Sex Can Prolong Your Life!

DId you know that sex is not all about sexual transimited diseases? Lately, because of the media coverage so many people are starting to look at sex as a necesity and not as a pleasure as it should be. A reasearch has recently ended that focused on around 1000 men. They were diveded in three groups:

* ones that had sex around three times a week,
* ones that were moderate
* ones that had sex once per month
After ten years of analyzing the men a simple fact was noted: "The death rate of the sexualy less active men was double when compared to the more active"
The researchers said:

"The association between frequency of orgasm and mortality in the present study is at least-if not more-convincing on epidemiological and biological grounds than many of the associations reported in other studies and deserves further investigation to the same extent. Interventions programs could also be considered, perhaps based on the exciting, 'At least five a day' campaign aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption- although the numerical imperative may have to be adjusted."

The conclusion:

Lenox Lewis quick facts

Born: September 2 1965
Birth Name: Lennox Claudius Lewis
Nickname: "The Lion"
Birthplace: West Ham, England
Reach: 84”
Height: 6' 5
Trainer: Emanuel Steward
Fight Record: 41 Won (32 KOs) 2 Lost 1 Draw

Titles:
- European Heavyweight Title
- Commonwealth Title
- 2 X WBC Title
- 2 X Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion
- One of the three World Heavyweight Champions that retired while still the champion

The Undertaker FACTS

Real Name: Mark Callaway
Height: 6 foot 10
Weight: 328 pounds
Finishing Move: Chokeslam; Tombstone; Last Ride
Title History:
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (4 times)
11/27/1991, Survivor Series: def. Hulk Hogan
3/23/1997, WrestleMania 13: def. Sid
5/23/1999, Over the Edge: def. Stone Cold Steve Austin
5/19/02, Judgment Day: def. Hulk Hogan
Wrestlemania 23: de. Dave Batista

WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (6 times)
7/26/1998, Fully Loaded: with Stone Cold Steve Austin, def. Kane & Mankind
8/22/1999, SummerSlam: with Big Show, def. Kane & X-Pac
9/9/1999, SmackDown: with Big Show, def. Mankind & The Rock in a Buried Alive Match
12/18/2000, Monday Night RAW: with The Rock, def. Edge & Christian
4/19/2001, SmackDown: with Kane, def. Edge & Christian
8/19/2001, SummerSlam: with Kane, def. Kanyon & Diamond Dallas Page in a Steel Cage Match

HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP (1 time)
12/9/2001, Vengeance: def. Rob Van Dam

Quick Facts:
The only wrestler to remain undefeated for more than 2 years
The Undertaker wrestled in all the buried alive matches
Made his debut at Survivor Series
He is the Only Undefeated Wrestler At WRESTLEMANIA

Did you know that Taryn Manning?

Date of birth: 6 November 1978
Place of Birth: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Height: 5' 2"

Did You Know That...
-> She Has been the State Champion in Karate in Arizona.
-> Manning kickboxes and does Tae Bo. She's also a champion dancer, rollerskater, and has a 3rd degree green belt in karate.
-> Taryn auditioned for Coyote Ugly
-> She started dancing when she was 12
-> Taryn decided to get more serious about her music when she was fired from a movie.
-> Her favorite drink is a tall iced vanilla soy latte, with extra ice from Starbucks.

Nuts and Peanuts reduce heart attack risk

A study done by over 20,000 doctors showed that people that eat a small quantity of nuts and peanuts each week are less pronw to heart attacks. These subjects have shown a 47% increase in heart attack resistance. This is because of some fats that can be found in these two products, Mg. and Vitamin E. It has been proven by the Rush Institute in Chicago that they also reduce the risck of getting Alzheimer.

Let's see some things about Carmen Electra

Date of birth: 20 April 1972
Place of Birth: Sharonville, Ohio, USA
Actress - filmography:

1. Scary Movie 4 (2006) (post-production)
2. Pledge This! (2006) (post-production) .... Carmen Electra
... aka National Lampoon's Pledge This! (USA: complete title)
3. Hot Tamale (2005) (post-production) .... Riley
4. Date Movie (2006) (completed)
5. Full of It (2006) (completed)

