Bodybuilding Hypnosis: Mind Over Muscle

Those rugged individuals who pursue bodybuilding and other strength related sports are known to be a group bordering on the fanatical-and they often cross over that boundary. Whether it is a new diet or exercise regimen, they are always on the lookout for whatever will give them the extra edge. Bodybuilding hypnosis is another tool that can have considerable potency.

Contrary to the image of hypnotism in funny stage shows or scary movies, a hypnotized person does not become unconscious or out of control. Rather it is a relaxed state of awareness where an individual learns to better activate his full mental and physical potential.

Clinical hypnosis is often used to help people successfully overcome fear, pain, lack of confidence, stress and unwanted habits. There are also three primary areas where hypnosis can help the bodybuilder as well, these being relaxation, breaking past barriers and maintaining focus.

Relaxation. As every strength athlete knows, muscle is actually built during the resting phase. Exercise that progressively increases in intensity places stress on the muscle fibers. During rest the body adapts by making them larger and stronger in preparation for future challenges. Although regular exercise is a great stress-buster, it is a rare individual who can relax deeply and completely at will. A lack of sleep and rest interferes with the hormonal system?s ability to respond to stress; dampening energy, immunity and yes, muscular development. Hypnosis has a well deserved reputation for helping people to develop deep relaxation skills.

Breaking past barriers. Are the limits on your potential solely physical or is there a mental aspect involved as well? Sports history tells us the story of Sir Roger Bannister, the first human to run a mile in under four minutes. Prior to that, many ?experts? proclaimed that this feat was impossible and possibly life-threatening. What is most interesting is that after Bannister smashed that barrier, several other runners followed suit soon after. Nothing had changed about them physically. Rather the collective belief system of those athletes had undergone a transformation for the better. Hypnosis enables you to overcome self-imposed limitations. Maybe your potential is greater than you have suspected?

Increasing focus. It has been noted that successful people are usually both confident and intently focused on what they truly want. The word ?confident? itself is derived from the Latin for ?with faith.? If you can persistently focus on a compelling goal image, your behaviors will unconsciously change in order to turn that picture into reality. Most people lack focus and are vague as to what they want out of life or from their training routine for that matter. As a result their efforts tend to be scattered and inconsistent. Is it that you want greater size, strength or definition? A few minutes spent every day relaxing and focusing on your desired outcomes will pay handsome dividends.

If mind over matter is possible, certainly mind over muscle is as well and should be considered when putting together a well-rounded training program.

James Malone is a Certified Hypnotist from Point Pleasant, New Jersey and is also the publisher of the wildly popular Creative Calm Online Newsletter. He realizes that you would probably kick sand in his face (and deservedly so) if he were to suggest that hypnosis could replace proper diet and exercise when it comes to building your ideal physique. But what if it gave you an added 5% edge in your performance over the next year, would you be interested? You may wish to learn more about his Mind Over Muscle Audio Program.

Bodybuilding Videos

If you are looking to become bigger, you need to train big. You should train 3-5 times a week and keep your work out sessions as short as possible. Try to not let them run over an hour. Try to only work out on one muscle group per week or every 5 days. Never do two larger muscle groups while working out on the same day. The bigger muscle groups consist of your chest, back, and upper legs. Here is a idea of how to schedule your week:

3 Day Week:

Monday: Chest, triceps, calves

Wednesday: Back, biceps, shoulders

Friday: Thighs

4 Day Week:

Monday: Chest, calves

Tuesday: Back, triceps

Thursday: Thighs

Friday: Shoulders, biceps

5 Day Week:

Monday: Chest

Tuesday: Back

Wednesday: Thighs

Friday: Shoulders

Saturday: Arms

In the previous example schedules, you may have noticed that no 2 large muscle groups were done on the same day. While excersizing, do bulk movements. Like bench press, shoulder press, rows, squats, and deadlifts to start off your workout. Make sure you do your biggest muscle first also. As far as volume and intensity goes, they are very related. The more volume you have, the less intensity there is, and vice versa. If you are training high intensity, you would likely be doing 6-10 reps and 5-8 sets per body part. (More sets may be needed for the bigger muscles while less are needed for the samller ones)
What is the sense of working out without a equally balanced diet to fit your lifestyle?

Nutrition: The majority of younger aged people have very fast metabolism.

Being young most of you probably have fast metabolisms. If you are looking to gain mass, then here is the key word: EAT! Eat, and do a lot of it. At least every 2 hours if you are able to and at least a total of 6 meals a day. Each meal you eat should contain approximately 17% of your daily intake requirements for protein and carbs. So, here?s what you have to do to gain mass: EAT. We?re talking every 2 hours if possible, but at least 6 meals a day. Each meal should contain about 17% of your daily requirements for protein and carbs. If you are really serious about bulking up you should do more research to create your perfect eating schedule to gain the correct amount of mass to bulk.

Some people also use protein shakes (Ie. Whey) while they are working out because it is meant to help you bulk up and many people find that getting a lot of protein is key to bulking up but just eating more may do the trick for some people. Not everyone is meant to bulk up, depending on your body shape you may be better off to cut instead. Just think if that is what you want to look like or not.

http://www.bodybuildingvideos.net provides free bodybuilding videos on how to do the right bicep curls etc, and other amusing videos.

Women's Bodybuilding, Confusion and Disillusion

In the UK it seems that a more feminine look is being required - the general public don't seem to like us any more with our freaky muscles, they seem to prefer the fitness/figure look and I suppose to some it is more pleasing to the eye. However, what do you do? Do you play the game and try to get as feminine as possible even going as far as breast implants or do you continue building your awesome frame so they cant ignore you and have to give you that first place?

