Understanding insomnia and how to solve it

Understanding insomnia and how to solve it 

Insomnia is the inability to get the amount of sleep you need to wake up feeling rested and refreshed. Because different people need different amounts of sleep, insomnia is defined by the quality of your sleep and how you feel after sleeping—not the number of hours you sleep or how quickly you doze off. Even if you’re spending eight hours a night in bed, if you feel drowsy and fatigued during the day, you may be experiencing insomnia.

Although insomnia is the most common sleep complaint, it is not a single sleep disorder. It’s more accurate to think of insomnia as a symptom of another problem. The problem causing the insomnia differs from person to person. It could be something as simple as drinking too much caffeine during the day or a more complex issue like an underlying medical condition or feeling overloaded with responsibilities.

The good news is that most cases of insomnia can be cured with changes you can make on your own—without relying on sleep specialists or turning to prescription or over-the-counter sleeping pills.

Causes of insomnia: Figuring out why you can’t sleep

In order to properly treat and cure your insomnia, you need to become a sleep detective. Emotional issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression cause half of all insomnia cases. But your daytime habits, sleep routine, and physical health may also play a role. Try to identify all possible causes of your insomnia. Once you figure out the root cause, you can tailor treatment accordingly.

Are you under a lot of stress?
Are you depressed? Do you feel emotionally flat or hopeless?
Do you struggle with chronic feelings of anxiety or worry?
Have you recently gone through a traumatic experience?
Are you taking any medications that might be affecting your sleep?
Do you have any health problems that may be interfering with sleep?
Is your sleep environment quiet and comfortable?
Are you spending enough time in sunlight during the day and in darkness at night?
Do you try to go to bed and get up around the same time every day?

-Common mental and physical causes of insomnia:

Sometimes, insomnia only lasts a few days and goes away on its own, especially when the insomnia is tied to an obvious temporary cause, such as stress over an upcoming presentation, a painful breakup, or jet lag. Other times, insomnia is stubbornly persistent. Chronic insomnia is usually tied to an underlying mental or physical issue

-Psychological problems that can cause insomnia: depression, anxiety, chronic stress, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder.
-Medications that can cause insomnia: antidepressants: cold and flu medications that contain alcohol; pain relievers that contain caffeine (Midol, Excedrin); diuretics, corticosteroids, thyroid hormone, high blood pressure medications.
-Medical problems that can cause insomnia: asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, kidney disease, cancer, or chronic pain.
-Sleep disorders that can cause insomnia: sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome.




Insomnia cures and treatments: Changing habits that disrupt sleep

While treating underlying physical and mental issues is a good first step, it may not be enough to cure your insomnia. You also need to look at your daily habits. Some of the things you’re doing to cope with insomnia may actually be making the problem worse.

For example, maybe you’re using sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep, which disrupts sleep even more over the long-term. Or maybe you drink excessive amounts of coffee during the day, making it harder to fall asleep later. Oftentimes, changing the habits that are reinforcing sleeplessness is enough to overcome the insomnia altogether. It may take a few days for your body to get used to the change, but once you do, you will sleep better.





Insomnia cures and treatments: Neutralizing anxiety when you can’t sleep

The more trouble you have with sleep, the more it starts to invade your thoughts. You may dread going to sleep because you just know that you’re going to toss and turn for hours or be up at 2 a.m. again. Or maybe you’re worried because you have a big day tomorrow, and if you don’t get a solid 8 hours, you’re sure you’ll blow it. But agonizing and expecting sleep difficulties only makes insomnia worse. Worrying about getting to sleep or how tired you’re going to be floods your body with adrenaline, and before you know it, you’re wide-awake.



-Learning to associate your bed with sleeping, not sleeplessness


If sleep worries are getting in the way of your ability to unwind at night, the following strategies may help. The goal is to train your body to associate the bed with sleep and nothing else—especially not frustration and anxiety.

-Use the bedroom only for sleeping and sex.
 Don’t work, read, watch TV, or use your computer in bed or the bedroom. The goal is to associate the bedroom with sleep alone, so that your brain and body get a strong signal that it’s time to nod off when you get in bed.
-Get out of bed when you can’t sleep.
Don’t try to force yourself to sleep. Tossing and turning only amps up the anxiety. Get up, leave the bedroom, and do something relaxing, such as reading, drinking a warm cup of caffeine-free tea, taking a bath, or listening to soothing music. When you’re sleepy, go back to bed.
-Move bedroom clocks out of view.
 Anxiously watching the minutes tick by when you can’t sleep—knowing that you’re going to be exhausted when the alarm goes off—is a surefire recipe for insomnia. You can use an alarm, but make sure you can’t see the time when you’re in bed.
It’s also helpful to challenge the negative attitudes about sleep and your insomnia problem that you’ve developed over time. The key is to recognize self-defeating thoughts and replace them with more realistic ones.

9 - Ways to get motivated for a morning workout

Ever notice that when you exercise in the morning, you feel more alert and productive all day? It’s no coincidence — a morning workout has several advantages for your body and your mind. First, exercise jump-starts your metabolism, and keeps you burning calories at a higher rate all day. Also, you get your exercise out of the way and don’t have to worry about not having time for your workout routine, should something unexpected come up during the day,

One recent study found that exercise before breakfast can counter the ill effects of overeating. The researchers compared groups of active young men who ran or biked before breakfast with those who didn’t exercise and with those who exercised after eating big meals. Only the group that exercised before eating gained little or no weight and showed no signs of insulin resistance. Science aside, if you find getting up and exercising in the a.m. is easier said than done, try these 10 tricks.

