Muscle Building Herbs to Add to Your Bodybuilding Diet

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A lot of people are now venturing away from the comforts of OTC and prescription medicines and rediscovering the wondrous benefits of natural herbs. Not only do these herbs add flavor to your favorite food, they also help in a lot of bodily functions and processes.

Ancient civilizations and cultures have used herbs for their healing properties – a lot of which were the foundation of modern medicine and commercial drug industry. Herbs are also becoming popular in the skin care and beauty market; a lot of products now promise the fountain of youth with the help of herbal ingredients. Of course, the health and fitness industry is promoting herbs as well. Bodybuilders are now talking about herbs that promote muscle growth and vitality.

And if you want to know more about these herbs, here are the top 5 muscle building herbs that you can add to your bodybuilding diet:

1.       Flax Seed. For every 100 grams of flax seed, you can get 25-30 grams of protein. That is why it is a nice supplement to your bodybuilding diet. This herb supports muscle growth by promoting protein synthesis. It also contains nutrients like iron, calcium, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium and potassium. The wonderful combination of its protein content and healthy nutrients gives bodybuilders faster recovery times, increased energy, and improved oxygen utilization.

2.       Fenugreek. This muscle building herb has a maple-like aroma and taste. It is native to Asia and Europe and a popular flavoring to bread and pastries. It has amino acids, vitamins, and minerals like 4-hydroxisoleucine, tryptophan, niacin, choline, ascorbic acid, and potassium. This makes fenugreek a very suitable herb to promote strong muscle growth and performance.

3.       Rhodiola. Rhodiola rosea, also known as roseroot or golden root, grown in the deserts of Asia and Europe. It is known to stimulte protein synthesis and anabolic activity. It also increases RNA, enzymes, and proteins that are vital to muscle recovery, which makes rhodiola a great addition to post-workout diet. People with high blood pressure should stay away from this herb though, as its side effects may be harmful to your health.

4.       Ashwagandha. This small evergreen shrub may be found in India, Africa, and the Middle East. It doesn’t target protein synthesis directly, but it is an adaptogenic herb and has plenty of antioxidants. This herb enhances the body’s resistance to stress, boosts energy, reduces muscle recovery times, and improves endurance. These properties will help bodybuilders train longer and increase muscle mass in a relatively shorter period of time.

5.       Amalaki. Found in the subtropical region of India, amalaki enhances protein synthesis which leads to stronger muscles, increased muscle mass, and improved muscle tone. It is also used by herbalists for its overall health benefits like improved liver function, increased energy, healthier skin and hair, and reduced stomach acid.

Just remember, these herbs alone will not aid muscle growth. You still have to do your workout routines and eat a healthy protein-rich diet to achieve the build you’re aiming for. These herbs, however, will definitely give you an advantage in attaining your fitness goals and will help you not only with muscle growth but with your overall health as well.

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Best Ways to Build Arm Muscles Fast

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December 27, 2013 0

We all know it: the first thing that people would notice about your strength and fitness is your arms. Sporting those large guns has been an icon of strength, both in movies and in real life. Muscular biceps and triceps have their advantages and allow you to perform impressive tasks (you know, like lifting huge furniture and picking up lovely ladies). So if you’re looking for shortcuts to build your arm muscles fast, I have listed some workout routines and exercises that target the arms and other body parts as well.

Isolated arm sessions are great. But if you focus too much on your arms, you will have little or no definition anywhere else in your body, which doesn’t look so great. You have to do compound exercises as well so you can train other muscles in your body while working your arms.

Also, you should not train for more than two sessions per week. Going over that workout frequency will just increase your chances of overtraining and injury. Remember that your muscles are built not during your workout sessions but on the rest periods in between. Allow your muscles to recover for two to three days before you start your arm training again.

Another important key to building your arm muscles fast is the intensity and volume of your workout. Each session should not last more than 30 minutes. Short and intense training is more effective than long workouts. Do more challenging routines if you feel like your arm exercises are getting too easy. Add variations to your exercises as well.

Now, for the arm exercises:

1.       Dumbbell curls and presses

This arm exercise works the biceps and triceps, plus the deltoids and the abs. For your starting position, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and hold a pair of dumbbells by your sides. Your arms should be fully extended downwards and your palms turned inwards. Now, curl the dumbbells up to your chest, and then press them above your head as you rotate your wrists forward. Reverse these steps back to the starting position. Sets: 3-5; Reps 8-12; Rest: 30-45 secs.

2.       Chin-ups

This arm exercise works the biceps, lats, rhomboids, traps, and abs. With palms facing towards you and hands shoulder-width apart, hold onto a fixed bar. Your hands should be fully extended. Hang down with your legs crossed behind you. Then pull yourself upwards as fast as you can until your chin is above the bar. Slowly lower yourself back to your starting position. Sets: 3-5; Reps: 6-12; Rest: 30-45 secs.

