Tag Archive for: wonderfully fit

5 Tips for Staying Healthy During the Holidays

October 26, 2018/in Blog, Fall Fitness Advice, Personal Training

Oh the holiday rush is right around the corner! I can feel it in my bones. Shopping, dinners, holiday parties, holiday treats and crazy business wreck havoc on our bodies, minds and emotions. It’s not hard to see why most of us get pulled totally out of balance during the holidays. While the holidays always bring lots of smiles they also tend to bring us a lot of other things we don’t want, like extra pounds, sicknesses, low energy levels and too much stress!

In fact the incidence of flu and colds double in incidence in December and January and it’s no wonder why. All the things that lower our immune resistance, stress, sugar, unhealthy fats, too much food and not enough exercise, are in full effect. Too many treats, too much wine and not enough of everything healthy drives us to set healthy goals and resolutions for the New Year which is great, but why wait until the New Year? With a few easy tips you can stay healthy and balanced and sail into January looking and feeling your best!

1. Stay Active

This is an important one and no running around and shopping does not count. When our schedules get busy one of the first things most of us squeeze out of our lives is a healthy exercise routine. It’s important to stay active during the holiday seasons most especially because exercise addresses exactly what we need to stay in balance during this time: releasing stress, increasing energy and increasing metabolism. The Holidays can be stressful and exercise is one of the best ways to release this built up stress and prevent it from doing any damage to our internal body. Even taking just a 30 minute walk each day will do wonders for your health and well being.

2. Eat Healthy Outside of Parties & Holiday Functions

We all know it will be next to impossible to say no to pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and gravy and all the great treats the Holidays naturally invite. It’s not so bad to indulge every once and awhile in fact it creates a healthy balance in your life, what is important is not to allow indulging to turn into an all day, every day thing. Fatty and sugary foods are naturally addicting because the heighten neurotransmitters in our brain, the feel good mood chemicals.

So once we have a taste of this stuff, we want more! If you watch yourself, you’ll notice the times you fall off the “healthy eating wagon” are times that start with a wonderfully indulging meal or dessert. That one meal turns into days of eating in unhealthy ways. Knowing this ahead of time will give you some awareness If you know you will be attending a Holiday function, be mindful to eat healthy the day of and the day after. Allow yourself to indulge, but know the next day you will be back to your fresh, healthy diet. Following this step will ensure you keep yourself balanced throughout the Holidays.

3. Start Your Day Fresh

I talk a lot about the importance of fresh, raw foods in the diet and that is because it not only keep your health at the highest levels, but also your outward beauty radiant, your emotions balanced, and your energy and drive high.his can be a challenge in the colder months because cold, raw foods can throw our bodies out of balance. So what to do? Well, I have found starting the day with a fresh green smoothie is the best approach to getting a healthy dose of fresh foods while allowing the rest of the day to be more balanced to the external weather with warm soups, grains and veggies.

Green smoothies naturally cleanse your body, which is best done first thing in the body, increase the amount of oxygen supply in your body, which is a great way to jump start your day, hydrate and alkalize your body and infuse your cells with living nutrients and enzymes. Starting with a smoothie also keeps your digestive energy exertion to a minimum freeing up energy first thing in the morning, when we all need it most. Adding a green smoothie during the Holidays gives your body the nutrients it needs while flushing toxins (think wine, sugary desserts and fatty meals) each and every day. This one tip will immediately increase your energy, vitality and overall health almost immediately.

4. Manage Stress

Stress! There’s that word again. Stress is talked about so frequently in a truly holistic approach to health because it has such a negative and profound effect of every area of your life and all of us have way too much of it! In fact during stressful times your biological age, the age of the inside of your body, can be as much as 32 years older than your calendar age! That’s how negative stress is on the inside of your body. The Holidays become a very stressful time for a lot of people. Spending, shopping and pressure are all words that can be synonymous with the Holidays if we allow these things to have an impact on us, and for many it will have an impact on us. It’s important to your health and well being to have a stress releasing and reducing routine in place and this becomes even more important during the Holidays.

Stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, exercise,and taking ample down time will help you stay in balance and keep your health vibrant even during the most stressful times. As little as 5 minutes a day of deep breathing can go a long way to help reduce your stress and the stress impact on your body and health. You can contact us directly to receive a free 5-minute deep breathing exercise. Make sure going into the Holidays you have a plan in place for the days and times you will dedicate time to releasing stress. I find meditation exercise and yoga to be the most beneficial for me. What stress releasing techniques are most beneficial for you? Make sure they are in your weekly schedule.

5. Don’t Get Lost in the Hustle and Bustle

The Holidays should be a time of family, love and thankfulness. The rest like parties and presents are just ways of expressing those things. For years I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, most especially making sure my kids had bigger, better presents. Then I became more conscious and watched. I watched as my kids opened present after present, and as present after present was literally thrown to the side to open the next. There was no appreciation or gratefulness and I knew this was my fault. In the last couple years I have began to take the approach of offering gifts as a representation of love and appreciation for my children. This has translated into less presents with more meaning and more meaning has translated into less of all the other stuff.

It’s so easy to get lost in the marketing, advertising and pressure of the Holidays but it’s important to take time to decide what the Holidays truly mean for you. Once you have that understanding, your actions can align and your focus will remain clear. Coincidentally enough, this results in less stress and a better sense of peace during the season. Don’t get lost in everything the Holidays aren’t, instead stay grounded in what the Holidays are. This will minimize your stress and other negative emotions and increase all the positive and peaceful feelings the Holidays innately generate.

Fall Into Fitness and Lose Your Tummy

October 24, 2018/in Blog, Cold Weather Fitness, Fitness Programs

Fall is a wonderful time to curl up with a good book or to sip some cocoa on a rainy night but don’t forget about your fitness resolution to lose your tummy. New moms need to remember as the seasons change so does our eating habits.

These Four Fall Fitness tips will help you lose the pregnancy weight fast!

1. Trick or Treat

When summer turns to fall our local fruit and vegetable selection become sparse. The harvest calendar brings to the table sweet potatoes and other starchy veggies keeping us properly fed during the winter. Instead of piling on the mash potatoes due to the lack of fresh garden salads try some soups! The trick with Turkey Noodle, Minestrone or any hearty soup is that they contain all the nutrients, proteins and fats we need in one warm meal. Cook a big pot at the start of the week and enjoy the treat of a quick and healthy fall dinner that helps with losing your tummy.

2. Watch Television

Everyone loves getting back into the swing of things and its no surprise TV networks start their new series when fall comes around. Instead of eating potato chips on the couch during your favorite sitcom try exercising! Pick a few nights of the week and organize a floor routine around your shows. Sit-ups, crunches, stretches and even a few free weight exercises will fill up that 30-minute TV time slot and you’ll be rewarding yourself while still working hard to lose your tummy.

3. Seasonal Sports

Lose your tummy by embracing the sports that come along with the fantastic fall season. Ice hockey, Skiing, and Snow shoeing are just some of the outdoor activities that give you a great cardio workout while still being fun. Even just going for a hike among all the changing leaves can be breath taking and you’ll be losing pregnancy weight while having fun.

4. Start a class

The Fall season is famous for the back to school rush, but children and teenagers aren’t the only ones filling up classrooms. Lots of community centers have plenty of fitness classes starting up before Christmas. Taking a yoga class once a week for stress release or a Dance Hip Hop class for coordination and cardio will help lose your tummy. Also there are classes for new moms who want to bring their babies along with them.

With Halloween candy and Gingerbread houses just around the corner at Christmas, try and stick to your healthy eating guns. Remember to eat in moderation and allow yourself a treat day once a week where you won’t feel guilty. Lose your tummy with these tips the easy way and no matter what you decide to do this fall, make sure you don’t fall off the fitness wagon.

