Best Bodybuilding Nutrition.Some subjects are too confusing and harder to understand, such as; Math, Chemistry, Biology, and in the case of bodybuilding, Nutrition. There is more to bodybuilding and building muscle than just lifting weights. A very important part of the process of gaining muscle, along with sufficient rest, is Bodybuilding Nutrition. Fortunately, to achieve your fitness and weight lifting goals, you do not need a degree in Nutrition. Instead, all you need is to have an open mind and willingness to learn as much as you can about it. Now, lets go ahead get started with the basics of bodybuilding nutrition.

Most people use the terms Bodybuilding Nutrition and Supplements interchangeably. They assume that by using over-the-counter supplements their nutritional needs will be taken care of. Nothing is farther from the truth. There is a big difference between bodybuilding nutrition and supplements. In addition, supplements should be used very sparingly, if not at all. However the topic of supplement use is a totally different one all together.

You may be wondering, if we are not going to talk about supplements, then, what this article is all about? Well, for those who are not familiar with what bodybuilding nutrition is all about, it consists of four basic components; Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats and Water. Now, let's go ahead and examine each of the components briefly.

Proteins:

Proteins and Amino Acids go hand in hand. Protein is made up of amino acids and amino acids are the building blocks of muscles. And they constantly build, repair and maintain your muscle tissues. So, in order to achieve your bodybuilding and fitness goals, you should be consuming sufficient amounts of protein a day, which is usually about 1-1.5 gram(s) of protein per pound of your body weight. You may be wondering, what kind of sources should I get my protein from? Well, you have a variety of sources to choose your proteins from like; beef, fish, poultry, eggs, turkey, tuna and soy protein.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are your body's main source of energy and they also provide your brain with the energy it needs in the form of glucose. There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex. Simple carbs are digested fast and most likely to be stored as fat. Whereas, complex carbs are digested over a period of time and contain a higher concentration of dietary fibers.

Carbohydrates play a vital role in developing muscle mass. There are simple guidelines you should adhere by with carbs;
Choose complex carbs over simple carbs; Complex carbs come from such sources as;potato, brown rice, oatmeal,etc. Complex carbs have a tendency to keep your blood sugar levels in check and since they burn slowly, they can act as a longer lasting energy source, especially for your workouts.
Since your body uses carbohydrates for energy, then, it is only logical to consume some carbs before and after your workouts. A norm is usually an hour before and no later than 1/2 hour after your workouts.
Did you know that even though fruits are a healthy choice, they are made up from simple sugar(carbs). If you did not know, simple sugar turn into fructose, then, stored in the body in the form of fat. So, for the purposes of building muscle, keep fruit consumption to a minimum.
Do not consume carbohydrates by themselves, always have carbs with proteins. By doing so, will help you minimize the chance of carbs being stored as fat.
Fats:

All your cells have some fat in them. Just like your body needs carbohydrates and proteins, it also needs healthy fats to function on a daily basis. Aside from carbohydrates, your body utilizes fats as an energy source as well. And on a more scarier note, the excess fat which is not burned by your body will be stored as body fat.

There are 3 types of fats;
Saturated fats; which are often associated with heart disease and high cholesterol levels.
Polyunsaturated fats; are fats that are found mostly in vegetable oils.
Monounsaturated fats; which have a positive effect on cholesterol levels
Among some of the benefits of healthy fats are a young looking skin and hair and healthier joints. Remember your daily intake of healthy fats should not exceed 20% of your calorie intake.

Water:

It is widely known that our bodies are made up of 70% of water, and without it we simply cannot survive. Having said that, you do not want to start consuming excess water as well. A simple way of figuring out your daily water need is by multiplying your body weight by 0.66. The end result, then, would be the amount you need in ounces on a daily basis.

In conclusion, here are 5 basic nutritional guidelines to follow which may be helpful in achieving your bodybuilding goals.
Stay away from unhealthy fats and simple carbohydrates.
Throughout the day eat smaller portions of food and eat frequently(4-5 times).
It is OK to use protein shakes, especially after workouts and sometimes in between meals when you can not consume "hard food."
Drink plenty of water
Get enough rest and sleep.
There is no question that nutrition as a whole plays a very important part in building muscle and losing weight. And due to its "complexity" it is also one of the subjects that most people are shying away from, but, what they seem to be forgetting is that without proper nutrition all of their hard earned gains will ultimately come to a halt. In my opinion, the only remedy to this "problem" is through research and willingness to learn. Ask questions and exchange information about the basics of bodybuilding nutrition with your peers. In the end, there is no reason that you should not be improving, let alone regressing.

Best Muscle Building Exercises For Women.Everybody wants to build more muscle and look great but not everyone knows the best muscle building exercises. Sometimes it gets hard with so many people telling you about "this" great exercise or "this" way of training that you don't know where to start. Luckily there are some common exercises that every single bodybuilder on the planet uses and always will.

