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Three Diet Tips for Serious Muscle Builders

Serious muscle builders treat their diet in an almost scientific, equation-like manner. What is the scientifically proven, most effective way to build more muscles?

It takes a lot of discipline to follow the rigid guidelines for developing your body in the absolute fastest manner. But if you’re really serious, that’s what it’ll take to get results the fastest.

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Here are three dietary tips for serious muscle builders.

 40% Carbohydrates, 20% Fats, 40% Proteins

The 40:20:40 rule has been tested again and again to be the optimal balance of nutrients for losing fat and gaining muscle.

Keep in mind that many foods contain both fats and proteins in them without explicitly being a fatty or protein food. For example, when you’re buying your meats, make sure to read the labels and see what percentage of the meat is actually fat and what percentage is protein.

Also avoid eating carbohydrates close to bedtime.

In the beginning, you’ll likely have to record all the foods you eat in order to get a good sense for how much fat, carbs and proteins you’re taking in. After you get more experience, you’ll be able to estimate your intake with a high degree of accuracy.

Eat in 2.5 Hour Intervals

Don’t binge. Don’t eat big meals. Big meals cause your body to spike up in blood sugar levels and then crash. It also causes food build-up in the digestive system, which is detrimental to muscle growth.

To maintain a steady energy level and to facilitate the fastest growth possible, aim to eat smaller meals every two and a half hours.

That’ll come out to six small meals a day instead of three large meals. If you need snacks in between meals, go for something healthy like mixed nuts.

Cycle Your Caloric Intake

To keep your body from adapting to a certain caloric intake level, regularly cycle your caloric intake.

Consider alternating low calorie days with high calorie days. If you’re trying to gain weight and muscle mass, you can put in more high calorie days, while doing the opposite if you’re trying to drop weight.

This process doesn’t necessarily have to be rigid or planned, but you should still keep track of your calories and consciously decide the night before whether you’re going to have a high or low calorie day tomorrow. Track your high and low calorie days so you can make sure you’re getting a good balance.

These are three diet tips geared specifically towards serious muscle builders. If muscle building is just a hobby, these tips might not be for you. On the other hand, if you’re really dedicated to building the body of your dreams, these tips can help take you to the next level.

Teen Dieting

We have the highest teen and childhood obesity rates today than at any other point in the world’s long history. Much of the blame for this is on the fast food, low energy society that we have become. Far too often we feel that it is safer to keep our children inside our homes rather than out and about in the great outdoors.

The things we are doing for the protection of our children are actually detrimental to the health of our children.

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There are things however that are being done to address the problem and get our children more involved, more active, and better educated about making the proper choices about diet, nutrition, fitness, and overall health. The problem for most teens is getting them off the computer, phone, or away from the television long enough to get active.

Even video games are getting in on the act of getting children up and active by creating games such as  Dance Party Revolution and the new and latest gaming systems that seem to be taking the market by storm. These systems allow consumers, to actively participate in the game play adventure rather than sitting back and playing the game in a static environment. It is a great way to get teens off their seats and active. These games are also fun for adults and will have the same effects when it comes to activity. Whoever thought we’d be actually encouraging game play for exercise?

Get Outside and Get Active

Teens learn by example and whether they care to admit it or not, they typically enjoy doing things as part of the family. Go rock wall climbing or mountain climbing. Go bike riding as a family. Camp in the great out doors and go hiking, boating, or biking yet again. Learn a new sport together. It’s amazing how much fun you can have learning how scuba dive and while you are at it, neither of you will be consuming empty calories. Even if the sport you take up together doesn’t involve a lot of physical activity it is quite likely more active than sitting in front of the television.

Have your teen join a recreational sports team. We have all kinds of sports teams available in our community in which our teens can join. Even those with no skills at all can join and play in some of the leagues while other leagues are competitive. Getting out and about for a softball game, soccer game, and even volleyball can be a great way for the family to do something together and the games and practices are opportunities for your teen to be active.

Lawn work is another way to get out and get active with your teen. The key, as always, is in your teen9 burning more calories than he or she consumers. It is often easier said than done but it is quite possible if you work to get them out and about. Find things however that will be interesting to your teen10 and focus on those rather than torturing them with activities that hold no interest at all (well maybe not the yard work). At any rate, filling their time with activities is also allowing time that they aren’t consuming calories as well and that is something worth considering.

