Lose Muscle..

The only way to find out for sure is by checking out our list of the 10 worst workout mistakes—things you do that sabotage your progress and cost you muscle. Recognize a mistake as part of your daily rou- tine?We also came up with some quick and easy fixes you can use to correct these problems and net truly awesome gains.

FEAR OF GETTING FAT)
Yes, extra calories can mean extra belly fat, but if you’re lifting consistently and correctly, most of what you’re taking in should be converted to muscle. The truth is your muscles will never grow without a surplus of calories. For a lean guy looking to put on muscle mass, 2,000 calories a day won’t cut it. In fact, this kind of restricted diet is actually the ideal recipe for losing muscle tis- sue and sparing fat, as it causes the body to shift into starvation mode and shed calorie-consuming muscle. It also makes you store fat for emergency energy. And the less protein you eat, the less of a chance you give your muscles to recover after a workout.

YOU AMP UP YOUR CARDIO
There are three ways that cardio typically cancels out muscle gains: doing it too often, doing it for too long, or doing it on an empty stomach. In general, daily cardio sessions simply burn too many cumulative calories to allow you the surplus you need for muscle mass, and the same can be said for sessions that last 45 minutes or more. Work out in the morning before breakfast and you only compound the problem. When you wake up, your body is already in a catabolic (muscle-burning) state, since a night’s sleep—time spent without eating—empties your tank. Working out immediately just reinforces this condition and costs you intensity—whether on the treadmill or with the weights. The end result: You burn muscle as fuel in place of calories you should have consumed at breakfast

YOU WORK TO EXHAUSTION
If the biggest musclehead in the gym has taught us anything, it’s that doing lots and lots of sets and reps to the point of total collapse (he can’t even muster his signature grunt!) is the best way to build muscle. Never mind that he’s a genetic freak and/or probably on steroids. More than 20 total sets per muscle group, or more than 15 reps per set, may leave your muscles swollen (hence the ego-enhancing “pump”), but it will be from inflammation, not actual muscle growth. Any weight that allows that much work is too light to cause sub- stantial growth, and you’ll reap no lasting gains.

FAVOR BODY-PART WORKOUTS
Breaking your training down into chest days, back days, and arm days over- works some muscles and neglects others. It’s an old-school way to train—and it’s incredibly outdated. Most guys still do it, and many make gains for a while, but their progress eventually comes to a halt, usually due to injuries. Body-part routines also prevent your biggest muscles from ever learning to work together in the kinds of coordinated effort you need to lift really heavy weights—another major avenue for fast growth.

YOU SHUN STRETCHING
stretching has been shown to speed up recovery and increase a muscle’s range of motion, making more room for muscle fibers to grow. Simply lifting weights will increase your risk for injury and se- verely limit your ability to move athletically—so no matter how big you are, you’ll probably be picked last for teams.

YOU ONLY EAT SPORADICALLY
It’s true: Eating infrequently is nearly as bad as not eating at all. When you go more than three hours without food, your metabolism slows significantly.When that happens, every time you do get a meal, there’s a good chance that a large percentage of it will be stored as fat. Why?Blame your body. Without food, it slips back into starvation mode and starts to think it needs to hold on to every calorie it can get.

YOU RARELY ALTER YOUR ROUTINE
Doing the exact same workout week after week will, at best, prevent new gains, and, at worst, lead to burnout. Failing to impose any new challenges on your muscles—such as by increasing the weight you use or the number of reps you perform—simply helps keep them the same size, whereas pushing yourself harder than you’re accustomed to will actually spur new muscle and strength.

YOU ONLY TRAIN WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR
Focusing your workouts on trophy muscles such as the pecs and biceps may be more fun, but it won’t do much for your overall development. Since 70% of your body’s total musculature is located in your legs and back, your main potential for muscle gains will remain untapped. Furthermore, this kind of trainingwill leave you with muscle imbalances that lead to injury—and that can keep you out of the gym permanently.

9. YOU DON’T DRINK SHAKES
Chugging a protein-and-carb mixture after your workout starts the recovery process immediately, replenishing lost glycogen (your muscles’ energy stores) and providing the nutrients your body requires to repair muscle and grow more of it. Skipping the shake and casually waiting an hour or more for your next meal is like ignoring a cry for help

10. YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH REST
Sleep is when muscle repair happens, so getting six or fewer hours of shut-eye a night limits your body’s natural production of crucial muscle-building chemicals, such as growth hormone. Too much activity outside of your workouts, such as playing sports, all-night dance parties, and extra stress—all of which are permissible now and then, but dangerous in excess—also cut into muscle gains. And if you’ve been working out seven days a week, we’ve got another pleasant surprise for you: You’ll lose muscle for sure. Such a high frequency won’t allow for regeneration, and your efforts will be wasted. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’re training different muscle groups each day—you still have the same central nervous system, and it still gets tired of having to deal with major physical exertion every day.