Before we get into the best muscle building exercises, let's discuss what creates a good exercise. Compound movements are those that include more than one joint and muscle whereas isolation movements are those that focus on one target muscle and are single jointed exercise. To give an example, a overhead barbell shoulder press uses two joints (elbow and shoulder) and activates more than one muscle (deltoid, tricep, and trapezius) making it a compound exercise.

A bicep curl is what's called an isolation exercise as it uses the elbow joint alone and the bicep is the muscle performing the main contraction.

Compound exercises are known to speed up the metabolism and instigate more growth compared to that of an isolation exercise. Isolation exercises do still have their place and I use them every day to target smaller muscle groups in order to fine tune parts of my body.

Compound exercises are what every beginner, intermediate, and experienced lifter use. This is why compound exercises are the best muscle building exercises and isolation are more fine tuning exercises.

The 5 Best Muscle Building Exercises:

Squat: Yep, you guessed it. This is number one. Why? It involves every muscle in the legs, core, and lower back making it one of the best muscle building exercises of all time. This is great exercise for building lower body strength and mass. Don't be tempted to go 'ass to grass' on this one as many 'hardcore' lifters will tell you to. Going lower than parallel shifts the focus away from the target muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) and places unnecessary strain on the knee joint. Constant tension on the target muscle is what we want and going too low shifts the tension to other areas. If you are not comfortable with squats, try a 90 degree leg press instead.

Pull-Up: This is a hard one but if you can master this move, expect your back to grow! This move targets the core, biceps, latissimus dorsi (lats), trapezius (traps), and deltoids. This move will give you an amazing v taper and your strength will explode. Try using a lateral pulldown machine instead to work up to doing a pull-up.

Push-Up: This is often neglected by many lifts due to it being a bodyweight exercise and people prefer to push more weight. If you can't do push ups non-stop for 60 seconds then you have no business getting under a bar loaded with weights. Work your core, shoulders, legs, triceps, and chest muscles with this power move. If you can already smash out push-ups, try adding a clap to each push-up to really turn up the heat. For theses reasons, the push-up is one of the best muscle building exercises.

Military Press aka Shoulder Press: This move is killer for creating boulder shoulders and a killer physique. Using almost every muscle in the upper body, the shoulder press makes the cut for one of the best muscle building exercises. Use dumbbells or a barbell to transform your shoulders and amplify your strength. If you are a new and wish to increase your confidence first, use a machine shoulder press.

Clean and Press: This is one of the best muscle building exercises yet hardly anybody does this exercise as it is considered more of an Olympic lift rather than a bodybuilding lift. Any bodybuilder that does clean and presses is one that is focused on results. This move uses almost every muscle in the body. Picking a heavy barbell up off the ground and launching it above your head is hard but effective. Another benefit from this move is its effect on your metabolism. Studies show when training the entire body in one workout, fat burning is increased dramatically for the next 24 hours.

These are the foundation exercises behind any well thought out program designed to create results. You may be wondering why I didn't include the deadlift. Yes, this creates amazing power and strength but it is extremely risky and many injuries come from this move. For this reason it did not appear on the list. The exercises above are what I truly believe to be the best muscle building exercises available.Source

Professional Female Bodybuilding.
While body building started out as a thing for men, a large number of women have also shown interest in the activity over the past three decades or so. Started around 1970, female bodybuilding is today a full-fledged profession that has its own rules and disciplines. Just like male professional bodybuilding, a number of competitions are held throughout the year across the globe for women encouraging them to work harder towards achieving a body that is trained to perfection. Names like Betty Pariso and Nikki Fuller are common amongst women enthusiasts and are seen as idols and inspirations. But what exactly does it take for a woman to achieve a body worthy of competition and how is it any different from male bodybuilding?
Muscle Building and Calorie Intake

Female bodybuilding is different from male bodybuilding in terms of the approach taken to carry out the entire process. Female bodybuilders are required to pack on muscle while keeping the body lean and feminine as opposed to male bodybuilding where mass and bulk are given more importance. While the approach on how to build muscle remains almost the same for both the sexes, it is the diet that is significantly different.

Female bodybuilding is dominantly of two types, traditional and figure. The two types differ not only in terms of how to build muscle but also in terms of diet intake. Traditional bodybuilding is similar to that of male bodybuilding where one is required to ingest about 5000 calories of food a day in order to maintain muscle mass. Figure bodybuilding, on the other hand, is more about achieving lean muscle growth which requires fewer intakes of calories.

Valuable Tips for Bodybuilding Diet

A bodybuilding diet needs to be rich in proteins and carbohydrates in addition to other supplements. A typical female bodybuilding diet should consist of proteins equivalent to around 1 gram per pound of body weight. These can be ingested in the form of egg recipes like boiled eggs and omelets for breakfast. Beef steak, chicken breasts and fish are some other foods one can incorporate in one's lunch and dinner to keep providing the body with the necessary dosage of protein. Post workout whey protein shakes are extremely helpful in the muscle building process.

