No BS Sculpting for Your Body Type
March 23, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
No two human beings are alike, so it should make sense that no two human beings can train the same way either. The key to successful bodybuilding, as any professional will tell you, is to know your body-know your limits and know how your body will respond to certain conditions. That said, to help optimize you bodybuilding workout, evaluate your body type. Everyone in the world falls into one of three categories: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. By determining your body category, you can help find the lifestyle that is perfect for you. As always, check with your doctor before changing your diet and workout schedule.
Ectomorphs are people who naturally have little or no fat. Usually, ectomorphs are tall and have longer limbs as well. Because of their build, most ectomorphs opt for endurance sports, like running, but if you fall into this category, you can also become a world-class bodybuilder. To start, ectomorphs need to up their calorie count and eat it more throughout the day in smaller meals. Try to increase your intake by at least 500 calories per day to help you put on the weight. Eating more does not necessarily mean eating anything, so ectomorphs need to have a high calorie but healthy diet to be successful at bodybuilding. Also, if you are an ectomorph, cut most of the cardiovascular activity from your workout and focus purely on intense weight training. Don’t overtrain, but get into the gym every 3 or 4 days for a hard full-body workout that targets all muscle groups. It is difficult for ectomorphs to gain muscle mass, but with lots of dedication, it can be done.
Mesomorphs are the people everyone envies. They’re the folks you see who eat lots of junk food, yet still have the “perfect” bodies. One trap mesomorphs easily fall into is the mindset that because they can skip workouts or eat pizza without any visible effect, it is having no effect on their bodies at all. This is not true-good genes gave you a good body, but things such as heart disease will effect you just as easily as the next person. Mesomorphs shouldn’t have to change the amount of food that they eat, but if you fall into this category, make an effort to eat healthy foods and lots of good carbohydrates. At the gym, you can choose to do a full-body training session, but it will probably be more beneficial to you to target and define muscles in specific areas.
Endomorphs also have no problem gaining muscle mass, but unlike mesomorphs, these people also have no problem gaining weight. Diet control is the key to successful bodybuilding for endomorphs-eat smaller meals spread out throughout the day and cut out the junk food. Also, drink a lot of water and try to stop eating for the day about 3 hours before your bedtime. Endomorphs shouldn’t have any problem becoming muscular, but they need to hit the gym for lots of cardiovascular workouts as well-every day if possible. This will help the fat melt from your body so that you can begin to see the muscles you are defining.
Whatever your body type, bodybuilding can be the perfect sport for you. Be sensible about your habits and be dedicated to the sport, and you will find that definition and muscle mass can be accomplished.
Chris Sine
Fitness Trainer
E: Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
The Perfect Pushup
March 11, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
There is no such thing as the perfect push-up. There is such a thing as the perfect push-up for you!
Push-ups aren’t just for those super athletic sorts you see on TV or films. These exercises are an effective and cheap way to hone your upper body.
No other movement is quite as effective at strengthening your chest, deltoids, lower back and triceps as the good old push-up. When done perfectly push-up’s controlled movements offer three types of muscle-building resistance (isometric, concentric and eccentric) whilst getting all the muscles to work together.
What follows are details on how to perform push-ups correctly:
1. Lie flat on your chest, legs together, with your hand palms flat on the ground next to your shoulder, slightly in excess of your shoulder width. Your toes should be curled round and flat on the floor so as to soon be able to take the weight of your body.
2. Look forward, not down towards the floor. Ensure that only your chin is the part of your face that may touch the floor.
3. Keeping your whole body rigid/ straight you then need to straighten your arms so as to elevate your body off the floor. Aim not to arch your back or bend your legs.
4. When your arms start to straighten up exhale the air from your lungs.
5. Take a moment to pause whilst at the highest position possible.
6. Using your arms, lower your body slowly to the floor. As you bend your arms remember to keep your palms in a fixed position on the floor. As usual your body must be kept straight in a rigid fashion, legs and feet together.
7. Keep lowering your body right until your chest touches the floor. Try not to let your back arch. Your knees should not make contact with the floor. As you bend your arms breathe in.
8. Take a moment to pause, then begin the whole process again to perform the second push-up. Start to straighten your arms and exhale as you rise.
Modifications and things to be aware of:
If you want to make the push-ups easier rest your knees on the ground at all times, and/ or have an exercise partner place their fist on the ground below your chest to stop you lowering your body as far.
A variation on this exercise is to perform it whilst leaning against a vertical wall. This is called the ‘incline push-up’.