Hypnosis Programe

You have probably heard of athletes using hypnosis. Many professional Bodybuilders know that their imagery and mental techniques account for a big part of their success. They know they could not have the impressive gains and the rapid results they have without their subconscious secrets of building body mass.Your strength is determined largely by the mental conditions, beliefs, and convictions that support the muscles.Muscle growth is greatly enhanced by the mental processes available to you in Hypnosis 

As you listen to these Hypnosis Sessions you will discover something very fascinating. You may first notice the change in the amount of weight you lift, or it may be your endurance. In about one to three weeks you will notice a significant increase in the size of the muscle. You will actually be able to see the difference.Research Proves the Mind Body Muscle Increase! Studies at Manchester University in England showed dramatic results in just one week with participants doing only HYPNOTIC exercises. The group that did the real exercise (for the same amount of time as the hypnosis group), increased the size and strength of the targeted muscle 30%.The group who did ONLY the hypnosis exercise increased the size and strength 16%.

This is important. Here's why. The research proves that more than 50% of the muscle increase is obtained from the mental state alone. Hypnosis and/or visualization, done properly, can cause muscle growth even without working the muscle. The messages from the subconscious mind are powerful enough to command the muscles to grow by feeding the cells the information they need. And this is without moving a muscle. Cellular Memory is handed down from dying cells to newly forming cells. If nothing changes, the dying cell gives the new cell the same memory. The new cell is formed in the same way as the old one.

This is WHY hypnosis works. Hypnosis targets the transfer of information as the new cell is forming, creating a new cellular memory. Without the hypnosis boost, as you workout, the cellular memory will change and you will grow- over time. When you use hypnosis you accelerate the cellular memory change. The cells are programmed to increase size and strength immediately, instead of waiting months for each cellular exchange to gradually change the muscles.

Build Bigger Arms

Fitness experts across the globe agree that, nothing will help you get big arms faster then training biceps, triceps and forearms together on a single day. When you are fresh and when your glycogen stores are full, that’s the best time to train your arms, as it will produce a much more intense arm workout leading to better gains. The body parts trained first will always improve faster than those at the end of the workout when you are fatigued.

Always Train Arms With A Thick Bar

In order to develop maximum muscular size and strength, use a thick-handled bar always. It helps in developing big arms and levels of upper body power strength to such an extent which is incomprehensible to those who train only with regular bars.

Train Your Forearms

It’s not just your biceps that will go a long way in impressing others, but training your forearms should be an important part of your goal. If you have stick forearms, then it doesn’t matter how big your biceps or triceps are, because you will still end up having small arms.

Get Leaner & Respect Your Elbows

Yes, these are two things and two very important things. Firstly, your arms will always look bigger and better when you can see the definition and vascularity (veins) which only happens when you are lean. Secondly, you must always respect your elbows as staying injury free is very important because if you injure yourself in the elbows, your arms will be atrophying (shrinking) and not hypertrophying (growing).

Use More Exercises

If somebody tries convincing you about the concept of one best exercise or best routine for any body part, know that there is a problem. Everybody has different muscle insertion points, muscle belly lengths and muscle fiber make composition. So everyone responds differently. The idea is to use a variety of exercises to find ones that work best for you.

Steroids

Risks and Benefits of Steroids

Steroids have been popular with athletes and sportsmen for decades now.The discovery of medicinal compositions, which help boost stamina and muscle strength, gave men the power to defy the naturally experienced fatigue. Medical practitioners, who prescribe these drugs, like to put a disclaimer alongside - steroid drugs are tricky substances. They come with both benefits and risks. 

Benefits

Steroids, also known as performance enhancing drugs, are meant to beat the natural boundaries of body performance. Researchers have proved that testosterone, a hormone associated with the growth of reproductive organs as well as of bones, body hair and muscles, can be enhanced by artificial steroids.

Stamina

For athletes or fitness enthusiasts, testosterone steroids help improve the stamina to prolong crunches and other physical activities.

Weight

Steroids help increase the size of the body considerably. So, sportsmen prefer taking these to balance out weight regime and achieve toned body as required.

Remedies

Steroids are also known to have remedial effects on the body. Athletes tend to have injuries and minor accidents during practice sessions. Steroids help cure their ailment and get them back in shape soon.

Risks

The discovery of any scientific object always comes with a risk associated with it, as is also the case with steroids. The fact that they act artificially against the natural reaction of the functions of the human body makes them fatal. The effects of these are experienced at a later stage in one’s life

Addiction

It has been found that a regular user of steroids tends to gradually get dependent on them. In cases of non-availability of the substance, the person falls into fits of rage and gets self-destructive.

