Building muscle, loosing fat and increasing fitness are all achievable goals when using specific gym equipment. All people who take training seriously while working out from home or in the gym know that to achieve specific targets you need to use the right equipment. In this post I will identify the top 2 tips/exercises for A losing weight and B Building muscle.

Loosing weight –

Most people know taking in less calories and burning more calories, will help achieve fat loss. However we also know that many plans out there are as useless as bicycle peddles on a wheelchair. No matter what exercise you do calory intake will always play a major role in losing weight. One of the most affective exercises and common for fat loss is interval training, Below Is a quick demonstration of how this type of training is performed.

Second to interval training I would recommend a static bicycle exercise. Cycling is a great way to burn calories weather that is in doors or out. Burning 250-500 calories should be achievable over a 30 minute stage, this can obviously be increased or decreased depending on intencity. This specific exercise will help increase muscle endurance in the legs but will also burn fat at the same time. Many people that are prone to injury might use static bikes as there is low impact involved and wont ache joints afterwards.
Now i know riding a bike is kind of self explanatory but there are types of training that will make the training more affective, here is one type,

Building Muscle
Machines or free weights? There is no real right or wrong here because both free weights and machine exercises can help to build muscle and are used by top athletes that want to increase strength and mass. Here you will find commercial gym equipment for sale for both free weight and machine exercises. Many people get confused about which will help them get better results fast and the truth is they both help but in my opinion free weights are more esencial. For example the differences in the Smith bench and bar bell bench press is that with the bar bell there is more tension/stress on the muscle, however When I train incline chest I would use the smith machine so that I can really target a muscle area with a restricted movement.

My top tip for building muscle will have to be training back to back incline exercises as Steve Cook shows below, Here is a guy I like to follow for exercise plans and motivation. I started these exercises a few months ago and achieved gret results.

Like a lot of Americans, I have spent some time bouncing from one diet trend to another. I’ve experienced varying degrees of results, from none at all to surprisingly more than expected. But these results, if any, never lasted for long.

I’ve since learned there’s really no substitute for good old fashioned effort. Once I started to focus on eating a sensible diet consisting primarily of fruits, vegetables and dark, leafy greens, I also started to experience a surge of energy. Finally supplied with enough stamina to tackle my daily tasks, and a relaxing walk, the pounds started to melt away. And stay off.

Feeling like I was at the peak of health, I was surprised to learn that I was deficient in iron and Vitamin E. I’ve since started taking a multivitamin each day, and the effect has been noticeable. Turns out that it is virtually impossible to get a sufficient amount of Vitamin E from dieting alone, according to the research findings at the U.S. Government’s Department of Nutrition Research which studied the levels of Vitamin E in a group of volunteers.

Effortless Ways to Include Supplements 

• Part of a Balanced Breakfast – Protein will help jump start your morning just right by giving you the energizing boost you need to get right on top of your daily routine. Adding a kick of protein to your breakfast is as easy as a scoopful of whey protein to your morning oats or pancakes. Remember to include fresh fruits and berries for the benefit of natural sugars.

• Mid-Morning Boost -A handful of nuts and berries will keep your energy levels elevated naturally without the cravings associated with carb-loaded snacks. If you’re on the go, whip up a quick smoothie and add a dash of protein powder for additional nutrition.

• Avoid the Afternoon Sleepies – Eating several small meals throughout the day is far better than a giant meal in the afternoon to make up for a pitiful breakfast, or an enormous meal at dinner to make up for sad eating habits throughout the day. Treat yourself to a delicious garden salad topped with berries, seeds, nuts, flax seed, and hemp hearts. You’ll love the variety of textures, flavors, and crunch, and your body will love the natural boost of energy. Better yet, there’s less chance you’ll suffer an afternoon crash caused by a sugar coma.

