Here are a few ways to boost your Growth Hormone levels naturally..

If you go to the gym to solely work out your arms well I commend you because to be honest you are doing more than a lot of people in this world. However, if you want big arms you have to work out your chest, your shoulders, your back, etc. If you think about it, when you are bench pressing you are working out more than just your chest, you are also working out your triceps. A lot of people fail to realize that bigger triceps = bigger looking arms. If you are working out your back and doing pull ups, guess what you are also using your biceps. The point I am trying to make is that if you focus on more than just your arms, you will not only get a proportioned upper and lower body, but at the same time you will be working your arms in the process.

If you’re dead set in your ways, that’s cool. You can find me on the beach with NO shirt while you’re catching some rays with your sleeve-less t-shirt showing your massive arms!

When in the gym, it is very important to spice it up! You don’t want to do the same exercises every single week when working on chest or arms or any other muscle group. In order to keep your muscles guessing and in order prevent yourself from hitting a plateau it is important to switch up your routine every couple of weeks. If you do Barbell Bench Press for a couple of weeks, you might want to do dumbbell bench press the next couple of weeks. Or you can even switch it up every other week. Remember, change is good!

In order to build muscle you must continuously push your muscles to the limit… and then push even further! You can’t squat 200 lbs. every week for a year and really expect to get bigger legs. You always have to put more weight on and test yourself. Who cares if you cannot do 12 reps, a lot of people will tell you that lower reps with higher weight is better for building muscle anyways. 3 sets of 6-8 reps is beneficial for stimulating muscle growth and blasting through a plateau.

It is always good to find new ways to get a good work out and keep things fresh. After all, I know I get bored after doing the same old routine every week. I always find new ways to turn boring exercises into more exciting muscle building techniques. I like to incorporate pyramids, drop sets, negatives, super sets, and multiple other different techniques.

If you happen to work out biceps and triceps on the same day you can get a killer pump by doing some super sets. Try it. Do your warm up and a couple working sets then throw in some super sets. Try doing standing barbell curls and super setting those with skull crushers. (if you don’t know, a super set is when you do a set of say barbell curls which target your biceps then with no rest in between sets you go right into a set of skull crushers which target your triceps. This will pump so much blood into your arms after doing a couple variations that your arms may have trouble bending!)

I would love to hear some feedback or if anyone has any questions as far as topics they want covered in the next addition, please feel free to leave comments.

Keep busting your a$$es in the gym, the hard work you put in now will all be well worth it in the coming weeks!

I have found this new diet that I seen on TV called “The Day off Diet” and I was intrigued by what this diet claimed to do. You would NOT count calories, and every 7th day you will take a day off. I thought for sure that this was a joke. How could you not count your calories and eat foods on their ‘green light list’, then every 7th day eat whatever I want and still lose weight? But not only lose weight, lose weight faster than I ever have in the past.

I have done low carb diets and sure they work ok, but they make you feel like garbage. With The Day Off Diet I was able to eat as much food as I wanted on the ‘green light list’ because they boosted my metabolism and helped even more by burning fat.

I wanted to lose a quick 10 lbs. and put this product to the test. Well I am more than satisfied with the outcome. One of the best aspects of this diet is that it is not stressful. Many people become stressed out because of counting calories and starving themselves. Well I was never hungry because I didn’t keep track of my calories. I was still able to go out and be social every Saturday night with my wife and eat whatever I wanted (that alone made me want to give this diet a try!).

I would have to say that this diet is for the people that want to lose a quick 10-15 lbs along with the people that have a considerable amount of weight to lose. Besides the guide on how this diet actually works, it comes with the Day Off Diet cookbook, a book on Strength Training, and for the ladies a book on How to Look Good While Losing Weight.

All I can say is if you are in need of losing weight and want a painless, no stress way of doing it. Give The Day off Diet a try; it has a 60 day Guarantee! Really it’s a no brainer….

Let’s talk about fitness routines in general because most people do not even know how to structure a routine that is geared towards their specific goals. As we all know (or should know) we cannot work out the same muscle everyday of the week. We cannot do curls every workout and expect our biceps to grow. If you are working out the same muscle group everyday you are not giving that muscle time to recover. It is better to figure out what days you work out and for how long, so you can structure a routine that fits into your lifestyle.