1 - Move your alarm clock

Instead of sleeping with the alarm next to your bed, move it to the other side of the room. That way, you’ll have to get up and get out of bed to shut it off. Once you’re up, it’s that much easier to stretch, don your workout clothes, and head out the door for a brisk walk around the neighborhood or to the gym for a morning workout routine. If you use an alarm that plays music, set it to a song from your workout playlist to help get you in the mood for exercise.

2 - Make a date

Having a workout routine buddy is a great motivator. Make plans to meet your exercise partner at the gym at 6 a.m. or on the tennis courts at 7 a.m. You’re less likely to poop out if you know someone is waiting for you. “You don’t want to be the one who overslept or was too lazy to get up and get moving

3 - Make friends at the Gym

If you don't have an exercise buddy yet, chances are you will make one after a few weeks of sticking to a morning workout routine at your gym. You'll become familiar with the regulars who also exercise there that time of day. “It does inspire you to get up and move because you know they’re there and will wonder where you are if you miss a day or two,"

4 - Have a set goal

Every Sunday night, create your workout schedule for the coming week. Tell yourself, for example, “This week, I’m getting up at 6 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and running three miles before work.” Schedule your morning workout just as you would an appointment. You’re more likely to follow your morning workout routine if you write it down.

If you don’t make it, write a note in your calendar to explain why. Later, you can analyze your exercise excuses and look for ways to overcome them.

5 - Load Workout Music Onto Your iPod

Music is a good motivator in the morning,If you have a great playlist, it can be enough to get you out of bed in the morning. Having workout music works for me. Research has shown that listening to music when you exercise can produce positive thoughts and help offset fatigue.

6 - Prep the night before 

To follow through on a morning workout routine, it helps to lay out your exercise clothes and equipment the night before. That way you don’t waste any time getting dressed and ready for your workout. One possible disadvantage of exercise in the morning is that your time may be limited — overcome this limitation by having a set routine and not wasting time looking for your sneakers or your weights.

7 - Reward your efforts 

If you meet your exercise goals and get up early four out of five days to work out for an hour, do something nice for yourself at the end of the week, like getting a manicure, seeing a new movie with a friend, or going to a baseball game. Buy a new workout outfit, take a well-deserved soak, or cozy up to your eReader — find what motivates you, and use it to give you that push out of bed each morning for your workout routine.

8 - Tell the world about your plans

Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, you can tell everyone you know about your morning workout routine. Post your exercise plans on Facebook. Once you do so, it’s harder not to follow through with it.

You also can use social media to boast of your accomplishments — tell your friends that you swam 16 laps (about a mile) or ran three miles before work. They surely will be impressed, and it will motivate you to keep up your workout schedule.

9 - Too sleepy? give it time

At first it may be difficult not to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, rather than jump out of bed to exercise at the gym or go on a 30-minute walk. But after about a week or two, your body will adjust to your early workout schedule and it will be easier to get up and out of the house and head for the gym, Here’s why: When you exercise regularly, you sleep better at night. When you sleep better at night, waking up to exercise is easier to do.

Swedish Beef Patties With Onions.

Cheap and easy Swedish Beef Patties recipe. This recipe is ideal for making multiple weekly servings.
Ingredients

What you need:
2 cold boiled potatoes
1 lb lean ground (minced) beef
Salt and white pepper
3 tbsp of water
2 tbsp butter or margarine
2 Large onions, sliced
Cooking Instructions

What you need to do: 
Mash the potatoes and mix with the ground beef, Add salt, pepper and water. work the meat mixture until smooth and shape into patties. Heat a skilet with 1 tbsp butter. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat until golden brown. Transfer the onions to a platter and keep it hot. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and cook the patties over moderate heat untill brown on both sides and cooked thoughout. Serve patties with a sauteed onions and vegetables of your choice.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these Swedish Patties with the onions on top and the vegetables of your choice. In the sample picture I used corn, carrots, broccoli and pumpkin (note, my patties did not stick together properly - thats why it looks like a big pile!)

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 300g
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 20g
Fat: 16.9g

Using your thoughts to better your reality


There's something to be said for focusing on the positive. Actually, metaphysicians and personal life coaches will tell you that focusing on the positive is everything. They'll tell you that and they'll tell you that your subconscious mind drives the reality around you. So if you're subconsciously, or consciously, focused on the negative, your subconscious mind will steer you right there.

Metaphysicians will also tell you that we create all, or most of the problems in our lives, just by this mis-thinking. Then they'll tell you that the Universe is programmed to give us exactly what our subconscious mind and our conscious thoughts and words request. So, if you repeat a negative thought over and over, even subconsciously, chances are you'll acquire it in the physical realm because you've manifested it. If you keep repeating a positive one, it works the same way.

When you start to see how this may be taking place in your life, it almost begs you to start watching your thoughts, even down to everyday little jokes.After all,why would we want to create the negative because we're merelythinking or talking it into being? Doesn't it make more sense to make some mental shifts and talk and think the positive into being? Personal coaches will tell you that the latter, plus the action to get there, will often get you to where you want to be.

