Photo Courtesy: jcoterhals

Not everyone’s main fitness goal is to trim down. For many people, getting bigger is their ultimate goal. People wondering how to bulk up often have a high metabolism, something those of us who struggle with weight can only wish for. People with a high muscle mass and low body fat often blast through calories at an amazing rate. When your metabolism is higher, putting on weight and even maintaining the weight you have can be difficult. These people often end up having to take in calories that would mean diet failure for the rest of us. It just goes to show how drastically different each person’s physiological makeup is.

Weight maintenance is often said to be as simple as calories in/ calories out. Sometimes it is this simple. In most cases, however, it is far more complicated. When curious how to bulk up, you want to ensure you are not just gaining weight but that you are gaining the right kind of weight. Fat, though sometimes easier to gain, is not the right kind.

The key to building muscle is proper nutrition and weight training. In order to put on pounds of mass you will need to work hard, whether at the gym or at home with a muscle building workout like P90X.

Something to keep in mind, however, is that as you put on muscle, your metabolism will climb even higher. This happens because muscle requires more fuel to survive than fat does. It is a common problem among naturally slim people who want to know how to bulk up. So, as you build the muscle you must also increase the amount you are feeding them.

While things like pizza and fried foods are high in calories, muscles don’t just need calories. Protein plays a huge role in bulking up. Our muscles rely on protein for building and repairing. When you are having to dramatically increase your calories to maintain the weight you have, let alone adding weight, things like high quality whey protein shakes and protein bars can be a huge asset.

Simply put: when wondering how to bulk up, increase weight training and the consumption of healthy muscle fuel. High quality protein, along with other healthy foods will feed the muscles you are building in a way that other calories can’t.

Calcium: Everyone knows that calcium is good for your bones. But did you know that it also is required for muscle contraction, blood vessel expansion and contraction, secretion of hormones and enzymes, and transmitting impulses throughout the nervous system?

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Check out our Healthy Food List Below:

Sesame seeds (1/4 cup, 206 calories) 35 percent daily value
2% milk (1 cup, 121 calories) 30 percent daily value
Plain or vanilla soymilk (1 cup, 70 calories) 30 percent daily value
Low-fat yogurt (8 ounces, 155 calories) 25 percent daily value
Cooked spinach (1 cup, 40 calories) 25 percent daily value
Part-skim mozzarella cheese (1 ounce, 72 calories) 18 percent daily value
Nature’s Path Optimum Slim cereal (1 cup cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk, 250 calories) 15 percent daily value
Raw tofu (4 ounces, 86 calories) 10 percent daily value
Cream cheese (1 ounce, 29 calories) 10 percent daily value

(Original Source: Men’s Health)

Check out tomorrow’s Healthy Foods Post on Vitamin E

Similar posts on other Vitamins:

Vitamin A
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D
Folate
Vitamin C

We’ve all heard the overused phrase “no pain no gain” in reference to fitness and weight loss, but is there any truth to it in the world of strength training? The answer: yes. Discomfort, not excruciating pain, is a sign that your muscles have been worked appropriately and are in the process of repairing, or building. Whether you are doing a strength training routine for muscle building and definition or more for a weight loss aid, a certain level of discomfort is a good sign.When muscle is worked to the point of failure (or complete exhaustion) it will be sore. This soreness is due to muscle trauma. During strength training, or any strenuous exercise, tiny tears occur in the muscles. As your body works to repair and reinforce those tears and trauma, muscle is built and gained. Think of it as a thick layer of spackle on a crack in the wall. Our body naturally repairs these traumatized muscles and this is where we gain muscle mass.
 
Of course tears in the muscle will cause pain and slight discomfort. When working your muscles to the point of failure, however, or participating in a strenuous fitness program, you must be able to recognize the difference between good pain and bad pain. True “no pain, no gain”, but too much pain will not increase your results. As you design or embark on a strength training routine, you will get to know your body, what it can handle and when you have gone too far. It is important to ease into these intense routines, however, because pain can also be a sign of injury.
 
Injury can keep you out of a strength training routine for weeks. Knowing how much to do in order to reach muscle failure is key, rather than pushing your body past what is a healthy level of exertion. With any repetitious strength training move, you should be able to comfortably execute the move for the first several reps, but be struggling by the last. If the first few reps are exhausting, you may be pushing too hard. Taking it slow to find the balance that is right for you is vital. 
 