Other arm exercises are push-downs, bench presses, dips, and push-ups. For variety, you can use weighted plates for the chin-ups or swap dumbbells with barbells. Just don’t lift weights that you cannot carry for the minimum sets/reps required. Again, do not overtrain yourself because it will just slow down your progress. Lastly, always perform these exercises with care and control so as to avoid injury.

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What Does Tamoxifen Do for Bodybuilding?

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January 5, 2014 0

Tamoxifen, or properly known as tamoxifen citrate, is more widely known as an anti-cancer medicine, specifically a drug that treats and combats breast cancer in women. However, the drug has other abilities that are considered positive in bodybuilding. It burns fats and, for male bodybuilders taking anabolic steroids, it prevents testiscular athrophy and gynocomastia.

As a drug, it functions as an estrogen-receptor blocker. Because it is clinically used to treat breast cancer patients, it is often misconceived as a form of therapy. However, tamoxifen is foremost a man-made hormone. In breast tissues, it acts as an anti-hormone. As breast cancer tends to recur, tamoxifen becomes an ideal treatment because it blocks estrogen which somehow is needed for breast cancers in breast tissues to grow. Taking tamoxifen blocks estrogen receptors, as such it is also called an anti-estrogen drug. However, to say that it is totally anti-estrogen is incorrect because as a preferred drug for cancer patients, while it blocks estrogen in breast tissues, it does not inhibit the actual formation of estrogen in the body.

Obese women who are into either bodybuilding or losing weight find that tamoxifen speed up fat loss in their upper thighs and buttocks areas. However, women tend to experience more risks like hot flashes, night sweats, ovarian cysts, and loss of sex drive.

For male bodybuilders and athletes who use steroids and have negative changes in their lipid profiles, gynocomastia or male breasts and testiscular atrophy are some of what they experience. Here, tamoxifen takes its abilities to combat these steroid side effects in bodybuilding. If tamoxifen can prevent gynocomastia in males, almost the same effect happens to steroid-using women in that they likely lose breast mass.

As what we often say, there are gains when one pursues bodybuilding the natural way for the longest time possible. If time comes and somehow your body is not as responsive as you want or you are aiming to take bodybuilding to a new level, and after embracing a level of health and nutritional expertise, then one may take the choice of using steroids and with it the awareness that it is not the only supplement to take. Tamoxifen may only be one among the stack.

Truth be told, bodybuilding is not as easy as anyone thinks. Although anyone who engage in it can rightfully claim that they feel lighter, quicker and firmer, the muscle tone and definition that they expect can be achieved as they fare in bodybuilding somehow is not readily achieved without supplements, or steroids. As soon as one decides on steroids, these synthetic hormones need proper administration and monitoring. Since the body can only absorb so much, taking steroids in cycle is a must so that the body can undergo a natural hormonal recovery. During this period, tamoxifen is usually taken along with HCG and clomiphene.

Tamoxifen is not solely an off-cycle regimen. The best course, as always, is proper supervision and regular medical work up. Bodybuilding attracts multitudes of body and gene types. Bottom line, you may or may not need tamoxifen, but it sure is helpful to know what the drug is for and when to take it.

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Is Female Bodybuilding Less of a Sport than Male Bodybuilding?

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As more women become concerned about how they look, still quite a number prefer to take on the next level. These gutsy women go for more than the looks. They seek to  attain a certain level of weight and physique that is more than feeling or looking good. They want to be better than how they are, if not better than their male counterparts. Such is the magnet of female bodybuilding as it create a wider niche.

When it comes to female bodybuilding, people tend to raise their eyebrows and contend a woman’s desire to grow muscular. Somehow, quite a number of people feel that what the female body should be is voluptuous curves and cuddly softness. Nonetheless, women are realizing that there is more to curves and shapes like stamina, endurance, and strength.

Female bodybuilding though has become controversial because of some who misuse muscle-building supplements like steroids. Women who were too big, too muscular, and have become too masculine seemed to have been subjected to the court of public opinion. Female bodybuilding, as a result, is looked upon as a dangerous sport or an illicit activity. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Women has much as the same rights to pursue a lifestyle of health and fitness as men.

It is obvious that there are more male than female bodybuilders all across any level may it be competitive or recreational. Even so, the same tips and advices work for both sexes. When it comes to diet and nutrition, the same variety of proten-rich carb-sufficient meal plans are recommended. Enough rest and plenty of sleep are also necessities. The same ingredients of focus and determination are required.