Encourage your teen11 to eat healthier foods. Eliminate calorie-loaded sods, fruit juices, and energy drinks from your pantry shelves, and encourage your teen12s to drink plenty of water each day. Introduce as many vegetables as possible to the diet of your teen13s and get rid of the prepackaged convenience goodies that teen14s are notorious for depleting in one sitting. Also having your teen15s actively participate in the preparation and clean up for meals will help them pay more attention to the things they put into their mouths as well as the messes they make in the process.

Massage Therapy for Senior Citizens

With the baby boomers aging and with the help of higher technology and greater innovations in medicine and geriatric science, life is not merely being prolonged but more and more senior citizens today have the opportunity to take advantage of more quality life than ever before.

This translates into a generation of more senior citizens of more advanced ages living among us, and that is, in my opinion a very good thing.

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National demographic studies tell us that nearly 40 million Americans are currently 65 years of age or older and over 2,000 more reach age 65 every single day. To accommodate the ever grown demand for massage therapy among senior citizens, many massage therapists are choosing to expand their expertise by studying the art of age-specific massage therapy which is often referred to as senior’s massage or geriatric massage.

For the most part, massage therapy for citizens is extremely beneficial and of utmost importance to relieve the aches, the pains, the stiffness and the great number of health condition which are so often associated with aging; such as inflammations in the joints; arthritis; skin discoloration and other dermatological conditions; deteriorating muscles and bones; fading eyesight and loss of hearing, reduced appetite and therefore weight loss, poor blood circulation; sleep disorders; weakened mental capacity, tendinitis; bursitis; asthma; emphysema; high blood pressures; diminished functions of the internal vital organs such as the heart, the liver, the brain, the thyroid, the stomach and the intestines; and so much more.

Most importantly, however, lonely and isolated, depressed, anxious and fearful senior citizens derive priceless valuable benefits from the simple pleasure of the caressing human touch and the intimate companionship afforded them during massage therapy sessions.

The Weaver’s Tale Retreat Center in the State of Oregon recently conducted a two-year study examining the effects of massage therapy for senior citizens and they found that at least 50 percent of the elderly who were tested showed a reduction in their rates of breathing, an increase in their range of motion, an improvement of their postures, development of more body awareness, their skin took on healthier colors and their muscle tones were enhanced. The same study also showed that 100 percent of the senior citizen who were tested showed a dramatic improvement in their moods and their attitudes toward life in general.

Massage therapy for senior citizens does not differ in technique but it does differ, and it differs greatly in the application of that technique, whichever that technique may be. In other words, just about any of the different massage techniques can be used on senior citizen but they must be modified enough to accommodate the facts that, very often, the skin of senior citizens have become thinner while growing much less pliable and much more easily broken, their bones are thinner and more brittle, their joints are more stiff with reduced range of mobility, their blood vessels are more prominent and closer to the surface of the skin and their overall health, vigor and vitality have been downgraded through the years.

Taking all that into consideration, extra care musts be taken when positioning them on the massage tables, they should never be expected to perform the same movements as younger adults, and wheelchair-bound or bedridden senior should get their massage treatments while remaining seated in their chairs or reclining in their beds.

Most massages for senior citizens are limited to anywhere from thirty to forty five minutes because the elderly seem to respond better to shortened sessions with greater frequency. Furthermore, greater time is usually spent on massaging their hands and feet than any other part of their bodies. That is especially true for those senior who have lost the use of their hands and feet as massaging them will enhance their body awareness as well as increase sensations and blood circulation throughout.

We all need plenty of TLC (tender love and care) but The potential risks involved in performing massage therapy on cancer patients do not inevitably discard the entire concept of massage therapy but it does mean that extra caution must be practiced and, perhaps, moderate to extreme alteration of the treatment is in order. And the health risks are the following:citizens need and deserve quite a bit more of it.

Identify Your “Why” to Build Inner Motivation

One of the most important questions you should ask yourself when you’re beginning your body-building journey is: Why? This question is so crucial, yet many people fail to ask it.