“No pain, no gain” isn’t just a cute term, it’s true when it comes to exercise and strength training. The next time you wake up and feel like you were run over by a truck, or wonder if everyone notices your funny, uncomfortable gait due to a great leg routine, remember you are building muscle and while you are experiencing this discomfort, your body is getting stronger for next time.
 

The short answer is no. Spot training does not work. Crunches will not immediately burn fat on your stomach. Nor do leg raises melt fat off of your thighs. There are several reason spot reducing isn’t effective. It’s true that genetics has a lot to do with where we gain weight and were it comes off first when we lose. For some people fat around the middle goes last. You can lose weight but because of genetics, your tummy won’t go until you really step up the exercise and buckle down on the eating.Although spot training will not reduce fat on those areas specifically, it will improve the muscle tone. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight in your stomach and do 200 crunches or 3 ab routines a day you won’t necessarily lose the fat there but you will gain strength and muscle tone in your midsection. What this means is when the fat finally does come off, it will reveal more defined muscles because you have already been training those muscles.
 
Also, spot training can increase metabolism and help you lose weight just like any other strength training routine. When you build muscle, your metabolism is increased thereby increasing the likelihood that your body will burn fat. This works because muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest. As a part of any weight loss program , you must incorporate strength training. While this won’t burn fat immediately where you train (saggy arms anyone?) it will increase your metabolism and cause your body to burn more fat overall.
 
Also important in losing fat is cardio workouts. Cardio or raising your heart rate to an aerobic level immediately burn calories. Things like running, kick boxing, dancing, and biking are all good cardio exercises. While this calorie burn isn’t sustained like the one you get by strength training and gaining muscle mass, it is important none the less.
 
If you stomach or thighs are the last trouble area to go when you lose weight, it’s definitely time to pick up the fitness effort. By strength training and increasing cardio you can lose fat overall and gain muscle definition. Spot training won’t get you closer to your goal, but is an okay addition to any strength training workout.

The benefits of strength training are many. From increasing bone density and metabolic rate to bettering your appearance and reducing the risk of injuries, strength training is a necessity of any fitness program. With the busy schedules that affect all regular adults, however, strength training may seem like just one more thing to add to the list. Finding a simple strength training routine to do at home in your spare time may seem too good to be true, but it doesn’t have to be.
 
Simple strength training routines don’t have to take place at the gym. Between the drive time and membership fees, the gym negates any use of the term “simple”. Hulking weight machines and gym rats can be intimidating and may force you away from a strength training routine all together.
 
There are ways to fit a strength training routine into your daily schedule without even leaving the house. With the use of hand weights, resistance bands, and even your own body weight, you can introduce your muscles to a strength training routine without setting foot in a gym.

Truly high quality at home fitness programs include a strength training routine to maximize your fitness goals. For instance, in Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer you can work major muscle groups in a limited amount of time without having to invest in gym equipment or weights. Tony uses your own body weight as well as resistance bands to deliver a muscle building workout in as little as 10 minutes a day.

Strength training routines do not have to be one more thing on your already full schedule. They can be fit in just before work or right after dinner. With a program like the 10 Minute Trainer you can reap the benefits of a strength training routines in a short amount of time.

We all know what it’s like to be too busy for a workout. Sometimes people use their schedule as an excuse to resort to laziness. Often, however, the demands of modern life keep us so busy we have little time for ourselves. If you have become accustomed to the daily grind and have neglected your body, what used to be your biceps are probably soft and undetectable. Your quads may have merged with the rest of your thigh and now may resemble an appendage of flesh rather than the defined muscle it once was. The truth is, you don’t have to dedicate multiple hours everyday to keep your muscle tone in check. There is a strength building routine, even for you.
 
In today’s world it is hard to find time for anything. It might seem like even when you find the time to exercise, you don’t have the energy. If you are seeking to get back the strength you once had but are on a tight schedule, Tony Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer may be right for you. In manageable increments of 10 minutes, you can redevelop the strength you once had. A high quality strength building routine does not require a gym membership or a weight bench.
 
When you decide it’s time to get serious about your health and become dedicated to regaining your strength and athleticism, you need a program that is effective and convenient. A strength building routine that can improve muscle tone and overall strength in just 10 minutes at a time is the perfect solution. Celebrity trainer Tony Horton developed 10 Minute Trainer with people just like you in mind.