Focusing on what you want, not what you don't

In some cases, it's the difference between focusing on what you do want and taking the action to get there, instead of focusing on what you don't want. Sometimes it takes some word twisting toget your thoughts into the right place once you become aware of your patterns of thought and realizethat they focus moreon the negative. But, hey, if we're not here on earth to learn and grow, what in the world are we here for?

In other cases, it seems hard to focus on the positive because we already see the negative manifestations in our lives. In these cases, it's best to use thoughts and words like, "I am manifesting abundance." Or, "I am intending vibrant health." Or on a global scale, "I am manifesting a peaceful world." Just insert whatever positive outcome you desire to come into being.

And while it's not a good idea to pretend that the bad isn't happening, it is a good idea to find the solutions to what you can do about a bad situation. Or just acknowledge that the bad is there and still focus on the positive.

When you understand that all we're seeing around us is a reflection of worldwide consciousness and what we've created and have allowed to be done to us, we start to see that elevating human consciousness is really our solution out of this mess. Because when millions of people around the world are radiating love energy at core level, we simply won't see all of the problems that we currently do. Most people currently radiate some level of fear.

Quite simply, when we are radiating love, we'll be manifesting a better reality just by being higher vibrational beings with higher vibrational thoughts and actions. Higher consciousness beings also wouldn't poison the society or the earth, as it's just contradictory in nature.

20 Muscle Building Tips.

1 - Compound exercises are your best tools for growth. Use them.

2 -  Eat your biggest meal of the day about 30 to 60 minutes after you lift weights.

3 - Get strong! There are no weak bodybuilders. You don't have to become a powerlifter, but you do need to dramatically improve your strength over what it is now.

4 -  Squats are king of the muscle builders, and they are not bad for your knees unless your form is horrible and/or you are half-squatting.

5 -  Deadlift. If squats are king, deadlifts are second in command. They are not bad for your back unless your form is horrible.

6 -  Learn proper form. Read every article, and watch every video you can on proper exercise form. There is no excuse for having sub-par squat and deadlift form.

7 -  Balance your upper body work. This means equal effort for chest, back and shoulders. Stop doing 7 exercises for chest and only lat pull downs for back. Balance will keep you healthy, strong and help to stave off shoulder issues.

8 - Beginners...stop training like advanced lifters, using advanced splits and training techniques. They are not needed. What you need is to get strong on the basic compound lifts more than anything.

9 - Beginners...stop adding training volume. Having 3 bicep days per week isn't going to help. You need to get strong right now, not fatigue yourself with endless sets.

10 - Stop believing that muscle building is rocket surgery. It isn't. Get stronger, eat enough food and stay persistence.

11 -  Stop missing workouts.

12 -  Stop complaining about muscle soreness. It's part of the game. Don't miss workouts because of it. No excuses - get to the gym.

13 - Stop complaining about every ache, pain or strain. Lifting weights is hard, and a man's game. You're going to feel off occasionally. No excuses - get to the gym.

14 -  Proper muscle building nutrition is much more than broccoli, rice and chicken breasts. Eat a variety of whole foods each week.

15  Eat more red meat.

16 - Eat more eggs, including the yolks. Egg yolks are nutritionally dense.

17 -  Drink plenty of water. Then drink more.

18 - Sleep at least 8 hours a night and take naps when possible.

19 - Learn to cook. Muscle building nutrition doesn't have to be bland.

20 - Having trouble reaching your calorie goals? Add butter or olive oil to your veggies.

Grilled Tuna Burgers.


Burgers don't have to be unhealthy! This grilled tuna burger is high in protein, low in fat and less than 200 calories.

What you need:
450 Grams of Tuna
40 Grams of chopped onion (1/2 small onion)
1 large carrot (shredded)
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
4 egg whites
20 grams of chopped chives
40 grams of bread crumbs
Spices to taste
Cooking Instructions

What you need to do:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. If you like spices you can chili or paprika here as well. I added chili to taste. Split ingredients into four patties.

Take a tray and cover with a non-stick piece of baking paper. Spray the paper lightly with low fat cooking spray. Grill patties on both side until brown.

Serving Suggestions

You can either serve the tuna patties in the traditional style with a roll and trimmings or with rice and vegetables. I had mine with a wholemeal roll, salad and chutney - very nice!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 200g
Protein: 35g
Carbs: 15g
Fat: 1.2g

How Much Weight Do I Want To Gain?


A beginning natural bodybuilder who is training hard and eating right should gain at least 10 to 16 pounds of muscle during his first year of hardcore training. An intermediate to advanced lifter will gain fewer pounds as the years progress. According to Casey Butt, this is the muscle progression that an average natural bodybuilder can expect:

Year 1 - 16 pounds of muscle.
Year 2 - 8 pounds of muscle.
Year 3 - 4 pounds of muscle.
Year 4 - 2 pounds of muscle.
Year 5 - 1 pound of muscle.
When bulking, you will also gain some fat. Some fat. Keep in mind that this bulking protocol will not turn you into a sumo wrestler, but you may add 5 to 10 pounds of fat during a given year. Some will gain slightly more, and some will gain slightly less fat. If you have fat fear and undereat, you will be limiting your gains. Bodybuilding requires building, or eating more. You simply can't maximize muscle mass by trying to eat less. There will be plenty of time to see your abs once you are a muscular beast!

