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Diet supplements should be selected which have high protein content and some amount of good fat. They should prepare the body and provide the power and stamina for workouts for building muscle mass. Also the supplements should help the body to recover from post workout damages.

You need to find out which exact body building supplements help you to achieve your goals and which are just hype. You also need to know how to optimize the muscle building nutrition to get the most lean muscle mass gains or maximize the anabolic response and minimize gaining body fat.

There are various books on this subject including free e-books available on line which guide you to get the best muscle building and fitness supplements. You need to be very careful before selecting the supplement and need to keep certain things in mind. You need to know which supplements to use to maximize muscle building in minimum time. Know where to get discount supplements and save money. Learn how to save your supplement bill and get more by paying the same price.

Know what to look for before buying a supplement. There are various articles published in magazines which provide you this information. Books like Body for Life Book by Bill Phillips, Bodybuilding Nutrition by Mandy Tanny, Natural Bodybuilding by John Hansen, all provide you with the required information complete body building from what supplements to choose to what exercises to adopt.

Many of the supplements industry do not give serious thought before producing supplements or think of improving them. They think that people will buy anything that they produce whether or not they are effective. Thus one has to be very careful before spending so much money on supplements because half the time they are not effective.

Supplements are basically produced keeping in mind to raise your growth hormone and testosterone. Supplements are available in various forms like Protein, Meal & Weight Gain Powders, Testosterone & Growth Hormone Boosters, Carbohydrate Polymers, Fat Burners & Metabolize rs, Muscle Cell Volumisers including Creatine and Nitric Oxide, Amino Acids, Anti-Estrogens, Isoflavones, Vitamins & Minerals, Nutritional Bars, Energy Gels & Electrolyte Drinks.

There are various international brands who produce these like International brands such as Redbak, Dymatize Nutrition, Muscletech, Body Science, BSN, Ladybird, Optimum Nutrition, AST, Body Ripped, Ultimate Nutrition, MRM, Biotest, Maxs, Bronx, Isatori, Universal Nutrition, Gen-Tec, Vital Strength, Aussie Bodies, Musashi, Muscle Asylum Project, Ultimate Nutrition.

Before selecting the right supplements one needs to find out which are legal and which are not and regularly check for updates on these supplements. Also do keep in mind to check the new products which are coming in the market and make comparison study on the basis of how effective they are with the existing ones.

Exercise is a part of life and needs to be a regular routine in our life. We can have a healthy body, muscle gain truth and fitness exercises to build muscle the right way.

This past summer, I was stumped…how could I use bodyweight training to build substantial muscle mass using exercises like push-ups where I was able to do 30 to 50+ reps per set!

Enter Time/Volume Training…

This technique allowed me to take exercises where I could do a TON of reps and turn them into effective mass-builders.

Basically, it’s kind of a cross between my Compound Exercise Overload training (where you take a weight you can do 6 reps with and do 3 rep sets until you can’t get 3 reps anymore, then you drop the weight and keep going) and Escalating Density Training (by Charles Staley - where you take an alloted timeframe and do as many reps as you can within that timeframe).

Time/Volume Training is relatively simple. I’ll use back training for my example here (chin-ups, specifically). For working back, I use a 15 minute block of time (this will vary according to bodypart - use less time for smaller parts).

First, start by doing a set of 3 reps. Then stop and rest 10 seconds. Now do another set of 3 reps. Stop and rest 10 seconds.

Keep going using 3 rep sets and 10 seconds rest until you can’t get 3 reps anymore. When you hit this point, begin taking 20 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets.

Keep going using 3 rep sets and 20 seconds rest until you again can’t get 3 reps anymore. Then take 30 SECONDS rest in between your 3 rep sets. If you have to increase again, go to 40 seconds, and so on. Keep going in this fashion until your 15 minutes are up.

It’s just that simple! Basically, the idea here is not to go to failure on any of your reps but to manage your fatigue so that you can maximize your training volume (i.e. more reps and sets).

