers at either end that are loyal to that choice, almost to a fault. Research and anecdotal evidence have shown that ultra high-volume training can only be done for short periods before over training (or injury) occurs. But what about one-set training?

Six-time Olympia champ Dorian Yates was a fan of this kind of training – warming up then taking one disturbing set to failure – but suggesting one set works best for everyone is a violation of the Principle of Individual Differences.  

Those who favor this type of training, known as high-intensity training (HIT), seem to have an issue with rest of the scientific world on the Principle of Individual Differences. Furthermore, when training with a high level of intensity all of the time, both the GAS (general adaptation syndrome) and SAID (specific adaptations to imposed demands) principles are violated.

High Volume Findings

The American College of Sports Medicine Journal in 2002 published “A Meta-analysis to Determine the Dose Response for Strength Development.” Looking at the results, in a number of different studies, scientists determined advanced trainees need to perform an average of four sets to make the same gains that a beginner could make with one set. A number of studies show that high-volume, multiple set protocols cause a much more favorable hormonal response contrasted to single set protocols. Recently, science has questioned the role of the acute hormonal response and its role in hypertrophy, but a 2010 meta-analysis entitled “Single vs. multiple set of resistance exercise for muscle hypertrophy” shows the superiority of multiple sets for hypertrophy, echoing the findings of “Quantitative analysis of single vs. multiple-set programs in resistance training.”

Bottom line is HIT done all the time can be tough on the central nervous system and does not provide adequate work to maximize hypertrophy. Champions do more work and science agrees.

Source: Google, MuscleandFiteness.com

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Unconventional Moves For Huge Gains

4 Unconventional Moves For Huge Gains

One of the most dangerous things any iron aficionado can do is to get comfortable. Comfort is the death knell for muscle growth and strength gains. Every once in a while you have to abandon the familiar to really generate the uptick in mass that keeps your boat floated. Stepping away from the bench and trying some unconventional moves might be the best thing you ever did.

Overhead/Suitcase Carry Combo

Loaded carries have now become a common practice in the strength and performance field. But physique athletes need to take a harder look at the loaded carries for muscle growth. Loaded carries in general put the entire body under a great deal of time under tension. Keep in mind that building muscle is all about time under tension. Loaded carries improve overall work capacity and seem to thicken the whole body and add mass to just about every muscle, from the traps to the calves.

Farmer’s carries can get a little mundane, so it’s important to mix it up a bit. The overhead/suitcase (waiter) carry – one up and one down, basically – provides a great mix of muscle building capabilities. The overhead carry helps improve shoulder health and stability, while building the shoulders, traps, and upper back. The suitcase carry hits the core, obliques, abs, glutes and forearms. And we haven’t even gotten to the awkward soreness your body will experience from the uneven load that the body will have to accommodate.

Mixed-Grip Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up

The standard pull-up is an amazing muscle builder on it's own but it does have some limitations. Those with shoulder issues tend to reduce their range of motion, load, and volume. Your grip can also fail before your back and lats do due to grip fatigue. Chin-ups are also a classic muscle builder, but don't hit the lats as much as the pull-up and can bang up the elbows near the biceps with a lot of reps. The perfect solution is to use a mixed-grip (one hand under, one hand over).

Studies show that using a mixed grip on the deadlift allows athletes to get 1-2 more reps on average. The same logic applies here. The mixed-grip allows you to hang onto the bar longer, thus increasing the amount of reps and weight that you can handle. More time under tension plus heavier loads equals more muscle.

You can also increase your range of motion because shoulder mobility is less of an issue with a mixed grip, which allows you to get your chest up to the bar to hit more of your back and shoulder muscles, such as the teres minor and rhomboids.

Duck-Stance Deadlift

This version of the deadlift has been a staple for some the strongest Chinese Olympic lifters in the smaller weight classes. It’s mostly because that's the way they do their cleans and snatches – feet close together with with their toes pointed out 45 degrees in the starting position.

This variation of the deadlift is much better at building the quadriceps but less on the glutes because it requires greater flexion at the knee. The lower-leg angle allows you to keep the bar closer to the body because the knees are not in the way, which decreases the involvment of the lower back.

These are very useful for people who are just learning the deadlift or have a troubled lower back but still want to build their quads and pulling strength.

Dumbbell Clean and Press

The traditional Olympic lifts are incredibly beneficial for any athlete regardless of the goal (power, strength, muscle growth). The one problem that they have is the learning curve for many to do them correctly and the low amount of time under tension. So for those who are looking for an explosive movement using heavy weight and a lot of reps, the dumbbell clean and press is a winner.

The learning curve is extremely low. You simply hinge forward at the hip with a dumbbell in each hand. Thrust the hips and bring the dumbbells to the rack position, then strict press them above your head. I still would stay around 8-10 reps with this exercise, but trust me that will be plenty. Your forearms, biceps, and shoulders will be screaming by five reps if you are using a substantial amount of weight. This also paves the way for you to graduate to other more dynamic variations such as the jerk.