Infertility

In cases where the body has comfortably accustomed itself to artificial drugs for survival, it stops or inhibits the natural hormone secretion. This could lead to possible problems of infertility.

Health

Steroids are also known to affect other bodily functions and eventually affect the cholesterol level, sometimes resulting in high blood pressure and increased chances of heart attack.

Withdrawal

Sudden withdrawal from the drugs, in case of addiction may also lead to active cases of depression, nervous breakdowns, body pain and nausea. This is because the body tries to re-track its natural system and acts unnaturally. 

FRONT SQUAT AND BACK SQUAT

Squat belakang (back squat) dengan squat hadapan (front squat), yang mana paling  lebih selamat? Squat, seperti yang diketahui semua, dikatakan sebagai raja kepada semua senaman. Squat menyasarkan otot quadrisep, hamstring dan pinggul. Dalam masa sama, otot perut, otot spinal dan betis jadi penstabil yang menghalang anda dari jatuh.

Walau bagaimana pun, ada beberapa jenis squat. Squat yang paling popular adalah squat belakang menggunakan barbell. Barbell diletakkan di 3 tempat iaitu di antara trapezius dan deltoid, di tengah-tengah trapezius, atau di atas trapezius. Paling selamat di tengah-tengah trapezius. Trapezius bertindak sebagai kusyen. Squat belakang jika dibandingkan dengan squat depan, ia merbahaya pada pinggang, hip, dan lutut walaupun dilakukan dengan cara yang betul.

Cuba lihat dari sudut biomekaniknya. Ada 4 otot major yang seimbangkan badan iaitu perut, punggung, hip flexor dan otot spinal. Sekali mana kekuatan keempat-empat kumpulan otot ini berada pada kekuatan yang sepatutnya, tak jadi masalah. Akan tetapi, masalah kebanyakan orang, bahagian perut dan punggungnya lebih lemah, menyebabkan otot spinal dan hip flexor menjadi ketat dan seterusnya menyebabkan pelvik bergerak sedikit ke hadapan. Syndrom ini dikenali sebagai lower cross syndrome. Kalau ikutkan, jarang jumpa mereka yang tiada masalah ini disebabkan majoriti ada habit, mungkin disebabkan kerja, duduk kebanyakan masa seperti kerja di pejabat. Kebanyakan kes juga disebabkan pengumpul beban berlebihan di punggung dalam bentuk lemak.

Kenapa kedudukan pelvik penting? Kedudukan pelvik yang salah merupakan penyebab utama majoriti sakit pinggang. Perubahan pelvik ke depan menekan sakrum, menutup foramina diantara tulang belakang dan sakrum. Saraf dan tisu disekeliling sangat sensitif. Jadi mereka terganggu disebabkan perubahan bentuk atau saiz foramina ini. Ia menimbulkan rasa sakit dan kemungkinan bengkak, dan mungkin juga sciatica. Kemudian, ia meletakkan tekanan pada bahagian belakang disc yang memaksanya mengubah bentuk dan menambah risiko slip disc atau hernia pada tulang belakang.

Masalah dengan squat belakang, adalah agak mustahil untuk memastikan pergerakan dilakukan pergerakan penuh pada spinal dan pelvik. Badan cenderung bergerak ke hadapan apabila menurun, dan pinggang dibengkokkan. Otot bahagian belakang dan hip flexor menjadi ketat. Dalam bahasa mudah, jika anda menambah beban squat, anda cenderung untuk menonggek. Ada perbezaan tonggek disebabkan perubahan sudut pelvik dan penambahan otot.

Berbeza dengan squat hadapan, apabila squat hadapan, kecenderungan untuk badan bergerak ke hadapan sangat kurang disebabkan kalau ke hadapan, beban akan jatuh. Jadi secara tak langsung, kita akan menjaga kedudukan badan supaya barbell tidak jatuh. Squat depan tidak memerlukan beban setinggi squat belakang untuk mendapatkan hasil yang sama. Jika squat belakang 200kg, mungkin squat depan cuma 170kg untuk mendapatkan hasil yang sama. Angka itu cuma perbandingan.

Bagaimana dengan otot sasaran? Adakah ia menyasarkan otot yang sama atau berlainan? Ada pendapat mengatakan, squat hadapan lebih menyasarkan otot quadrisep. Akan tetapi, menurut kajian, tiada perbezaan otot mana yang bekerja. 