Some people like to work out every day of the week and take off the weekends. Some people like to work out 3 days a week, and some people just like to work out when they feel like it. For those that work out 5 days a week and take the weekends off, here is a basic guideline to follow.

• If working out 5 days a week you will most likely get more time to focus on each muscle rather than trying to work out multiple muscles in one session.
• If you are working out chest on Monday then obviously you don’t want to work out triceps on Tuesday because they may be sore from bench pressing the day prior. However, you can work out triceps and chest in the same day because they kind of work hand in hand.

A sample workout routine could look something like this:

• Monday – Chest
• Tuesday – Back
• Wednesday – Shoulders
• Thursday – Arms
• Friday – Legs
• Saturday/Sunday – Off

Or maybe you could structure your routine based on the fact that you have a weak trailing chest.

• Monday – Chest (Heavy weight) and Triceps
• Tuesday – Back and Biceps
• Wednesday – Shoulders
• Thursday – Legs
• Friday – Chest (Light weight)

As you can see there are plenty of options out there, you just have to figure out what works for you and what seems to hold you back.

Like I previously stated, some people like to do a 3 day split as well. Maybe its because they do not have the time to work out every day of the week or maybe they have done plenty of trial and error in the past and found out that full body workouts work the best for themselves. A full body work out, for those that do not know, are pretty much self explanatory. You work out your whole body. That means you would be working out your chest, arms, legs, back, etc.. But you wouldn’t do this 3 days in a row and then take the next 4 days off. 3 days in a row of that type of routine can be pretty taxing on your body. I would recommend something like this:

• Monday – Full Body Workout
• Tuesday – Off
• Wednesday – Full Body Workout
• Thursday – Off
• Friday – Full Body Workout
• Saturday/Sunday – Off

Many ways to work out, it is up to you to find out which works best for YOU. I would suggest trying out many different routines and keeping a log of how you do. Then after you try several different routines you can look back and see which one has worked the best. Good luck!

In extreme cold weather exercising outdoors without proper clothing allows heat to escape from the body and puts too much pressure on the cardiovascular system to work harder to provide blood to the extremities. In the cold, beware of frostbites and hypothermia that occur even in high wind chill conditions.
What to do

• Cover the exposed areas of your body to prevent frostbites.
• Keep the head covered to save the heat from getting dissipated.
• Those prone to asthma should warm up well or avoid exposing themselves to the cold outdoors.

Hot & humid environments

When temperatures are high, profuse sweating leads to loss of body fluids. This reduces the amount of blood returning to the heart, resulting in cardiovascular stress as indicated by very high heart rates. Beware of heat strokes and heat exhaustion during these times.

High humidity (over 60 per cent) when added to high air temperatures, impairs the body’s ability to dissipate internal heat. This can also lead to heat strokes and heat exhaustion.

What To Do

• Thus it is sensible to work at medium to low intensities in warmer conditions. Wear light, loose clothing allowing air to circulate over the skin’s surface.
• Replace fluids furiously and fast before they replace you!

Air pollution

Regular exercise should be avoided in areas with high levels of pollution.

What to do

• Try to work out (if you must) either early in the morning or late evening or on weekends to avoid the effects.
• Take the option of working out indoors.

High Altitudes

At moderate to high altitudes, the blood cannot deliver as much oxygen to the exercising muscles. It takes weeks to adapt to major changes in altitude so be careful.

What to do

• Decrease your intensity.
• Increase warm up and cool down periods.
• Acclimatize yourself to the new conditions.

To wrap up, exercising in hot or cold conditions is a matter of individual choice and personal preference. What’s important is to find what suits you best, stick to that and make sure that you exercise regularly.

Overweight people should understand that motivation is an important factor. Even if experts would provide overweight people with instructions that are easy to follow, it is a proven fact that 35% of overweight Americans would still fail in their venture through fitness.

There are a lot of reasons why one want to get fit and trim down those unwanted fats. Others want to look good while others have to be fit because of their physical condition. No matter what your age or situation is, it is never too late to exercise and be fit.

50 to 75 years ago, physical activity is mandatory to be able to perform things that one should do in a day. People have to walk on their way to their work or homes. People have to climb stairs to go up a building. Now, things are different. People can now be transported anywhere through the use of a vehicle. They can go up a building through escalators or elevators. Machines can do a lot of things that man used to do by themselves.

