What exercise to choose for the abdominal muscles

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In order to get rid of the big belly, many of us begin perform press exercise. Long, hard and unsuccessfully. Why? Because targeted exercises for this group of muscles only strengthen and increase abs but no more … And all your efforts may remain unnoticed under a layer of fat, which is densely settled there. If you want your abs to be well defined, be prepared for hard work. After all, you need to get rid of excess fat but without diet and aerobic load it will be hard to achieve your goal.

Understand that the best exercise for all does not exist. We are different: we have different genetics and anthropology, we feel in different way load of the same exercise, so you need to listen to yourself and choose the exercise that works best for you. There are a lot of options: it is different crunches and leg raises that are performed as with weight or not. It is believed that the rise of body load the upper press, and leg lift – lower one. But this division is quite arbitrary, since the rectus abdominis is one.

So, in order to lose weight and see a clear abs you need to do two things:

1. Continue intensive training

2. Minimize body fat

Then why many people continue to perform hundreds of crunches for the abs to get rid of excess fat? They just believe in the principle of point reduction. That mean, in order to burn fat in a specific part of body it is necessary to train hard that part. Goldenmuscles.com assures you that do not work. And even when your body feels deficient of calories from dietary restrictions or increase physical activity, this does not mean that you will lose fat exactly where the muscles do the most important work. But an abdominal workout will help you create well defined muscles that will appear after you lose excess fat through diet and aerobic exercise.

Simply, to get results, it is not enough to keep diet and perform press exercise. You need to keep diet, perform press exercise and run! Only with these three exercises you will achieve your goal.

Ab Exercises and Diet For Ripped Abs

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After all, nothing is sexier than a six pack on a woman or a man and people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on systems promising to get them the flat stomach they have always wanted.

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you don't need any fancy workout program to get that six pack you have always wanted.

The bad news is that unless you lower your body fat to a level that allows your stomach muscles to be visible, you can do ab exercises until you are unable to move and will never be able to show off a six pack set of abs.

Although many believe that endless sets of crunches will lead to a defined mid-section, developing a well defined mid-section is predominantly a function of body fat. Without the proper fat loss diet to lower your body fat percentage, your abs will never be visible.

My fat loss diet page will give you all of the information you need to know in order to consistently lower your body fat levels and make your dreams of having a six pack a reality!

The only ab exercises that you should use are those that target the full spectrum of abdominal muscles from lower to upper abs. There are a few exercises that accomplish this, but I have found that the best exercise for abdominal development is the simple abdominal crunch exercise.

  

Ab Exercise: Crunches

Targeted Muscles: Lower and Upper Abdomen

Auxiliary Muscles: Side Abdomen - Obliques

Directions:

The crunch targets all stomach muscles and is the only abdominal workout necessary to fully develop the abdominal region.

To perform a proper crunch, you will begin by lying flat on your back with both feet on the ground and your knees bent. Cross your hands and place them across your chest.

You will then crunch up as far as possible, while lifting both knees towards your chest causing you to push your entire abdominal region together. You will crunch upwards until your elbows touch your knees. You will then return your upper back to the ground and repeat as necessary.

It is important to note that you are only to lift your legs until your thighs are perpendicular to the ground which will keep the emphasis on your abdominal muscles and not your hip-flexors.

If you can perform more than 50 crunches for a given set, you will want to place a weight over your chest so that you can no longer perform more than 50 crunches.

Performing 50 or more crunches can be very mentally taxing and will decrease the intensity of this exercise.

Final Note

Of all of the available ab exercises, this is the only one that I use as part of my workout routine and my picture on the home page is proof that performing crunches as described above is the only exercise required for full abdominal development.

The secret to getting six pack abs is following a disciplined fat loss diet to get your body fat to a low enough level that your abdominal muscles are visible and not hidden by layers of fat.

You will also greatly accelerate your fat loss results by performing fat burning cardiovascular fitness workouts.

Below is a simple 4- Week Bicep prioritization Program

7 Ways to Grow

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The word anabolic immediately instigates thoughts of muscle growth. After all, the anabolic hormones your body produces — mainly testosterone, growth hormone and insulin — work in conjunction to incite muscle growth. When it comes to building the muscle mass and strength you seek, keeping your anabolic hormones high should be rule number one. Use this guide to make sure that you are maximizing yours.

1: EAT ENOUGH CALORIES

THE STUDIES  Scientists from the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center (Charlottesville) had male subjects fast for five days. Another study had men perform extreme aerobic exercise while taking in minimal calories over seven days.

THE RESULTS  The Virginia researchers reported that the subjects experienced a drop in testosterone levels of up to 50%. The men doing the extreme exercise also experienced a severe drop in testosterone levels. It appears that when your calories are inadequate, less gonadotropin-releasing hormone is produced in the brain. Since GnRH increases luteinizing hormone release from the pituitary gland, which signals the testicles to produce testosterone, the end result of less GnRH is lower test levels.