• Perk-Up for the Evening Drive – Grabbing a healthy snack when your schedule is tight is difficult, that’s why I like to reach for a smoothie. Packed with nutrition and essential vitamins, smoothies are easy to prepare, easy to kick up a notch with a shot of protein powder, and easy to consume while talking on the phone – no chewing required
• Get the Most out of Dinner – Since you’ve probably been limiting your carbohydrates throughout the day, dinner is a good time to indulge, within reason. Quinoa is a great substitute for rice, if you’re looking to eat a healthy, nutty grain that doesn’t come with all the excess starch. Lean proteins such as fish and chicken are also satisfying. To ensure optimal cell restoration while sleeping, it’s a good idea to take a supplement of magnesium and zinc along with your evening meal.

• Remember the Buddy System – Some supplements help one another get absorbed into the body. Vitamin D and Calcium is one such team of nutrients. Though you may get some Vitamin D and Calcium from your daily multivitamin, it may be beneficial to take an additional supplement as part of your diet. When shopping for either Vitamin D, or Calcium, look for a single capsule that contains both.

• Fight Off Illness – Contrary to popular belief, the recommended daily allowance of a vitamin or mineral is not how much your body needs to maintain optimal health. Recommended daily allowances are actually the minimum amount your body needs to simply survive. Often times we need much more than the recommended daily allowance, like when it comes to Vitamin C and it’s ability to support the immune system and fight off illness.

The Best Can Be Hard to Find

In spite of how quickly information spreads across the internet, new practices are usually slower to be adopted by the mainstream.

When taking a dietary supplement it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of organic vs. synthetic. One of the major cons is that most grocers don’t carry the best organic multivitamin so you may have to take your search online.

Freelance writer Melissa Cameron has confessed on more than one occasion that she is a walking, talking infomercial. She credits this intense passion for sharing interesting information on wanting to keep her circle of friends alive and well for years to come, which is why she also counsels her friends on the valuable topics of yoga, diet, and keeping an eco-friendly home. When researching beneficial dietary supplements, Melissa often browses sites such as www.biogirlhealth.com.

For people who are looking to live longer, there are several tips that should be followed. The first tip is to try to avoid inflammation as much as possible, because inflammation can contribute to an earlier death. There are simple and easy ways to help minimize and avoid inflammation, which includes being well-rested, staying active throughout the day, relaxing, and reducing stress when possible. People with too much stress tend to die early, which is why it is important to cut the stress out.

For a long and healthy life, it is also essential to keep blood pressure down and keep a healthy metabolism. In order to have good metabolism, it is important to eat properly and avoid foods that are high in fat or loaded with empty calories. Proper nutrition is definitely a must. Snacking is perfectly fine, but it should be done in moderation, and healthy snacks should be chosen. Overall, the key to living longer is to eat healthy, exercise regularly, and stay as relaxed as possible.

Source: Online Health Degrees

Here is a giant product on the market. Cyclone has been around for years and no doubt progressed the formula in this time. I remember good things from this product and achieved some gains, I used it around 9 months ago and have just started using it again to give this review, i bought my tub from Monster Supplements.

Cyclone – massive product combining high quality Whey protein source. This product also contains creatine and glutamine that are essentials in enhancing are body shape. It is one of very few all-in-one supplements out there today. cyclone is a Combination of all beneficial substances for example Whey protein, glutamine, creatine ‘Beta-Ecdysterone and HMB’ all rolled in to one all in one product.
This product is made for people who aim to build lean muscle without excess fats, and is deemed a very popular product around fitness models.

Taste –
As far as taste goes I would rate Cyclone highly and is one of the best tasting all in one protein based supplements I have tasted, I recommend chocolate as it tastes great and mixes together easily. A good thing about this product is after it doesn’t give you that bloated feeling.

Here is a straight to the point review with simple useful opinions of the product, complimented with a very mono tone voice.

All in all I would give this product a strong 8/10. If your goals are to build muscle then this product is for you, aswell as increasing strength and power Cyclone contains 30g of protein per serving.