Another variation would be to perform it with your hands close together, almost touching each other under your chest.
Importantly, if you have any physical ailments that hinder this exercise in any way stop engaging in physical exercise and seek professional medical advice on the situation.
Chris Sine
Fitness Trainer
E: Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com
W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
12 No BS Secrets to Getting Fit
March 7, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
Want a healthy great-looking body? The key to being successful has always been motivation. True motivation comes from having a plan, putting in some real work to reach your goal, and seeing significant results quickly. By using these tips you'll see real results - the kind of results that motivate you to stick with your fitness plan to build a leaner, stronger, sexier body. Good luck and Enjoy! 1. Have a clear goal and a good plan - Know exactly what you want your body to look like and find out what you need to do to get it. People flounder for weeks because they don't perform this key step -- don't be one of them! 2. Keep it simple - If you're just starting out, keep your workout routine and eating plan simple. Many people give up because they feel overwhelmed by the complexity of the fitness plan they copied from a popular magazine. 3. Do circuit training - No other type of workout produces better results in less time. Mix compound movements (squats, lunges, push ups, etc.) using light-to-medium weights with some form of aerobic activity done between sets. You'll burn a ton of fat while preserving and toning your muscles at the same time. 4. Spend less time in the gym - If you work out at a gym, limit the total time you spend there to 50 minutes per session. That's more than enough time to get in a full workout and it'll keep you from getting the "burned out" feeling many people get from frequent marathon gym sessions. 5. Workout intensely - Effective workouts that produce fast results are short, intense, and not too frequent. Many people see great results with HIT (high intensity training) style workouts and it's something you may want to look into. 6. Get 8 hours of sleep - The vast majority of people need at least 8 hours for full mental and physical recovery. You're shooting yourself in the foot if you regularly get less. 7. Strength train 3 times per week - When you're first starting out, never strength train more than 3 times per week. Your muscles need time to recover between workouts. If you don't let them rest and repair you'll find yourself over-trained and burned-out. 8. Don't use momentum - Never use momentum to help get a weight up. Perform each rep slowly enough to take all momentum out of the movement and to keep the muscle you're working under constant tension. Form is the key to success, use mirrors to keep the body in line, it's not a race. 9. Never starve yourself - Trying to lose weight faster by drastically cutting calorie intake is a HUGE mistake. You'll eventually gain back every ounce of fat but you'll have less fat-burning lean muscle tissue and a damaged metabolism. Ever heard of the yo-yo dieting dilemma? 10. Jump rope - Jumping rope on a regular basis is quite possibly the best form of aerobic exercise. It burns a ton of fat, develops and tones lower-body muscles, improves balance, and is actually a lot of fun to do. 11. Use a planner - Plan out your workout schedule at the beginning of each week and get in the habit of sticking to it. Write down what type of workout you're going to do, where you're going to do it, and how long it's going to last. 12. Enjoy working out - Never try to force yourself to do something you really dislike or that seems like torture -- no matter how "effective" someone told you it is! Try different types of workouts until you find something you really enjoy. Chris Sine Fitness Trainer E:Chris@NoBSFitnessForLife.com W:www.nobsfitnessforlife.com
Setting Goals for Weight Loss
February 23, 2009 by Chris Sine
Filed under No BS Resources
There are lots of reasons for people to lose weight. To be healthier, look better, feel better and have more energy.
No matter what the reason, successful weight loss and healthy weight management depend on sensible goals and expectations. If you set sensible goals for yourself, you’ll be more likely to meet them and keeping the weight off. In fact, losing even five to 10 percent of your weight is the kind of goal that can help improve your health and Life style.
Losing weight gradually is by far the safest and healthiest way for weight loss, try not to exceed a rate of two pounds per week. Sometimes, people with serious health problems associated with obesity may have legitimate reasons for losing weight rapidly. If so, a physician’s supervision is required.
What you weigh is the result of several factors:
* how much and what kinds of food you eat
* whether your lifestyle includes regular physical activity
* whether you use food to respond to stress and other situations in your life
* your age and health status.
Successful weight loss and weight management should address all of these factors. And that’s the reason to ignore products and programs that promise quick and easy results, or that promise permanent results without permanent changes in your lifestyle. Any ad that says you can lose weight without lowering the calories you take in and/or increasing your physical activity is selling fantasy and false hope. In fact, some people would call it fraud. Furthermore, the use of some products may not be safe.
Chris Sine Fitness Trainer E: Chris@NoBSFitnessforLife.com W: www.NoBSFitnessforLife.com