If you have a clear, concise and well-grounded answer to this question, you’ll be able to stick with your exercise routine through good times and bad. You’ll put in the time to study the theory, you’ll put in the time at the gym and you’ll have the inner motivation to put in an extra rep even when your muscles already hurt. It’ll make all the difference.

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On the other hand, if you don’t know your “why,” chances are you’ll start your workout routine, stick with it for a few days or weeks and then fall off the bandwagon when the going gets tough. After all, building a great body takes effort. You need to have the motivation to make it happen.

Identifying Your Why

Start with looking at your fitness goals. Different kinds of fitness goals tend to have different motivations.

Are you just trying to lose some weight? If so, what’s the most important thing you think you’d gain by losing that weight? Is it better health, more energy and a likely longer lifespan? Is it more social acceptance? Or more attention from the opposite sex?

If you’re skinny and want to bulk up a bit, again – ask yourself why. Why is having muscle mass better than having a skinny body? How will your life be different if you had more muscle mass?

Look at your goals and ask yourself: Why do I want my body to look this way? Often times finding your “why” is a matter of looking inward rather than outward.

Write Down Your “Why”

As the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” To keep your “why” alive, write it down on paper and keep it somewhere visible.

On days when you just don’t feel like getting up to go to the gym, that piece of paper can give you the push you need to get off the coach and into the gym.

Writing out your “why” also serves another function. Often times when trying to figure out your why, you’ll have a sense for it but not be able to put it into one concise sentence. Writing it out will help you form your why into a more concrete form.

To sum it up, finding your why is one of the most important aspects of being able to successfully keep up an exercise routine. If you have a strong enough reason for wanting to change your body, you can. Just make sure to keep reminding yourself of that reason, especially when times get tough.

Are There Any Healthy Weight Loss Pills?

Losing weight as quickly as possible is what most people who are trying to lose weight want, but losing weight insanely fast is not really healthy especially if you do it the wrong way such as a bunch of pills and not eating.

To help get things started you need to eat less and eat healthier, you should try to be a bit more active than usual and if you need can try a weight loss supplement to help you out. Not all of the over the counter weight loss pills that are out there are good; some work and others don’t, do some basic research and go with what you think will work for you.

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Even though there are a lot of things that can help with losing weight you need to keep in mind that there is no special item out there that will just directly drop the weight off; the best thing you can do for yourself to lose weight and to make sure that it stays off is to make some lifestyle choices such as eating healthier and being more active.

When it comes to over the counter pills there are two main categories to look at, there is what is known as dietary supplements and then there is what is known as nonprescription drugs.

For these two types of drugs there are a lot of differences that you need to look at. For example with a nonprescription drug such as one known as Apidren, the company for that drug must be able to provide results from the FDA or the Food and Drug Administration on clinical trials or otherwise known as human trials in which show how effective it is and how safe it is to use with the nonprescription dose that they have to offer it in.

And as for the dietary supplements the makers of these are supposed to make sure that the product is safe and that all claims about that product are honest. With that in mind these claims do not have to go through the FDA to be approved before the product gets marketed and this can lead to unsatisfactory results and bad products.

However if the FDA can prove that the dietary supplement is not safe for consumers than they can ban the product and or even get the manufacturer to withdraw the said product. Another thing that the FDA can do is if there is nothing such as evidence to support the claims that the company is making about a product then they can take some action against that as well.

All of these differences in the process of research, marketing and the production of these products are what makes consumers frustrated with what to do. The best suggestion would be to try something that tends to work with the masses and go from there; pills that are a dietary supplement can be helpful. Green tea, raspberry ketone, and coconut are the top ones you should look at.

Risks of Massage Therapy

By and large, massage therapy that is performed by a properly schooled and well experienced massage therapist who practices his or her art prudently and with due caution, is risk free to its recipient’s health and well being. For that reason along, if for no other, massage therapists must be selected very carefully as credentials and licenses are scrutinized meticulously, references are checked with diligence and questions are asked relentlessly.