And, because I originally worked up this technique to go with bodyweight training (where you can’t change resistance), instead of decreasing the weight (like in Compound Exercise Overload), you will instead just increase the rest periods, which gives your body a bit more time to recover in between sets, allowing you to keep doing sets with the exact same resistance.

But just because it’s originally designed for bodyweight training doesn’t mean you can’t use it with free weights and machines as well - it’ll work like a charm for that, too!

You’ll find when using this technique with different exercises (especially bodyweight exercises, where some tend to be a bit easier than others), you’ll be able to go longer before having to increase rest. For example, when doing chins, you’ll probably have to increase rest sooner than you will with push-ups.

But rest assured, even if you can do 50 push-ups, you’ll STILL get to a point where you’re not able to do 3 reps sets on 10 seconds rest and you’ll have to bump up the rest periods.

It’s a great way to work bodyweight exercises without resorting to high-rep endurance training. With the 3 rep sets, you’re still hitting the power-oriented muscle fibers, which is what allows you to make this type of training work for mass building. Take a few minutes in between bodyparts for recovery.

Here are the time intervals I’ve been using for this type of training:

Back, Chest and Thighs - 15 minute blocks each
Hamstrings, Shoulders, Biceps, Triceps, Calves and Abs - 10 minute blocks each

I’ve also changed up some of the bodypart blocks so that I’m actually working 2 bodyparts at once (I did this with abs and calves).

Here’s a split I’ve been using (based on bodyweight training) but you can certainly feel free to come up with your own. Just be absolutely sure to keep your total workout time to under an hour (I’ve been shooting for 40 to 50 minutes).

This type of training concept is simple enough where you can simply insert it into whatever your favorite training split is.

My preference is for a 2 day on, 1 day off, 2 day on, 2 days off type of training split, e.g. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.

Day 1:

Back - 15 minutes of chin-ups - I was using a regular underhand, close grip for these, coming all the way up and down to full extension.

Chest - 15 minutes of dips - I was using two chairs with the back facing each other. I would set my hands on the tops of the chair backs and do dips in between the chairs. Works like a charm!

Combination of Calves and Abs - 10 minutes - NO rest in between bodyparts or sets. I would just go straight from one-legged calf raises (5 reps on each leg using no weight) then right into Abdominal Sit-ups (5 reps on that exercise, too) then back to calves. Because they’re such unrelated bodyparts, their getting rest while you’re working the others, so you don’t need specific rest for them.

Biceps - because I was doing 15 minutes of Chins, biceps already got a lot of work. I would just finish the workout with one set of flexed arm hang.

Total workout time: 45 minutes

Day 2:

Thighs - 15 minutes of Bench Step One Legged Squats. Basically, this exercise is a one-legged squat done standing on a chair or bench. Because you’re standing up off the ground, you can drop down a lot further, increasing the overall workload. I also recommend hanging onto something for support. This exercise for this long will really beat the crap out of you.

Hamstrings - nothing for me here - the deep bench step squats were PLENTY of work for the hamstrings, believe me. In a normal split, you would do 10 minutes of hamstring work for this type of Time/Volume training.

Shoulders - 10 minutes of Pike Handstand Push-Ups. This is a great exercise for shoulders - it’s a bodyweight exercise, making it very effective for functional strength AND it’s easy enough where if you’ve got decent shoulder strength, you should be able to get good training volume. In that same link above, you’ll also find Horizontal Push-Ups, which is an easier version of it.

Triceps - 10 minutes of Close Grip Push-Ups - even though I can normally do about 40 to 50 of these in a row, after about 8 straight minutes on 10 seconds rest, I had to increase to 20 seconds rest. The fatigue catches up to you and you’ll really be feeling how effective this training is. I again finished with one set of the Flexed Arm Hang here.