While working out finding the right protein is essential when it comes to aiding recovery. After exhausting muscle groups to failure in the gym the muscles need re fuelling. Whey is the high quality protein that is used by many in the industry, In this post I will right about the top 2 whey proteins which I and Jordan both use alongside the top seller. Whey protein helps to promote lean muscle building and is known in many cases to increase both muscular strength and endurance.

So at number one is a personal favourite and also a top seller.
Optimum Nutrition HydroWhey is a premium protein well recognised in the body building industry. Hydro whey mixes very easily which makes the recovery period a whole lot easier, with 30g of protein per serving.

What is whey protein?
Whey contains contains water along side fat and salts to make a pure protein. There are many different types of amino acids in whey protein that are essential to us as we do not produce them in are bodys, this makes us easily absorb them.
Whey is commonly knows as a fast acting protein source, this means it can be digested faster than other proteins, so taking whey after workouts is important for best results.

Why Whey Powder?
Many foods including chicken, steak, fish, eggs and peanut butter are very high sources of protein, however most protein from food can contain high amounts of fats. Eggs contain the highest amount of natural protein. Adding whey supplements in with your diet is a good way to seporate your protein intake and take away unnecessary calories that your body doesn’t need. Many of the good things about whey include decreasing appetite, muscle recovery and helps maintain lean muscle. Whey protein is commonly used by body builders people who calory count and also people that will like to cut and maintain a lean body. This sort of protein wont rapidly increase muscle mass.

Kenetica is another whey protein powder that can be found on dynamic Sports Nutrition. With 23g of protein per serving Kinetica whey protein is yet another top seller and is a great quick absorbing protein supplement. I would recumbend the strawberry flavour for this supplement very easy and tasty to drink! Here is a quick video review.

Finding time to be able to workout is one of the hardest elements of trying to transform yourself, because lets face it,  many of us have to work full time jobs to be able to pay the bills and more importantly our gym membership, so finding time to be able to workout can sometimes be hard due to other life commitments.

The difference between people who want to change and those that see results is dedication, the willingness to allow these distractions to get in the way of their training in the gym but the drive to be able to still be able to get some sort of workout completed while at home.

Okay, we know that not everyone has the space, money or even desire to have a multi gym in their house but there are workouts that can be done at home that don’t require anything that can’t be found within the home or that couldn’t be done with a small purchase, such as buying an exercise mat or a small set of dumbbells.

So a home workout isn’t about to leave you able to cancel the gym membership and forget about the expense that comes with supplementation, but they are a great way to be able to continue your body development in the times when you can’t make it to the gym, giving you the chance to be able to workout on a smaller scale which will still count towards where you want to aim for.

I mean there isn’t really a big cost when it comes to picking up a set of three or four dumbbells in a home set on places like Amazon and the exercise mats at Fitness Mad aren’t about to leave you out of pocket to the point where you have to think about selling a limb… The fact is, they can be reused time and time again, so the purchase is more of an investment for situations just like trying to find convenient ways to workout.

The general problem with home workouts is that you struggle to be able to get into the ‘training zone’ and so often workouts tend to be poor as you get the feeling that you can’t workout well enough at home without the use of gym equipment but that is the wrong mentality as not all of your workout should include the use of weights anyway.

Get your mind set on the goal that you want to ultimately achieve and get your workout done, even if you need to stick the music player on in the background and invite a big hairy guy around to be able to walk past you in his vest (to emulate the gym environment), the level of workout is down to how hard you are willing to work, nothing else.

If you feel that you need to see more evidence that home workouts are viable alternatives to a session in the gym, check out the video below as Greg Plitt shows you some of his muscle workout technique.
 

In this post I am going to review a few Pre workout supplements I have used. Pre workouts for me simply mean getting more energy in the gym and being able to train that little bit harder. Jack3d for me has always been at the top of the pre workout food chain however since the ban I had to switch it up a little. Below are some others I tried.

