The Infonian

For some bodybuilders, achieving the perfect state of pump can best be described as being what nirvana is to a Buddhist. It’s everything they strive for when working out. So it’s no wonder that some of the world’s most famous bodybuilders-including Arnold Schwarzenegger-have described the pump as, “the greatest feeling you can get in the gym.”

Depending on who you talk to, you’re likely to get different opinions about the importance of the pump. For some guys, it’s kind of the “holy grail” of bodybuilding, but there are plenty of other bodybuilders who don’t pay much attention to it at all.

The guys on the “pro pump” side say that a good pump is what all bodybuilders should strive to achieve when they train. From their point of view, the pump signifies that you’re training with sufficient intensity.

They also say that achieving a good pump during a workout means that the systems are functioning properly and that you are delivering lots of nutrient-rich blood to the muscles, which in turn indicates that they are primed for growth. Furthermore, they say that when a bodybuilder is able to achieve a good pump quickly, it is a clear signal that his body is in an anabolic state, ready to grow.

Without getting too deep into the whole science of things, the pump is the result of both sarcoplasmic and mitochondrial hypertrophy, both of which generally occur at the highest levels through workouts that focus on medium or high rep sets. These types of hypertrophy result in an increase in the volume of the muscle, which gives the appearance of the pump. The downside to this is that this type of growth is temporary-it only lasts a short while and there is also no real increase in strength gains here either. This type of training is sometimes referred to as “form over function,” because while they may look good, the muscles are not nearly as strong as they appear.

Real muscle growth occurs through myofibrillar hypertrophy, which is the result of heavy training (heavy weight, lower reps). Myofibrillar hypertrophy is also the type of growth that brings about the big strength gains. The guys who focus on this type of hypertrophy are not only big, but they’re strong too. This is where you really get the explosive strength, but this type of hypertrophy does not result in much of a “pump.”

Which brings me to point of view of the guys who say that the pump isn’t all that it’s made out up to be. These are the guys who tend to focus not just on size but on strength as well. In other words, they don’t want to just look powerful, they want to be powerful too. When training, these guys focus on progressive overload and intensity, doing fewer reps with maximum weight.

In the gym, you’ll see them doing compound exercises like squats and deadlifts with heavy weight, not doing rep after rep of leg extensions with a light weight.

What you do is going to depend on what you want to achieve. One point of view isn’t right and the other wrong-they each just lead to different results. The decision is going to come down to a personal preference on your part. I will give you a tip though-you can have the best of both worlds. One way is to mix up your workouts, initially focus on high weight/low reps to get the myofibrillar hypertrophy going, and then afterwards move on to lower weight/higher rep sets to give you the pump. This will ensure that not only are your muscles primed for growth but they’ll get bigger and st

ronger too.

Author: Mike Westerdal

If you’ve read more than two articles I’ve written then you should know that I favor unconventional training methodologies that push and challenge both body and mind. I firmly believe that this is the only way to get really big and hit your goals. From that perspective DoggCrapp Training (a.k.a. DC Training) definitely fits the bill. This incredibly intense program includes heavy progressive weights, lower volume/higher frequency of body parts trained, high intensity/rest-pause training, extreme stretching, a high protein diet and periodization (“blasting” and “cruising”). Here are the basics: Lower volume/higher frequency:

In most training routines you train each body part once a week doing 3-4 different exercises per muscle group. With DC Training, you only do 1-2 exercise per muscle group per day but you’re hitting each muscle group twice every 8 days. The lower volume of exercises means that your body can recover more rapidly, which in turn allows for a short turnaround between training sessions;

Exercise rotation:

The base program runs on a cycle hitting every body part 2 times every 8 days. It’s not as complicated as it sounds-you start by picking 3 exercises for each the various muscle groups like this: chest, back (width), back (thickness), delts, triceps, biceps, forearms and calves, hamstrings and quads. You do only one of those exercises per muscle group per workout but then you rotate to the next exercise in the following workout. Remember though that you’re doing each exercise 3 times to total failure in each workout so don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s easy. Here is what a sample routine might look like:

Monday: Chest, shoulders, triceps and back (width and thickness);

Wednesday: Biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings and quads;

Friday: Chest, shoulders, triceps and back (width and thickness);

Monday: Biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings and quads;

So you can see how every 8 days you’ve cycled through each body part twice, doing a different one of each of the 3 exercises you’ve chosen per workout. Keeping a training journal can keep you organized and help keep track of where you are in the training cycle;

High intensity/rest-pause training:

