How to Build Muscle And Get Lean

How to Build Muscle And Get Lean by Scott Magers

You work hard on the field, at the gym; have committed a lot of your time to getting better in your sport. You strive to achieve success at a higher level. Consistency in training, practicing, skill work and competing begins by knowing exactly what routine to follow to take yourself to a new level. Discipline is doing it right all the time. Mental toughness is doing it right when you are uncomfortable.



It takes a combination of both of these to master your performance. Does an extra 7-10 pounds of lean muscle in only 6 weeks interest you? What if you could train for optimum results by following a no nonsense workout that gets results? The following is an example of a highly effective weekly workout schedule that flat out works! It has been tested by hundreds of top level athletes in a wide variety of sports. Test this out for six weeks and you will be very pleased with your gains.



Weight Room Routine + Interval Cardio



The standard sequence is two warm up sets (on muscle groups not yet warmed up) 5-8 reps with your warm up weight, increasing in weight about 10% with each set until ready to perform your work sets. First work set includes 12 reps at 70% of your 1 rep max weight followed by one minute rest. Second work set with 8 reps at 75-80% of one rep maximum weight followed by one minute and thirty seconds rest.



Third work set with 5 reps at 85% of one rep max followed by a drop set of 50% of your third set weight for 20 reps with no rest in between. Move on to next exercise and begin within two minutes & Stay at the 12, 8, 5-20 sequence for six weeks. Change the order, tempo, type and rest interval of the exercise each week.



DAY 1 - CHEST AND TRICEPS



• Prime Mover Exercise: Bench Press 5 X 2 warm up 12, 8, 5, 20 rep work sets, superset last two sets)

• Incline Dumbbell Press 12, 8, 5, 20 rep work sets (superset last two sets)

• Bar Dips 12+ with body weight X 3

• Close Grip Bench Press 12, 8, 5, 20 (superset last two sets)

• French Press 12, 8, 5-20

• Underhand Grip Cable Press-down 12, 8, 5-20

• Abs Bench Roll-ups 20 X 2 and Side Rolls 12 X 2



DAY 2 - LEGS



• Squats 5 X 2 Warm up 12, 8, 5-20 Work Sets

• Stiff legged Deadlifts 12 X 2

• Walking Lunges 20 steps X 2

• Leg Extension 12, 8, 5-20

• Leg Curl 12, 8, 5-20

• Calf raises 15 X 3

• Decline Sit-ups 20 X 2



DAY 3 - OFF



DAY 4 - SHOULDERS

• Dumbbell Overhead Seated Press 5 X 2 Warm up 12, 8, 5-20 Work Sets

• Bent Arm Laterals with dumbbells 12, 8, 5-20

• Cable Straight arm laterals 12 X 2

• Cable Bent arm laterals 12 X 2

• Upright cable row 10 X 2

• Rear Delt Machine Row 12, 8, 5-20

• Abs Hanging leg raises 12 X 3, Bench up and twist sets 10 X 2



DAY 5 - BACK AND BICEPS



• Prime Mover Exercise: Bent Over- Barbell Rows Reps 5 X 2 Warm up 12, 8, 5-20 Work Sets

• One arm cable row 10 X 2

• Straight arm pulldown 10 X 2

• Close Grip Pulldown 12 X 2

• Barbell Curls 5 X 2 warm up 12, 8, 5-20 Concentration Curls 10 X 2

• Hammer Curls with Rope 12 X 2

• Abs Rubber Ball crunches 30 X 2



DAY 6 - OFF



DAY 7 – Interval Cardio Session



Choose your method of cardio (running, biking, swimming, jump rope etc) and warm up with two minutes at an easy pace. Once you are warm, do 8 sprint intervals at 85% of max heart rate for 30 seconds each. After each interval rest for one full minute (slow jog or slow peddling) until you return to a reasonable resting heart rate.



Do 8 intervals week one, 9 week two, 10 week three and so on until you get to 12 intervals in one session. When you reach 12 you reduce the intervals back down to 8 the next time but increase the intensity of each sprint and reduce the rest time to 45 seconds following every sprint. This style of training is very effective but is intense to say the least. It can kick you metabolism into a real fat burning mode for hours.



It has been extensively researched and studies show that compared to linear cardio (going at 60% max heart rate for 20+ minutes at a time) you burn a significantly greater amount of fat. I recommend you only do this once per week for your first six week cycle.



Finishing Thoughts



Stay with this cycle for 6 weeks. Workouts should be between 45-60 minutes in length. Move quickly between exercises. Write down in a log book each set and weight lifted. (Rate the intensity level of each exercise for each muscle group on a scale from 1 lowest to 10 highest). Keep your intensity at an 8 or above, on the average. Record your overall score and intensity average at the end of each workout. A light stretch, a few push-ups or a couple of minutes on the bike can also be helpful in "getting loose" before you go into your warm-up sets. Good luck and stay committed!



