Weight Training Workouts - Two Effective Exercises For Building Lean Muscle Mass

When the squat is properly performed, it can be a very anabolic exercise. Yet squats are frequently done with less than ideal technique, resulting in submaximal gains. The most frequent error is to place unnecessary strain on the lower back by leaning forward during the movement. When you descend into the squat position, your back should be perpendicular to the floor. While some forward motion is inevitable, this can be minimized when you place a 2x4 board or a five- to twenty five-pound plate beneath the heels of your feet. Experiment to see which elevation works best for you in order to build muscle.

Once you are in the squat position, think of yourself as a rocket. Thrust your body upward and not forward. Push up from the heels of your feet, which will help your balance. (This may seem like a small change, but it can make a big difference.) Also, look forward while you squat. Examine your technique in the mirror as you rise. Never look down, as this can cause you to lean forward, nor look up, which can result in a curving of the spine. Furthermore, when you lower your body into the squat position, make sure that your knees bend directly over your feet. Practice this without weights at first until you get it right. Knee problems are not inevitable with the squat. They result from improper technique. Minimize the strain on this essential joint by always making your feet "disappear" beneath your legs during the movement. This can be achieved with a close or wide stance, depending on how you pivot your legs at the hip.

The powerlifting-style deadlift is another potent testosterone releaser, so consider it if you want to build muscle. In this exercise, the legs are bent when the weight is on the floor. The initial movement is with the legs, which begin the upward thrust of the body.




This is very important. Sometimes novice athletes start this exercise with their backs, which is a great way to strain your lower back and injure yourself. After the legs begin the ascent, the upper body should follow suit until you are standing upright with your arms straight and the bar is in front of your legs.

Use a strap to grip the bar. This will allow you to focus all of your effort on maintaining perfect form during the upward thrust. The hands should be only as far apart as necessary to permit free clearance of the legs during the ascent. Some athletes alternate the grip of their hands, with one palm facing toward the body and the other facing away--this is said to improve balance. Others find this position awkward, and prefer to grip the bar with both palms facing the body. Use the position that you find most comfortable. This will allow you to focus all of your energies on the lift. Try to maintain the spine in a relatively straight position, without excessively curving it forward or backward. Such curvature places stress on the spinal column and can cause injury. This is particularly important at the top of the movement in order to build muscle.

The inclusion of these two exercises in your workout will stimulate muscle gain. The greatest testosterone release is achieved when you lift a weight that is 150 to 200 percent of your total body weight, although lower weights also produce a hormonal response. You should slowly work up to these ideal weights, however. Give your muscles plenty of time to adjust to the larger loads. In time, you will reach your goal without strain or injury. Patience is not only a virtue, it is a necessity for safe muscle growth.

In order to assure whole-body recuperation and to prepare yourself for this anabolic assault, take a break from training on the days before you do squats and deadlifts. If you can't take a day off because of your training schedule, at least try to separate the days you do squats and deadlifts in your routine as much as possible. This will spread these testosterone-releasing exercises throughout the week, permitting the most even distribution of this essential hormone over time. It will also give your legs more time for recovery, as both of these exercises utilize the thigh muscles to a great extent. This will stimulate muscle growth and ensure that you reach your bodybuilding goals as soon as possible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/David_Barrett/102085

Processed Foods to Avoid for Longevity and Dynamic Health

Almost all food that is found in a box, bag, or drive-through is processed. Processed food has added sweeteners, is often made with white flour, oils, preservatives and additives. This type of food was developed in order to increase shelf life.

Processed foods to avoid include: bread, bagels, chips, donuts, pasta, cookies, breakfast bars, deli meat, cereal, soft drinks, condiments, most frozen dinners, microwave snacks, crackers, bread sticks, tortillas, mac n cheese, fast food and even vitamin pills! If you look at a grocery store, almost the entire market is shelf after shelf of food in boxes, cans and bags. Less than 20% of most major markets are dedicated to the produce department.

With many people leading busy lives, moms and dads are pressed for time. Often working late and exhausted, they swing by a drive through or take out restaurant - happy to bring something home to put on the table that didn't require having to cook. Kids are so fussy anyway, it's often easier to give them a burger then cooked vegetables, which will sit on their plate uneaten anyway!




Quick and convenient foods are processed foods to avoid because they compromise the immune system. There are numerous fad diets and resources that tell you what portion of fat, carbs, and protein you should be eating. However, there has been little or no mention of the micronutrients that our bodies need in order to fight disease and keep our immune system strong and running at an optimal level.

Unfortunately, busy lifestyles have led Americans to consume less than 10% of their daily calories from unrefined plant-based foods such as fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and vegetables. Poor diet is leading this country into a state of disease, obesity, and malnutrition. Most people are unaware that numerous studies and research link the rise of disease to a lack of nutrition. I am not talking about a lack of calories, or food consumption, but a lack of nutrients. Studies are showing that inflammation is a leading cause of disease. Inflammation is caused by free radical damage. Free radical imbalance in the body is linked to environmental and physical stress, processed foods, medications, and smoking. These are just a few of the contributors.

Micronutrients are made up of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients found in whole foods, mostly located in the produce section of your local super market. They are not found in animal products or processed food. Whole foods are as close to nature as possible with little or no alteration of their natural state. When we eat a diet high in whole foods, we feed our bodies thousands of micronutrients which lower our blood sugar and cholesterol, decrease weight, boost the immune system, reverse heart disease and prevent cancer. Yet, knowing all of this, 90% of the American diet still consists of animal products and processed food. When wanting to know what processed food to avoid, the answer is almost all of it! It's becoming more and more clear that diets high in vegetables, fruits, seed and nuts, and beans lead to longevity and dynamic health! If you want a life of wellness and health the prescription is to eat more plant-based whole foods! 

