Simple Tips for Starting Competitive Bodybuilding

As a bodybuilder you should be aiming to enter into the competitive bodybuilding area and show off your body in a bodybuilding fitness competition, especially given the amount of time, effort and money you are putting into your training. Competitive bodybuilding fitness competitions take place all over the world and display some of the finest, athletic bodies on the planet.

Each competition has numerous categories and levels, so even if you are still a novice you can still find a competition that is at your level. However, if you are going to enter you?re going to have to put in a lot of training before hand, so you?ll need lots of self discipline and dedication in terms of actually getting down the gym and training and also your diet.

If you are serious about taking up competitive bodybuilding you should really try to find your self a training partner and coach. As having the guidance and support of an experienced coach and the support from a training partner will definitely help improve your chances of success in the competitive bodybuilding arena. You and your coach need to determine your training programme, your diet and what competitions or events you want to train up to compete in. Also you need to decide whether you are going to be a ?natural? bodybuilder or whether you will use performance enhancing supplements such as steroids. The natural route is best for your body, but there is no reason why you shouldn?t supplement your diet with essential vitamins and nutrients to help optimum growth and repair of your muscles, especially if you have to eliminate some foods from your diet to lose weight.

The next step is to put some time into investigate and find local competitive bodybuilding competitions near to home, as they are a great place to ?dip your toe? in and get started. If you can?t find any locally you might have to travel to further a field to find competitions, so you?ll need to schedule this into your training plans.

Competitive bodybuilding and fitness competitions often vary in terms of the price to enter and the competition rules and regulations, so make sure you do your research carefully. Usually you?ll have a tour or guide the day before or on the morning of the event, so the more prepared you are, the more professional you will appear to the other competitors and judges.

Prior to the event, make sure that you have covered and mastered in training all the poses that you need to be able to do for the competition, and learn how to tense up your muscles for each pose while appearing relaxed. Other things you might want to do or take into consideration are tanning and removing excess hair and anything else that might improve your chances of winning. Ask your coach for advice on this or ask other bodybuilders you have met through your training.

Once you?ve done the competition, critically assess how well you have done, both positives and negatives, if you try and learn from your mistakes you?ll continually increase you chances of winning in future events. See what the other competitors are doing and ask them questions too. You should also try and speak to the judges after the event to get their opinion on how you did and get some tips for your next competition. Listen carefully to all their hints and tips and sooner than you think you?ll be the one winning all the prizes!

Do you want to learn how to pack on massive muscle, melt away fat and get the body of your dreams? If so, get your hands on free bodybuilding tips for beginner bodybuilders by clicking the following link: http://teenbodybuildingtips.info/

A Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding - The Basics

As a beginner to bodybuilding there are few basics you need to know before you head off head first down the gym to start training to ensure that you maximize the effects of your work outs and minimize the risks of injury.

One of the biggest mistakes many people do when they are starting out in bodybuilding is to fail to do any research and so they don?t see the results they want, so if you?re reading this you?re a step ahead of the game. A failure to see results causes serious frustration and many people stop training, so do your research first.

You need to learn the most effective and efficient methods to build muscle, burn fat and tone your body, plus learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is essential especially in terms of your nutrition.

One of the first things you need to do before you start any new training program or exercise regime is to get in touch with your doctor and get a full check up. If you are in your teens, a young adult or have had any health problems in the past this is especially important. Also your doctor should be able to give you advice about training programs, your diet and do general checks to ensure your body is in good order. Plus your doctor may be able to recommend good gyms to join.

As a beginner bodybuilder you should make a concerted effort too learn as much about your body and bodybuilding as possible, as it?ll help you in your efforts to get that perfect body if you know what you?re training and why you?re doing it. A good way to get started is to do train your entire body first by working the largest muscle groups, and then focus on specific areas that you want to tone and define. So don?t just go down the gym every day and do a few hundred sit ups and expect to get a six pack, it won?t happen. Don?t forget to warm up before and after you session and stretch thoroughly to encourage muscle growth, keep you flexible and avoid injury.

If you don?t eat healthy you won?t build the quantity of muscle you could do otherwise and you?ll never get the definition you want. Self discipline is essential. You also should speak to a nutritionist and learn the difference between good fats and carbs and bad fats and carbs; also you need to identify the optimum amount of protein you need in you diet.