Regardless of how it is phrased or worded, one question which must always be asked of a potential massage therapist is the following, “Which health conditions would you consider pre-clusive of massage therapy and why?” And the correct answer, whether stated in exactly those words or different ones, should be, “There are certain health conditions which must rule out massage therapy and those are …” And he or she must name the following:

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Cancer. Massage therapy comes in different forms which affect the body differently. There are also many different types of cancers and patients may be at different stages and receiving different treatments. In some cases and certain types of massage therapy may lead to life threatening results while in other cases with another type of massage therapy the results may be extraordinarily beneficial. Because of such complexity, it is essential to consult with the medical provider who knows the particulars of the case in question before proceeding with a massage therapy of any kind.

The potential risks involved in performing massage therapy on cancer patients do not inevitably discard the entire concept of massage therapy but it does mean that extra caution must be practiced and, perhaps, moderate to extreme alteration of the treatment is in order. And the health risks are the following:

  • Fractures of bones. Certain forms of cancer and their treatments weaken bones to the extent that they can easily break under pressure.
  • Bleeding. Many cancer patients have the tendency to bleed easily. Deep tissue massage can cause dangerous internal bleeding.
  • Spreading of cancerous tumors. There is an ongoing debate about the effects of massage therapy on tumors. Some claim that applying vigorous pressure to the area where the tumor is present will cause it to metastasis (break down and to spread or to increase its rate of growth). Others, however, deny that claim as unsubstantiated and untrue. It is best to play it safe and not massage the tumor region or its surrounding soft tissues.
  • Lymphedema (the buildup of lymph in soft tissue which leads to swelling of the limbs). Certain types of massage therapy in patients who have had their lymph nodes removed due to cancer may lead to lymphedema.
  • Flu-like symptoms. Patients who are going through chemotherapy can often develop symptoms which look and feel like the flu after having been treated to certain types of massage therapy.
  • Pain. Cancer patients frequently suffer a great deal of pain and most massage therapy techniques can result in some temporary pain immediately after the treatment. That may translate to added pain when too much of it is already present and that can be quite literally unbearable.
  • Post-surgery. Shortly after surgery, the wound is still in the process of healing visually on the surface of the skin as well as internally. Applying pressure to the site may cause a series of risky health problems such as reopening the incision, trigger internal and/or external bleeding or blood clotting, and so on.
  • Skin conditions. Areas where the skin is infected, inflamed or covered with rashes or sores should not be massaged as it can lead to worsening of the condition.

Even when taking into account all the risks which have been mentioned above, massage therapy can still be very beneficial to most people in most situations. Rather than discounting it completely due to specific concerns, I would advise consulting a physician.

The Truth about Muscle-Building Supplements

Open any fitness magazine and you’ll fine ad after ad promoting supplements, diet pills and protein shakes. With every product proclaiming itself to be the one thing you need to put on the muscle you’ve always wanted, how do you actually decide what kind of supplement to take or not to take?

In this article, we’ll take a good hard objective look at supplements in the health industry. We’ll look at who should and who shouldn’t take supplements, as well as what kinds of supplements you should take if you do choose to supplement.

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The Magic Pill Mentality

One of the biggest drivers of the supplement industry is the magic pill mentality. Customers who aren’t willing to put in the work to actually lose weight and gain muscle instead turn to supplements and diet pills. They read the advertisements, get excited and make a purchase.

More often than not this mentality won’t produce actual results. The customer then either gets disillusioned and quits, or they go back to buy a different supplement pill.

If you want to build muscles, this method just won’t work.

Supplements Can Only Support Strong Fundamentals

Your supplements can only support your exercise routine if you already have strong fundamentals. If you’re eating right, drinking enough water, doing the right workouts, working out consistently, alternating muscle groups and doing all the other things you need to do, then supplements can help give you that 20% edge to take you to the next level.

But if you don’t have the fundamentals down, supplements just won’t help. Supplements can’t be, have never been and never will be a magic pill that can replace working out.

More Is Not Always Better

Many supplements are based on the premise that more is better. In reality, more protein or more vitamins may not be what your body needs at all. If you structure your diet right, you can get the vast majority of all the nutrients you need right in the food you eat. Artificially adding more protein or vitamins through supplements can often be ineffective, expensive and potentially even harmful if your body doesn’t actually need it.

Who Should Use Supplements?

Who should actually use supplements, then?

Supplements can be used if there are nutrients in your diet that you aren’t getting enough of. Only use supplements if you already have your fundamentals in order and want to get an extra boost to reach your goals faster.