6. "Tripping the Rift" (2004) TV Series .... Six (2005-)
7. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) .... Sarina Murtaugh
8. Getting Played (2005)
9. Searching for Bobby D (2005) .... Rebecca
10. Lil' Pimp (2005) (V) (voice) .... Honeysack
11. Dirty Love (2005) .... Michelle
12. Naked Womens Wrestling League DVD (2005) (V) .... Host
13. Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004) .... Debbie
14. Starsky & Hutch (2004) .... Staci
15. My Boss's Daughter (2003) .... Tina
16. Uptown Girls (2003) .... Celebrity
17. Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding (2003) (TV) .... Lani McKenzie
18. Celebrity Temps (2003) (TV) .... The Temp. (pilot ep.)
19. Whacked! (2002) .... Laura
20. Rent Control (2002) .... Audrey
21. Get Over It (2001) .... Mistress Moira
... aka Get Over It! (USA: promotional title)
22. Perfume (2001) .... Simone
... aka Dress to Kill (USA: video title)
23. Sol Goode (2001) .... Treasure
24. Scary Movie (2000) .... Drew Decker
25. The Great White Dope (2000)
26. Won-G (2000) (V)
27. "Hyperion Bay" (1998) TV Series .... Sarah Hicks (1999)
28. Vacanze di Natale 2000 (1999) .... Esmeralda
... aka Christmas Vacation 2000 (International: English title)
29. The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human (1999) .... The Female (Jenny Smith)
30. The Chosen One: Legend of the Raven (1998) (V) .... McKenna Ray/The Raven
... aka The Raven: Chosen One (USA: closing credits title)
31. Starstruck (1998) .... Iona Shirley
32. Baywatch: White Thunder at Glacier Bay (1998) (V) .... Lani McKenzie
33. "Baywatch" (1989) TV Series .... Lani McKenzie (1997-1998)
... aka Baywatch Hawai'i (USA: new title)
34. Good Burger (1997) (uncredited) .... Roxanne
35. An American Vampire Story (1997) .... Sulka
... aka American Vampire (USA: reissue title)

Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan arrested

Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan were arrested on charges of murrdering their assistant. The warrant was issued and it quickly led to a man hunt, probably because of the star status the two champion bodybuilders have. They were caught outside Boston, in a parking lot while Kelly Ryan was having her nails done and Craig Titus was drinking a beer. They were arrested by the FBI so it seems serious but we don't know that much about the incident. If you know something extra be sure to email me.

Eat six times per day

You must know that there is no huge secret in bodybuilding or fitness. All you can find is a little bit of advice and this is what we are giving you. First of all you must know that the most important thing you will do each day as an athlete, not necessarily bodybuilder, is eat. You must eat 6 times each day without complaining or quiting. Most of us eat 3 meals per day. That is simply not enough if you do sports, any sports. You can eat 3 meals per day and succeed in bodybuilding. The only catch is that you will also need to eat 3 more meals based on protein shakes and suplimentes. That ads to 6 meals per day. Keep in mind that people with incredible genetic possibilities do not always make it and they all eat 6 times per day. What makes you think that you can do it with just 3?

The beautiful Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks was an incredible model with a tremendous body to display. Let us see some quick facts about her.
Born: December 4 1973
Born in: Los Angeles, USA
Filmography:
# Larceny (2004)
# Eight Crazy Nights (2002) (voice) .... Victoria's Secret Gown
... aka Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (USA: complete title)
# Halloween: Resurrection (2002) .... Nora Winston
# Coyote Ugly (2000) .... Zoe
# Life-Size (2000) (TV) .... Eve
# Love & Basketball (2000) .... Kyra Kessler
# The Apartment Complex (1999) (TV)
# Love Stinks (1999) .... Holly Garnett
# A Woman Like That (1997)
# Higher Learning (1995) .... Deja
# Inferno (1992) (TV)
# Black or White (1991) (V)
Interesting Facts:
- CEO of her own company TYInc.
- First African American model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition
- Measurements: 34C-23 1/2-35 1/2.
- Does not drink alcohol.
- Is allergic to dogs.
- In 2005, she revealed on "The Tyra Banks Show" (2005) that her measurements are 34-28-40.

Shwan Michaels - a wrestling icon

Quick Facts:
Height: 6' 1"
Weight: 225
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Birth date: July 22, 1965
Finishing Move: Sweet Chin Music, Sharpshooter, (and in the past the German Suplex and the flying elbow off the top rope)
Career Highlights: WWE Champion (3); Intercontinental Champion (3); European Champion; Tag Team Champion (3); 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumble winner
Real Name: Michael Hickenbottom

Other awards:
1996 and 1997

• Best Entrance
• Best Threads
• Squared Circle Shocker
• Master of Mat Mechanics
• Match of the Year (w/Razor Ramon - Summer Slam 95 ladder match)
• Leader of the New Generation
• Match of the Year (w/Bret Hart - WM 12 Iron Man)
• Best Finisher

Funny Bodybuilding accidents

I was just surfing the net and found this video HERE. I just had to show it off! Be careful when you workout or you can be in these guys' shoes. Never bite off more than you can chew! CLICK HERE to watch the video!

Bodybuilding Helps You Loose Weight

Right before I go to sleep there is one thing I want to point out here! Bodybuilding is a great way to loose weight even if you might not realize it! In such a resistance/bodybuilding workout you do burn more calories than you think and if hit with a simple and proper diet and good sleep you WILL be loosing weight in no time!

Bodybuilder mentality

I started thinking today as I went to the gym about how bodybuilders think about themselves. I am sure you saw a lot of examples of great bodies that had louzy attitudes. The fact is simple, if you have a good body and you can give lessons to others that's what you should do not boast about your physique. Bodybuilding is not about convincing yourself and others how good you are and this attitude is often the difference between a champion and just a great body with no prospects nor friends. There are many professional bodybuilders out there that have some success but don't even have a training partner because of their mentality. Bodybuilding should be a lifestyle as so many people say. You practice this sport to become a mature and better person and get healthy not just to look good. If bodybuilding becomes an obsession of making you the best possible then it is no longer a lifestyle and obsessions are definitely not good.

