Bodybuilding

Ettiquette at the gym??

2006-09-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

This is part two in an article series about gym ettiquette. Read it and enjoy!

Try not to make excessive noise by dropping weights, plates and dumbbells. This can also damage the equipment, especially dumbbells. If you are using heavy dumbbells for pressing, learn how to return them to the floor without just letting them fly form your hands. Use a spotter if necessary. There are plenty of people who would be happy to help you out.

Be aware of what is going on around you and pay attention to what others are doing. You may learn some things this way and it prevents you from getting in someone else's way. It's very annoying to turn your back for a second or go get a drink of water and find that someone has taken your dumbbells or is using the machine you were on.

Another big annoyance is body odour. Make an effort to wear clothes to the gym that are fairly fresh. It also portrays a poor image of yourself if you are wearing a yellowing, sweat-stained t-shirt that just plain stinks. By the same token, avoid drenching yourself in perfume or cologne before you hit the gym floor. You may think you smell great but chances are that others will find it downright offensive.

Here are some quick ones. If you want to sit and read, go to the library. Don't do it while you are sitting on a machine at the gym. Don't do curls in the squat rack. Don't wear flip-flop style sandals. Try not to yell too loudly. I can understand some reasonable grunting (after all, training can be intense) but not screaming like a banshee. Also, come to the gym to train, not to socialize. A little small talk in between sets is natural, but spend your time exercising your body, not your vocal chords. Its great to meet new people at the gym, but don't treat it like a meat market or a singles bar.

These seem to represent the most common things that bother people at the gym. Everyone has their own pet peeves or things that they have witnessed at the gym that they find irritating. That is the price you pay for being out in public. However, you have to realize that what goes around comes around. So if you make a little effort to be respectful of others while at the gym, it will come back to you in a very positive way.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Body Building

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Leukic

2006-09-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

To some it’s no more than a bunch of macho men trying to flatter their already over-hyped egos. To others it’s the ultimate of sports, requiring dedication, persistence, and knowledge. Despite it’s growing popularity, bodybuilding is still considered by many to be an obscure sport offering few redeeming qualities. It’s too bad such archaic beliefs still exist as few forms of exercise offer the benefits of working out Leukic with weights.

Increasing muscle size and strength!

The most obvious benefit of bodybuilding is an increase in muscular size and strength. Working out with weights causes the muscles to grown in size and vastly increase in strength. Most forms of exercise are limited in this as there is no increase in resistance over time. Once the muscles become adapted to your bodyweight, they quickly plateau. Weight training on the other hand allows you to increase the resistance as the muscles get bigger and stronger.

Stronger bones!

Besides strengthening muscles, weight training also stimulates the body’s bones to absorb minerals, thus making them stronger. Weight training is now recommended to older people as a way to combat osteoporosis.

Fat loss too!

One of the unknown benefits of bodybuilding is its effects on metabolism and fat loss. For decades women have been told that the key to fat loss is aerobics. But it’s now known that the real key to losing fat is boosting your metabolism. Aerobics is very limited in its effects on metabolism. Working out with weights, however, produces what’s called an afterburn. This means your metabolism is revved up and will keep burning calories even after you leave the gym. How many sports can accomplish this?

Bodybuilding

2006-09-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a few simple rules to remember"

1. Always carry 1-2 meals with you more than you think you will need. This way any delays in your schedule will not throw your eating off.

2. Always eat before you go shopping, to the movies, or to other social occasions where non nutritious food will be served this way you will reduce any cravings for junk.

3. Prepare food in bulk and use Tupperware containers so that you can grab quick meals at any time. Also you will find it takes very little extra time to prepare 10 meals as it does one meal. This savings in time will actually make your life way more efficient and your eating plan easy to stick too.

4. Get off all artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners cause cravings for sugar, mess up your metabolism and brain function, and may have negative effects on your overall health. Cut them out of your diet immediately and switch to Stevia, or Raw Honey for sweetening. NO Diet Sodas.

5. Drink plenty of water each day. Most often dehydration is misinterpreted as hunger. Slug back a liter of water 30 minutes before eating or when you feel hungry and you will see how it curbs appetite significantly.

6. Place nutritious snacks in you car, your office desk at your house basically everywhere that you spend a considerable amount of time. You will quickly develop the habit of eating healthy and junk foods will quickly lose there appeal.

7. Schedule a regular junk food meal once per week. This is a powerful lesson that starts building the will to understand delayed gratification. Every time you have a craving for junk food simply right it down and schedule to eat it on a set day. By the end of the week you can review the list and go eat those foods guilt free. Often times by the junk food day you won't want the food or it won't taste as good as you anticipated. Over time you will develop more control over your cravings and reduce negative guilt associations with food.

This list isn't the be all and end all of eating but it gives you a start to work with.

Keep in mind that your eating program should evolve over time. Your body will naturally adjust from desiring different types of foods depending on a variety of factors such as season, nutrient levels, PH balance of the body, training demands, and conditioning levels to name a few.

Recording how food affects you as biofeedback is critical in understanding the powerful effects of food on your mood and your performance. Review your eating journal regularly so that you become aware of your patterns of eating as well developing awareness of how each food effects your body. Clients are always surprised at how much they can learn about food just by charting there eating patterns for a few months.

One final note is too remember you must master eating and training first before supplements can be effective. So many people try the other way around and wind up frustrated. No supplement can make up for a poor diet or poor training so vow to master these two facets first before wasting money on supplements. Once you master your diet than the right supplement at the right time can do wonders to improve performance but seldom does the supplement deliver when the diet is poor.

In the third part of this installment we will look at having a big reason why. The key to realizing your full physical potential.