Weight Training Cardio Balance for Fat Loss

Its already that time again. The warm weather is fast approaching, days will be spent at the beach, balmy evenings catching up with friends and time spent in shorts, singlets and bathers. We all want to look great whilst doing so. As summer draws closer everyone duly considers giving more thought than usual to dropping their body fat levels. You know, that little extra that snuck up in the middle of those cold winter nights where you thought you were better off tucked up on the couch in front of a good DVD and some accompanying chocolate, rather than doing that extra cardio to keep lean.

But how much cardio is too much, at what expense to your muscle, and when is the best time to do it?

Water

Water is absolutely essential for life. While we can go for long lengths of time without food we would not survive long without water. If you don't drink enough of it some functions of your body will suffer. If you feel a little off, or you aren't training well, you might not even be sick, you are probably just thirsty! Everyone, even medical practitioners preach about water intake. Chances are, you are dehydrated right now, as you read. So, put down that cappuccino and ask yourself.....are you really drinking enough water?

The body is 50%-75% water, depending on age and body fat. A loss of only 3%-4% of body water adversely affects aerobic performance. Larger losses can lead to death. Under normal conditions without exercise, water loss equals about 2,500 ml/day, with most lost in urine. However as environmental temperatures and heavy exercise is added, the water loss increases dramatically to 6-7 litres a day.

Can you Train Effectively at Home?

Is it possible to train at home and achieve the same results as if you trained in a commercial fitness centre? You may be interested to know that yes, you can, and that it is perfectly feasible to achieve brilliant results and within a reasonable budget. It doesn't cost the earth to set up your own playground of iron without burning a hole in your pocket-you just need some useful tip and savvy purchases.

Training at home can actually be very liberating and convenient. No more will you be commenting between home and the gym, no paying yearly gym membership fees, no waiting in line for a piece of machinery, and definitely no having to sit on someone else's' pile of sweat.

Train Smart and Hard, Not Long and Dumb.

Champion bodybuilders, I mean the true-blue, dinky die, unadulterated champions do things differently to the average gym junkie. I mean, they have to if they reach the upper echelons of this great sport. One of the things that separate them from the wannabes is their preparedness to do the things that others shun. Titleholders put themselves out there and do the hard yards, whether its within the training, dieting or preparation phase, put simply they will go the extra mile that the hacks just wont. This article concentrates on exercise choice. Exercise choice is a major variable in exercise prescription and your choices of exercises should be given careful consideration. Too many trainees choose exercises that they like, that stroke their ego or that they feel are easy and comfortable to do. Sound familiar? The problem is, it's at the expense of muscle development. So perhaps it's time to sit down and re-assess the exercises that you do for particular body parts and ask yourself whether you could be making more wise choices.

Symmetry

A well proportioned physique with lots of muscle should be the overall concern of a bodybuilder. As a judge I look for the development of evenly distributed muscle mass as that will usually mean a symmetrically pleasing physique. It shouldn't matter whether you are training to compete, training to have a beach body or training for fun, either way your program should complement and enhance your weak points, exacerbate your good points and create the illusion of a perfectly symmetrical body.

Fun Summer Cardio Activties

Looking to take your training outdoors this summer? If so, then your options for cardio activities can become considerably more creative and adventurous. If you are sick of the lack of thrills that the treadmill, rower and stepper offer, then read on, and take up one or more of these more unusual and heart starting, fat burning cardio alternatives. With only four months or so of truly fabulous weather you may as well get out of the gym and into the outdoors for a totally new stimulus. There is nothing like a complete change to your routine to totally recharge your spirits and energies.

Pro Builders Program

Effective, workable programs are frequently published and are a dime a dozen. There is an old axiom '1000 trainers', 1000 programs'. There are any number of professional instructors who can design and help implement magnificent bodybuilding programs. However one has to use a great deal of caution if considering using a program pulled from the plethora of bodybuilding magazines on newspaper stands today. I am not suggesting that you shouldn't follow a pro builders program, but rather that you sit down and consider a number of factors before deciding to pursue a program that has not being individually tailored to you.

Plateau's And How To Avoid Them

It is perhaps an inenviability that at some stage during your bodybuilding training that you are going to reach a plateau. A plateau is a point where your results just stop coming. It can be a particular weight that you cannot lift over. It may also be that you cannot seem to make a particular body part grow. Nothing seems to make it repsond with the growth spurt that you are urgently seeking. The reasons for this stagnation can vary. Often the finger is pointed at the likelihood that you are overtraining. However this is not always the case. Plateauing can be a physical standstill or it can be a mental block. Alternatively it can be a combination of both. This article looks at the common reasons why trainee's plateau, what you can do to prevent the phenomenon and then provides some soloutions to the problem if you already have.

Physique Transformation Contests-Good or Bad, Real or Fake?

PHYSIQUE TRANSFORMATION COMPETITIONS

Physique transformation competitions have been around for a while now. Their popularity doesn't appear to be waning, and indeed the sophistication of the competition rules and regulations is increasing. Whilst they have their merits, they also have their pitfalls. There is no doubt that they can be the catalyst for spectacular results, but is it all what it appears in those "after" photos? Where is the physique transformation contest now headed and why?