Here are some general guidelines on how much weight gain you should aim for based on your training and muscle growth experience:

Beginners.
 Beginning lifters who have gained no prior muscle mass should set a goal to gain about 2 pounds a month over the course of their first training year. In a perfect world this would equate to 16 pounds of muscle and 8 pounds of fat.

Beginner to Intermediates. 
Second year lifters (or someone who has gained about 16 pounds of muscle mass) should set a goal to gain one pound per month over the course of the next year. In a perfect world this would equate to 8 pounds of muscle and 4 pounds of fat.

Intermediates. 
Third year lifters (or someone who has gained about 24 pounds of muscle mass) should set a goal to gain two pounds every 3 months over the course of the next year. In a perfect world this would equate to 4 pounds of muscle and 4 pounds of fat.
Intermediate to Advanced. Fourth year lifters (or someone who has gained about 28 pounds of muscle mass) should set a goal to gain one pound every 2 months over the course of the next year. In a perfect world this would equate to 2 pounds of muscle and 4 pounds of fat.

Advanced.
 Fifth year (plus) lifters (or someone who has gained about 30 pounds of muscle mass) should set a goal to gain one pound every 2 months over the course of the next year. In a perfect world this would equate to 1 pound of muscle and 5 pounds of fat.

Eliminate These 5 Fat Loss Mistakes.

If you have been struggling to lose weight after dropping the first 5 pounds, or if your fat loss has hit a roadblock even before it began, then you are most likely making one or all of the 5 mistakes in this article. Yes, no matter how unique you may think you are in your failures to lose fat, you do have a lot in common with other strugglers.

I have observed time and again the similar training mistakes made by trainees that halt their fat loss progress. So let me share 5 of the very common ones, and how you can overcome them.

1 -  Too desperate and short sighted
 - Yes I can understand how badly you want to fit into those size 32 waist jeans or that designer dress in a few weeks. However, in the real world you need to be more patient and think of the long term. I am sure you did not pack on 30 pounds in 3 weeks, so why expect to lose it in 3 weeks?

A reasonable expectation would be to lose the fat in ¼ of the time that it took you to put it on. Remember one thing: when that fat comes off you should be a far fitter and stronger person. If your fat loss program leaves you weak, unfit and overall, makes you feel terrible, then it’s not worth it.

A better approach would be to focus more on your progression in terms of strength and fitness. This would mean a focus on lifting more weights, doing more reps, running faster, etc. As your physical capacity improves your bodyfat levels will come down too if your diet is clean.

To put it another way, focus on the journey of getting there and giving it the best along the whole way rather than only being obsessed about the destination. This will give you a much better chance of “getting there”.

2 -  Your workout lacks intensity 
- It is very common to see fat people walk on a treadmill while watching TV. If that is your idea of a workout, then be prepared to be stuck with your bodyfat. Your workouts need to be I-N-T-E-N-S-E!

And don’t even get me started on doing high reps with those 5 pound plastic dumbbells. I don’t even consider them weights. They are just toys for kids and not a tool for serious fat loss. You can start with them for certain exercises if you are weak to begin with, but slowly you'll want to move onto serious weights to see a real loss of bodyfat.

From now on focus on going hard and heavy during your workouts and try to finish them in 45 minutes. Yes, moving around slowly for 90 minutes is not the best way to lose fat. Of course you can take a little longer if you do an extended stretching session along with your weights and cardio.

Focus on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, etc to maximize your results. You will also do well to spend most of your resistance training with free weights like barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells instead of using too many machines like leg extensions, etc.

3 -  Lack sufficient resistance training
Traditionally it was advised that to lose weight one should spend about 80% of their training doing cardio. The outcome of this advice was that the cardiovascular exercise machine manufacturers had fatter purses. If you want to lose fat then learn to make resistance training a major part of your training program.

Resistance training can include both weighted and bodyweight exercises. The advantage of resistance training is that it raises your resting metabolic rate which means that you burn more calories throughout the day. This ends up creating a much greater fat loss than doing just 30-60 minutes of slow cardio.

Of course it is essential to go heavy to get the benefits of resistance training, so once again those 5 pound pink dumbbells should not be your best buddy in the gym.

4 - Changing programs too often and not focusing on progression 
Did you start a routine and leave it after two workouts because you came across another awesome looking super fast results promising routine on the net? If you have been doing such chopping and changing for months then stop and have a good look at yourself and see how much progress you have made. Chances are that there will be very little to no improvements made.

It is important that you try a program for at least 4 weeks before changing it to get the best results. In fact, I will even advise that if a program is working well for you then don’t be in a hurry to change it even if you end up doing it for 3 months.

Progression is what you need to focus on instead of being obsessed with finding a “perfect” program.

5 -  Being a couch potato outside the gym
Being a couch potato was one of the major reasons why you got fat in the first place. So if you have not overcome that habit, then you are not maximizing your fat loss results.

Look for opportunities to get active outside the gym. This could mean playing sports with buddies, walking more instead of using a car for short distances, etc. If you are a parent, then you can plan 1-2 days a week to take your kids to the park and play active games with them. It will be a great stress buster and will help you bond better with your kids.

Again, there can be many other such options to get active if you really try to look for them. So to help you get started or blast through that plateau let me share with you a sample fat loss workout that you can try.

Banana And Oats Protein Shake

Protein shake with banana, oats and your favorite protein powder flavor. This recipe also doubles as a quick and nutritious breakfast for those on the go.