Revitalize Your Energy for Fall

October 24, 2018/in Blog, Fall Fitness Advice, Personal Training

As we go into the Fall season, so much about Nature begins to slow down after the hectic Summer months. As the days get shorter, our bodies want to revert to our natural inclination which is to prepare for Winter and Winter’s hibernation time. Because of this, it’s possible for our energy levels to begin to drop.

But we, unlike Nature’s animal kingdom, have our busy lives and it’s necessary for us to keep up our energy and vitality at the highest and best levels possible.

Here are a few tips to help you accomplish this:

Turn on more lights – Whether at home or at the office, turn on more lights. This helps ward off the natural sleepiness that darkness brings. Also, if you have access to and can use light bulbs which give off a natural light spectrum, these are most helpful. If you are prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), this type of light bulb is most important for you to counteract your condition.
Go outside and breathe deeply – The cooler, dryer air of Fall can be stimulating. Breathe it in deeply to invigorate yourself and to clear out your lungs and other toxins from your body.
Stick to a healthy diet – We are fast approaching the holiday season with all its candies and rich foods. By eating healthy now, you can enjoy a few more indulgences later. Also you will help avoid many illnesses that start going around this time of year. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water and take your vitamins and supplements.
Stick to you are exercise regimen – Exercise gets your metabolism fired up and contributes to improving your overall health, immune system and stamina.
Get plenty of rest – Even though you want to be energetic, you also need to balance with good, restful sleep to maintain your body’s equilibrium. One without the other can cause health issues.
Make plenty of R and R time for you and your family – Get out and enjoy the benefits of the season; attend a Fall Festival or carnival, take walks and enjoy the colors that Nature provides this time of year. These add happiness and joy to your life to lift your spirits and your energy.
Open up the windows – Our homes need to breathe too. Open up and let the air in to clear out all the old energy, mustiness, smells, etc.
Meditate and bring the energy in – During your daily meditations, see yourself pulling in bright, energetic light; see it replenishing your natural batteries. Spiritual energy is just as important as physical energy, so welcome it in daily.

By using these tips, you will have an energy filled, joyful, and productive Fall season.

Exercising in the Great Outdoors

October 23, 2018/in Blog, Fall Fitness Advice, Personal Training

Fall is a season that brings a lot of natural beauty and pleasant weather. You may think when summer is over that outdoor activities stop too. That is not the case at all. Temperatures in fall may still go up into the 70’s during the day and pleasantly warm up mother earth. This is the perfect time for young and old to spend time outdoors. Whether it is to exercise vigorously or to simply walk and take in the fresh air.

Remember, exercising or walking outside are great stress relievers, which we can all use these days. The crisp, fresh air can help clear your mind.

When the leaves turn and all the trees show their yellow, orange and red colors it paints a marvelous picture. Houses are decorated with pumpkins and hay balls. How more beautiful can it get?

When exercising outdoors always dress according to the weather and preferably layer clothes. Also remember to drink plenty of water.

Outdoor exercise and activity ideas:

Hiking

A perfect activity is a hike through the colorful woods out in the crisp, fresh air on a sunny fall day. Make sure you layer clothes since the mornings may be on the chilly side but when you start hiking you will warm up quickly.

Kayaking

Even though kayaking is on the water, it still is a great activity to do in fall. A sea kayak where you actually sit in the boat is preferred over an ocean kayak since you can put on a spray skirt, which helps to keep most of our body dry unless you were to tip over. Some of the parks allow kayaking on their lakes. For a longer excursion there are various kayak rental or touring places along the Delaware River.

Bicycling

Take out the road bike or the mountain bike and ride through the area enjoying the colors and the scenery. When the leaves start to fall down, be more cautious in curves, as the bike may slip away from under you especially when the leaves are wet.

Running, Nordic Walking or Walking

These are wonderful activities to do in the area. You can run or walk in one of the many parks or in the neighborhood. And do not forget about the beach. There is nothing more relaxing than a walk on the beach during off-season. You do not have to deal with the crowd and you can enjoy the calming sound of the waves. In addition, the sand calls for an extra strenuous workout.