If you already have all your nutritional needs handled, you might also want to consider an energy-boosting supplement like creatine. Unlike other supplements that focus on nutrition, these supplements actually make it so you can push harder during your workouts.

In general, muscle builders would be better off ignoring the majority of supplement advertising and focusing on building a solid workout routine. That said, if you have the fundamentals handled, supplements can give you a nice progress boost.

What’s the best diet to lose weight?

Weight loss is simple, in all honesty it is just basic math, simply eat less than what you burn throughout the day each day and know that certain foods help more than others. These foods help make you feel full for a longer amount of time and on less food at that and it can help to get rid of cravings that you are having.

Nine foods that you should always have in your pantry that you need to start eating more of to lose weight are mentioned below, some of which can even kick your metabolism into overdrive which is a really good thing.

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You want to have beans; they are cheap to get and you can do a lot with them. They are very filling and have a high amount of protein as well as fiber which makes you feel fuller for longer. You will also want to have some soup, soup that is broth based is the best and if you start a meal out eating a cup of soup then you will end up eating less of the meal just keep in mind that the soup you choose should be about one hundred to one hundred and fifty calories.

Having some dark chocolate is good as well, eat a square or two at a time and do so in between meals, studies show that those who eat dark chocolate are less likely to eat more food later on or at least not as much food as those who did not eat any dark chocolate at all.

Vegetables that are pureed come in handy, think of them as a cheat sheet to healthy eating. You can take pureed vegetables and make a lot with them like new sauces, mix it into pasta, a casserole and so much more; such a great way to get a bunch of healthy vegetables into one low calorie meal. Sausage and eggs as a breakfast in the morning is one of the best ways that you can start out your days because it is so rich in protein.

This will make you not crave as many snacks later on. Nuts are the sixth food you should have in your kitchen to snack on because they are so healthy in the first place but there are tons of studies that prove if you eat nuts as a snack like a small handful of peanuts or almonds then you will automatically eat a lot less at a meal later on.

The seventh food to help you lose weight in a healthy manner are apples, raw fruits are always better to choose because they have more fiber and are as natural as it gets and when you are chewing it will send signals to your brain letting your stomach think you are eating something worthy or large in size.

Yogurt and grapefruit are the last two you should worry about; yogurt helps with the waistline the most and grapefruits either as a whole fruit or in juice form can help you lose about three and a half pounds for every twelve weeks if you consume half of a grapefruit before each meal. Grapefruits are also very healthy and helpful with weight loss for people who have diabetes.

The Deep Tissue Massage

The deep tissue massage is a kind of massage therapy which centers its attention primarily on the ailing, the sore, the painful and the distressed deeper layers of muscles and connective tissues. Its therapeutic benefits are particularly beneficial for chronically tight and constricted areas such as in cases of stiff necks, tightness of lower backs and aching shoulders.

The strokes of the Deep Tissue massage are not very different from those of any other types of massage therapies but they are slower and with more pressure applied to reach deeper while focusing on troubled areas.

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The Deep Tissue massage is so important in certain painful contractions and spasms due to stress, strain or injury because that is the only way to get to the root of the problem as it is embedded deep under the surface where adhesion which are the causes of the pain and rigidity in muscles, tendons and ligaments are found. Left to their own wills, adhesion obstruct circulation in the affected areas to limit the blood flow which leads to the pain, the restricted movement and, ultimately, to the inflammation.

By applying firm pressure and direct friction across the grain and fabric of the muscles, the Deep Tissue massage aims to break down those troublesome adhesion to restore proper blood circulation, reinstate full movement and heal the inflamed tissues. The therapists performing the Deep Tissue massage may use fingertips, knuckles, hands, elbows and forearms during the therapy session and alternate them during the various stages. Clients are frequently asked to take in deep breaths as the therapists dig deeply into a particularly tense area.

 

Because the Deep Tissue massage is somewhat intense, it should not be applied under the following conditions:

  • Infectious skin disease, rashes, bruises, inflamed skin, tumors or open and unhealed wounds.
  • Immediately or soon after surgery or recent fractures.
  • Immediately or soon after chemotherapy or radiation treatments, unless approved by the client’s physician.
  • Osteoporosis patients, unless approved by the treating doctor.
  • Clients who are prone to blood clots.
  • Heart disease patients, unless recommended by their cardiologists.
  • Pregnant women should get their massage treatments from professionals who are certified in pregnancy massage.
  • Abdominal hernia.