DC Training demands intensity. To begin, you do 2-5 warm-up sets (lighter weight) before the first set is performed to failure followed by 10-15 deep breaths before performing another set to failure. This is again followed by 10-15 deep breaths and then a final set to failure before moving on to the next exercise or muscle group. The goal is to explode on the uplift and descend with a controlled negative of about 6-8 seconds. You’ve got to be prepared both mentally and physically to take on Rest-Pause training though because instead of taking a one or two minute break between sets, you’re only resting for 20-30 seconds between each one;

Extreme stretching:

Stretching is an important part of the recovery process in DC Training. There are specific stretches for the chest, triceps, biceps, shoulders, back, quads, hamstrings and calves;

Diet:

The DC Training diet is very high in protein with a recommended intake of between 1.5 to 2.0 grams per pound of body weight;

Periodization:

The “blasting” phase is 6-12 weeks of high intensity, all-out training followed by a “cruising” phase of 10-14 days of maintenance training before repeating the cycle once again;

One of the nice things about DC Training is that it leaves plenty of room for customization. For example, instead of Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Monday, you could do Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday but split the workout into 3 parts in order to shorten your training sessions (great if you’ve got a hectic schedule). Day 1 could include chest, shoulders and triceps. On Day 2 you could train biceps, forearms and back (width and thickness) and on Day 3 you could work calves, hamstrings and quads. This cuts your workout down to about 35 minutes including stretching but still has you hitting each body part twice in 9 days.

A lot of guys have had phenomenal results following the DC Training program. If you’re going to do it though, be prepared to really commit yourself to doing it right. DC Training requires you to push your body as far as it can go and then some-that’s why it works. To get the best results you’ve got to be prepared to give it your all and make it a really intense workout, pushing on for one more rep even when your mind and body are screaming “No!” If not, you’ll just be wasting your time.

Author: Mike Westerdal

People believe that diet pills are just one more source of losing weight. But these are not just one more way of losing weight but way extra than that. Diet pills are considered to a safe way of losing weight as they are not conducted by the Food & Drug Administration. So there is not definite source that information’s that how protected or how unsafe is a diet pill. Moreover, no scientist has done study on these pills yet, so they aren’t considered to be that unsafe by the people. Diet pills aren’t a solution for losing mass. Lots of people also think that if they take diet pills & don’t work out then they would drop weight. But the fact is that the person will not lose mass but instead gain mass because of the lack of proper nutrition & work out. Diet pills aren’t the complete weight loss treatment but a piece of it. Diet pills must be used along with proper nutrition & workout. Pills are not the answer for losing weight but can be used along with the usual solution to increase the weight loss procedure in our body. But the over usage or long term practice of these tablets can result in various negative effects which include heart & liver problems. Some people suggest that tablets are not a good way to lose mass while others say that a person can lose weight extra effectively by using fat burning diet pills. Several diet drugs have been associated with quite harsh side effects in the last era. These negative effects included cancer & heart attacks which effected in thousands of deaths all over the earth. It is always preferable to do a good study over the internet about a particular diet pill, before opting it.

Mass loss researchers have been trying to give proper & up to date data to the people regarding the diet pills & their negative effects. Keeping in mind the negative effects of the viable diet pills, scientists from all over the globe have come up with a extra effective product which is called herbal diet pills. These pills are made from herbs & no chemical is involved in their manufacture. So these pills are liberated from any side effects & people don’t have to fear them before using them for keeping their body fit & healthy.

Author: Francis Adam

Aerobics clothing and shoes are a “must be” when people perform aerobics exercise, or more specifically, correct aerobics clothing and shoes are a “must be”. You may think aerobics classes just need spirit focus and physical dedication, but you can’t do it well without right wear in comfort. You need following certain dress code like Iron Man choose his ones. Comfort

For those beginners first to attend the workout scene, it is hard to exercise if you don’t fell comfortable. The constant up and down movements may put a toll on your body if your clothing and shoes are not right. The best way to choose your aerobics wear would involve you touching the cloth to get a sense of how it may feel to you.

Not to say that online shopping are not good, but experience with the material will make you know if your money is worth for the wear. Poor designs can cause problems for you if your routines are demanding, get it slow if you find yourself in a predicament of the material being uncomfortable. If you prefer more flexible, it may be helpful to invest in soft clothing for aerobics.

Cost

Find a balance between affordable and comfortable wear for you. Consult a gym instructor about his or her preferences regarding the initial cost of their wear, and look for something to fit your budget base on their answer. I suggest that you move toward the situation with an open mind. The price you pay for good material may outlast the benefits of comfort you receive while completing your classes.

Good quality aerobics wear will give the learning experience more memorable because you will be focused on your efforts than on the uncomfortable effects. Achieving a balance between comfort and cost creates a bridge for most people. Staying the same niche can help you buy the best outfit available at affordable prices.