However, a great differentiator and will remain as a challenge is a woman’s limited resource of muscle-building hormones, the testosterone. With such female limitation, a more enhanced musculature seemingly can not be attained with natural bodybuilding workouts alone. To experience increased muscle mass, taking supplements has become a requirement in female bodybuilding albeit at a lower dose and potency than what male bodybuilders consume. Furthermore, female bodybuilders are still bound within the feminine stereotype. Female bodybuilding competitions are judged not solely by the body’s physique and muscularity, but the skin, face, and body figure are on the scorecard as well. Somehow, this is an apparent reflection of society’s double standard. Men have muscles, women have curves.

Also, since women have more fat deposits than men, female bodybuilding workouts tend to incorporate more fat-burning routines. As such, diet may slightly vary so as not to burden the internal bodily functions. Food with faster metabolism rate and with lower carbs are more preferred. For this same reason, women also include more fat burners in their supplements than men.

If there are less female bodybuilders, and women have physiological limitations to be muscular, is it less of a sport? Absolutely not.

Regardless of gender, the same amount of dedication, commitment, and training, if not more, is required. Both undergo physical challenges that necessitate the will and determination to overcome. The ultimate goal of perfect health and muscular attractiveness are set as goals. And lastly, both male and female bodybuilding embrace a lifestyle of positive habits to ensure an effective and efficient outcome.

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5 Tips for a Successful Bodybuilding Workout

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January 5, 2014 0

Completing your bodybuilding workout is one thing, but successfully completing it is another. The first time that you set foot in a gym, you know that it is not the last time. Bodybuilding requires dedicated time and massive determination. Without these to start with, forget about these five tips to ensure success in your bodybuilding workout.

#1        Learn the basics

Granted that you want to attain the best possible physique in the least possible time but you and your body need to be ready for the rigorous exercises and conditioning. There are certain things that you and your body need prior to working out like enough sleep and rest, proper drink and nutrition, and positive disposition. If you have not rested well during the night, skip the gym. There is no point subjecting your body to heavy lifting if it is not well rested. It is not also advisable to engage in bodybuilding workouts if you missed your protein-rich carb-sufficient meal or if you are not properly hydrated.

#2        Know your limits

A must for serious bodybuilders is a journal and a coach. The journal records all important statistics relating to your body, performance, and goal, while a coach trains and supervises you depending on what shows on your journal. Learning your limits is knowing when you can still huff so as to outperform your own best record. Specifically in bodybuilding workouts, it is possible that you may not reach your full potential because you gave up too soon, or you may end up injuring yourself because you were over training. Limits give you a sense in knowing when to push ahead, but just as well as when to stop.

#3        Embrace Change and Variation

If you ventured into bodybuilding, then you are expecting change. However, you need to inject this on your bodybuilding workout as well.  Yes, you may have comfort zones but the key to any good training regimen is a variety of variables and variations. Your techniques, routines, and sets should vary vary taking into consideration the area you are working on, what you are trying to gain, or what you are hoping to hone. Variations do not only provide optimum results but will keep you from feeling bored, too.

#4        Engage a mental workout

Okay, you have a personal trainer. This does not mean you are exempt from asking your trainer why you are doing what you are told to do. Or, you can’t remember where you were one morning because you were too drunk the night before. Deciding to do a bodybuilding workout is as much as a mental training as a physical one. You have to engage your mental capability to fuel your success. Be critical with how you are performing. Familiarize yourself with the supplements you plan to take or already taking. Remember your purpose for doing a certain routine. Visualize your goals. Imagine.

#5          Rest and Recover

This is one of the tips that surely is provided by any bodybuilder. Never skip rest and recovery. There are regular periods of rest during your actual bodybuilding workout. And all the more, after hours of physical beatings and muscle exertions, your body is totally screaming to tell you that it needs time to recharge.  A restful sleep every night is ideal plus a complete day or two for a full body recovery. Without proper rest, your bodybuilding workout is a total waste because it is during the rest and recovery period that your body actually does its own complex systemic muscle-building compensation.

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Is low-carb bodybuilding effective?

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January 8, 2014 0

I will hand it straight and say, yes, but only to an extent and only to a certain purpose. If weight loss is your ultimate goal, then go crazy! But bodybuilding as a career, as a training tool, or as a recreational sport, a strict low-card diet can be detrimental to one’s health and goal.

For one, carbohydrates are one big component that fuels strength and endurance. So if you are an athlete, you definitely have an iota of what will happen if you cut the carbs.

The important thing to know about carbs is they can be categorized into two families – the good ones and the bad ones. Totally discounting the productive benefits is a sure-fire way of sabotaging your career in bodybuilding and in sports. Low-carb food should also be avoided after hours of training workout. The body’s glycogen tank needs its refill and low-carb won’t do it.