There is another side to all this though. I have found that since going back into bodybuilding I am having to keep a very close eye on the way I look. At least with the powerlifting you just looked square and not overly muscular, but since bodybuilding my shape is changing and I am aware of how masculine it makes me look. I always said that I would never play the game and grow my hair etc etc but to be honest with watching how masculine my physique is becoming I am trying really hard now to keep as feminine a look as possible.

?A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders ?

It is very hard and time consuming but it also aids your mental state. Remember that us girlies are putting testosterone into our systems, using oestrogen blockers like Tamoxifen and Proviron. However you want to argue the point it still fucks around with your hormonal balance and emotional state and you 'feel' more masculine so putting that extra effort into your appearance does somewhat help your self esteem. Your confidence can sometimes can take a really serious knock if a fat couch potato educationally sub-normal wanker that has never trained in his life says something really unkind to you like 'are you a girl or a bloke?' or 'you look disgusting - you must be a dyke' and yes people do say stuff like that.

I went to the WABBA World Championships in Barcelona last week and what an eye opener. Yes, they had competitors with silicone tits but these girls got judged exactly the same as the rest of us flat chested girlies up there. There was definitely a different attitude in the organisation towards women's physique bodybuilding. It was how it used to be. I was told that we would get judged on our physiques only before I went but I didn't believe it.

Disillusionment had been creeping in until then - but when I went to Barcelona and saw the judging I was brimming with enthusiasm again. Maybe I could be doing with a little more feminine charm and grace but at least in this organisation I would get judged on my physique and the femininity issue would be more for me and my self esteem than for on the day of the show.

So what do we do at home?? I think most of us want to be the EFBB British Title holders don't we? I think we would be lying if we said no. The EFBB British is still THE show that we all want to win on a national level no matter how much we bitch about it.

I know one awesome female heavyweight physique girl who should have got placed better than she did this year, and it was the same last year, and the year before that but it was pointed out to me that she didn't present as well as the girl that won and that she stood like a bloke. WHAT BULLSHIT, it shouldn't be like that. The girl I am talking about is Gaynor Davies who has been competing for many years and she also has competed the last 2 years in the Universe and done well. She can come in whatever condition you ask her to - big and full, small and ripped, she is hugely talented and apart from all that she is a genuinely nice person. I think it's a real shame and it still isn't clear whether she will carry on competing or not after the results this year again.

Many of us are totally unclear on what the organisations are looking for - you hear a whisper about bigger and less ripped so you come in looking like that - and - bang - you find its smaller with striated glutes! A lot of women have given up the sport because of lack of clarity on the judging criteria as well as general stigma now which is a real shame as we should be encouraging and nurturing the newcomers who are our next generation of possible great bodybuilders. So, please, could we have some set in stone judging criteria please?? What would be interesting to hear is from the guy's point of view. It's all very well me banging on about women's issues in bodybuilding but do the guys have any sort of similar problems? And no I'm not talking about prejudice on the size of your lunch box!

It would also be interesting to know from the guys point of view what the attitude of women is towards muscular men now as a friend of mine who has been competing for many years has said that he now finds it really difficult to get a girlfriend as women these days don't like the muscular look and are going for heroin addict lookalikes which he feels is related to the changing roles for men since the 90's man emerged with his caring sharing feminine side and limp handshake??..eeeeeeewwwwwwww!!! uuuggggghhhhh, I can?t see the attraction but then with two tall previous exceptions I go for very short, very muscular men. Lee Priest - come and get me!!

TALK TO ME! Tell me what you think and what your own experiences are and whether you think I am dribbling bullshit and should be publicly flogged with a wet dishcloth or maybe you think I am absolutely right and you want to make me all yours and finance my bodybuilding forever!! Without your experiences and comments the points I am trying to raise are worthless really and it also makes me look at things from other points of view that I may not have considered before.

Article contributed by Emma to Mick Hart's No Bull Collection. A fast growing, hardcore, bodybuilding and anabolic steroids magazine. The most controversial, politically incorrect, hard hitting, outspoken and FACTUAL bodybuilding and steroid magazine you will ever read. Not for the weak hearted. Learn more about bodybuilding's top cult mag, packed with great articles and Mick's own brand of humour. http://www.nobullcollection.com/

Buying a Home Gym: DIY or Package

When you're in the process of buying a home gym, you'll no doubt find yourself concerned with the associated pros and cons of whether to design your own fitness hub or simply purchase a complete, pre-made set. Keep in mind that when setting up a home gym, it's essential that you consider your budget and your fitness needs.

What you do and how you do it is up to you.

DOING IT YOURSELF

PROS: It's always more fun when you're setting up your home gym by yourself because you get to choose exactly what equipment you'll be using. When you buy pre-arranged sets, there's always a chance that you'll find one or two pieces of equipment that you don't necessarily like. That won't happen, of course, when you're making all the decisions.

CONS: On the other hand, doing everything by yourself can take a lot of time, and this might be something you can't afford if you've got a demanding career. Furthermore, there's a possibility that you'll end up with the wrong purchase simply due to a miscalculation on your part or ignorance if it's your first time setting up your own gym.

PRE-MADE HOME GYMS

PROS: Packaged sets can certainly be cheaper than paying the full price for each and every exercise machine you intend to use. It's also very time-efficient, as there's no need to scour the shops to find everything you need. With a pre-made home gym, all you need to do is put forth the money, and you've got a home gym that's ready for use!

CONS: Pre-made home gyms, although possibly cheaper in the long run, could place you in debt as you're required to pay a one-time-bulk-fee. If you set up your own home gym, you can purchase exercise equipment only when you can afford to and you certainly won't be forced to pay a huge lump fee up front.

Home Gyms provides detailed information on Home Gyms, Cheap Home Gyms, Best Home Gyms, Home Gyms Review and more. Home Gyms is affiliated with Fitness Equipment Financing.