Recently the AMA announced that vitamin deficiency is common among the general population, and therefore, recommend that adults take some form of supplementation. This is an understatement to say the least.

If you are looking to supplement your diet, look for ones that are derived from whole foods in the form of whole food concentrate. These supplements have been minimally processed and keep most of their micronutrients intact. One of the many benefits of this type of supplement is that it can be absorbed on a cellular level and begin to go to work immediately. Many vitamin pills have been processed, and therefore, are not easily absorbed. Much of the content (as high as 90%) is not useable and is eliminated from the body.

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Benefits of a Vegan Diet and Why the Human Body Was Designed to Be Vegan

The human body was not designed to consume meat and definitely not dairy, but rather for a plant friendly vegan diet. We have over 30 dissimilarities with carnivores, which are similarities we share with herbivores in regards to our design. For example, our digestive tract is a long plant friendly one. A true carnivore has a short digestive tract and meat is in and out in 3-7 hours. This does not give parasites a chance to hatch. In humans it takes three days to digest meat, giving it ample time for parasites to hatch. That is a big part of why an estimated 90% of people have parasites!

Furthermore, we have nails instead of claws, different stomach acidity, saliva, and our teeth structure is similar to an herbivores and definitely not a carnivores. It's in our instincts to not eat meat too. For example, if you saw a dead cow on the grass you wouldn't start salivating or want to eat it like that. A true carnivore would feast away. The only way you would want it is if you cooked it, in plants oils, and seasoned it with herbs etc. This is also since you have grown up eating meat so have grown accustomed to it. However, the human body was not designed for meat, but rather a vegan diet.

Meat is high in saturated fats and not as clean as plants. As well, if your meat is not organic, grass-fed, and free range, you also have to deal with growth hormones, antibiotics, and steroids. All of which grow you and make you more resistant to antibiotics. Plus any anxiety, and stress the animal went through in its life created chemical reactions in the body such as increased levels of adrenaline and cortisol, which you guessed it, ends up in you. No wonder so many people are angry and when we think of vegans we think of mellow, chilled out people. Plus meat is so hard to digest. Digestion takes up most of your energy for the day. So if you are digesting mangoes versus steak, which do you think is harder on the body and gives you more energy to do what you need to do?




And dairy is very scary. It's the worst of all foods. We take milk, usually from a mistreated cow who is given hormones, steroids, and antibiotics, and cook it. Any nutrients in the milk is now gone, in fact the milk is acidic. We then fortify the milk with vitamins and calcium, but it is just not the real thing. When it ends up in your body it is so acidic that your body has to use its calcium and magnesium reserve just to neutralize the acidity. So that's right, dairy actually depletes your body of calcium. You have just been dispelled of one of the grandest myths of our time. Also dairy is also high in rancid fats and makes you gain weight very easily. Think of what that milk was designed for, a baby cow. That baby cow grows hundreds of pounds in its first year just off that milk.

So you must be thinking, where do I get my protein, calcium, and b12 from on a vegan diet? You can find plenty of protein in leafy greens, nuts, beans, sea algae, and sprouts. You only need 5 to 10 percent protein in you diet to build all the muscle you want and need. According to the world health organization you only need 5% protein and there has never been a case of protein deficiency in all of medical literature. Years of research and personal experience have led me to believe this whole protein hype is a marketing strategy by the meat industry. I eat 5% of my calories in the form of protein and have no problem building muscle. Actually, since my protein is raw and thus not denatured and more powerful, I have a much easier time building and keeping muscle on a vegan diet.

Calcium can be found in abundance in its raw and powerful form in leafy green vegetables. 1 lb of leafy greens such as kale or spinach will give you 100% of your RDA requirements for the day. B12 is actually a vitamin that is found in organic soil. So if you just leave some of that vitamin rich organic soil on your veggies you will get your b12. However, if you can't stand to do that, you can always supplement. But the vegan diet really is perfect and ideal. A balanced vegan diet has all your nutrient requirements and is clean and ideal for the plant friendly human body.

So at the end of the day, why would you even want to eat a healthy vegan diet? Well, I'll give you some killer, legitimate, and powerful reasons. A vegan diet, especially high is raw foods, will give you energy. This is because a high or full raw vegan diet is rich in nutrients, easy to digest, and light. Who wants to be tired all day? Energy is fun and makes everything else so much more exciting. This is because you are getting nutrients and not spending so much of your energy digesting heavy foods that are often loaded with toxins.

As well, you will lose weight. A vegan diet is high in fiber,which keeps you full, and nutrients so you don't eat and eat and eat. Plus plants are treated differently in the human body because we were designed for a plant friendly vegan diet. They go in and out, and are used for energy and nutrients. When we eat animal products or the newest GMO chemical and toxins, the body doesn't know what to do with them so they often get stored in the form of fat, especially around the midsection! How often do you see someone on a vegan diet who is overweight?

Other reasons to go on a vegan diet are you will slow aging. YES! The way you age is mostly under your control, and genetics plays a small part, but not all of it. Most of how you age is due to your diet, the way you take care of yourself through exercise, sleep, hydration, and how you manage stress. You are in control and you can be a hot grandmother at 70 like Annette Larkins and plenty of other hot senior citizens on a high or full raw vegan diet. A vegan diet, especial high in raw fruits and veggies has lots of nutrients and anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants fight free radical damage and help slow aging. I don't know about you, but I don't plan on getting old and am thankful for the raw vegan diet for making that possible.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Nargis_Khestoo/2002088