First up, BSN No Xplode 2.0 (6/10)
This is one product I was quite excited to use and to be honest was a little disappointed. And I would say can not compare with other pre workouts on the market. The review below is exactly how I felt about this product, in a short and straight to the the point video, here he talks about No Xplode and how it worked for him.

MusclePharm Assault (9/10)
In 2011 this supplement was the most researched product on the web. In a weird way the positive I took from this product was it contained Beta-Alanine, not all pre workouts have this ingredient in. It’s known to cause the itchy feeling that people feel before there workout, but I always think when I feel this it means that the supplement is working and which in turn helps me to get more out of my workout. the flavor I had was green apple which mixed really well and was easy to drink. The site I used to buy this product was www.phd-fitness.co.uk. I felt a good pump and energy boost from this product and would recomend it.

Finally

Millennium Sport – RagNOrok Ultra (9/10)
This product I found was perfect for lasting the workout and helped me prevent feeling fatigued during training which is a massive plus.

Couldn’t put it simpler than this review very accurate and great endurance type product for those people who’s goals are to get lean and like training high endurance exercises like myself.

Gym bags are often the last thing that fitness fanatics think about when they are shopping for gym items; however, they are essential and just because they should be practical, it doesn’t mean they can’t be stylish! Here are just a few of the best gym bags available on the market.

The Adidas Boxing Holdall

Adidas never make sporting goods that aren’t stylish and their boxing holdall is no exception. It is made from an extremely hard-wearing polyester material that is used in the production of parachutes. It also features mesh on both sides and a heavy-duty shoulder-strap that is cushioned for comfort. It is only available in black but comes in two different sizes.

The Blitz Sport Stealth Martial Art Holdall

This is a hugely versatile bag that combines impressive functionality with a design that is truly unique. It features two folds that can be zipped into place to keep clothing in good condition. The zips can be released if space is more important to the user. It is available in black or white and comes with a padded shoulder-strap.

The Head Monte Carlo Holdall

This Head holdall was commonplace in the 1980s and is great for people who are into the retro look. It is made with a leather-effect material and features the classic detachable pocket that was popular with so many people during the bag’s heyday. It’s black and gold colour scheme makes this a bag that will turn heads in the gym.

The Venum Origins Sports Bag

This is a stylish bag that is perfect for everyday use. It features a unique design and a leather-effect exterior. This bag only contains one storage compartment; however, it is perfect for people who simply want to pack their gear and head straight off to the gym. The large version of this bag has enough room to store a week’s worth of gym clothing!

Converse’s Black Airliner Bag 

This bag offers a distinct retro look that combines style and functionality perfectly. There is one zipped storage compartment that features a further pocket inside. It comes with a shoulder-strap and several pockets for the storage of MP3 players and loose change for the drinks machine. Perhaps the most impressive thing about this gym bag is the iconic logo that adorns it. This fantastic-looking bag is available at JD sports and is just one of many that can be found on their website at http://www.jdsports.co.uk/.

Prolong the life of your running essentials with these top care tips

After investing in good-quality technical running kit, it’s important that you care for it correctly. A little TLC will ensure you get the most out of your running kit, ensuring better value for money. Besides the financial benefits, a well cared for kit will also reward you with the support you need for longer, helping to prevent injuries, aches and pains.

Replacing footwear

Trainers and running shoes are the one essential to your running performance, safety and comfort. Keeping them in good order will not only help save you money in the long run, but will ensure that you avoid injury, aches, pains and muscle strain. Looks aren’t important when it comes to running shoes, just because you love the look of Nike running shoes, make sure that they’re the best for your feet. Wearing trainers that are past their best means that your feet won’t be getting the cushioning and support that they need to withstand the impact of running, whether you’re running on hard or soft surfaces. Make sure that you get into the habit of checking your soles for tread wear, and as a general rule, look to replace your trainers with a new pair at least every 500 miles.