Total Workout Time: 40 minutes

That’s the scoop with Time/Volume Training! Like I mentioned, you can insert this methodology into pretty much any training split and any program.

It’s one of THE best ways to get a mass-building effect out of bodyweight training (when you can get high reps with an exercise) that I’ve ever found.

Give it a try in your next workout to test the concept then try a couple of complete workouts with it. Then take the concept with you next time you travel and apply to some bodyweight training.

You’ll look at the hotel gym (with the stationary bike with no seat and the squeaky hydraulic resistance machines) and LAUGH!

Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of BetterU, Inc. and has been inventing new training techniques and exercises for 17+ years. Nick has written many training books including “Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass” & “Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss” - http://www.fitness-ebooks.com

In body building circles, the term overtraining is used to refer to the occurrences where a body builder engages in extreme workouts until the optimal workload from which his body tissues can recovery is exceeded.

Why would a body builder exceed the work limit his body can take? What would make a person exceed a dose of what of what is generally a tough bone to swallow for the average body builder? What could possibly be the objective of such a self sacrificing endeavor? Research into body building practices in all parts of the globe has established that, there exists numerous reasons prompting overtraining.

Some of the most common reasons include; inadequate dietary nutrition such that even minimal exercises add up to be overtraining, inadequate recovery time after workouts, consistent poor or insufficient sleep or even intensive workouts over long consecutive durations without brakes. High intensity training is especially prone to triggering and stimulating the Central Nervous system to such an extent that the body assumes a hyper-adrenergic which negatively interferes with a body builder’s sleeping patterns.

The easiest way to avoid instances of overtraining is to juxtapose intensive regular workouts with equal allowances for effective recovery. It’s also advisable to ensure adequate and timely consumption of dietary solid carbohydrates, pure proteins and the diverse ally of essential micronutrients like vitamins, mineral salts and phytochemicals. In fact, it is a cardinal practice among body builders to argument rare yet crucial diet’s supply with industrially made nutritional supplements.

Some schools of though recommend overtraining as beneficial in some instances. The internet is full of such claims as “Overtrain for Big Gains”. Such audacious claims suggest that body builders should overtrain prior to a planned sabbatical leave or holiday to areas where training will be impossible or differed for a while. According to these schools of thought, overtraining before undertaking extended periods of rest is mandatory among body builders because it allows the body to extend its limits and gives it sufficient rest for recuperation and growth.

What is backed by research findings however, is that overtraining may be advantageously if a bodybuilder consciously overtrains for a minimal duration with the aim of super compensating when undergoing a tissues regeneration phase. These intentional overtraining seasons for regeneration purposes are known as shock Microcycles, among body builders, and have their decent in the Soviet Union. Shock microcycles were for a long time a unique training technique for Soviet athletes.

Despite adequate training being a challenge for many body builders, overtraining is a rampant exercise. Sadly, most instances of overtraining in body building is unplanned, consequent of ignorant myths and unnecessary to the body builders.
The backbone of training during body building should rest purely on balance. The crucial point to remember is that, although stimulation of muscle tissue is enacted during weight lifting workouts, muscle cells grow and are repaired during rest. Stimulated muscles simply die without being repaired or replaced if the body is not allowed adequate rest. Without adequate rest and sleep, muscles do not have an opportunity to recover and replenish.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

This issue evokes a myriad of responses. Some will say that it is good to train while you are sick for the reason that you will probably warm the body out of the ailment. Others are totally against it. Well, training while sick is sometimes possible but generally speaking you should desist from doing so especially when the physician has personally instructed you to stay away from the gym. This is the sort of advice that young bodybuilders will tend to fight against because at this age one feels strong and boisterous. One thing that they don’t realize is that the body is not at its optimal best and as such any training done will yield below par results.

Another fact is that the body really requires rest to grow; if you decide to train through sickness coupled with the probability that you are on medication then you are placing yourself at risk of injury. Then again you might be suffering from a contagious ailment. Attending the gym will mean that you are placing your colleagues at risk because you might simply infect them with the same. That is quite selfish.