When you are training make sure that you drink plenty of water to ward off dehydration. If you eat the correct foods and live a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking, not drinking and ensuring you get enough sleep, you?ll maximize all your training efforts significantly.

Finally speak to other gym goers and find a coach to teach you how to use the equipment properly and to design you a personalized training program to optimize you efforts. If there?re professional bodybuilders at your gym, speak to them and ask them about how they did it. Follow your training program carefully to avoid overtraining and learn your body?s limits so you don?t injure yourself. If you eat and live healthy and stick to your training program you?ll have the lean and toned body you desire in no time.

Do you want to learn how to pack on massive muscle, melt away fat and get the body of your dreams? If so, get your hands on free bodybuilding tips for beginner bodybuilders by clicking the following link: http://teenbodybuildingtips.info/

Treat The Cellulite On Your Body Through Bodybuilding

Over 10 years ago, I was a competitive bodybuilder. Needless to say, I could not have any cellulite when I was in those competitions. There were a number of things that I did to achieve that body. Weight training and using my secret weapon, the power of the mind (mind/body connection) played a huge role in getting me into competitive shape. I'm very happy to say that I won some of those competitions. Below is a short explanation on weight training for cellulite and the mind/body connection.

1- Weight Training: This is obvious but a very important point to make to many women out there that are afraid to lift weight for fear of bulking up. If you are a women that really has a tendency to add muscle weight easily, then you may want to keep the weights that you use for your lower body on the lighter side and increase the repetitions. I want to emphasize that most women do not add muscle easily due to hormones. The advantage to having muscle weight in your cellulite prone areas is that the additional muscle will press up against your skin so that it isn't loose. Also, muscle is more metabolically demanding which means you burn more muscle even at rest when you have additional muscle weight.

If you are new to weight training, be sure to start out slowly. There are many methods and techniques, but basically, you choose a body part and focus on working the muscles in that area. An example of that would be your hamstrings. Your hamstrings are located on the back of your upper leg, which is an area where many women have cellulite. If you were working the hamstrings in a gym setting, here is an example (one of many) of how you would work this body part.

Hamstring Curls: Most gyms have a machine or 2 for this. Usually, you lay on your stomach and hook the back of your ankles onto a rolled pad. Taking great care to keep your buttocks down on the machine, you slowly lift the pad up with your ankles and then slowly lower them. When you get to the bottom, don't let the weight stack touch and then slowly lift up again as far as your range of motion will let you. Breath out as you lift up and inhale on the way down.

If you are at home you can simulate this exercise by doing this movement with ankle weights on and laying on the floor on your stomach or over an exercise ball.

Depending on your level, do 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions. You should feel a burn but not pain on the last 2 repetitions.

Weighted Lunges: Hold dumbbells at your sides near your hips. Pick a weight that you can handle for 8-12 repetitions. Slowly step forward keeping your shoulders back. When that forward foot touches ground, let both knees bend keeping your weight evenly distributed over both feet. Take care that you let your knees bend very gently. Next, step that forward foot back into place as you straighten your legs up. Alternate your legs for 8-12 repetitions for each leg. Do 1-3 sets. Breath out as you step forward.

2- My Secret Weapon: I used my secret weapon, the power of my mind the entire time that I trained for my competitions. While I was exercising I would picture my muscles and body forming exactly the way I wanted them to be. At night, before I went to sleep, I would picture myself on stage looking the way I wanted to and winning. You too can have a beautiful body by using the power of meditation and visualization.

Renee Feldman MA, founder of http://www.cellulitetips.com is an Exercise Physiologist and Certified Personal Trainer. One of the first personal trainers in the United States, Renee is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine which is the Gold Standard in fitness. Her vast experience ranges from competitve bodybuilding, where she won state wide championships to professional dancing. She has used her education and experience working in Corporate fitness centers, Health Clubs, Y.M.C.A.'s and J.C.C.'s. Renee has an incredibly well developed and diverse background in Meditation and Guided Visualization which she has used to coach her clients for the last 12 years. She also lectures and presents information on fitness, wellness and the mind/body connection. She successfully demonstrated her cellulite reduction methods on television. Her widely popular Cellulite Tip website has been helping women worldwide change their bodies. She is most excited about her new line of videos that can be accessed at http://www.thenotimefitnessvideos.com

Fast Muscle Growth - Bodybuilding 101 What They Don't Teach In Muscle School

Are you working out like a madman or mad person, to be P.C. and still not getting the results you want? Then the answer may be found in this article. So take a moment to read these quick steps you can take to GUARANTEE your muscle growth.