THE PRESCRIPTION  Be sure you’re not in a calorie deficit because of your training. Take in a minimum of 18 calories per pound of bodyweight per day. For a 200-pound guy, that equates to at least 3,600 calories per day.

2: EAT ENOUGH FAT

THE STUDIES  A recent study examined the effects of a high-fat, lowfiber diet versus a low-fat, high-fiber diet on 39 middle-aged, healthy men. Subjects were placed on the diets — both of which consisted of the same total calories — for eight weeks. Total caloric intake and activity levels did not change during either of these periods. The concentrations of testosterone were also studied in 30 healthy, middle-aged men during a dietary intervention program. These subjects were basically switched to a low-fat, high-fiber diet.

THE RESULTS  Subjects on the higher-fat diet in the first study decreased their bodyweight by 2.2 pounds. After following the lower-fat, higher-fiber diet, their testosterone levels dropped by about 15%. So, reducing dietary fat intake with an increase in fiber leads to a drastic drop in testosterone levels. Similar results were reported in the second study.

THE PRESCRIPTION  Eat at least 30% of your total daily calories from fat — 10% saturated fat, 10% monounsaturated fat and 10% polyunsaturated fat — with the majority being omega-3 fats. Eat fruits and veggies for their polyphenols and fiber, but don’t skimp on fat, because it is essential for making steroid hormones — and testosterone is one of the key anabolic steroid hormones. Saturated fat is particularly important, so don’t skimp on beef, either. In fact, a study from Penn State (University Park) found that weight-trained males eating low amounts of saturated fat had significantly lower levels of testosterone than those eating higher amounts of saturated fat.

BEST SOURCES OF HEALTHY FATS

SALMON

• What: This fatty fish is rich in essential omega-3 fats, which can enhance fat loss, muscle growth, joint recovery and overall health.
• When: Salmon makes a great protein for dinner or lunch.
• Why: It’s a good protein source, plus the high fat content slows down the digestion of the protein, so you have a long-lasting source of amino acids.
• How much: Go with about 8-9 ounces three times per week.

NUTS

• What: Nuts — such as almonds, Brazil nuts and macadamias — provide monounsaturated fats, which have been shown to be readily burned during exercise. That means they don’t get stored in the body as bodyfat like most other fats.
• When: Mixed nuts make a great snack food late at night to go with a protein shake.
• Why: Healthy fats will help to slow down the digestion of the protein. How much: Go with about 1 ounce (about a palm full).

RED MEAT

• What: Beef is not only a great source of protein and saturated fat, but also a good source of iron, B vitamins and zinc. Zinc is a critical mineral for maintaining high testosterone levels.
• When: Beef makes a great lunch, dinner or late-day snack.
• Why: It is a slow-digesting protein source, so it provides a steady supply of amino acids to your muscles.
• How much: Shoot for about 8 ounces of leaner cuts of beef, such as top sirloin or flank steak. Don’t be too concerned about fat, since the major type of saturated fat in beef has been found not to raise levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

- See more at: http://www.flexonline.com/nutrition/7-ways-grow#sthash.fgMmkxUF.dpuf

Bicep Exercises for More Developed and Larger Biceps

There are only two bicep exercises that you need to implement as part of your weight training program in order to fully develop the biceps.

  
By performing one lift that targets the top of the bicep, and another that targets the inner and outer bicep, you can increase the height and width of your bicep with these two bicep exercises alone.

Bicep Lift #1: Preacher Curls

 

Targeted Muscles: Biceps

Auxiliary Muscles: Forearms

Directions:

The preacher curl lift targets the top of the bicep that forms a "ball" when flexed and will increase the height of your biceps.

Sit or stand behind a preacher curl bench and, using a curl bar (a barbell with curves that allow for a more comfortable grip) or a regular barbell, curl the weight up as far as possible and lower it until your arms are nearly fully extended. You should feel your biceps tighten as you curl the weight upward.

Fully extending the arms can cause tendon aggravation which can result in tendinitis. Therefore, make sure to maintain a slight bend in your elbow when lowering the weight by not fully extending your arms at the bottom of the lifting motion.

Bicep Lift #2: Standing Barbell Curls

  

Targeted Muscles: Biceps

Auxiliary Muscles: Forearms

Directions:

The standing barbell curl targets the inner and outer bicep and will increase the width or thickness of your biceps.

Stand holding a straight barbell or curl bar with a palms-up grip. While keeping your elbows against your side, curl the bar up as far as possible and lower the weight back to its starting position until your arms are near fully extended.