I guess what has not been taken into account is a person’s training goal and his or her body type. Enduring a type of a low-carb bodybuilding training is definitely not for everybody and to an extent utterly pointless. So is the other extreme. If there is any bodybuilder or athlete who tried it and foolish trainers who expound it, they definitely are in the know now that low-carb bodybuilding is a bumpy and dangerous road to take.

But why are there still quite a number of proponents for low-carb bodybuilding? If I were to hazard a guess, it could be the fat-burning component, especially when partnered with food high in proteins.high-protein diet. The less the carbs, the more body fats are burned. The higher the protein, the faster the body can do it. Some execute this during pre-contest periods. Bodybuilders need a faster metabolism rate especially during pre-pageant. Also, proteins are good at eliminating water so a low-carb and high-protein diet prior to a competition will help a bodybuilder achieve a more ripped and dry look during posing.

But as mentioned earlier, there is a better route than going for low-carb diet especially in bodybuilding that requires energy and stamina to go through the day, pageant or no pageant. Instead of low-carb, go for less and don’t starve the glycogen. And do this only at certain periods.

Without too much going into science, let’s look at it this way. Bodybuilding requires training periods. One can not workout as hard as possible without energy. Energy is fueled by glycogen. Glycogen loves  carbohydrates. Again, there should be balance. A bodybuilder will know when he will need the energy so he can train hard.

Perhaps one more point why strong low-carb bodybuilding dissenters are rising in numbers is because they have realized that with the burning of fat, there is the possibility of losing the muscles too. Without or with less carbohydrates, muscle proteins are also in jeopardy.

Needless to say, what your body needs can still depend on how your body respond to these foods. Again, determine the purpose and the goal, and learn your body type. If you only want to look good, then by no means, go low-carb. But experience tells me, low-carb bodybuilding all the way will not make you feel good.

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Effective Old School Bodybuilding is Gironda Bodybuilding

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If it’s old school bodybuilding you want, Vince Gironda is the man. Although he already had his life’s fill and entered the pearly gates weeks before turning 80 in 1997, his legacy in bodybuilding stood the test of time. His advocacy for lean muscle definition instead of bulk is his trademark. He clearly is a proponent of developing the muscles to the fullest form that it can be, the natural way. Even so, his workouts and routines were revolutionary, even his equipment, that most bodybuilders and gyms’ training tricks were all of Gironda’s doing. He was known to have experimented on the diet and workout himself and shared to his students the fruits of his sweats. Some took Gironda’s advice as if they were their own, while a loyal respecting few pay homage and quote him. It is hard not to properly refer to Gironda’s tips, tricks and thoughts because most of them were published in Ironman Magazine where he wrote immensely back in the day.

While some of Gironda’s methods and techniques become bodybuilding principles, some remains traditional. Here are four old school bodybuilding tips from the Iron Guru and Master Trainer himself, God bless his soul, if you want to follow old school bodybuilding style to achieve the most effective lean muscular definition.

Old School Tip #1: Bodybuilding is 85% nutrition

If Gironda had it copyrighted as a tagline, Vince’s Gym could still be operational today just for royalty fees. For him,what a bodybuilder eat and consume can determine a successful bodybuilding workout. It is this reason that any beginner or enthusiast will ask about a bodybuilder’s diet, be it natural or supplement. However, a bodybuilder who says that a dozen fertile eggs a day with unpasteurized milk is part of his diet, then you are highly likely talking to someone who uses one of Gironda’s dietary principles: eat whole eggs, not just the whites.

Old School Tip #2: Skip the Sit-ups

Those who still do sit-ups to tone and hone their abdominal muscles probably have not known, heard, or read about Vince Gironda and his outright dissent to performing sit-ups. For him, sit-ups to develop the abs were useless, may pose harm to the spine, lower back and hips, slow down potential gains, thickened the waist, and if done in excess, can harm the central nervous system as well. For Gironda, frog crunches are minimal abdominal workouts targeting the ab muscles.

Old School Tip #3: Cut the Short-Cut

Steroids may be legal during the heyday of Vince’s Gym but the Iron Guru was not about to get hooked to the idea of using them. In fact, he was outspokenly and critically opposed to any performance-enhancing drugs.  Gironda believed that the body can be naturally enhanced and defined such that a lean and muscular physique can be attained without any introduction of any synthetically produced hormone. Although there were confessed steroid users known to have trained with Gironda, they didn’t say that he knew nor approved of their steroid use. If this were true, and if Gironda did not tolerate steroids in his gym, it may possibly be the reason why Arnie only briefly trained with him.

Old School Tip #4: Do Short but Fast Intense Training

A fast and intense workout that is about 60 – 80% maximum limit for weights would be a Gironda training method. A lean and natural physique can be achieved even when one does not train to failure. Rest between sets should be shortened as weights are increased is another. This, for the Master Trainer, is for the best possible progressive resistance.

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