Do you want to be bigger, stronger, faster, and have more endurance?

If that's what you want then consuming more protein in your daily diet may be the ticket to accomplishing your goals.

Secret To Fast Muscle Growth I've heard from hundreds of clients, fellow Rangers and Bodybuilding buddies that they desire to get bigger, stronger, faster and have more endurance.

Often, when I propose that the solution may be just as simple as eating more protein, many get dismayed and feel that I'm giving them a blown-off response.

But the simple truth is that most athletes don't eat nearly enough protein to help them recover from their training, much less grow bigger and stronger.

Why is protein so important for me as an athlete and bodybuilder?

Of the three macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) protein is the only one which contains nitrogen. Nitrogen is necessary to muscle growth. Consuming sufficient protein can help keep you in a "positive nitrogen balance" meaning that your body is retaining more nitrogen than it is excreting.

Being in a positive nitrogen balance is indicative that you are in an anabolic (tissue building) state. That means you are in a position to build bigger, stronger muscles.

The best times to consume your proteins are:

1. First thing in the morning upon awakening, to stop the catabolism (tissue breakdown) that results after several hours of sleeping, and jump start your body into an anabolic (tissue building) stage. The best protein for this meal is a complete protein such as scrambled egg whites or a protein shake containing a multi-blend of proteins. Be sure to also consume some carbohydrates with your protein, such as oatmeal or whole grain cereal.

2. Every 3-4 hours thereafter as part of a complete meal. Giving your body protein every 3-4 hours promotes a positive nitrogen balance and will ensure that your muscles are supplied with the nutrients they need to grow. Remember to wait at least 1-1.5 hours after a meal to train.

3. The best proteins to consume during your daily meals are lean chicken, fish, or turkey or a protein shake. These proteins are broken down and absorbed slowly over a period of hours, providing long lasting nourishment to your muscles.

4. Pre-exercise meal. Using proteins that are mostly isolates will digest the fastest. Take a high quality whey protein isolate about 30-60 minutes prior to exercise to allow for proper digestion. Take in 30-60 grams, along with a piece of fruit such as a banana.

5. Directly after your training. Within 30 minutes of training you should consume 75-100 grams of carbohydrates in the form of potatoes, whole grain bread with jam, bananas, rice, or whole grain cereal with skim milk. You need this to raise blood sugar levels in your body.

   This sugar will be deposited in the cells of your muscles and liver. The insulin released by your body in response to the carbohydrates will promote the uptake of amino acids into muscles as well.

   For this meal, you should consume 40-60 grams of a high quality whey protein isolate. Unlike protein blends which take hours to digest Whey Protein is digested very quickly (within 30-45 minutes) so that your body can begin post workout muscle repair right away.

   Then, one hour later, have a complete whole food meal consisting of a protein such as chicken, turkey or fish, along with a complex carbohydrate such as sweet potatoes, rice and beans, or whole grain rice.

6. Right before bedtime. Using a protein with a high casein content will allow for absorption over an extended time period and help stabilize your insulin through out the night. This should allow you to sleep better through the night. A light protein will provide time-release amino acids that your body can use to repair and build muscle all night long. Take in between 30-60 grams, depending on your duration of sleep and ability to digest protein.

Follow these shortcut steps and quickly build a muscular body.

Frank Sherrill is a former U.S. Army Ranger, martial arts expert and the creator of the Bully Xtreme Portable Home Gym which offers up to 600 lbs of resistance and 82 muscle pumping exercises. Frank has written hundreds of articles about Isometric Exercise, Static Contraction and the Bullworker. Learn how to build your body and turbo-charge your metabolism without drugs, using his little know secrets by visiting Bullworker . To receive Frank's free muscle building report and free monthly newsletter, visit www.bullyxtreme.net

A Beginners Guide To Bodybuilding ? The Basics

As a beginner to bodybuilding there are few basics you need to know before you head off head first down the gym to start training to ensure that you maximize the effects of your work outs and minimize the risks of injury.