Signs that it’s time for a new pair

• Midsoles – midsoles tend to deteriorate before outsoles, so even if the outsoles appear fine, you should get into the habit of checking your midsoles for signs of wear. Stick your finger into the midsole to see if it feels brittle or compressed – if it does, it’s time for new shoes.

• Balance – the easiest way to check the soles of your shoes for signs of wear an imbalance is to place your running shoes on a flat table or even surface. This makes it easier to see worn areas, and if your shoes tilt then it’s time to replace them.

• Listen to your feet – your feet will be the first to tell you when it’s time to get a new pair of trainers. When aches and pains develop, or you start to encounter friction blisters, the chances are your running shoes are past their best.

Alternating footwear

A great way to increase the lifespan of your running shoes or trainers is to switch between two pairs. By doing this, you’ll actually strengthen the feet as they adjust to the differences in the shoe with each session. Besides the foot-strengthening benefits, it will also ensure that your feet are better protected and get the full support that they need each time you take to road, track or trail. Trainer and running shoe cushioning can take a good 24 hours to decompress after a session, so by switching to a second pair you’ll give your footwear time to get back in shape, as well as giving them time to dry out sufficiently.

Running garments

Today’s running garments are designed to wick away moisture to ensure that you’re kept dry, comfortable, and free from chaffing when you run. In order to do this, they need to be constructed from specialist synthetics, like Tactel, Lycra, polyamide and nylon, while some fabrics may be specially treated with water-repellent coatings. These fabrics need special care, as many of them can be damaged by the excessive heat that’s generated by a tumble dryer. Make sure your running kit goes that extra mile by always following the manufacturer’s washing and drying instructions printed on the label.

Theoretically, the gym should really be the last place to look for a special someone. It’s difficult to offer a desirable portrayal of yourself whilst sweating and slobbering your way around cardio machines. Turning up to classes and personal training courses wearing the same old ill-fitting tracksuit and stinky gym shoes you’ve had for years may not be your ordinary pulling attire, but she is no ordinary gym goer.

Ah, there she is. This absurdly beautiful callipygian goddess you adoringly try not to get caught gazing at, and who somehow manages to still look incredible during and after a two hour workout.  How can you get her attention? ‘Why would she look at me when Hunky McDeltoids is always hovering around her loudly sculpting his massive, stupid triceps?’ you may wonder.

Here are a few considerations for trying to woo your gym crush:

Buy some new gym clothes

Ok, so you may not have hexagonal pectorals or be able to bench press a Volvo, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try and look sharp while you work out. If you’re still wearing some football shorts circa 1983 it’s probably time for an upgrade.

Never, EVER, use the cross trainer

Cross trainers provide a fantastic all-round work out for the body. It’s just a pity that they join things such as applying lip balm or buying romantic comedy films that seem to shred all masculinity in the process.

Don’t attempt to showboat with weights

It may seem like a good idea to try and show-off your strength by power-lifting the equivalent weight of a blue whale in front of her but don’t overestimate your capabilities – a slipped disk or a hernia are not a particularly dashing look.

Don’t stare

As amazing as she may look, staring at people is just plain weird. The last thing you want to do is make her feel self-conscious while she’s working out. You certainly don’t want to be that weird love-struck berk staring at her she tells her friends about. If you must gaze adoringly, gyms usually have an array of cannily-placed mirrors for you to be a little more covert about it.

Remember she probably doesn’t want to see ‘the gun show’

We’ve all seen the excruciatingly hilarious scene from Anchorman. Flexing your ‘guns’ and preening while trying to get her attention will probably just make her think you’re a colossal tool.  Leave your guns on safety, young Burgundy, or better still – in the holster. At home. Under your bed. In a sealed box.

Try and stand out from the crowd

If she has caught your eye – and looks particularly wonderful while working out – chances are you’re probably not the only chap who has designs on her. Try sparking some natural and interesting conversation with her rather than swarming around like Pepe Le Pew in a muscle vest.

Just stop thinking about it and ask……

Who knows, honesty might just be worth a try……