Copyright (c) 2007 Scott Magers



Have you heard about the new results training program everyone’s buzzing about? Check out http://www.seekersmanifesto.com for a sneak preview. Health and fitness guru Scott Magers has put together the ultimate nutrition and training routine for literally hundreds of professional athletes, big league sports teams and celebrities. Will you be next? http://ScottMagers.com.



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Hip Abduction Exercise For Firmer Thighs

Hip Abduction Exercise For Firmer Thighs by Jennifer Adolfs

Hip abduction exercise and leaner thighs go hand in hand.



In basic terms hip abduction means to take the leg away from the midline of the body, kick your leg straight out to the side, or to work the outer thigh. So, when you are doing hip abduction exercise it involves some form of moving the leg away from the body, usually with added resistance for strength.



The hip is a ball and socket joint, which means that you can move the leg in four directions; abduction (away from body), adduction (toward midline of body), flexion (bringing the leg up towards the torso), and extension (drawing the leg straight back behind the body).



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Why is hip abduction exercise good for the hip joint and thighs?



Doing hip abduction exercise helps to strengthen and stretch the muscles that surround and protect the hip joint. As an added bonus, with the stretching and strengthening actions it pulls the muscles into longer and leaner lines.



These muscles include: gluteus medius and minimus, the piriformis (in the buttocks), the ilipsoas (in the groin), the tensor fasciae latae (upper lateral thigh), and the sartorius (runs from outside of lateral thigh into the medial side just below the kneecap).



Strengthening and stretching these muscles will help to stabilize the hip as well as to keep it flexible and working efficiently so we can move with ease. Most specifically, walk with ease and without pain.



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What types of hip abduction exercise should I be doing?



There are many different ways to do hip abduction exercise. You can exercise in a side lying position, lying on your back, or standing. You can work most all of these hip abduction exercises using the resistance of water in a pool.



Some of my favorites are Pilates based exercises done on a mat or utilizing Pilates equipment if you have it available.



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Side kicks:



All exercises done lying on your side with your shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other and legs angled slightly forward at the waist.



· Small Circles – With the top leg slightly forward of the bottom and at hip level circle the whole leg 6-8 times each direction. Keep the leg long and reaching through your heel. Think about reaching out of the hip to make it longer.



· Forward and Back Kicks – With the torso and bottom leg staying stationary as an anchor swing the top leg forward and back at hip level keeping the leg long and straight. Swinging the leg forward flex your foot, swinging the leg behind you point your foot. Keep the shoulders aligned as you swing the leg straight behind you.



· Open the Clam – Lying on your side with both knees bent out at a 90 degree angle, place your hand on the top hip and keep it aligned over the bottom hip. Squeeze your heels together and then draw your top knee away from the bottom knee. If you are aligned properly it should not open very far as with trying to open a very tight clam shell.



Leg Circles:



· Lying on your back with one leg extended along the mat anchored to the floor, the other leg extended up just under a 90 degree angle. Feel the thigh bone of the leg in the air set right in your hip socket and then circle it 8 times each direction.



Make the circles as large as you can control keeping your torso and leg on the floor very still. Shoulders and butt cheeks stay anchored into the floor as you circle.



Standing Hip Abduction Exercise:



· Standing with or without a weight around your ankles, kick one leg out to the side until you feel the outer thigh or hip stop you from going any farther without having to bend sideways. Make sure you stand with the spine extended as you kick to each side 10 times.



Jennifer Adolfs is a certified Pilates Mat and Equipment Specialist who works with musculoskeletal injuries. Check out her new Pilates Ebook that offers detailed pictures and descriptions of these and many more hip and core exercises. You can learn more by going to her web site at
http://www.Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise.com




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5 Tips To Make Your Exercise Program A Success

5 Tips To Make Your Exercise Program A Success by Donovan Baldwin

People seldom "fail" with their exercise program. What does happen is that they fail to achieve the success they had hoped for. Far from a failure, this is usually the result of their not really understanding what is required from them for an exercise program to be successful.



The five main reasons that most people are not successful with their exercise program are these:



1. They try to do much too soon.



2. They have inaccurate or inappropriate expectations.



3. They get bored.



4. They lose their motivation.



5. They quit too soon.



Since these are the main reasons that many exercise programs don't seem to do the job, then addressing them may make us more successful with the exercise side of our fitness and weight loss plans. So, let's take a look at each in turn and see if we can figure out what to do.



The dangers of overdoing exercise.



A factor that figures into all five issues is simply ignorance. I don't mean that as an insult, it's just that people go out and buy a piece of equipment or a Richard Simmons DVD and jump in with both feet. Even if they read the directions, those are normally written from the viewpoint of "this is what you should be doing" rather than "this is how you get to the point where you can do what you should be doing". Since most people don't really know much about exercise or how it works, and I was once one of those people, they tend to make a lot of mistakes, even though they have the best of intentions.



One of these mistakes is to try to do too much too soon.