One of the biggest mistakes many people do when they are starting out in bodybuilding is to fail to do any research and so they don?t see the results they want, so if you?re reading this you?re a step ahead of the game. A failure to see results causes serious frustration and many people stop training, so do your research first.

You need to learn the most effective and efficient methods to build muscle, burn fat and tone your body, plus learning how to live a healthy lifestyle is essential especially in terms of your nutrition.

One of the first things you need to do before you start any new training program or exercise regime is to get in touch with your doctor and get a full check up. If you are in your teens, a young adult or have had any health problems in the past this is especially important. Also your doctor should be able to give you advice about training programs, your diet and do general checks to ensure your body is in good order. Plus your doctor may be able to recommend good gyms to join.

As a beginner bodybuilder you should make a concerted effort too learn as much about your body and bodybuilding as possible, as it?ll help you in your efforts to get that perfect body if you know what you?re training and why you?re doing it. A good way to get started is to do train your entire body first by working the largest muscle groups, and then focus on specific areas that you want to tone and define. So don?t just go down the gym every day and do a few hundred sit ups and expect to get a six pack, it won?t happen. Don?t forget to warm up before and after you session and stretch thoroughly to encourage muscle growth, keep you flexible and avoid injury.

If you don?t eat healthy you won?t build the quantity of muscle you could do otherwise and you?ll never get the definition you want. Self discipline is essential. You also should speak to a nutritionist and learn the difference between good fats and carbs and bad fats and carbs; also you need to identify the optimum amount of protein you need in you diet.

When you are training make sure that you drink plenty of water to ward off dehydration. If you eat the correct foods and live a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking, not drinking and ensuring you get enough sleep, you?ll maximize all your training efforts significantly.

Finally speak to other gym goers and find a coach to teach you how to use the equipment properly and to design you a personalized training program to optimize you efforts. If there?re professional bodybuilders at your gym, speak to them and ask them about how they did it. Follow your training program carefully to avoid overtraining and learn your body?s limits so you don?t injure yourself. If you eat and live healthy and stick to your training program you?ll have the lean and toned body you desire in no time.

Do you want to learn how to pack on massive muscle, melt away fat and get the body of your dreams? If so, get your hands on free bodybuilding tips for beginner bodybuilders by clicking the following link: http://teenbodybuildingtips.info

Newbie's guide to developing strength and size in bodybuilding.

Most neophytes don't know how to get started in bodybuilding they spend many years doing the wrong things before they learn what exactly the right things are. In this article I will address one of the mistakes the newbie's make and give a simple antidote to the problem of developing strength and size as a bodybuilder.

I think before we go any further its important to understand that strength training for a bodybuilder is not the same as for other athletes. A bodybuilder must develop strength while building muscle size, shape and endurance, and on many occasions these goals are exclusive of each other. So let's start this discussion with how to choose the correct weight.

What does your trainer mean when he says light weight or moderate or heavy? How do you know by the weight what rep count you should use? I try to simplify this all too confusing problem in just a few lines.

Everyone get confused about what is heavy weight, what is moderate weight and what is light weight. I will try clear this up for you right now. Heavy weight is any amount that is so heavy that on your first set you can only complete 6 to 8 reps. I think it goes to reason that on your second and third set you will not be able to complete as many.

Moderate weight is any amount that is so heavy that on your first set you can only complete 8- 12 reps. Of course less on the following sets Light weight is any amount that is so heavy that on your first set you can only complete 15-25 reps

Now there is one more thing that I want to address that is strength. understand this, just because you are getting bigger does not mean you are getting stronger; however, if you are getting stronger you are getting bigger even if you can't see the size increase! Finally, train to get stronger, but not for strength, if you understand the principles of the Progressive Resistance System this will make more sense

The four days per week workout The four days per week is called a split routine, because the body is split into four sections Unlike a lot of trainers I think there is a relationship between growth and total amount of sets completed in a week's time. On the three day routine you had 9 set for chest, back and quads, and six set for shoulders. In this routine the weekly sets will range between 12 and 16 per body part.