Kite Flying

Fall usually brings stronger winds especially down at the beach. These are perfect conditions to fly a kite. Setting the kite up and maneuvering it once up in the air will get your heart rate up while having a lot of fun.

Fall is also a perfect time for family activities such as:

Farm visits and pumpkin picking

Take the kids to a local farm and have them pick their own pumpkin. Not only do they get to be out in the fresh air but they also spend time walking and running around the field to find their perfect pumpkin. They will also see where those pumpkins grow.

Raking leaves

Make raking leaves a family activity. The entire family gets to be outside in the fresh air and everybody gets a small workout. To incorporate some fun for the kids hide a lollipop in one of the leave piles and have them search for it. You can also have them find a few very pretty leaves that can be pressed and preserved.

Enjoy your fall. It is a wonderful season.

Tips on Cold Weather Running

October 22, 2018/in Blog, Cold Weather Fitness, Fitness Programs

Your alarm goes off a 6:00 AM; you jump out of bed to get ready for your run. You look out the window and notice that it’s snowed, the thermometer says its 35 degrees Fahrenheit outside. For a fleeting moment you think about postponing your run, but just for a second, the avid runner that you are won’t let you miss a day, unless of course there’s a blizzard.

While being dedicated to your sport is admirable, here are some tips on cold weather running from a personal fitness & nutrition trainer, you should know in order to avoid injury and have a safe run. You might also consider using the expert skills of personal fitness & nutrition trainer.

What to wear?

Layer when your run. When you layer you will be able to take clothes off if you become too warm, keeping you safe and just warm enough.

Be Seen?

Make sure you wear clothes that are noticeable especially if you’re running at night or in the snow.

What is too much?

Before you leave on your run if you feel very warm and comfy you are more than likely overdressed for your run.

What type of clothing?

Pick clothing that is made out of a moisture wick material. This will help keep you dry and warm and will also prevent irritation and chafing from sweating. It also minimizes loss of body heat.

Extremities?

Make sure to wear a hat and mittens, (gloves are fine, but mittens are warmer). Heat tends to escape quickly through the top of your head. Be sure to wear a hat to keep your ears war and the heat in. Be sure to wear mittens, this will help to avoid frost bite.

Hydrate?

Whether you realize this or not you need to drink fluids just as much in the winter as you do in the summer. You’re running and your body is working vigorously expending energy, you need to hydrate, whether its water or a sport drink throughout your workout.

Warm up?

Remember to stretch before and during your run. Loosening up your muscles before you run raises your body heat helping to avoid injury.

Fuel?

Running on an empty stomach is like driving your car on a long trip without any gas. You need fuel for energy to have a great run. It’s best to eat simple fruit a couple of hours before your run. Simple sugars are easily digestible and change to fuel rapidly.

Now that you know the tips on cold weather running here’s something else recommended by a personal fitness & nutrition trainer Dallas you might like to know. Have you ever felt a sharp pain in your throat when you were running? This is caused by cold air hitting your lungs when you breathe: it doesn’t have time to warm up. You can help eliminate this by breathing through your nose. (This is also a good technique to learn whenever you run.) This technique will not eliminate, but will help decrease the painful sensation in your throat.

One more thing, try running in the middle of the day if you can, it’s the warmest part of the day when it’s winter. Follow these tips for cold weather running, use your common sense, keep warm, and have a safe run.

How to Have Better Breathing and Healthier Lungs in This Fall Season

October 22, 2018/in Blog, Fall Fitness Advice, Personal Training

Ah the time of year again where the leaves change color, the air gets cooler, and the winter season is just a few weeks away. If you just read this and see these things happening outside then obviously you don’t live in Southern California.

Out here the leaves stay the same, the days get hotter and the Santa Ana winds return. We have seen this just recently and have seen the horrible affects of the wind with the recent wildfires, but what maybe isn’t seen to everyone but felt by a lot is the toll this wind, heat and lack of humidity is doing to people’s allergies and lungs.