As you train the body responds by increasing its temperature, elevating the heart beat rate, sweating, and depleting the carbohydrates and fats more quickly. Simply put, the demands of your body are generally elevated. Suppose you are suffering from the flu which results in an increase of the body temperature it is quite obvious that by training you will take the temperature higher you are in effect making the situation worse.

The best thing to do instead would be to stay at home and get fully recuperated before you resume training. A few days will do no harm; the muscles will not evaporate into thin air. Let us consider some common ailments where people wrongly assume that they are okay when they are not.

The common cold- The common cold may be severe or mild. The mild symptoms may include a slight headache or sore throat and a couple of sniffles. In this condition you may be able to train. This is only if you feel that you are strong enough. Then again it will not be wholly advisable to do the regular intense workouts.

Instead you can settle for light aerobics. If the cold is severe, say for example that your chest has been adversely affected or if the cold develops feverish conditions in the body then it is advisable that you stay at home.
Influenza (The flu) - When you are under the flu it is prudent that you stay away from exercising completely. Even the light aerobics must be out of bounds totally. The flu affects the body more severely than the cold does. If you decide to train through the flu then you are making the condition worse. The catabolic properties of weight lifting will be adversely affect muscle development.

Nausea- Nausea is a condition that is mostly felt in the stomach area. In the event that you are nauseous or if you have a stomach virus you are advised to stay away from the gym totally until you are fully recovered.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

Body building is an exercise and should not be a contentious issue between parents and the youth. Many are the instances where parents have differed with their sons over the topic. Some parents view their 14-16 year old sons as too young to embark in body building. The sons on the other hand feel that the time is ripe for them to start the whole exercise. To bring the whole issue to rest, something should be done.

The youth should start by appreciating the concerns of their parents. They should appear mature enough to let their parents know that they understand their (parents’) fears. In fact the greatest fear may be that body building may affect the normal growth or education of the youth. This may not be the case in factual terms, but something which the parents may tightly hold to. The youth should therefore make his responsibility be seen.

As a young man just starting the whole process, it would be risky to start by carrying heavy weights which the energy available cannot support. The best way is to start by carrying manageable weights as you make a slow steady progress. Worst still, it is a hazardous to involve in some level of training when one really don’t understand the procedure. This may expose the young trainee to some injuries, something which the parents may take as a tool to justify their position. If at all one can afford a trainer, consult him or any other professional body builder to introduce you to the whole process.

Use of steroids is another serious thing a young trainee should avoid. It is not good especially to one who is still going to school because some of them may even make an individual feel some bit of dizziness. This may affect a student’s concentration in class. As much as steroids may be an option for the developed body builder, a first timer in the field should not embrace the drug. One should make efforts to explore the natural way of building muscles first before thinking of steroids. It should also be noted that steroids also have their own dangers and keeping off the drugs is a sure way of staying safe.

I’ll always stress the role of diet in body building. For a starter especially, one should always be taking balanced diet. Proteins, greens and essential fatty acids are some important nutrition that should appear in the diet of a body builder. A starter who is still under the care of the parent may face some challenges concerning diet. This is because he may not have a final say on what is to be prepared in the house for meals. It is therefore recommended that he engage the parents in a transparent discussion over the diet in relation to his body building exercise.

Linking body building to academic performance may not match well. Training is something that can be done for at most one hour in a day. One hour out of the 24 hours may not be enough to affect ones performance. More so, in a week the training can be done for only three days with a day’s break in between. A total of three hours in a week may really not be reflected an individuals performance.

The final message to the starter is that he may not go far with the exercise of body building minus the support of the parents. Therefore the image one creates out of his choice to be a body builder counts a great deal for it can make one be accepted or rejected in the family. I propose a positive image. Are you in? Then follow what is discussed in this text.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com