In no way do I advocate the High Intensity Training (HIT) methods that you'll find in all over the internet. I don't deny how well it works; I just feel much of the injury throughout my career has come as a result of working out with too much intensity. Age and wisdom has taught me to the never to even advocate the negative or forced reps for any reason I personally call them injury reps! But let move on to what I think will work.

Some important things to understand about this routine

1. Workouts are never longer than 1 hour! Never!

2. Dips are done with no weight, except "bench dips" if you have a partner

3. "Max" represents the most you can do correctly( never do forced reps)

4. Unless I specify dumbbells, use only barbell

5. shoulder press are done to the front of the chest not behind the neck See article my article on shoulder injuries

6. Lat pull downs are done at shoulder width never wider and only to the front of the chest.

7. Seated row are done either on a seated row machine or on seated on a low cable row machine. If doing them on a low cable row machine lean forward only enough to full extend your arms keep lower back arched. Never let the shoulders roll forward for that "extra stretch"

8. Barbell curls are done in smoothly never jerky or fast.

9. Leg press are done with full range of motion your calf should touch your hamstring at the stretched position.

10. Leg curls should be contracted until heel touches you butt.

11. Seated calf raises this exercise is harder than it appears. Calf should get a full stretch at the bottom of the movement, and completely contracted at the top.

12. Warm up and cool down with about 10 t 15 minutes of stationary bike or ski machine ( I only do low or no impact aerobics, never run, never stairs,)

13. Stretch only after you have completed the workout and only for the muscles worked that day.

Workout 1 Monday

Dips 4 set of 8-12 reps Bench press 4 set of 8-12 reps Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 set of 8-12 reps Shoulder Shrugs 4 set of 8-12 reps

Workout 2 Tuesday

Pull Ups 4sets of 6-8 Reps Lat pull downs 4 sets of 8-12 reps Seated Rows 4 sets of 8-12 reps Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-25 reps

Workout 3 Thursday (after one day rest)

Hack Squats 4 sets of 15-25 reps Leg Press 4sets of 15-25 reps Leg Curls 4 sets of 8-12 reps Standing Calf Raises 4 sets of 15-25 reps

Workout 4 Friday

Barbell Curls 3 sets of 8-12 reps Dumbbell Curls 3 sets of 8-12 reps Bench Dips 4 sets of 8-12 Reps Close Grip Bench Press 4 sets of 8-12 reps

Troy Pearsall has over 25 years of bodybuilding experience. 15 years as a competitive bodybuilder 15 years as a personal trainer and 10 years as a trainer of competitive bodybuilders. He has other successes in other areas but his first love is teaching the sport of bodybuilding. for mor information go to http://www.fire-iron-online.com

The Most Shocking Bodybuilding Myths Finally Revealed

The bodybuilding and fitness industry has the highest number of myths out there, even some of the 'professionals' are under the influence of myths. Knowing what stuff is true and what is false can be critical to achieving great results and staying injury free. This article should hopefully educate you and you'll be one of the few people that know the truth.

1.The workouts of professional bodybuilders are the best ? You want to become massive and ripped, so it makes sense to follow Mr. Olympia's routine...right? Wrong, Pro-bodybuilders are on a lot of steroids, therefor their bodies are capable of recovering faster from the workouts they do. If you or me did their workout for a while, we'd probably just over train and injure ourselves. Pro's also have many years of experience, meaning their bodies are capable of going through such vigorous workouts so often.

2.There is one, and one only perfect workout plan for everyone ? Some magazines or articles may try to say that there's only one workout that produces the greatest results for everyone. Funny thing is, I see hundreds of different perfect workouts! Everybody is different, a workout that works for you may not work for me, and so on. This is why it's important to educate yourself so you can make a workout thats 'perfect' for you. If you're a real beginner, you can get an experienced trainer to make a program designed exclusively for you.

