Building Muscles

Bodybuilding muscles| How to train and build muscle| Burning Fat

How to get the most from your aerobics

Mindset is so important with your training. If you are not in the zone when you train you will find your results will be a lot slower.

I focus as much as possible on what I am doing. I try not to think of anything else. I imagine, as I am riding my bike, the fat melting away. The harder the riding gets the more I imagine the fat melting away. I find this works best for me.

It was a tough training today but the feeling after you get your breath back is amazing and makes the hard work all worth it. I have learned from years experience that positive thinking does not produce results. It is all about positive doing.

Food - Day 3

Day 3

7:00   coffee
9:00   coffee
11:00  energy drink
12:00  coke zero, banana
13:30  maize meal porridge with 2 eggs
15:00   coke zero
17:00  chicken, baked potato, salad
19:00  raisins, banana
21:00  2 slices toast with peanut butter and honey

Overall it was a better day but I still do not think I am there. I should have had a meal a lot earlier and not had the toast. Raisins are one of my favourites but they are very high in calories. Tomorrow is another day and I will just do my best. I think as long as every day is a bit better then the previous day I am winning.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to train and build huge muscle| Burn fat

How to burn fat with aerobic training

I have decided that with this challenge I want real results. I did exceptionally well the last time but I am even more determined this time so my training plan has changed to what I think is an absolute winner.

I am doing 20 minutes a day on my stationary bike. You can burn an amazing amount of fat when you do an intense 20 minutes. Many people think you have to train for a few hours to get good results. That is not true. The secret is to do what is called interval training. I keep the revolutions per minute (speed) constant. I work in 5 minute cycles.

1minute  no resistance
1minute  a little resistance
1minute more resistance
1minute more resistance
1minute   a lot of resistance

If you can imagine the first minute is like a very slow walk. The next minute is a fast walk. Then you jog. Then you are running. The last minute you are sprinting. This whole process is repeated another 3 times and there is your 20 minutes. This will do much more for you then 60 to 80 minutes of consistent running or cycling.

Bodybuilding Muscle| How to train and build big Biceps| Standing bicep curls

How to get the most out of your bicep curls

I was so in the grove when I started doing biceps. I had just finished doing chest and then triceps. I have a full 2 minutes rest between exercises.

I followed the same plan of 16 reps light weight and then moved on to 12 reps with a 5kg increase. Standing bicep curls are brilliant as long as you do not swing the weight up. Lift it with the bicep.

I added another 5kg and did my 8 reps - the biceps at this point were really shouting at me. The burn was incredible. I added another 5kgs and managed 4 reps. I hardly had to cheat and only did a very slight swing on the last rep. I lowered the weights totally controlled and slow. My biceps felt like they were going to pop (what a feeling). I then went back and did the 8 and 12 rep sets as per normal. The last 12 reps was a superset with 12 reps of hammer curls. I must admit I was swinging the weights for the last 3 reps. My arms were burning so much it made me weak in the knees.

That was the final part of my upper body training on the 3rd day. I am so pleased with how it has gone and if I continue like this the results are going to be incredible.

Bodybuilding Muscle| How to train and build huge triceps| Triceps Push downs

How to build big arms doing simple triceps push downs

Triceps are the muscle at the back of the arm and make up 2/3rds of the arm size. They are not a very hard muscle to build and if you work them properly they can give you a nice sizeable arm that a lot of people will admire.

I used the same process as for chest. I took a light weight and did 16 reps. I added 5kgs and did 12 reps. I felt the arms burn from the 9th rep which was fantastic.  I added another 5kgs and did my 8 reps. I found this hard but managed to keep my form. My arms started to really burn. I then added another 5kgs and found that I was cheating way too much in order to do 2 reps. The only plus doing this was I made sure that when lowering the weight I did it totally controlled and slowly. The weight was too heavy and so it does not help you that much when your form goes out the window and you are cheating too much. I have found that good form with lighter weights produces better results. I then reduced the weight and did my 8 reps. Great burn and great set. Then I used the 12 rep weight and did the last set which I superseted with overhead extensions.  I thought my triceps were going to explode. It is a pity they return to almost normal within about an hour. If they stayed the sized they get to with the workout that would be super impressive.

Bodybuilding Muscle| How to train and build a massive chest| Basic Bench Press

How to build a sizeable chest with a normal flat bench press

Today is the first actual training day of my 120 day challenge. 

Too many people try to do too many exercises with the hope that they are going to build a big chest really quickly. Building muscle takes time and you have to be patient. Training with weights that are too heavy for you is also a problem. Stick to what you can handle.

I started chest with 16 reps of quite a light weight. I knew I had got the right weight because I could handle the 16 reps quite easily. I had a bit of a burn toward the end. I did them reasonably quickly. This is a warm up exercise and is to ensure that I didn't strain any of the muscles or joints needed for the exercise.

I then put on an extra 10 kgs and did 12 reps - that was a fantastic set. I could feel from 10 reps the last 2 were quite challenging. I put another 10 kgs on and did my 8 reps. At this point my chest was screaming and so was I. I think the neighbours thought someone was being murdered. LOL. 