Workout Routine

The 7 Steps of Workout Routine Design

To bring your ideal workout routine to life, we’re going to take the following steps:

1. Figure out your goal and training status.
   Before you can do anything, you need to decide why you’re working out. Meaning, what’s your specific goal? Building muscle? Losing fat? Increasing strength? Getting “toned?”
2. Figure out your ideal weight training frequency.
   Workout frequency refers not only to how often you’ll work out, but also how often you’ll work out each muscle group, body part and/or movement pattern over the course of avery week.
3. Choose a workout split that fits your ideal frequency AND schedule.
   Once you’ve figured out what the ideal workout frequency is for you, the next step is to pick a workout split that not only allows for that ideal workout frequency to be reached, but a workout split that will fit perfectly within your daily/weekly schedule and life.
4. Figure out your ideal weight training intensity.
   Workout intensity basically refers to how hard you’re going to be working. Meaning, how much weight will you be lifting, how heavy or light is that weight for you, and how many reps will you be able to lift it for?
5. Figure out your ideal weight training volume.
   Workout volume refers to the amount of work you’ll be doing. As in, how many exercises, sets and reps will you do per muscle group, per workout, and per week?
6. Choose your exercises and properly implement them.
   Once you know how much volume you’ll be doing, the next step is to select the exercises that are most ideal for you and then properly implement those exercise into your workout routine.
7. Make sure it works.
   This final step involves bringing the 6 previous steps together along with the remaining requirements that must be in place in order for it all to work. Specifically, some form of progression and a diet plan that supports your goals.

Steps to become a pull-up pro

Everyone loves a barman

The pull-up bar is probably the most efficient and versatile piece of equipment around. But it has one major flaw. Look down. That load is difficult to lighten. And, for many, the idea of hauling such a weighty husk above any bar not stocking a fine range of beverages is enough to induce the need for a stiff drink. However, by gradually progressing through simple pull-up and chin-up variations, you can slowly but surely build awe-inspiring arm musculature. Work through PT Scott H. Mendelson’s series of bar exams to build colossal strength across your entire upper body.

Level one: Lateral pull-downs

If nose-ups – or perhaps even hair-ups – would be a more accurate description of your attempts to lug your head above the bar, lat pull-downs should be your training start point. “They work the same muscles and use the same range of motion as pull-ups,” explains Mendelson. Head to the lat pull-down machine, sit down, and grip the bar with shoulder-width palms facing away and your arms fully extended above your head. Do not lean back as you pull the bar to the top of your chest and hold it there for two seconds. “Imagine you are holding a grape between your shoulder blades,” advises Mendelson. Control the bar as it pulls itself back to the start position, aiming for a three second ascent with no pause at the top of the movement.

Moving on up Once you can execute 6-8 reps using 80% of your body weight, move on to the next level.

Level two: Negative chin-ups

‘Chin-up’ still proving a bit of a misnomer? Concentrate solely on perfecting the lowering phase of the movement. “Over time the building of lowering (eccentric) strength will improve your ability to lift yourself up without assistance,” says Mendelson. Stand on a bench and place yourself at the top of the chin up movement with palms facing towards you shoulder-width apart. Lower yourself over six seconds until your arms are fully extended. Then step on to the bench. Raise yourself to the start position. And repeat.

See an example of this move on MHTV.

Moving on up After around four weeks you should be able to complete 6-8 reps with perfect form. Move to stage three.

Level three: Palms facing pull-ups

Most people will find their grip is strongest when their palms are facing each other. The majority of gyms should have apparatus to accommodate this – ideally two bars 8-10 inches apart. Raise yourself up in an accelerative fashion and lower over a three second count with no pause at the bottom of the movement. “It is okay to make use of momentum as long as you are maintaining full control with proper form,” says Mendelson.

Moving on up Start with three reps and try to add one more each week. When you hit six, you’re ready for stage four.

Level four: Chin-ups

You should be ready for the real thing by now. But let’s mix it up by adding an extra ¼ rep. With palms facing towards you, shoulder-width apart, pull yourself up ¼ of the way, pause for one second to reminisce about when this was as far as you could get, then return to the bottom before performing a full rep as normal. “This adds 25% more work to the weakest part of the range of motion where trainees usually fail,” says Mendelson. “Building up this weak link will have you chinning like a champ.” Make sure you’re pulling your chin above the bar, rather than just tilting your head back like a pez dispenser.

Moving on up Start with four reps and add one each week. When you can execute eight you’re ready for level five.

Level five: Wide grip pull-ups

You’ve earned the right to be a bit of a wide boy. With palms facing away from you grip the curvature of the bar so your thumbs are a couple of inches wider than shoulder width. “The wide grip and change of hand position will make this movement much more challenging than the prior stages, but well worth it for great back strength and development,”