Ingredients

What you need:

8 oz skim milk

1 banana

1/2 cup of oats

2 scoops of whey protein powder

Cooking Instructions

Chose your favorite protein powder flavor, and combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. The nutritional information for this recipe was based upon a medium banana, and whey protein blend. Recipe provided by Lycanthrope.

Serving Suggestions

This recipe makes one protein shake.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 554g

Protein: 59g

Carbs: 68.2g

Fat: 6.1g

The Best Exercises. 

1 - Chest Building Exercises.

Bench Press. 
The king of all upper body muscle building movements. The bench press is so popular that it is often seen as having it's own training day - bench press Monday.

Incline Bench Press. 
The first choice of many top pro bodybuilders.

Dips.
Once considered the upper body squat, dips are a great compliment to any bench press movement.

Dumbbell Bench Press. 
You will really be able to feel the chest work with this pressing variation.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press. 
A solid alternative to the incline barbell press.
Decline variations didn't make the list because they shorten the pressing distance and tend to shift some of the focus to the triceps.

2 - Back Building Exercises.

Deadlifts.
 Nothing builds beefy backs like the deadlift. The sheer act of holding a barbell with heavy weight places the lats under an incredible amount of stress.

Pull Ups.
A far superior choice to lat pull downs. If you can do one, try for two. If you can do two, try for three! If you can't do them at all use rack chins.

Barbell Row. 
No back building workout should be without a heavy row, and barbell rows are at the top of the list.

Dumbbell Row. 
An excellent second choice to barbell rows, especially if you have a weak lower back.
Power Clean. The explosiveness of the power clean effectively works the back from traps down.

3 - Shoulder Building Exercises.

Military Press. 
This exercise has been a staple of great workouts for decades on end.

Push Press. 
Very similar to the military press, but utilizing more of an Olympic lifting-style explosiveness.

Bench Press. 
Yes, you read that correctly. The bench press is an amazing front delt builder. In fact, if your chest day involves several pressing movements there's a good chance you won't need any direct front delt work on shoulder day.

Seated Behind The Neck Press.
 Go no deeper than arms parallel to the floor, and this is a rock solid choice.

Seated Dumbbell Press.
 A little easier on the shoulders for many because the dumbbells can be placed in a more natural position.

3 - Leg Building Exercises.

Squats. 
The king of all muscle building lifts. 'Nuff said.

Front Squats. 
Another top choice of bodybuilding beef kings. Front squats can be tricky to learn, but you will be rewarded with big wheels.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts. 
Beef up your hamstrings!

Leg Press.
 If you don't have access to a squat rack this is your next best bet.
Barbell Lunge. Lunges are another quality leg-building staple.

4 - Arm Building Exercises.

Chin Ups. 
A shocker, but chin ups (performed with palms toward the face) are a beastly bicep builder, perhaps even better than straight bar curls.

Close Grip Bench Press. 
This exercise allows for a heavy amount of weight to be placed on the triceps.

Dips. 
Much better than most tricep isolation exercises.

Barbell Curls. 
A classic. Just don't curl in the squat rack.

Seated Two Arm Dumbbell Tricep Extension. 
Allows you to lift heavy weight and reach a deep stretch. You will need a good spotter.

The Top 7 Muscle Building Exercises

A workout is made up of only so many sets and exercises. Constructing a workout without a purpose, and without the use of the best available tools will only waste your time. If you want to gain muscle and strength at the fastest rate possible you will need to choose the best possible exercises.

Squats. Squats are the king of all muscle and strength building exercises. No workout should be without deep squats. They are performed with a barbell, generally in a squat rack. Squats not only build massive legs, but also stress most of the upper body. They are like a hormonal nuclear bomb – destroying the entire body, forcing it to get bigger and stronger with ever rep.

1 - Deadlifts. 
Second only to squats in effectiveness (and a very close second at that), deadlifts are another manmaker that will pack on slabs of muscle mass while helping you become as strong as a bear. Like squats, deadlifts are a barbell only exercise.

2 - Dips.
 Dips are often called the upper body squat, and for good reason. Dips work the shoulders, chest and triceps very hard, and are a great overall exercises for building a beefy upper body. Dips should be performed at a parallel bar dipping station.

3 - Pull Ups. 
It seems that even the strongest and most fit lifters can barely squeak out more than a few pull ups. The pull up is an excellent exercise for building the back and biceps, and should be used instead of inferior exercises such as the lat pull down when possible.

4 - Bench Press. 
The bench press is an upper body staple. There are several highly effective variations including the flat bench barbell press, flat bench dumbbell bench press, incline bench barbell press and incline dumbbell bench press.

5 - Overhead Press. 
As with the bench press, there are numerous quality variations of the overhead press that can be used. Nearly all seated and standing dumbbell and barbell overhead presses are solid choices. You may also use the Arnold dumbbell press, and behind the neck overhead presses. Another popular press variation is the standing push press.

6 - Rows.
 Both barbell and dumbbell rows are tremendous upper back exercises. Old school barbell T-bar rows are also a solid choice. While cable and machine lifts are generally sub-par, seated cable rows can be very challenging and effective.

Running For Gym Rats: Adding Running To Your Workouts.