People who are trying to lose weight usually tend to believe that gaining weight could happen if steps to stop it were not taken.

A lot of experts believe that people would tend to sway away from their goals especially when it comes to dieting. After learning to enjoy eating low-fat food, people would go back to their old eating habits. People would go back to being couch potatoes even after exercising for a long period of time.

Despite all the reasons to gain weight, experts say that you can stop it from happening. There are a lot of good reasons to avoid those extra pounds beyond vanity and physical appearance. There are a multitude of reasons to stay motivated and be healthy for the rest of your life.

Here are ways to lose fat and lose it forever:

1. Create an explicit goal

• Your goal should be specific and precise. Instead of saying: “I want to lose some weight”, you can say “I want to lose 10 lbs in one month”. Set detailed explanation on how many pounds you want lose and how to lose them. Envision how you’ll look like to inspire yourself. Use this inspiration to keep you dedicated.

1. Create a Strategy

• Dedication alone will not work. Exercise and diet should go hand in hand with dedication. Devise a plan that would help you to diet and exercise at the same time. You can start by throwing away your big sized clothes to force yourself to choose between exercising or wearing no clothes at all.

1. Create little measures that are calculable

• Practice activities that will fit whatever lifestyle you have. The idea is to put measurable and realistic goals to have an efficient exercise and diet.

1. Create monitoring that will have an important effect

• Have someone take care of your development and progress. Instead of doing it alone, you’ll have someone else to help motivate and inspire you to reach your goals.

1. Create a timeline that is vigorous and sensible

• Take note of all your activities and goals in your calendar. Don’t expect to reach your goal in a snap. Make an attainable schedule of exercise and diet. Mark them down and closely follow them.

Do not worry, there are always different ways to get a solid work out and stay in shape in our own home. Some simple exercises done at home often looked at as beginner exercises are still a very good way to get your heart rate up and break a sweat. Exercises such as: pushups, pull-ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, crunches, jumping jacks, calf raises, etc. All of these are great simple workouts that can be done with no weights, no equipment, just using your own bodyweight for resistance.

If working out at home is your forte, I would suggest doing it in a room with the least distractions. You could easily be sidetracked by your kids, the TV or computer or even the sight of food. I would suggest possibly working out in the basement or a spare bedroom (if you have one), or in a room with lots of open space.

The key to these simple workouts being effective is doing them in a cycle. 20 pushups followed up by 25 standing squats is going to get your heart pumping a lot faster rather than doing just 15 pushups. Of course when starting out you would take it slow and then work yourself up to a more advanced level. After mastering the art of these exercises and feeling like you’re ready for the next step, you can always add weight into your routine. Buying a couple 15 lb dumbbells could be very beneficial when it comes to blasting through a plateau and getting to the next chapter in your fitness program.

Home based work outs can be successful, but can also be a waste of time if not done properly. It is up the YOU to decide which statement is true….

• Eating healthy calories can easily be done to dial in on the muscle gain and keep the fat gain minimal. Breaking your meals down into 6-7 smaller meals a day is a great way to keep your metabolism going and keeping your muscles fueled at all times. A few tips:
• Eat 1.5 – 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you do not know by now, protein is a huge factor in building muscle mass.
• Carbs are a must when trying to build mass. Complex carbs are best because they provide a prolonged period of energy and keep your muscle glycogen stores topped off. Your muscles will look and feel fuller and you will feel a lot better in the gym. However, that doesn’t mean pig out on all the sweet potatoes and wheat bread you can find. Everything has its limits, and its your goal to find yours. (Good sources of complex carbs: Sweet Potatoes, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, etc.)
• Fat is also a must. Eating fat will not get you fat unless you eat the unhealthy fats such as saturated fat. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are best. You can find the essential fatty acids in Fish oil and flaxseed oil which are a must for any diet.
• Eat big and lift even heavier is a term that you should live by!

Your body can be compared to a house in a sense of the building process. To build a house it takes tools, knowledge and time. Your body cannot be built overnight, but with a little determination, you can have the foundation built and soon after the whole project completed. Let this guide be your blueprint for success.