Workout Routine (1) – Superset Training

What would you say if I told you there was a method of building more muscle mass in less time? For those of you who are interested, I’ll attempt to explain a very underestimated training technique that will shock your muscles into extreme growth.

Many of you may have heard about Superset Training or you may have used supersets in your training before, you may not know it in all its forms, or the many different ways to incorporate it into your workouts.

WHAT IS A SUPERSET TRAINING?

Just in case you’re not familiar with supersets, let me start from the beginning and explain the difference between a conventional set and a superset.

Conventional weight training is done using “straight sets.” A straight set consists of a series of nonstop repetitions, usually somewhere between 6 and 12, followed by a rest interval of one to three minutes. 

Superset training, as described in Bodybuilding.com, is combination of one exercise performed right after the other with no rest in between them. Superset is an advanced training technique which is an excellent technique for muscular hypertrophy, especially if you are short of time.

Workout Tips (3) – Training For Your Body Type

Most of us have specific preferences in many aspects of our life; from favourite foods, activities, movies and social activities, to exercises. In most of these areas we tend to build a routine around the things we are most familiar and comfortable with; however, when it comes to exercise, this concept can produce some challenges.

If your training efforts are not producing your desired results, it may be time to step out of your comfort zone and look at your body type and what exercise may best suit your build. We can all be classified into one of 3 body types. By identifying the category we fall into, we can tailor our training to ensure it is appropriate for our build and, in turn, achieve the best results possible.

Just looking around, it is obvious that, physically speaking, we all differ from each other. Some find that ‘just looking at food’ results in weight gain, while others stay thin regardless of how much they may eat. While at times you may wish you could trade places with someone else, the most rewarding option is to accept and appreciate your own unique body type, and adjust your training accordingly.

Workout Tips (2) – Progressive Overload

Want to move your training forward? Progressive overload could be the answer for you. Progressive overload is the one key principle behind all results nad is of paramount importance if you want to move your training forward. This technique is recognised as the foundation for progression and, if used correctly, is the key to unlocking your true potential in any form of training.

What actually is progressive overload? The concept was first devised by Dr. Vladimir Zatsiorsky and Dr. John Cimbala and refers to the gradual increase of stress on the body through physical activity. By consistently challenging your body with more than it used to you will initiate physiological change in the form of greater strength, power, and speed, to name just a few.

Back Workout (8) – Deadlift

While many would consider deadlift as leg workout, I personally include it in my back workout routine. Well, deadlift actually can be considered as ‘everything’ workout because it works almost every muscles of your body. This exercise is the mother of all training.

When you deadlift, you use every single muscle in your body:

• Your arms, forearms, and hands hold onto the barbell and make sure the bar stays in the right position and stays stable throughout the lift.
• Your shoulders and traps hold the weight and hold it stable.
• Your back and core help keep your entire body tight and stable to help keep your spine secure.
• Your posterior chain and legs to act as a lever and lift the weight.

Deadlift is the basic human movement. Other than the squat, there might not be another movement that is more “functional”. From the grocery store, to moving a piece of furniture, to picking up your child off the floor — you are deadlifting.

The deadlift is awesome – perhaps the purest measure of strength: either you can pick the weight off the ground, or you can’t.

There are different types of deadlift and the most common ones are the traditional Deadlift (DL), Romanian Deadlift (RDL) or Stiff-legged Deadlift, and Sumo Deadlift. In this article we are going to cover Deadlift and Romanian Deadlift.

Workout Tips (1) – 10 Ways to a Leaner You

Personally, I am not a huge fan of cardio machine. This is not because I think that cardio is without benefits, but because so often heard the miss-concept about being lean, that the only way to get you lean / slim is by doing endless cardio and there is absolutely  no point doing weight training when you weigh so much until you trim it down.

Still, after doing endless cardio, some people are still not losing weight and got stressed out and say good bye to the gym and back to the ‘junk’ lifecycle that they used to have. If you are not sure whether your cardio routine is up to scratch, then it’s probably not. And if you can’t understand why the weight simply won’t shift despite all the time and effort you put in, then it’s safe bet that you are stuck in a faulty cardio routine.

5 Foods For Fat Loss

We are all blessed with that internal fat-burning weapon known as ‘metabolism’. But did you know that some foods can actually help you burn more fat?

When your goal is fat loss, you should focus on your metabolism. The body’s basal metabolism involves the combustion of food, using oxygen and producing carbon dioxide. The rate of oxygen consumption of an individual indicates their energy expenditure (i.e., Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)). The BMR measures the speed of all chemical reactions, which occur when the body is lying completely at rest, for the activity of the internal organs and to maintain body temperature. It is ideally measured immediately upon waking.

Under normal conditions, basal metabolism varies between individuals of the same sex by no more than five percent. Interestingly, the BMR of females is, on average, 11 percent lower than that of males. Here are the 5 foods that can help increase your BMR which, in turn, can help you achieve greater fat loss over the long term.

Overcoming Emotional Eating

Most of us can confess at one time or another to having tried to drown our emotional sorrows with a sugar-laden treat or a fat-filled snack. Here’s how to stop that emotional eating cycle.

Human beings are pretty simple. When you think about all the things that happen in our lives, most things can be broken down into two categories: pleasure or pain. This is because in all instances, there is always a balance between pain and pleasure. Emotional eating is turning to food for comfort, stress relief, or as a reward rather than to satisfy hunger. Most emotional eaters feel powerless over their food cravings. When the urge to eat hits, it’s all you can think about.

Back Workout (7) – Inverted Row

Lots of you guys maybe just getting started out with your fitness training, and doing pull up seems like an absolute impossible task. 80% of the population that just getting started weight training probably can’t do one either, so don’t beat yourself up too much.

So what’s the deal with the inverted row? You may have read about the barbell row, or the one-hand dumbbell row from this blog or you may have read it somewhere else. But what the hell is Inverted Row? Some people refer inverted row as the reverse bench-press because of its starting position is similar to bench press but instead of pressing the weight, you pull your body up.

Back Workout (6) – Wide Grip Lat Pulldown

Many variation of grip is possible with lat pull down machine, such as narrow under-grip, reverse-grip, and parallel grip handle. Changing your grip makes difference to muscle activation during the lat pulldown. It is a compound exercise which uses your large portion of back and biceps.

As the name itself suggests, the lat pulldown has as its primary target the latissimus dorsi.  This is the large fan shaped muscle that takes up an exceedingly large portion of the back.  While the midback is involved somewhat in the pulldown movement (depending heavily on how it’s done), the vertical line of pull tends to take the midback muscles out of the movement.

Since the arms are involved and there is bending at the elbow, of course the various elbow flexors, the biceps and brachialis, are also involved.  Much of which is involved and to what degree depends on the grip used.

Diet and Sleep, Are They Connected?

For years your doctor, your mom and your friend who goes to the gym multiple times a week have probably been telling you to eat better and exercise more. So you’ve made some lifestyle changes; cutting back fat and sweet intakes and doing some cardiovascular exercise a few days a week. Despite all this, you still feel burned out, can’t drop those extra few pounds, and don’t have the energy to greet each day with enthusiasm. What are we missing here?