Finally another 10kgs on and I managed 1 and a ½ reps. My chest felt blown out. I reduced the weight and did the 8 reps again. It is amazing how the body can cope. I have a full minute rest between each set. I really had to give it my all in order to finish the 8 reps. I then reduced the weight again to the 12 rep weight and did my 12 reps in style. I got a tremendous burn which I immediately followed up with flys. I used light dumbbells in order to complete the 12 reps. A superset adds so much to your training and the results you will achieve. You are pushing the muscles further then what they are used to. That is what creates growth.

Food on my Free Day

Day 2

6:30  large glass of water, coffee
7:30  coffee
9:30  oats with protein powder.
12:00  Steak, chips peas and mushroom with a diet coke.
16:15  diet coke
17:15  pork chops, potato and salad.
19:00  Small bowl of raisins.
21:00  4 slices of bread with peanut butter and honey

I am eating a bit too much. I could have done without the 4 slices of bread. Night time is the time I tend to want to just eat. It is really important to remember that if you are putting in more then you are using you have to gain weight. I am not too concerned about the food I ate today because it is my free day so I will certainly not beat myself up over anything I ate. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start.

Bodybuilding Muscle| How to train and build a great body| Variation training

How to get a fantastic workout with limited reps and sets

I am going to explain what I am going to be doing with each exercise, so you can get the idea of how I am training and the reason I am using this system. This is my system and is a combination of some very successful systems that I have used in the past.

I like to use common sense with my training and hopefully once you see what I do, it will make sense for you too. I call it Variation Training. I am sure there are a lot of people that will call it another name but I like the idea of Variation Training.

My training must do the following for me - burn fat, build muscle and get me fit. Most people do not believe you can do all of this at the same time. Some think you have to lose fat first then use weights to build muscle. Others believe you build the muscle with the fat you have and then try to lose all the fat. I have done it in the past so I know you can do it all at the same time. I also do not have a lot of time so I only want to spend a total of an hour including my aerobic training every day.

You need to understand what the different weights, reps and sets do.  A simple guide is:-

• Low reps (1-5) very heavy weight is for strength training
• Medium reps (8-12) medium to heavy weight is for muscle building
• High reps (15-20) reps is for conditioning and fitness.

My variation training consists of :-

• 1set of light weights 15 reps
• 1set medium weights 12 reps
• 1 set heavy weights 8 reps
• 1 set very heavy 1-3 reps (This is to failure but keep form)
• 1set heavy weights 8 reps
• 1 set medium to heavy weights 12 reps with a superset of 12 reps

I train this way for every muscle. I break the body up into muscle groups.

Group 1 Chest, triceps and biceps.

Group 2 Shoulders, back and abs

Group 3 Quads, hamstrings and calves.

With each post you will see exactly what I do day by day as I move forward with my challenge and quest to be in the best condition of my life by the time I turn 62 at the end of August.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to train and build big muscles| Day off

One of the hardest things to do is to keep your enthusiasm in check when you take on something new. It is so easy to get carried away and try to achieve everything in one day. I had to stop myself from wanting to train. I decided to have Sundays as my free day. That means no training and I can eat extra.

If you do not have a free day on a weekly basis it is easy to give up after a few weeks. Sticking to good eating and hard training will take its toll. That is why I believe you need a free day.  It is unfortunate that the 1st June was on Saturday but it is about the mental adjustment. Once you mentally commit and make the decision to change, then the actual act is a lot easier. I will have already been 2 days on my challenge without lifting a single weight. Monday is the day that it all kicks off and the full hard training really starts. I am actually excited and have already put my training times in my diary. Planning is a big part of achieving good results. When you make the decision to change make sure that you do the necessary planning. It makes it real and a lot easier.

Bodybuilding Muscles| How to train and build a great body| Starting again

It has been a few weeks now that I have been dissatisfied with how I look and how I am behaving in life in general. I have not done anything wrong, but my training has gone downhill. My eating is even worse and my general attitude toward life is not where it should be. (I guess quite a bit is wrong).  Don’t get me wrong, I have still been training and have a positive attitude but that is not enough. I have had to take a step back and decide on the positive action I need to take to really get to where I want to be. I still do not have the elusive 6 pack I have always wanted.

It is the 1st of June 2013 and this is my new year. I have decided to change my total attitude. Attitude is everything and I have always said that a one armed golfer with the right attitude is far better then a 2 armed golfer with the wrong attitude. I am going to be the one armed golfer as of today. I am actually quite excited about everything and have set myself some new goals. I am going to go full on for the next 120 days. I know what I managed the last time I did my 120day challenge. The results were amazing. I am in a better place now then when I first decided to take on my challenge so I am expecting some amazing results. I will record size, food and everything I do for the next 120days. I know this will help anyone who wants to follow along. Why not accept my challenge and lets see how you get on.

Food -  Day 1
1/6/13

6:30   2 glasses water/ 1 cup coffee
8:30  1 coffee
9:00  protein shake
10:00   Small drink of coke.
10:30  Apple and banana
12:30   Cottage cheese and 1 bananas
13:45  Apple and a banana
15:00  Coffee
15:50  Chicken, salad and baked potato
19:00  Chicken and vege.
20:00  coffee
21:00  Nuts and raisins with some Figs

I overdid my first day. It is very hard for me on the quantity. I know I will have to change my mindset. The food I eat is very healthy but the problem is all about the quantity. Tomorrow will be a better day with more control.