Let's say your new barbell set says, that for maximum effect, you should be able to three sets of ten reps a certain exercise with the weight set at one-fourth of your body weight. So, you figure you weigh 160 lbs, set the bar at 40 lbs, and do ten reps. You're a little winded. It was a bit hard, but you were able to do it. You rest a minute, and try again. It's harder, but you're still able to get through it. You take another short rest and do the third set. Wow! You had to squeeze out the last couple of reps, but you did it! You feel good. You've got what it takes, and you can't wait until the next exercise day.



What has happened is that you have produced a large amount of damage to muscle tissue that your body will now have to spend the next couple of days fixing. Since you are out of shape (even if you were able to do all three sets), your body is going to have a hard time getting that work done. I can tell you that this is certainly going to impact almost every physical, emotional, and mental event or episode in your life over the next several hours or even days.



The next day, what happens? You hurt like hell! That's what happens. Even if you can convince yourself that this is a good sign, continuing on in this manner will eventually either produce a real injury, or will set you up mentally and physically to begin wanting to avoid your workouts, whether you are doing aerobics, lifting weights, running, swimming, bicycling, or working in your garden.



Most people simply do not realize how much is going on internally when they take an out-of-shape body and begin demanding that it perform as if it were already in shape.



So, just take it easy. Start off slow and gradually ease your way up to higher levels. Many highly successful marathoner runners were barely able to walk to the end of their street and make it back without stopping to rest when they first started. Many a housewife has begun her "exercise program" with a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup in each hand. Start light and increase gradually. Don't worry if you don't see "results" at first. Good things are happening inside your body.



When it comes to expectations, get real.



As trite as it is, one of the best remarks to remember is: It took you years to get this way and you're not going to change things in a couple of days. No matter how badly you try, you simply will not lose 20 lbs in 10 days. It happens, but that's the exception rather than the rule. Also, each of us is different. If your neighbor tries an exercise routine or diet and loses weight right away, you cannot assume that you will respond the same way. The one main thing you can say is that if you do your exercises regularly and gradually challenge yourself, your body will make the appropriate changes in outward appearance and inner capabilities.



Yes! Exercise CAN get boring.



Doing anything day after day can be boring whether it's exercise, sex, or eating ice cream...at least for most of us. A few people can do things over and over and never get tired of it, but most of us aren't built that way. Even if you are doing everything the right way, have good expectations, have a great program, and are seeing good results, getting up 45 minutes early for the 150th day in a row and strapping on those running shoes is going to get old eventually. Do what you can to liven it up a bit. Even if you just like to go for a walk, can't you walk somewhere else today? Why not substitute a swim, a bicycle ride, a visit to the zoo, or an hour's worth of yard work for your walk? If your normal routine is comprised of Press, Curl, Bench Press done with a barbell, why not substitute Triceps Extensions, Preacher Curls, and Chest Flys all done with a dumbell once in a while? Or, you could go to the park, do some chin ups and pushups and then take a long walk yourself. Who says you have to do exactly the same thing in the same place every day?



I listen to the news or play a motivational video while I'm on my walker. Before I know it, the walk is over and I didn't even notice it.



Your goal is to stay motivated.



How many times have you begun a program or project with a very strong motivation, only to find that after a few days, you just didn't feel like doing it any more? You saw that show on heart disease and got scared so you vowed you would exercise regularly. Perhaps you were in Sears or Dillard's shopping for some new clothes, or even worse, a bathing suit, and found that you needed the next size up...again! You went home and vowed that you would do whatever it took to get back to the size you were in high school (unrealistic expectation) and that afternoon you began your exercise program and felt so good about what you were doing. A few days later, you just couldn't find the time or the motivation to do your workout. In fact, you weren't even thinking about whatever it was that kicked you into gear in the first place.



Write it down. As you write it, feel every boiling emotion...pain, fear, embarrassment, anger...whatever tripped your trigger in the first place. Make it a statement about what you feel, what you want to change, why you want to change, and how you intend to change. Put it in your purse, wallet, or pocket, and take it out and read it a few times a day. Every time you read it, try to read it out loud, and try to reconstruct in your very being the thoughts and feelings you had when you wrote it down. Paste it on your mirror, put it on the fridge, tell your best friend if you dare, but revive it in your heart several times a day, every day.



Whatever you do, don't quit.



One of the main reasons many people feel that their exercise program has failed them is because they quit too soon. Remember that thing about how it took you years to get this way and it's not going to change overnight? The visible results of a day's exercise, a week's exercise, or a month's exercise may not give you a reason to keep on getting up at the crack of dawn or paying those gym fees. However, six month's worth of steady, regular, moderate exercise will awaken most people to the wonders of life that await them in their newer, slimmer, physically fitter body. Oh, six month's won't be enough, and some people may have to wait a year or more to see the real results, but science and several million people have proven that if you are exercising regularly, challenging yourself and moving upwards, you WILL see the results you have been hoping for.



You will see results, and so will everybody else.



Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. His interests include nature, animals, the environment, global warming, health, fitness, yoga, and weight loss. Learn more about exercise and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/



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