Running, when applied correctly, maybe exactly what you need in your fitness arsenal. Learn how and why running should be incorporated into your workouts.
Before you bring out the torches and pitchforks, hear me out.  I know running may not be the forte of the majority of Muscle and Strength’s audience, but running, when applied correctly, maybe exactly what you need in your fitness arsenal.

Running promotes a healthy quality of life, increased GPP (General Physical Preparedness), along with unmatched improvements in the metabolic response, to name a few of its many benefits. Not only will this article help explain how and why running should be incorporated into the workout regimen of novice lifters to the most seasoned of gym vets, it will also give you every piece of information you need to start down the running trail.

Benefits of Running

As most of you readers already know, weight training is vital for the health of the human body. It aligns posture, increases metabolism, increases flexibility and fixes muscular imbalances (when done correctly).  However, to increase the effects of weight training, some sort of cardiovascular activity is crucial.  By adding cardiovascular activity, you can burn fat, increase natural hormonal release and lower your risk of heart disease.

But how does this help you achieve your weight training goals?  By participating in cardiovascular exercise you are prolonging your body’s ability to train and therefore increasing growth potential.  By increasing training ability, all that you’re essentially doing is allowing your body to train for longer periods of time. For example, instead of working out for 60 minutes, you are now giving your body the ability to train for 90 minutes, thus more potential for gains in size and strength.

In this section, so far, I’ve only referred to cardiovascular activity, and not particularly running, well this is why; simply all cardiovascular activity is done for the same reason and has the same potential.  Cardiovascular activity is what the name implies, training of the heart and circulatory system.

Sports that fall into this category are swimming, cycling, boxing, as well as running.  Swimming is great, but for the majority of people, they can’t find competitions to meet their competitive edge. Boxing is a personal favorite but causes muscular imbalances through force production and time under tension in the pushing phase with minimal tension in the retraction phase.

Boxing, like swimming, may be hard to compete in with minimal competitions combined with the high skill levels of those competing.  These also require a pool or ring, respectively, which can be hard to come across, and memberships to these clubs/facilities can be costly.  Cycling creates muscular imbalances through the repetitive circular motion in the plane of movement that the pedals rotate in.  Cycling can be as costly, if not more so than swimming and boxing.

This leaves only running.  Running is a great cardiovascular activity that can be done anywhere.  Because it comes naturally to the physiological design of the human body, the learning curve is minimal and muscular imbalances (especially when paired with proper weight training) are unusual.

Competitive Running

Although most gym rats, myself included, enjoy seeing our bench press rise by a few pounds or striving to add a few inches to the arms, powerlifting and bodybuilding may not be for us (I have a feeling I’ve made quite a few enemies at this point in the article). For the majority of average lifters, powerlifting and bodybuilding may be too taxing on the body, as well on the wallet.  However, running may just be what you need to fuel you’re competitive edge.

Another benefit of competitive running is its regularity, whereas powerlifting meets may be months apart and hours away from your home.  In your town alone, you shouldn’t be surprised to find several races a year.  This will not only give you a date to work for to achieve a goal, but will give you an annual way to mark your progress.

Creamy Creole Pasta.

What you need:
1/2 bag Soy Curls
2 carrots, thickly cut
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 zucchini, halved and thickly cut
10 white mushrooms, thickly sliced
1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, chopped (I used the kind packed in oil)
1/3 c. steamed asparagus, chopped (had some leftover, thought 'why not?!')
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Creole Seasoning (I'm a fan of Tony Chachere's) plus more for seasoning
2 T nutritional yeast
1 T cornstarch
2 c. soy milk
2 T vegan margarine
6 or 7 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (or 1 tsp. dried, but fresh is best!)
black pepper to taste.

What you need to do:
rehydrate soy curls for 10 min in warm water then squeeze dry. toss with 2 tsp. creole seasoning and set aside.
*Whisk together soy milk, nutritional yeast, and cornstarch, and set aside. i think i added about 1/2 to 1 tsp. more seasoning here also but that was just to kick it up a bit after tasting the soy curls after browning, but we'll get to that.
heat large skillet over med to med hi heat and melt 1 T marg. add onion and garlic, saute for a min or so, add carrot, saute a few minutes more, then add zucchini and mushrooms. saute a bit more until everything is crisp tender and then remove from pan and set aside. I may have sprinkled some more creole seasoning just to barely cover the veggies here as the one I use is not too hot. be sure to taste things as you go so you don't overdo the heat.
*heat remaining 1 T marg. in pan and add soy curls and sun dried tomatoes and saute til browned. *add milk mixture, veggies, and basil to pan and bring to boil, stirring. sauce should thicken up right away.

Nutrition Facts:
Amount Per Serving
Calories 388.3
Total Fat 8.0 g
Saturated Fat 4.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 236.3 mg
Sodium 877.3 mg
Potassium 270.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 44.5 g
Dietary Fiber 2.7 g
Sugars 2.0 g
Protein 31.2 g

If You Want To Burn Fat.

There are many ways that help in weight loss, you have chosen the best in this subject, which we explained the many benefits that are characterized by certain foods in terms of fat burning and stimulate metabolism.

1 - Tracking is not a diet!

Here we do not seek to deprive you of food .. On the contrary, we advise you to eat more foods (of course we mean nutrient-rich foods) to get rid of useless calories and feel full throughout the day. This is very important because the restrictions on food intake may cause an agent to disrupt metabolism. Where the stomach send a signal saying "I'm starving," and answer the body as a result of the slow metabolic rate and benefit only from the reservoir of energy he has.