Protein shakes specifically designed for women are easily available at nutrition stores. A bodybuilding diet should also give equal weight age to carbohydrates. Turkey, tuna and whole wheat bread are some of the richest sources of carbohydrates necessary for mass gain. Combine them into a sandwich for a tasty yet nutritious treat. For dinner, one can go for carbs like pasta, rice and sweet potatoes followed by at least 9 hours of rest. Try to work a schedule which allows you to ingest carbs only after you have worked out.

This ensures that the carbs you intake are fully utilized in the muscle building process and do not add to your body fat. Bodybuilding is faster and far more effective given you take the right diet, especially in women since female bodybuilders are expected to go for a very specific body type. Although rest and exercise are equally important, it is the diet that will make the entire process faster. So hire a dietitian today and follow a strict diet for quick and effective results.Source 

When one decides to get into workout routines whether to build muscles or reduce fat or may be for both, most people forget to include leg workouts in their routine. This is so common that you may not feel any odd about it. Now give a deep thought for a moment. If you neglect your legs, you are actually neglecting half of your body. You are keeping half of your body outside your exercise program. There are several reasons why people do like this. The most common of them are:

- They don't like leg workouts.
- They don't have adequate knowledge how to do leg workouts.
- They do not want bigger legs.
- They are uncomfortable with leg workout.

In this article I am trying to tell you that leg workouts have much more in it than just getting bigger, more toned or stronger legs. If you can see the benefits of leg workouts and you will find all your reasons for not including leg exercises are trivial.

Testosterone is a primary stimulator of muscle building. Imagine what happens when you include a hard set of triceps pushdowns. Your body reacts by producing more testosterone. Let us say just 10% more. Now what this increased testosterone can do for you - it can do a lot including growth of muscle mass, muscle strength, increased bone density and strength, stimulation of linear growth, bone maturation and so on.

As you see here, leg workout is not an option; it is a part of overall exercise routine that you need to follow to get desired result. Are you afraid that you will get bigger leg and you do not want that? That is fine. Just don't pile weights. Stimulate your metabolism and it will have a very positive effect on your whole body. If you say you do not like it, then get the facts straights. You need it. Leg exercises in your workout routine can help you achieve your success in half the time than other 80% who just doesn't do it. Get the result in 6 week what others have been aspiring for 3 months.

Look around at your gym? Do you see some guys with a huge upper body and tiny chicken legs? Do you want to be like that? Look around more; do you see the other bigger guys in the gym? Who are the women that you want to look like? I can guarantee you, those people do leg exercises.

Working with a cardio machine that uses legs does not complete your routine. Working on legs is very important and no excuses please!

Next time when you are in the gym take a look around. Notice the equipments. Also notice that only a handful of people are using them. Be one of them that work on their legs and you will discover a big secret of growth.
Source

Daily Body Building Workouts Tips.In order to stimulate muscle development we should take a healthy diet and perform a well-planned workout. Most people try to build muscles without a strategy. If you are a beginner and planning for a body building session, then you should follow these tips.

Body Building Tips for Beginners

* Diets play an important role in muscle development. It provides energy and sufficient nutrients to our body. High fibrous foods such as vegetables and fruits are highly recommended. You should also take more than 3 eggs daily.
* In order to burn fat and build muscles, you should create more metabolisms in your body. This can be possible by consuming small meals. You should at least take 6-8 small meals daily.

* You should have a stipulated workout schedule. In order to build muscles, you should start your exercises with cardio workouts such as running or walking. Then you can do some body-weight exercise such as push-ups and sit-ups. Cardio and free hand exercises are the best warm up exercises. It is always advisable to consult a doctor before taking up ultimate muscle building workout session.

* You should never begin your strength training exercises without a warm up session. It is always advisable to spend 20 minutes for heating up your body.

* Weight training exercises are considered to be the best workout for sculpting your body parts. There are various workouts such as Barbell bench press, dumbbell bench press, lat pull down, tricep pull down, hammer curls etc., which can be performed for adding mass to your body.

* Protein supplements are very much required for maintaining the energy levels in our body. You can easily consume protein supplements in between your meals.

* In order to gain muscle mass and enhance our performance, we should take Nitric Oxide. This gas not only stimulates blood circulation but also enhances our endurance and mental health. Nitric oxide transmits messages through our cells, which increases our focus. It prevents heart diseases, lowers bad cholesterol and improves immunity.The overall health gets rejuvenated by its intake.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2336896

Arm workouts for women #1: The perfect pushup

Arm workouts for women #2: Curls

Arm workouts for women #3: Tricep Kickbacks

Arm workouts for women #4: Shadow boxing

Arm workouts for women #5: Cardio