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Bulking Up

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on December 7, 2011 at 12:10 PM Comments comments (0)

Bulking up makes getting bigger a lot easier. When bulking, your main goal should be to maximize muscle gains while minimizing your fat gain. While bulking, it is extremely difficult to put on muscle mass without gaining a little bit of fat. Your objective should be to put on as little fat as possible. When you bulk up you have to consider two issues. These are:

 

1. You have to workout while bulking - If your not working out at the same time that you are eating a lot to bulk, you won't get improvments in muscle mass and you will just get fat. You have to make sure that most of the extra calories you are consuming are going towards growth in your muscle as opposed to fat gain.

                              

 2. What you eat is what you are - Just because you're trying to bulk up, you can't be eating junk food like cake and taking in any empty calories. This is because you need the extra calories throughout the day. This does not mean that you should consume alot of calories in one sitting. Your body should be getting more calories from carbohydrates and healthy fats. Bulking is not an excuse to consume simple carbohydrates--your primary source of carbs should be complex, slow-digesting carbohydrates. This is very similar to a regular bodybuilding diet in tems of the foods you eat, but you are just consuming more of these same foods throughout the day.

Why Not To Skip Breakfast

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 26, 2011 at 12:30 AM Comments comments (1)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In the morning when you wake up your body is in starvation mode due to not having eaten since the night before. This is the most important meal because you need to feed your body with the nutirents it desperately needs. These nutrients will feed your muscles, and provide you with your first source of energy for the day. A meal in the morning will give a good boost to your metabolism which will help with fat loss if you're getting the right nutrients.

                               

 Especially if your into bodybuilding, you will never want to start the day without a good breakfast. This is because your muscles haven't been fed the nutrients it requires for the past eight hours approximately and you need to get it as soon as possible after you wake up so your muscle can continue its recovery. If you don't eat right after you wake up, your body will use your muscle as a source of energy. This has a catabolic effect on your muscles, meaning that you will be losing muscle. The reason for this is because when you wake up, your body's main source of energy, carbohydrates, is completely depleted; therefore, your body has no choice but to turn to your muscle as a source for energy.

 

If you make it a habit to not eat in the morning, your body will slow down it's metabolism so it can preserve energy. This is because your body knows its not going to recieve any food for a while, so it must slow down your metabolism to preserve the fuel that it already has. Slowing down your metabolism is detrimental to your fat loss progress.

Healthy Fats & Bad Fats

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 19, 2011 at 2:35 PM Comments comments (0)

Healthy fats are not the same as bad fats- they have the opposite effect. Healthy fats are a must for body building and for fat loss. These healthy fats is what keeps your body healthy and strong while the bad ones are what get you fat and weak.

Healthy fats are what feed your muscles and assist in fat loss. It also benefits in slowing digestion of protein and other nutrients. Without these fats, you will have difficulties putting on muscle and losing fat, so you will have a tough time reaching your goal. Healthy fats fight some cancers, while bad fats can cause heart disease. The good fats are monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. These fats should be consumed daily, but too much of any kind of fat can cause weight gain. A source of healthy fats would be almonds, flaxseed, and fish oil.

Bad fats are what come from junk foods like chocolate and chips. These fats have the opposite effect of healthy fat. These can cause cancer, clogged arteries, fat gain and a lot of other health risks. These fats are called saturated fat and trans fat.

What To Eat Before Bed?

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 19, 2011 at 12:30 AM Comments comments (0)

Having something to eat before bed is very important for bodybuilders so that the muscles that are being repaired have a continuous supply of essential nutrients throughout the night. If you don't consume any protein before bed, your muscles won't have the necessary nutrients to repair to their full potential throughout the night. This is true because during your sleep is when your muscles repair and grow the most. Therefore, it is important that you have a source of slow digesting protein that is low in calories, such as cottage cheese or a slow digesting protein shake. Alternatively, if you are looking for extra calories to bulk you can have a lean protein source, such as chicken breast, which you can have with some vegetables. We Recommend you having your meal 45 minutes to 1 hour before you go to bed.

Make sure what you consume is not high in calories if your main goal is to maintain your body weight. Also, make sure to minimize the amount of carbohydrates you consume before bed to decrease the chance of storing it as fat.

Pre Workout Supplement Advantages

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 18, 2011 at 11:55 PM Comments comments (0)

Pre workout supplements are really effective because the supplement give you a boost of energy and strength. Combine these together and you get a longer and more effective workout, which make you increase your strength, reps, and amount of exercises. The more strength you have, the more you will grow, thats why a pre workout supplement is useful. Pre workout supplements will also aid in fat loss because of the longer durations of exercise and more intensity you can put into it. It is also a advantage for any kind of athletic activity or fat loss program. It is more beneficial if you are the kind of person that doesn't have the energy to workout or the pump or are looking to workout for a longer period of time. Another advantage of a pre workout supplement is that after your workout you won't feel tired, so you can still go do some cardio for a long duration. Only use a pre workout supplement if your workout is going to be about 30 minutes or longer because otherwise you would be just wasting your money.