3.(eg. Protein) supplement ABC is 500% more effective then (eg. Protein) supplement XYZ ? There are many supplement companies out on the market today, with a huge range of different brands available, its hard for consumers to choose one product over another. Thats why supplement companies say negative things about each others products to get a sale from you. They exaggerate the statistics by a long, long shot. At the end of the day, the difference between supplement companies is minimal in the single percentages. Unless the supplement company you buy from is your neighbor, who mixes the ingredients in his basement, its very unlikely that there's a 500% difference between the different big name companies.

4.You need to exercise to burn fat ? Nobody gains body fat because of a lack of exercise. You gain body fat if you eat more calories then you burn. For example; If your daily caloric requirement is 3000 calories, you only need to consumer 3000 calories that day.

If you consume more then 3000 calories you will gain fat.

If you consumer less then 3000 calories you will lose fat.

If you combine exercise to a good diet you will burn more calories, resulting in you losing fat faster.

James Penn is an expert at planning fitness training programs and especially abdominal routines. You can learn exactly what he teaches for free at http://www.firmupyourabs.com including abdominal workouts and abdominal exercises to help you lose abdominal fat.

Bodybuilding Venue Tips

When considering a full bodybuilding routine, you need to consider first few important points to make sure that you?ll be able to put full focus and attention to your goal of gaining weight and increasing your body appearance. Above everything else, it?s always necessary to check the place where you?ll be spending your bodybuilding training moments.

First, you need to think about the venue where you can conduct your bodybuilding exercises. It has to be where you feel most comfortable in executing exercise routines. Commercial gyms are one place where you can take advantage of the different gym equipment. You probably won?t have any problem in executing ideal exercises on gyms since there are also expert trainers around the gym ready to help incase you need assistance. Another thing that you need to consider is if the training in a commercial gym is within your budget or not. Otherwise, it?s better to stick to home gym training.

Home gym training is ideal for those who don?t want to wait in line before gym equipment becomes available. As long as you have weight lift equipments like dumbbells, barbells, squat stands and a good and solid bench, you can train very well similar to those who train in the gym. Also, the main benefit is that you gain what you need for your body to gain inexpensively.

Another thing is that, with home gym training, you can train anytime you like or whenever you?re available. Just be sure you don?t train much otherwise, it will defeat the whole point of proper bodybuilding.

When bodybuilding at home, you will need to think about the training level you need to accomplish because there?s no one else who can lift the barbells just incase it ended up trapping your neck. You will need to think and impose about serious training precautions for a safer bodybuilding routine.

Shareen Aguilar is a writer for http://www.body-building-book.com which has Bodybuilding guide and other free fitness Books.

What Is The Best Home Gym

When it comes to choosing home gyms, you may find yourself with many different decisions to make and not sure where to start. Choosing home gyms involve many different aspects to check out, this is true, but it is actually quite simple to pick one for you and your needs. There are a few main things that you should check out before you choose a gym. Focusing just on these will help simplify the search process.

First and foremost you will want to determine how much space you have for the home gym, before you begin choosing home gyms. This is because there are different gyms that will fit in different amounts of space. Some home gyms will fold up and fit just about anywhere, while some have tons of equipment and require a lot of space. Once you have decided on the size you can use for your home gym, you will have narrowed down what you can buy. Then it is just up to you to choose from among those that will work with the space that you have.

Getting recommendations from friends, family and even your doctor will help you when choosing home gyms. That way you will have a few ideas of certain gyms to check out. This should narrow your search down even further. Make sure you let your doctor know exactly what your goals are and they should be able to recommend some equipment that will work with your personal goals and needs. Also make sure you ask friends and family members that have had some of the same goals as you, in order to pick some equipment that will work with yours as well.

Lastly when it comes to choosing home gyms, you will need to set up a budget. This will let you to further narrow down the equipment that you are looking at. Once you determine how much you can spend, you should be down to one or two choices. Make sure you thoroughly check out the equipment before you buy. Ask if you can try out the equipment as well. Sometimes a local gym may have similar equipment and you can use it there to see if you like how it works with you and your needs.

Choosing home gyms doesn't need to be complicated. Taking some of these simple things and keeping them in mind while you shop should make it quite simple. Once you find the home gym you need, you will be well on your way to a healthier life and all the looking will have been worth it.

Check out http://www.homegymsreview.com for more articles on marcy home gyms and discount home gym.