While performing the standing barbell curl movement, avoid swinging your body as this will take the emphasis off of your biceps. Also, try to avoid leaning far back while raising the weight as this could lead to a lower back injury. A little lean is okay - but make sure that it is just a slight lean and not extreme enough to injure your lower back. Just as with the preacher curls, do not straighten your arms completely when lowering the weight to avoid tendon aggravation.

 

Diet for bodybuilding

Tricep Kickback Anatomy

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5 Myths About Abs

This article will hopefully give you an insight into some of the most common myths about abdominal training. Getting a ripped abdominal six pack is something that most people strive for but find it hard to achieve. The best bit of advice you will ever get when it comes to six pack abs is that “abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym”. Your abs will only be visible if you follow a good diet and have very low body fat. If you live off junk food then forget about getting a six pack because it won’t happen no matter how much training you do. Stripping away fat around your mid section should always be your first priority if a head turning six pack is what you’re after and simply doing more abdominal exercises won’t necessarily help you get the six-pack you want. This is our definitive guide to the most common abdominal training myths.

Crunches are the key to a six pack

This is a big myth about getting a ripped midsection. The next time you see someone who is overweight training their abs, take a moment to think about what they are doing and why they are wasting their time. No matter how big or strong their abs are, you will never be able to see them because there is too much body fat covering them up. Have you ever seen a fat person with abs?Of course not. Abs are only visible when you have a low level of body fat and this can only be achieved through proper diet, weight training and cardiovascular exercise. We all have abs but they only become visible when we have a body fat level of less then 10%. Have you ever noticed you can see some people’s abs even though they never train them? This is because if you have a low body fat level then you will have abs, plain and simple. If you have over 10% body fat you can forget about doing endless crunches because there is a big layer of fat covering your abs so you will never see them no matter what you do.

I should train my abs every day

Your abdominals are a muscle and, like any other muscle, training them every day is really stupid and will get you nowhere fast. Your muscles grow when they are at rest, not when you are working them. If you train your abs every day then they will never have a chance to recover and grow stronger. This idea applies to all the muscles in your body. No one in their right mind would train the same muscles two days in a row and your abs are no different. Ideally you want to train your abs no more than three times a week for maximum results and only twice if you are doing things properly. Make sure you train them hard and with intensity for no more than fifteen minutes. If you can, try to add resistance with weight to your abdominal exercises to make them stronger.

I need to do hundreds of crunches

If you are doing a hundred reps of any exercise you should seriously ask yourself this question: “why the hell can I do so many reps?” The simple answer is that the exercise you are doing is far too easy and it is not challenging your muscles at all. You will often see people doing hundreds of sit ups and crunches in your local gym and they wonder why they don’t get stronger abs. All muscles grow when you apply adequate resistance to them and this means you shouldn’t be able to complete more than 12-15 reps of any exercise. Would you do 100 arm curls weight a feather weight or 10 brutal reps with a heavy weight? Obviously you shouldn’t be able to perform much more than about 10 reps of any exercise if muscle growth is what you are looking for. Abs are just the same as all other muscles and should be trained with heavy resistance and between 10 and 15 reps. If you can do a hundred reps of any exercise you are wasting your time because you are not using enough weight for you to build muscle. If you find that you can do more than 20 reps of any abdominal exercise then there is either not enough resistance or, more likely, you are doing the exercise wrong. The key to muscle growth is to overload the muscle so that you fail at about 10 or 15 reps.

Ab exercises will help me lose fat

This idea is complete rubbish but a surprising number of people actually think that doing crunches is going to help them get leaner. In order to lose fat around your mid section you need to do create a slight calorie deficit by eating good food and exercising regularly. You cannot spot reduce fat (i.e. you can’t choose where your body loses fat from.)

Crunches are all I need

Properly executed crunches are a great exercise for your abdominals but if you really want to get good results you should target the abdominal muscles with a variety of exercises. Hanging leg raises, reverse crunches and weighted crunches are other exercises you should add to your abdominal training workouts. As well as focusing on small isolation exercises, you should try and do a lot of big compound lifts at the gym. I promise you that heavy deadlifts and front squats will kill your abdominals better than almost anything else and they have the added advantage of working all the other muscles in your body at the same time. Some bodybuilders do very little abdominal training at all because the compound exercises they do work their abs anyway.

So there you have it, the most common six pack myths. Don’t waste your life training your abs day in and day out with pointless exercises. The real key to getting a defined midsection is to get your body fat level down below 10% and to work on challenging exercises that fatigue your abdominal muscles no more than three times a week. A stronger core will be a great help to you and improve your ability to perform any exercise.

source:sportsfitnessexercise.com

Chest workout for Home (VIDEO)

                 Arnold Schwarzenegger biography

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Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. He rose to fame as the world's top bodybuilder, launching a career that would make him a giant Hollywood star. After years of blockbuster movie roles, Schwarzenegger went into politics, becoming governor of California in 2003. In 2012, he returned to his acting career, starring with Jean-Claude Van Damme,

Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables 2. Within just one week, the movie had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million
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    Early Years

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947, near Graz, Austria. Schwarzenegger's childhood was far from ideal. His father, Gustav, was an alcoholic police chief and one-time member of the Nazi Party, who clearly favored Arnold's brother over his gangly, seemingly less athletic younger son.