Most of us either have or know people who have been coughing, sneezing, stuffy, constantly trying to relieve their dry throat, having more and more asthma attacks and just generally feeling pretty miserable. It’s no fun to be feeling this way, and we can expect just more of these days to come, but what can we do to help alleviate the symptoms and possibly prevent them?

Now all you people who aren’t in Southern California don’t stop reading, these tips are great for anyone suffering from similar symptoms; hopefully they will relieve your allergies and make for better breathing and healthier lungs.

First of all take care of any problems you may have indoors in your home.

Replace sheets and pillow cases with those that help to prevent dust mites from escaping the bedding and wash these bedding weekly in hot water.
Make sure and keep your rooms free from clutter and vacuum and dust regularly.
Try to avoid going outside during high pollen count or very windy days; most weather reports now include a pollen count that can be a good guide to when you should avoid outside air as much as you can.
Especially avoid exercise during these days, replace your routine with things that you can do in your home.
Make sure and keep your windows closed during these days, don’t want to bring inside the air we are avoiding outside.
Use saline eye and nose drops to keep your eyes and nose moist during days of very low humidity, drink plenty of water and if needed use over the counter antihistamines or decongestants.

Following these tips can dramatically help relieve your allergies and help you to have a healthy and happy fall season.

Women Working Out in the Weight Room

October 17, 2018/in Blog, Fitness and Exercise, Personal Training

Some women have a fear of the weight room at their gym. Many women and personal trainers as well believe that if a woman works out in the weight room they will end up with a bulky manly physique. Myths like this are giving resistance training a bad name.

As personal trainers we have to remember that men and women are physiologically different. Men in fact increase muscle mass due to testosterone. While it is true that women also secrete and deliver testosterone just like men do, women do it at slower rates and much less volume.

This slower and lower dose of testosterone allows women to build a more tone and lean muscle while also increasing metabolism to aid in weight loss. Most women start an exercise program to lose weight and look better, but there is more to it than this. Resistance training has many benefits that will help women’s health, both now and in the future. Looking good is great, but exercise can do so much more for a women’s long-term health. Resistance training may also decrease day-to-day stresses from our fast paced lifestyles.

Stress is a very dangerous and often overlooked factor that can lead to decreased motivation and eventual increase in body fat. Studies have shown that proper exercise can cut stress dramatically. Another often overlooked health issue for women is bone mineral density (BMD). Because of a higher level of estrogen, women are at a higher risk of low bone mineral density than men. A consistent resistance training program can increase BMD in women and dramatically reduce the possibility of osteopenia and/or osteoporosis. A well planned resistance training program can also help posture, balance, flexibility and stability for all ages. These are all very important daily and long-term health.

Cardio vs. Weight Training

Anaerobic exercise may lead to to an increase of metabolism, but aerobic exercise is important too. Aerobic training is very important for the cardiovascular system (“heart health”). Some people have trouble combining cardio and resistance training. First, if the trainee wants to increase power and strength than including cardio exercises can make all the difference. This is because of an increase in the muscle capillary density, increased number of mitochondria, and a possible change in fiber type.

Additionally, if a trainee that wants to increase their aerobic power can do this by combining both cardio workouts with resistance training. This will allow for an increase in aerobic power due to an increase in VO^2 Max. VO^2 Max is the amount of oxygen exchange within a muscle for adequately supplying and keeping the muscle cells functioning properly.

For weight management and exercise in general, the goal is to combine both types of exercise by using circuit training. Circuit training will allow a trainee to increase their aerobic and anaerobic power by incorporating moderate to high intensity exercises with resistance training. This will keep your heart rate up and increase your metabolic rate.

Resistance Training Program Design For Women

A proper program design is specific to the person being trained. Each trainee will begin at different levels based on their condition, so a custom tailored exercise program is very important. Each exercise program should begin with some sort of active warm-up regime to help stimulate proper muscle activation for your workout.