You might be busy, but with a little dedication you can surely find 10 or 20 minutes to dedicate to a strength building routine, particularly one that gives you results. Tony’s Super Stacking Technique will have you working all of the major muscle groups in as little as 10 minutes. With additional abs, lower body and upper body routines you can isolate your muscles for a customizable workout plan.

Resistance bands and the weight of your own body will work together to have you will feel the burn in record time. Got a little extra time? Squeeze in 2 or 3 of the 10 minute workouts to increase the workload and subsequent results. There has never been a more convenient strength building routine, certainly not one as effective as 10 Minute Trainer.

Finding a strength building routine you can do at home doesn’t have to be a chore. You don’t need a big weight bench or a fancy piece of home gym equipment. All you need is dedication to your health and a plan. P90X is the ultimate in home body transformation systems. It is a strength building routine like no other. As trainer Tony Horton moves you through the 12 DVD workouts, you will use muscles you may have forgotten existed. Utilizing all muscle groups, in a variety of moves and routines, you will be building strength, adding muscle, and losing fat in one fell swoop.
 
How Does It Work?
 
The key to any strength building routine is resistance and repetition. Your muscles will respond the best when they are pushed harder, repeatedly. P90X does just that. It pushes your muscles as they may have never been pushed before. Day after day you will push your body to the limit and ask it to build itself back up. Through the science of muscle confusion, P90X asks your muscles to push through any potential plateaus by constantly changing up the routines and asking your body to adapt.
 
Muscles grow through this tearing down and building up. Tiny tears or trauma within the muscle fibers occur during heavy exercise. The powerful cells in our muscles repair these tears and reinforce them, making them stronger and larger. An effective strength building routine takes this break-down and repair cycle into consideration.
 
What Do I Need?
 
With a strength building routine like P90X, little is needed but your body. If you are a 200 pound man, that’s 200 pounds of resistance that can be put to use in a well-made strength building routine. Minor, inexpensive equipment like resistance bands and a chin-up bar will only increase the effectiveness of the routine and the pace of muscle growth.

If P90X seems a little extreme for your fitness level, or if you don’t have the time to dedicate to P90X, take a look at Horton’s 10 Minute Trainer that allows for complete workouts including strength building routines in just 10 minutes a day.

Maybe you are like the few Americans who are pleased with what they see on the scale. We all know that 200 lbs on one person doesn’t always look the same on someone else. We’ve also been told that muscle weighs more than fat. So even if you are okay what the scale says, you may not be pleased with what that weight consists of.
 
The phrase “muscle weighs more than fat” is tossed around all the time. This phrase and what it means is often misused and misunderstood. One pound of fat and one pound of muscle weigh the same: one pound. However, muscle is more dense than fat. This means that 5 pounds of muscle on your body will look leaner and healthier than 5 pounds of fat. So, a muscular 200 pounds looks very different from a flabby 200 pounds.
 
Changing your body composition (what your body is made of) can mean the difference in fitting into those college jeans you have been holding onto. Even if you weigh what you did when you were 18, chances are it looks very different. Firming up and gaining muscle mass while losing fat can be just as challenging as losing weight in general, requiring dedication to a regular fitness plan.

Fat does not turn into muscle. When you change the composition of your body you are actually losing the fat and adding muscle, not magically morphing one into the other. So while it will not require a drastic cut in calories like typical weight loss, it will require hard work and a conscious effort.

Building muscle requires using muscles and gradually and consistently increasing resistance and weight. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, as you increase your muscle mass, your body will naturally burn more fat, furthering your transition from soft to hard body.

Finding an exercise routine that challenges your muscles sufficiently and makes this transition possible is not as difficult as it might seem. You don’t necessarily have to spend countless hours in the gym. With programs like P90X you can get the muscular body you’ve always wanted in your own home and on your own time.

Through the power of muscle confusion and sheer enthusiasm, trainer Tony Horton guides you through a body transforming process that will have your muscles working and potentially growing like never before. By alternating moves and exercises, you’re continually challenged and easily push through any plateaus.

The next time you step on the scale and a smug grin comes across your face; consider whether or not you had to peer over your tummy to see the number. Although your weight is acceptable, you may want to consider changing what that weight is made of. With P90X and the original Power 90, you can achieve a hard-body transformation that your friends will envy.