Gustav is reported to have beaten and intimidated Arnold and, when he could, pitted his two boys against one another. He also ridiculed Schwarzenegger's early dreams of becoming a body builder. "It was a very uptight feeling at home," Schwarzenegger later recalled. So uptight and uncomfortable, in fact, that Schwarzenegger would later refuse to attend the funeral of his father, who died in 1972, or his brother, who was killed in a car crash in 1971.

As an escape, Arnold turned to the movies, in particular Reg Parker, a body builder and star in B-level Hercules movies. The films also helped propel Schwarzenegger's own obsession with America, and the future he felt awaited him there. Getting to his new country was the issue. Schwarzenegger found his answer in Joe Weider, the man behind the International Federation of Body Building, an organization that sponsored contests such Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia.

Weider loved Schwarzenegger's bravado, sense of humor, and the potential he saw in the young body builder. Weider's instincts couldn't have been more dead-on. In all, Schwarzenegger would win an unprecedented five Mr. Universe titles and six Mr. Olympia crowns during his bodybuilding career.

Equally significant, Schwarzenegger, who had immigrated to the United States in 1968, helped propel the sport into the mainstream, culminating in the 1977 documentary, Pumping Iron, which tells the tale of Schwarzenegger's defense of his Mr. Olympia crown.

Making it in Hollywood

Since his first foray to the local movie house in his hometown of Graz, Arnold had dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. With his ascension to the top of the bodybuilding world, it was only a matter of time before he'd move over to the big screen.

After acting in a few small parts, Schwarzenegger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer for his performance in Stay Hungry (1976). With his intense physical strength and size, Schwarzenegger was a natural for action films. He became a leading figure in several popular 1980s action movies, including Conan the Barbarian (1982). Schwarzenegger also starred as a deadly machine from the future in The Terminator (1984). The science-fiction drama spawned two sequels—Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003).Off-screen he continued his remarkable story, marrying into the Kennedy family by tying the knot with Maria Owings Shriver, daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her husband R. Sargent Shriver.

Schwarzenegger's American story sounded improbable, except to those who knew him. "This is a man of bottomless ambition," said George Butler, producer and director of Pumping Iron,

The 'Governator'in a 2003 interview. "It's always been there ... He sees himself as mystically sent to America."

In 2003, Schwarzenegger again showed his resolve to succeed when he threw his hat into the ring for the California governor's race and won a seat in a special election. In a state that was mired in severe budget woes, the newly elected Republican governor promised to bring economic stability to his adopted state.

As expected, Schwarzenegger brought his own unique brand of confidence to his new job. "If they don't have the guts, I call them 'girlie-men,'" he said of Democrats, early in his first term. "They should go back to the table and fix the budget."

Still, as governor, Schwarzenegger worked to improve the state's financial situation, promote new businesses, and protect the environment. In 2006, he easily won his bid for re-election. Throughout his career, Schwarzenegger has credited former U.S. President Ronald Reagan as a personal inspiration. Remembering his early years in the United States, Schwarzenegger once said, "I became a citizen of the United States when [Reagan] was president, and he is the first president I voted for as an American citizen. He inspired me and made me even prouder to be a new American."

His second term in office did not run as smoothly, however. Schwarzenegger struggled to help the state through difficult financial times. After leaving office in January 2011, he sought to revive his career in the entertainment industry. In March of that year, Schwarzenegger announced plans to work with famed comic book creator Stan Lee on a new animated series inspired by his time in office.

Only a few months after leaving office, Schwarzenegger made another announcement. He and Maria Shriver made their decision to separate public in May. The news followed Schwarzenegger's acknowledgement that he'd fathered a baby with a member of the family's household staff. Schwarzenegger and Shriver have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.

In 2010, Schwarzenegger starred alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone in the film The Expendables. In August 2012, he reunited with the film's cast for a follow-up film, The Expendables 2. Just one week after the film's premiere, it had climbed to the No. 1 spot at the box office, bringing in nearly $28.6 million.

Schwarzenegger made headlines again later in 2012, when he admitted for the first time to having an affair with his Red Sonja co-star, actress Brigitte Nielsen, in the mid-1980s—while he was dating and living with Maria Shriver, whom he later married. Nielsen had written about the adulterous relationship in her 2011 memoir, You Only Get One Life, but Schwarzenegger didn't publicly confirm Nielsen's account until the fall of 2012, when his memoir, Total Recall, was published.