Pre workout supplements can start working after 15 minutes of drinking it, but it can also take up to 45 minutes, so we recommend taking it 30 minutes prior to your workout. If your workout is late at night then it is not recommended to take a pre workout supplement because it may give trouble sleeping. This is because the energy can last up to a few hours.

Fruits And Vegetables In Your Diet

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 18, 2011 at 4:55 PM Comments comments (0)

Fruits and Vegetables are a MUST for trying to gain muscle or lose weight and you should consume about 5 vegetables and 2 fruits throughout the day.

Fruits and Vegetables are full of antioxidants, which clean your body and help you lose fat. Without them it will be impossible to lose weight. You especially need the vegetables for vitamins and minerals that help with aging, blood circulation, your immune system, your brain, cholesterol, blood pressure, metabolism, and much more. This is all necessary for a healthy and active lifestyle. Vegetables are also low in calories, have fiber, and boosts you're metabolism, which is all a must to burn fat. When it comes to losing fat you also have to watch what kind of fruits you consume, because they are high in sugar.

For Bodybuilding It is just as important as protein, because your muscles will be fed with a huge amount of vitamins and minerals which need to be fed to your muscles. The antioxidants also clean out your system which means better absorption of protein and nutrients. fruits & vegetables also contain calcium, which is good for your bones and joints which help prevent the most common injuries when it comes to muscle building, like your shoulders and back.

What To Eat Before & After A Workout

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 18, 2011 at 4:20 PM Comments comments (0)

Before a workout It is important to have consumed a small meal 1 - 1.5 hours prior to you workout. Your food before a workout should contain a lot of carbs, so your body will have something for a source of energy during your workout. If you don't eat before hitting the gym or you're on a empty stomach you won't have any energy or the pump to lift for long and you will be tired after the first exercise. If you have eaten about 1.5 hours prior then you should consume some sort of snack like a banana 45 minutes before you exercise.

After a workout it is important to fuel your muscles after tearing them down, you should consume a protein shake anywhere before 45 minutes after finishing your workout with a snack that contains simple carbs for faster digestion, so that your body will be able restore its energy levels right away, otherwise if it cannot find a source of energy it will go for your muscles after going for a bit of your calories in your fat. 1 - 1.5 hours after drinking your protein you should consume a meal. that contain about 15-20 grams of protein, healthy fats, and if your looking to bulk then add a lot of complex carbs because this will make sure you get your cabs source in slower.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 17, 2011 at 9:00 PM Comments comments (0)

It all depends on how intense your workouts are and how often you workout. The reason for this is that the more you workout (i.e. the more days you workout a week), the more you will tear your muscle fibers, hence, the more protein your muscles will require to repair and grow. The recommended amount per day is 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight.  Some people will recommend up to 2 grams per pound but don't get caught up on this number. Just make sure that each of your meals has 15-25 grams of protein and don't forget that you should be eating 5-6 meals a day. You also need to consume enough carbohydrates and healthy fats to build muscle - these are also very important if you want your muscles to grow.

How To Raise Your Metabolism

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 17, 2011 at 8:00 PM Comments comments (0)

Raising your metabolism is the best way to burn fat. The faster your metabolism, the more your body burns fat.  If you don't eat well or exercise on a regular basis, then your metabolism will be slower and this is a easy way to put on fat. There are many ways you can boost your metabolism, such as:

1. Drink  a lot of water

2. Eat 5-6 small meals a day. Don't eat carbohydrates late at night because this is when your metabolism is slower, and therefore, there is a greater chance of carbs being stored as fat.

3. Exercise regularly

4. Drink Green Tea

5. Add Ground pepper, Red pepper, and any other kind of hot spices to your foods.

 

 

What Supplements Should I Take To Build Muscle?

Posted by FitnessNMuscle on November 17, 2011 at 7:25 PM Comments comments (0)

The main supplements you would need to take is Whey Protein and Creatine. A pre-workout supplement, such as nitric oxide, can also be beneficial as it will increase your energy levels and make your workouts more intense.

 

Whey Protein will help with muscle repair by providing your body with amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Whey Protein is the fastest way to get your amino acids after a workout so your body can start repairing muscle as soon as possible.

 

Creatine will provide your body with a boost of energy and can be taken before your workout. Creatine will make your body retain water, specifically in your muscles, which will make you gain wait. However, consuming too much creatine may make your body appear bloated. Creatine is natural and comes from beef, but the amount of beef you would have to eat to get a serving size of creatine would be way too much, which is why it is recommended to take a creatine supplement.

 

These are just the main supplements you should take. There are other supplements as well but they won't benefit you as much as Whey Protein and Creatine. At the end,  your ability to build muscle depends on your nutrition throughout the whole day, not just before and after your workouts.


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