The Ways To Choose Aerobics Clothes

When a person feels the desire to shake his or her body, in particular with aerobic dancing, the need to have suitable aerobics clothes arises and purchasing aerobics clothes is a principal goal because correct clothing will improve the workout and remove disruptions to the workout due to discomfort as well as impatience.

1) One should choose the aerobics clothes that are loose fitting to provide the wearer with sufficient amounts of free air flow because then the wearer has a feeling of being comfortably attired since aerobics clothes that are too tight would result in the body’s movement becoming restricted and effectively making the exercise routine useless.

2) Another point to note about aerobics clothes is that one should preferably wear light color clothing during the summertime because it would be better to absorb heat and, moreover, would give a cool feeling that would help beating the scorching heat.

For the more fashion conscious aerobics exerciser, and particularly women exercisers, there are women’s aerobics clothes that have specially been designed for wearing in the gym environment and these include sports tops and aerobics bottoms. Most of these outfits, when worn, strengthen the workout experience.

Water Aerobic Shoes

A good pair of water aerobic shoes should also conform to the shape of the feet as well as provide sufficient protection for all types of water workouts, and even for the condition of scratchy surfaces. Another helpful feature that a pair of water aerobic shoes should have is that they provide the user with buoyancy to the water fitness workout thus escalating drag to tone the muscles and should also be impact-free.

Whatever type of water aerobic shoes one goes in for they should be breathable and for this they should be made of single layer air mesh uppers that should facilitate drying, even when under cool conditions. Water aerobic shoes should preferably be close heeled because they are best for training as well as swimming in the water, be it a pool, in the ocean or a lake.

The water aerobic shoes should also let wearer feel comfortable and be made of soft and durable EVA foaming as that too is instrumental in increasing buoyancy to the workout. These shoes are not just for experienced exercisers and even people recovering from injuries as well as chronic conditions can benefit through using them. To learn more about different types of aerobics routines, please visit http://www.aerobicsroutine.net.

Are you signed up for an event you’re not ready for? Maybe your buddies are kicking your butt up the hills? Being slow is a common spring problem for riders. Likely you’ve tried to maintain a training schedule but life has got in the way over the winter months.

Your heart and lungs will likely respond better than your legs. Your winter of low activity has caused a reduction of muscle mass. Below we’ll outline a 4 week crash course that will put you in a condition to do some hard riding.

For this training plan to be a success, you’ll need to commit 1 hour a day 5-6 days/week.

We’ll start with a base watt of 200. If you cannot maintain the 200 watts as described please adjust initial wattage to fit your physical ability. At no point in the training should you come close to your max heart rate. If you get close to your max at any point in your training, adjust your work out to keep a 10-15bmp buffer below your max heart rate* or what your doctor has recommended.

Standard Workout
8min light warm up
12min 200 watts at 85-100rpm (or what you can hold constant for 12 min and finish the workout)
2min 100 watts at 85-90rpm
9min 250 watts at 85-100rpm (or 50 watts above 12min interval)
2min 100 watts at 85-90rpm
6min 275 watts at 85-100rpm (or 25 watts above the 9min interval)
2min cool down (just enough to clear your legs, longer is not required)
After ride consume a recovery drink

Extreme Workout
8min light warm up
12min 200 watts at 85-100rpm (or what you can hold constant for 12 min and finish the workout)
2min 100 watts at 85-90rpm
9min 250 watts at 85-100rpm (or 50 watts above 12min interval)
2min 100 watts at 85-90rpm
6min 275 watts at 85-100rpm (or 25 watts above the 9min interval)
2min 100 watts at 85-90rpm
3min 300 watts at 85-100rpm
4-6min cool down (just enough to clear your legs, longer is not required)
After ride consume a recovery drink

The Standard Workout is designed to be done most often and the Extreme Workout done no more than once a week. When the base watt of 200 becomes too easy and it feels like you’re spinning out, add 25 watts to the base and then adjust your jumps according to the pattern stated above.

In 4 weeks you should feel an improvement in your abilities, your legs should be considerably stronger and your lungs/heart in excellent shape.

This work out can be used in conjunction with outdoor riding and/or pleasure rides. It can also be used throughout the winter on a 3-4/day/week basis. Don’t be fooled by the short duration of this work out, you will have the strength and endurance claimed by proponents of base mile training.

*Max Heart Rate = 220 – age (those with heart complications should consult a doctor prior to this work out)

Why have we recommended training on power?

Though heart rate is a good indicator of your physical condition, it is not an indicator of actual work. Watts are consistent from one rider to another, yet heart rate is not. Heart size, complications, diet and condition can all impact your heart rate. Two riders doing the same watts may have two different heart rates. For this reason we feel it best to train with watts.

So use your heart rate monitor to determine if you’re pushing yourself too hard. Remember if your heart/chest hurts you are going too hard, so slow down.