The good news is that Deep Tissue massage really works and it usually works very fast. Often, clients will walk into a session with excruciating pain and walk out a couple of hours later with smiles of relief on their faces. The bad news is that, depending on their tolerance level to pain, most clients experience it to one degree or another at certain point during the session.

In addition, there is usually some measure of soreness immediately after the treatment which can last up to an entire day. However, the pain of the Deep Tissue massage therapy and the lingering soreness afterwards is nothing compared to the pain before the treatment and it comes with the knowledge that it will all be over very shortly. The massage therapist may suggest applying an ice-pack to the sore area but it is rarely severe enough to warrant it.

When most massage therapies are aimed at relaxation of the body and mind and the massage is generally applied to the entire body, the Deep Tissue massage sets its sights on precise problematic areas such as those afflicted with:

  • Chronic or acute pains
  • Diminished mobility or limited range of motion.
  • Healing areas after traumas or injuries caused by falls, sports injuries, whiplashes from car accidents and so on.
  • Strains from repetitive motion such as the carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • Pains due to incorrect posturing of the body.
  • Pains from osteoarthritis. According to a study conducted and reported by the Consumer Reports magazine, over 34,000 people classified Deep Tissue massage therapy as being more effective in alleviating osteoarthritis pain than physical therapy, exercise, prescribed or over-the-counter drugs, glucosamine, diets, acupuncture or chiropractic treatments.
  • Fibromyalgia. Statistics have shown that Deep Tissue massage is more successful in easing symptoms of Fibromyalgia than any other available curative remedy.
  • Muscle tension, contractions or spasms.

To flush out metabolic waste from the massaged tissues, clients should drink plenty of water after the Deep Tissue massage therapy and enjoy the fact that they are as good as new again.

Compound Exercises: The Fundamentals of Good Muscle Building

When it comes to muscle building, all exercises can be separated into two different camps. On one side are the compound exercises, on the other side are the isolation exercises. They each have very different functions.

As the name might suggest, compound exercises are workouts that exercise multiple muscle groups at the same time. Isolation exercises are exercises that target a specific muscle group.

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If you’re trying to build muscle, using compound exercises is a much better way to go about it. Both for building overall tone and putting on muscle, compound exercises will get you there faster.

Compound exercises work out your muscles, your tendons, your joints and your ligaments. It puts the most strain on the area of your body that’s the weakest, strengthening the overall system. It’s the “broad strokes” of building overall muscle quickly.

Is There a Time When Isolation Exercises Are Better?

Yes, there is. Isolation exercises are great for targeting and improving a specific muscle group that’s out of balance.

If your right triceps is larger than your left for example, you might want to do some isolation exercises targeting just your left triceps.

Compound exercises are the fastest way to build muscle mass in your body in general. However, compound exercises aren’t great for laser-targeting specific parts of the body to develop.

Isolation exercises also have an additional benefit of being able to put on short-term mass quickly. Professional bodybuilders will often do isolation exercises before a major competition to add an inch or so of muscle. This muscle doesn’t last, however, and will disappear if you stop working out.

To build muscles that really last, start with compound exercises, then refine your body with isolation exercises if imbalances come up.

A Few Popular Compound Exercises

What are some of the most popular and proven compound exercises in bodybuilding?

Perhaps the most popular is the bench press. The bench press works out many of the muscles in your upper body, including the many muscles in your arms and your back.

Squats are another popular compound exercise. Everything from your calves to your thighs to your buttocks is worked out by squats.

Dead-lifts are another popular compound exercise. Dead-lifts will work out your abs, your leg muscles, your back muscles, your hips and your forearms.

Of course there are many other compound exercises you can choose from depending on your fitness goals. Pick the exercises you use based on the kind of body you want to develop.

In summary, compound exercises are the main building block to a solid workout routine. While isolation exercises are definitely important for sculpting the body and perfecting muscle balance, the actual work of building muscle should be done primarily with compound exercises.