To circuit train effectively, three to four multi-muscle, functional workouts are grouped together to optimize your heart rate and aerobic and anaerobic power output. Between 2 to 4 sets and 10 to 15 reps of approximately 3 or 4 exercises are performed in a continuous cycle with little rest (30 seconds to 1 minute after completing each cycle of the 3 to 4 exercises).

Each group of three to four exercises may primarily target different areas of the body. After the warm-up, the first group of exercises may focus on legs. The second group may focus on the upper body, and the third may focus on the core muscles. This exercise structure can help save time and effort with a busy schedule and may also maximize overall fitness results. Ending each workout with a form of static stretching may also be a good idea. Static stretching after exercise can keep the joints from getting too tight.

Workout Routines – Do You Know the Techniques The Pros Use?

October 12, 2018/in Blog, Fitness Programs, Workout Routines

Bodybuilders want to increase their muscle size and define it as much as they can. In order to do this, they have to follow special workout routines and special diets to help them maximize their bodybuilding capabilities. A perfect diet would not be complete without a workout to go with it so it is important to focus on both aspects.

If you want to build your body, it is important that your workouts do thee two things – increase strength and muscle mass and cause you to lose body fat to define muscles. These are done in two stages and cannot be rushed. If you are preparing for a competition, give yourself enough time, and be patient and disciplined.

If you are a beginner, you would want to focus on increasing your overall fitness level. This can be achieved by converting most of your body fat into muscle mass. You would do this by doing a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise.

At the start, you will do general strength training so you can do your workout routines better because it will teach you proper form. Cardiovascular exercises increase your heart level and helps increase your endurance so you are able to last longer during your exercises. It will also decrease your body fat and help define muscle later on.

Next, you would want to move on to heavier weights and increase your reps. If you don’t, you will encounter a plateau because your body has adapted to your routine and you will no longer lose weight and become stronger. You can find programs that detail when you will increase your weights or the number of reps but your best gauge would be your body and how you feel- if you no longer feel pain after your workouts, your body is no longer challenged. You must be very careful because there is a “good pain” and a “bad pain” which can hurt your health.

It is important to note that lifting lighter weights for more reps will build muscle endurance and lifting heavier weights for one to three reps will build muscle size. Even if you only want to get big and strong, you still need muscle endurance to help you get through your workout routines. The key here is variety and mixing up your weight training program.

When you have gained considerable muscle mass, it might not necessarily show up yet. During these stages, you would need to lose body fat in order for them to be defined. You would have to go back to cardiovascular exercises while still performing some weight training so you don’t lose muscle mass.

Essential Warm-Up Exercises for Effective Work-Outs

October 12, 2018/in Blog

Both static and dynamic stretching exercises are known to greatly assist in reducing the chance of serious injury before doing a workout or playing sports, but are they really necessary to maximize performance?

In fact, can we question why the warm-up is really required at all, and if it is, what are the aspects to look at when completing the warm-up regime?

So really, what does a warm-up actually do for a person?

Well, engaging in a warm-up routine does just what it says it will – it warms your body, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles in preparation for a sporting or exercise activity. And if you think about this, it also helps with anti-ageing.

You can argue that increasing the body’s internal temperature should be good enough to play sports or exercise safely, but this is not necessarily effective as preparation for any intense physical behavior. By completing warm-up exercises you will be increasing the temperature of your muscles and loosening them which in turn increases flexibility.

The loosening of the body’s muscles and dilation of the blood vessels contributes to a greater amount of blood flow throughout your body. This assists in oxygenating the muscles and removal of damaging waste products.

Upon completing these warm-ups you will notice that you are more supple, flexible and show a reduced level of stiffness. This lowers your resistance to certain sporting movements and lowers the chance of injury, specifically muscle tearing.

Further advantages of good warm-ups include an elevated heart rate, strengthened respiratory capacity and positive metabolic level. You will also notice that the nutrients delivered to your muscles assist in lubrication of your joints and prepare you for future work-out sessions.