Metamorphisize your Physique

Bodybuilding has advanced greatly in the past decade or so, and those who take their sport seriously now employ quite a scientific approach to every aspect of training, supplementation and nutrition. Therefore it is easy to get distracted on your path to a bigger and better physique. Magazines provide page after page of training techniques, advanced supplements, new fads and the latest cable exercise designed to enhance the inner-outer,lower pectoral tie-in. When these things don't work we then search some more pages and try something else in our quest to change our genetic destiny and make us become the next Mr Australia in record time. In fact, what we are usually best to do is to stick with the basics that have been tried and tested many, many times, as they always come up trumps when trying to pack on muscle.

Mass Building Season

Whether you are a competitive bodybuilder or are purely training for your own personal reasons with no view of getting up on stage, gaining muscle mass is surely the single main focus of your training. (I mean who goes to the gym to "get smaller")? Gaining size is not merely about lifting heavier weights every time you train at the gym, there is a multitude of variables that need to be taken into account when trying to pack on the pounds. So read on and make sure that you are taking heed of these tips to help you grow like a unit.

Learn the Fats

One of the most enigmatic concepts about diet and nutrition concerns dietary fat. Fats have long since been given a really bad rap especially when it comes to controlling levels of body fat. It seems that fats are the scapegoat for those who are overweight. Therefore many are afraid to eat anything with a high fat content and this is true of the bodybuilding fraternity also. Fats in the diet actually has several important roles and care should be taken to make sure that for optimum health and sound results in the gym, your fat intake is as it should be. Don't give the good fats the cold shoulder; they are a necessary component of any good body builders' diet.

Keeping a Training Diary

In every single competitive sport there is always something that's importance is underrated. In the sport of bodybuilding, body shaping and fitness competitions, the little old diary may be the prime tool that is both underused and overlooked. A diary can be a significant contributor to the efficiency of your training and crucial to your overall success. I think many trainees take an undisciplined approach when they think that they can't be bothered lugging a diary around the gym when they train. This is the single best way to record accurately how your training is progressing and what you are consuming via your nutritional intake.

How To Overcome The Fat Loss Plateau

AVOIDING THE "FAT LOSS" PLATEAU

A couple of months ago I wrote an article on plateaus and how to avoid them when training. However you can also plateau in your efforts at fat loss. As we are now in the warmer months of the year, most of us want to shed our "winter coat" and display a fit, lean physique. For those of us who live the bodybuilding lifestyle, whether competitive or not, this is the time to shine at the beach and get our kudos for all the hard training we have done. So, what do you do if you fat loss has come to a grinding halt? Well, the good news is that there are numerous ways to 'trick" the body and continue to drop those unwanted kilos, even if you have hit a wall.

Fibre Facts

Every self-respecting bodybuilder understands the importance of eating the right nutritional balance for optimum results in the gym. Most fibre talk in the gym is relegated to muscle fibre, i.e. fast twitch, slow twitch, how to recruit more fibre, and how to repair it. However more attention should be paid to the fibre I am talking about, and that's the fibre you can find in some carbohydrates. Eating the right amount of fibre is important to the aspiring bodybuilder and should be paid the attention that it deserves.

Contest Preperations - Part 2

I wrote about three facets of competing that included posing, routines and bikini/posing trunks. This month I will focus on carbohydrate, sodium, potassium and water variations the week before the show, as well as tanning and stage presentation on contest day. Dieting and training nuances pre-contest vary so much depending on your category, sex, event and individual physique that it is beyond the scope of this article. However by applying a combination of all the following tips this expose will help ensure that you present an impressive, winning package on stage.

Contest Preparations - Part 1

Contest season is right around the corner with numerous trainees preparing for their assault onto the Australian competitive stage. Preparing for a contest is no easy feat and everyone is seeking extra tips, techniques and advice to give them a winning edge. In a two-part feature I will be looking at certain aspects of competing and offering some solid contest advice. These hints are especially aimed at those who have never competed before, but also to those athletes who seek to make improvements on past stage performances. This month I will look at costumes, posing and routines and next month I will tackle tanning, stage presentation and manipulation techniques to peak on contest day. This should enable you to present your body to the best of your ability and avoid some of the pitfalls that many competitors succumb to.

4 Unique Exercises You Don't Often See Performed

There are certain "bread and butter" exercises that are a staple in any trainees' programs. Walk into any gym and it's highly likely that the squat rack, the bench press and the lat pull downs are all being used. But what about some alternative exercises that you rarely see? What are they? How do you perform them? Most of all, are they any good?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE? -THAT IS THE QUESTION

Written by Ingrid Barclay

On behalf of Graeme Lancefield-NABBA Australia President

Bodybuilding is a sport that has the capacity to deliver new levels of self-esteem, self-confidence and a perpetually positive attitude towards other areas of life. Alternatively, it also has the potential to crush an individual and perpetuate feelings of lack of confidence and low self-respect. How one approaches bodybuilding and what an athlete thinks they can get out of the sport is central to one's personal growth and well being. There are many ill-informed bodybuilding participants out there who misinterpret what the sport may be able to provide for them.