Worse, in the case of continued lack of food, the body will begin to burn muscle tissue, which would lead to increased visceral fat. This leads to slow metabolism and fat then able to impose its control over more areas in the body.

2 - Go to bed early

Researchers from Finland, a study of twins and found that identical twins who did not obtain sufficient amount of sleep and subjected to more tension has increased the amount of visceral fat.

3 -Eat more protein

Your body needs protein for muscles soft. In an article published by the American Journal of healthy eating, the researchers said the current amount of protein is recommended, which does not exceed 0.36 grams per kg of body weight is not commensurate with the people who devoted themselves to the practice of resistance exercises. The researchers advised women to obtain 0.54 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day. The researchers discovered that the protein increases the process of burning calories after

4 - meals by 35 percent.

Eat vegetables and fruits, organic whenever available

Canadian researchers said that the followers of the diet who ate foods containing Alklorenat organic (contaminants found in pesticides, which are stored in fat cells) are exposed to a decrease in metabolism due to a conflict of these toxic substances with the process of burning energy.

5 - Drink ice water

Researchers discovered that the Germans drink 6 cups of cold water daily activates slow metabolism by 50 calories a day - an amount sufficient to reduce the three kg per year without making any effort. The increase of the effort his body to heat the water until it commensurate with the degree of body heat.

6 - Eat chili

The researchers said material Kabcisan (Capsaicin) pepper taste that gives customer help to speed up the metabolism. Eating a teaspoon of ground pepper, either red or green strengthens the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the hit-or-run responses), according to a study published in Journal of Food Sciences. The result of this article dealt with a temporary rise in the speed of your metabolism by 23 percent. You can add chili pepper to the sauce and Keep a bottle always filled with crushed red pepper to put on pizza or pasta.

7 - Drink tea or coffee

Caffeine is a central catalyst for the nervous system and when you eat several cups of it daily, you're speeding up the metabolism by 5 to 8 percent, or burning of 98 to 174 calories a day. The boiling cup of tea, which contains a substance Alkatcenz anti-oxidant, it speeds up the metabolism by 12 percent, according to a Japanese study.

8 - Harba fat fiber

Research has shown that some fibers accelerate the process of burning fat by 30 percent. The study revealed that people who eat fiber in adequate quantities in their diet were able to maintain their weight without increasing the recall. So make sure to eat 25 grams a day especially those found in fruits and vegetables.

9 - Eat foods rich in iron

Iron is necessary for the transfer of oxygen that you need muscle to burn fat. And not providing the body with iron shows a decrease in the body for energy and slow metabolism. There are iron density in oysters, meat, legumes, fresh spinach and fortified cereals.

Get large amounts of vitamin "D"

Vitamin D of the elements necessary to maintain muscle tissue. There is this vitamin in abundance in salmon, tuna, fortified milk, cereals and eggs.

10 - Drink milk

Studies have shown that calcium deficiency (especially in women) leads to a slow metabolism. These studies showed that calcium intake through dairy products like skim milk and low-fat yogurt may also help reduce the absorption of fat in other foods.

How To Get Rid Of Fat Arms ?

Many young people suffering from obesity and high body fat, is fat Almmtlitan arms of the areas most cause for embarrassment and low self-esteem, if you suffer from this problem is here we offer you a solution.

First, control your diet
Must first be aware that getting rid of fat requires Balodhira diet include whole body, so you should follow a balanced diet you what you want. The reason for the existence of arms of the fat in some cases, genes, and in most cases to the wrong diet and dietary habits, negative, and in both cases you need to control the food you eat.


1 - Avoid junk food
Avoid meals that contain a high content of fat and full of empty calories, such as drinks that contain soda and candy sweetened large proportion of sugar.


2 -  eating in an orderly
Avoid eating late at night, because that does not give the body time to digest food properly and therefore affect the proper distribution of food in the body.


3 -  Get enough fiber
Must do a lot of foods rich in fiber which helps to dispel remnants of metabolism that affect the intestine and may cause hormonal problems lead to weight gain.

Second, exercise, balanced
In order to get rid of the fat and get the arms Mshidodtan, you need a system sports daily consists of a set of exercises involving all the muscles of the arm and you can stimulate the fibers. You can achieve this by lifting weights light, medium and heavy.

1 - D triceps muscle
You can do this exercise by attracting dumbbell with one hand, then lifted up above the head, and move them on both sides.
2 - Exercise payment Push-Ups
You can start this exercise, push on the wall, then gradually progressing to the ground. The more your arms kept close to each other, the more I worked more on the triceps muscle.
3 -  Triceps Kickback Exercise
This exercise targets the muscles of the upper arm. To do it you should be leaning forward half bow and your hand holding the dumbbells parallel to the ground. For better results you can do this exercise next to other exercises like walking fast or enemy, cycling and swimming.

Third: General Tips
1 -  clothing best suited to your arms Almitrhlain
Avoid wearing tight clothing at the arms, and try to wear clothing with a half km or the full amount.
2 - should they look more handsome when driving
Try to throw your arms forward and back, which helps to ensure that the device retains Pettmaskh muscle throughout the day.

Are Sports Safe Before Breakfast ?