This increases your resilience and resistance to any cartilage tearing and associated injuries.

Irrespective of the type of sport you will be playing, having a healthy and fit cardiovascular system is essential to your performance; as is flexible joints and muscles to a lower risk of potentially irreparable injury. By completing a 10 to 15 minute warm-up session, that includes both dynamic and static stretching exercises, you can ensure a safer and stronger sporting experience.

There are various types of stretching exercises that can be completed and it is recommended that the area of your focus be specific to the sport you will be playing.

For example, if you are planning on jogging a long distance then you should warm up with a brisk walk; however, if you are planning on playing tennis or golf, you should complete a warm-up activity focusing on low-impact swings.

As the warm-up regime continues so will the speed and intensity of the movements.

This helps you prepare physically for your sporting activity, particularly with regards to your cardio and lung system. It will also prepare you mentally for any high performance activities.

As with any high-impact activity, it is important that you do not push yourself to the point of injury. The idea of a warm-up is to prepare the body for activities, not to perform one.

How To Design A Good Workout Routine To Build Muscle Mass

October 11, 2018/in Blog, Fitness Programs, Workout Routines

A good workout routine should be no more than an hour in length, because after an hour, the “fight or flight” hormone cortisol is released by the body and it inhibits muscle growth.

When designing your own routines, first decide what your goals are. Your goals should be specific, not vague generic goals like “I want to get bigger”, or “I want to add muscle”.

The more specific the goal, the more likely you are to hold yourself accountable, and therefore the more likely you are to succeed.

Examples could be to gain a certain amount of muscular bodyweight within a certain time frame, or to increase a major lift to a new personal best in a set time frame. The goal should always be set against a time frame, as this will help you keep on track.

Lets say you decide to gain 10 lbs. of muscle in three months as an example.

Having decided on the goal, the next step is to decide what is a good workout routine that will enable you to achieve your objective.

The priority is building muscle, so you’ll want to use the exercises that build the most amount of muscle, which invariably means the major compound exercises like the squat and the dead lift.

I’d bet money that if you asked any major competitive bodybuilder what was the cornerstone of a good workout routine, they’d say the dead lift or the squat.

If you’re able to train both movements hard and progressively and still recover well then terrific, but most of us may find that having both movements in a single routine is too much hard work.

Both exercises can be built up to the stage where you’re moving twice and even three times your own bodyweight. This is desirable because lifting big is a vital part of a good workout routine, but know that it can be very demanding work.

My suggestion is to find out which of those two exercises suit you best, and then work as hard as possible on the chosen movement.

Uppermost in your thinking should be safety – especially if you train at home, you must be sure that you can arrange an excellent safety set up, and this may influence your choice. For example, the squat exercise will require a power rack, or at the very least a pair of squat stands, so that you can dump the bar in safety if you fail on a rep.

The dead lift does not need a power rack, so in this circumstance it may be a wiser choice. If you can do each movement in complete safety it is simply a matter of which one suits your body structure the best.

Having a major mass building lower body exercise is an integral part of a good bodybuilding routine, because your legs and back form a very large part of your overall body muscle mass, and the fastest way to build your body up is to focus on the large leg and back musculature.

Now let’s look at the upper body. This is of vital importance, but even more important is to always pay your dues on leg training, as this will make your body grow all over.

For upper body, a mix of pulling and pushing movements should be used in order to get stronger in pushing and pulling strength.

For pushing movements choose from bench press, overhead press and chin up.
For pulling movements choose from chin up, one arm dumbbell row, and the shrug.

Because the upper body exercises don’t recruit as much muscle as the lower body exercises, you can afford to have more of them in your bodybuilding routine, but make sure that your workouts don’t drag on for too long as mentioned at the beginning of the article.

You will need one or two smaller exercises like the calf raise and an abs exercise, but don’t add too many small exercises or it will hamper overall progress.

Two short but demanding workouts a week based on major compound lifts, good food and plenty of rest and sleep is the secret to big, fast gains in muscle.