Source: Google, MuscleandFitness.com

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Mindset Mantras for More Muscle

9 Mindset Mantras for More Muscle

Most of us tend to look for external solutions to our bodybuilding problems. But did you ever stop and think that the true key to progress might lie somewhere within yourself ? Do you realize that the most powerful computer known to man is not sitting on your desk, but is stuck right between your ears, and smack inside your skull. I am talking about your brain, but more specifically, your MIND. The extraordinary power of one’s thoughts cannot be denied. “Mind over matter,” is real.
Turning the impossible into the possible begins in your head. Learn to “use your mind in lifting,” and your body will follow! Here are my top 9 mindset “mantras” for continuous progress in the gym.

1. Visualize

Every night before you go to sleep think deeply about exactly what you would like to look like. Form a strong visual in your “mind’s eye” of every muscle…every vein…every cut…and every striation that you want to see on your body. See the beast! Then, visualize your workout for the next day from start to finish in your head. See the gym, the people, and the equipment. Hear the music. Smell the atmosphere.

Feel the sweat dripping from your forehead as you perform every rep with masterful precision, causing the most intense pump you have ever experienced in your life. Imbed into your subconscious exactly what you want to accomplish during your workout, and your body will be pre-programmed to follow.

2. Be Positive

Learn to approach each and every workout with an enthusiastic and positive attitude. Expect that you will have a more productive workout today than you did yesterday. Know that the weights are going to feel lighter, and each exercise, easier.

Enjoy the pain. Embrace the pump. Be fully aware that this workout will bring you one step closer to your goals, and that every rep of every set is going to force your muscles to grow bigger, harder,  and stronger. Leave doubt at the door. You WILL have the best workout of your life today…and NOTHING can stop you

3. Be Aggressive

Don’t just lift the weights…ATTACK THEM! Tear them apart! Treat every rep as if it were your last. Lift like your life is on the line. Look at the weights and then listen as they mock you. Then, go ahead and retaliate with ferocity that you are saving for your worst enemy.  Do whatever it takes to psyche yourself up. Yell, growl, slap yourself, think of people you can’t stand. Then, channel all of that intense anger and emotion into every rep of every set. 

4. Focus

During a set, concentrate deeply on what you are doing. While resting, concentrate on what you’re about to do. Put away the cell phone, drop the newspaper, quit the chatter, and stop staring at the hot babes (ok, stare a little, just for a testosterone boost). Think about the body part you are working with laser-like focus. Forge the “mind/muscle” connection. And if you want to workout with a partner, make sure he or she is just as passionate about training as you. If you can’t find someone like this, than go it alone! Always remember one thing: Your time in the gym is a gift. Don’t waste a single moment.

5. No Sulking

If the first few sets of your workout don’t go as well as planned, Do NOT let that get to you and don't let that set the tone for the remainder of your workout. If you attempt to set a personal lifting record and miss, Don't get depressed. Regroup! Leave negativity behind, and look ahead. You KNOW your next set will be better.

The gym is no place to hang your head low or feel sorry for yourself. The gym is your sanctuary, your domain,your temple. It is where you go to leave life’s problems behind. While at the gym YOU are the boss. You make the rules, set the pace, and make the decisions. Remember, the gym is the one place where reaching “failure” is a good thing.  

6. Don't Get Complacent

It’s perfectly OK to pat yourself on the back after a solid set or productive workout, but don’t let that smile get stuck on your face. Set your sights on the next set or next workout and think about how you will crush your previous accomplishments. Complacency is the enemy of a bodybuilder.

Remember, your body is an adaptive machine! You must push further to progress to the next level. You just benched 315 for the first time…awesome! Now its time to figure out what it will take to do 320. To truly succeed you cannot merely be hungry…you must be starving.

7. Toughen Up

Do not avoid pain, embrace it! “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!” This applies to the art of bodybuilding perfectly. There is simply no way around it.  You must learn to deal with, even enjoy, pain. When pain occurs (unless it is “injury” pain…learn the difference) while lifting, do not think this is the end of your set, but just the beginning. 

Think of pain as a signal. It is telling you that you have entered the growth zone. The juncture of the set that will trigger the physiological reactions that will lead to growth. When your muscles are burning, your heart is racing, and nausea is looming, simply smile - you are now one step closer to your goal.

8. Have Faith and Get A Grip

You must have faith in yourself and faith in what you are doing. If you have faith in your workout program, your dietary regimen, and your supplementation strategy, you will greatly increase your chances of being successful. 

9. Dream

Don't set limits! Don't let anyone tell you what you can and cannot accomplish. Your body is only limited by where your mind is willing to take you. A 800 lb bench press was once thought insurmountable…now there are men that rep with it. Conceive, believe, then achieve.

Those that are afraid to dream are bound by the limits that their mind sets for them. Dreamers see beyond what is and look to find what can be. So dream BIG! Always seek to raise the bar, then go after it with every ounce of your being.

Source: Google,  muscleandfitness.com

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