Is it appropriate to exercise the morning before breakfast? Here's the view of scientists!
Have you ever woke up early in the morning and decided to ignore the feeling of hunger and headed directly to the practice of jogging without eating breakfast? This could happen with all of us because of lack of time in the morning. Today, baptizing some celebrities to follow this trend, any exercise of the morning without the calories, because it is their view, burns fat and calories at a rapid pace. For their part, scientists have conducted research in this area to discover the truth of the matter.

What happens in the body the morning?
With low levels of carbohydrates during the night, the body tends to burn fat at the highest possible level of advancement in the morning. Some experts believe that exercising before breakfast your body to force the depletion of energy reserves, thus helping to burn calories stored as fat because carbohydrates are not available in the body. Eating lead to the secretion of the hormone insulin, which hinders the body's ability to absorb energy. Thus, slow process of burning fat at breakfast directly.
In theory, some experts argue that this plan is successful because the body burn more fat while lacking carbohydrates. On the other hand, contribute to sport before breakfast to urge the muscle cells to give the best reactions in the exercise session itself, which means that the body will benefit more from strength training and resistance.
But not all theories are translated on the ground for ordinary athletes who traveled to the club from time to time. According to the researchers, is not enhanced by the process of burning fat if you eat the amount of food than they eat normally after the share of the sport. Also, you may burn fewer calories if the duration is shorter exercises.
In one study, he asked a group of people that Eetmrnoa on the bike sports within the club one morning after a light breakfast, and in the morning last without eating any breakfast. Show that people who did not eat the food before sport stopped 30 minutes before exercise compared to the second set.

Do you hunger prevents you from focusing?
There are other risks in the event refrain from eating before the sport. Leads to fast from food to make the brain and muscles in dire need of energy. If the sugar levels in the body is low, may lead to the emergence of exercise group symptoms such as decline in incentives, headache, dizziness, poor coordination of movements in sports ... It is clear that it may reflect negatively on the safety of one if adequately trained in the crowded streets or use the gym equipment.
, Suggesting some studies to decline in the proportion of calories you lose one share through sport before breakfast, and other studies have found that this activity may lead to positive results, most notably the curb hunger, which means reduction of food consumption. What is important is not to starve oneself intentionally. In fact, result in low food intake and exercise a long time to negatively impact on athletic performance.

Things You sShould Know Before Building Your Muscles.

Most wanted young people around the world to build their muscles correctly and properly without resorting to quick fixes that may harm their health. You should know that in order for strong muscles and loss of body fat we have to rely on a specific diet, and for that we give you some important information that the young man should know before embarking on building muscle.

1 -  know the appropriate amount of fat in the body 
Before starting to exercise to build muscles you must know the amount of fat in your body should be available, if more than the normal limit, you must be practiced exercises burn fat first before starting to practice exercises to strengthen and enlarge the size of the muscles.

2 -  know as soon as necessary to strengthen your muscles 
In order to build muscle you should be concerned with feeding system approach, a source of energy for your body to exercise, in order not to increase the fat in your body you should not deal with meals containing a large amount of calories. You can address the meals contain more calories ranging from 100 to 200 units in order to ensure for yourself not to gain excess body fat. In the end, you can through regular calories to grow the size of your muscles as soon as possible.

3 -  interest rate increase by the weight of your body 
You should know that the body is lean and lean proportion of fat by between 4 to 7%, which means that it will gain much weight after an appropriate diet, which should not worry about it, you can either increase the proportion of fat he has must be wary of increasing weight as a result of its food.

4 -  If you thin: How do you increase your weight? 
Faces his skinny body big problem in increasing the weight to be able to exercise to enlarge the size of his muscles, and for that he must address the meals contain between 300 and 500 calories a day above the normal rate, and if not over weight, he increased the amount of daily calories.

5 -  the stage of exercise 
After that the former should be concerned with the basics you need to start at the planning stage to exercise that muscle hypertrophy, and a range of exercise to get you the best muscles from 6 to 12 months of a strict system for exercise.

A New Method To Strengthen The Muscles.

Technique to reduce Groups "drop sets" depends applied to reduce loads during exercise when the trainee feels tired, so do not stop training, but increases the number of times a weight of less exercise ... This method is common in many of the heroes of bodybuilding in the world, but how do we apply it to Kmptdin?

Some believe that the technique could reduce the groups to make the trainee will continue as long as possible in the exercise, but interest will not be significant for the target muscle during exercise. How, then, continue to exercise after your arrival to the stage of fatigue without reducing the weights? The answer you edit a simple technique in which the former rather than modify the weights to reduce your position that exercised by the exercise.

Trainee "gym" knows that there are exercises aimed at a single muscle are the conditions more difficult for the trainee to other situations, such as an exercise to strengthen the muscles of the chest, in this exercise, when the trunk of the trainee is tilted to the top of the exercise much more difficult than in the case of decubitus trainee on his back when he to carry the bar. Because it is concentrated in the first case, carry weight on the chest muscle only, while in the second case Viozaa load on the muscles of the shoulder and hands next to the chest muscle.

If you exercise in the case of the former, do not cut weight when you arrive to the stage of fatigue and exhaustion, but not of your situation so that they are lying on your back fully, this will make the situation easier for you to continue to exercise the same weight, which will increase the chances of muscle growth.
You can use this method in any exercise, and will maintain the strength of your muscles and you will ensure that physical fitness is high.