Aerobics Workout

We all know by now that aerobics are trully great and that the amount of information we can find about it online and in magazines is in a whole different quantity than it was years ago. In the past this type of workout was actually in fashion and it would have been a raised probability to meet friends or family at the gym while doing aerobics. Today this changed and thanks to the appearance of many aerobic types of workouts like Tae Bo or oriental disciplines and international workouts fewer people are doing aerobics in a gym every day.

The good news is that people still realize that the simple, classic aerobic workout is still one of the best and it is currently one of the most developed and researched types of weight loss workouts we can find. This basically means that there is a higher possibility that you will find information on how to loose weight with an aerobic workout than with any other type of weight loss workout out there. You even get info about what to wear, what to buy, what influences the quality of workouts, when to eat, what to eat and so on.

An aerobic workout is still a great way to work out your entire body and simply keeping it in shape together with loosing weight and getting discipline through a strict workout schedule. Socially speaking it is also a lot easier to make friends in a gym and finding a good workout partner is also a benefit usually achieved during aerobic workouts. This is because any bodybuilder that sees another bodybuilder paying attention to cardio workouts and aerobics in general realizes that the individual is no novice and really know what he is doing. There would only be a step till trusting him on aiding in a heavy weight lifting session.

A good aerobic workout is still a basic way to get in shape and must not be put aside.

Great Body Jessica Alba

The great body I decided to pick today is Jessica Alba. This woman here is one of the most wanted celebrities alive by men of all ages. A recent study published in USA actually showed that Americans think that she and Halle Berry are the two female superstars with the hottest bodies today. I don't think anyone would say something against this statement. As she is our Great Body Of The Day I also researched some facts about her you might not have known:

1. Jessica enjoys playing golf, swimming and moved frequently in the first nine years of her life due to her father's military career. In the meantime, she lived in Mississippi, Texas and California.
2. Jessica is of Mexican, French and Danish descent.
3. She was chosen as one of People Magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People in May 2007.
4. She adores Harley Davidson motorcycles (who doesn't?)
5. Jessica Alba had asthma as a child and currently owns two sweet puppies called Sid and Nancy
6. The bra that she wore in Sin City drew a bid of $1,025 in an eBay auction.
7. As a child, she used to cook her own meals to control her weight and maintain her health. She used to avoid the food cooked in her family because it caused her health and weight problems

If you want to learn more interesting facts check out the Jessica Alba Trivia on TV.COM

John Cena's workout

I see that many people ask around: What is John Cena's workout? I must say that I did not know but I imagined what it should be like, with a lot of cardio and less concentration on becoming stronger during competitional fighting times. I did a search and documented myself on John Cena's workout and this is what I found out.

Cena is usually on the road 4 days a week and is also pretty active with his rap career and the launch of a movie that I think was a flop ("The Marine") although it was pretty succesful. This WWE superstar has a great body as everybody realizes and the facts stay simple: he has to get to the gym. In an interview for Men's Fitness he said that:

"I have to make it to the gym--it's the only way I'll survive in the ring. But I can't train heavy because I'm wrestling all the time or in places where I can't get good food, so it's hard to recover. Instead, I circuit-train one body part per session. If I'm working chest, I'll do six exercises--one after the other--with no rest in between. It doubles as a cardio workout, and it keeps me pumped. That allows me to stay big, but I can't really get stronger."

This is basically how all WWE and TNA superstars survive. It is not easy to be a professional wrestler and to be a succesful one is even more difficult. Cena for instance said around a year ago that he only benches around 315 pounds which is less then you would actually think he can when you take a look at his body. Genetics is a big part of John Cena's body and everybody must realize this. There is no sense in wanting arms like this wrestler and doing a research on his arm routine, adopting it and thinking you will have his arms. You need to find what is best for you, not for John Cena.

Sylvester Stallone and Growth Hormone

This is one interesting piece of news I just read. It seems that Sylvester Stallone was charged with importing an illeagal growth hormone under the form of a drug called Jintropin. To his defense, the "Rocky" star and in my opinion a former great body has declared that he did not know the drug was illegal. He was caught in Australia holding 48 vials of this hormone. It does seem a lot doesn't it? The fact is that it seems he has a medical condition that he treats using hormones for quite a long time. Although it looks like nobody knows what he is suffering from, the excuse will probably not make him escape a fine that could reach a maximum of $36,000. Stallone declared to his defense that:

Never ever was it my intention to breach the laws and I realise that I should have properly informed myself about your customs

To read the entire story go read the article on SMH.COM

Are energy drinks good for anything?

I am sure you noticed that you are surrounded by energy drinks commercials everywhere you turn and let's face it, they taste good and the wrappings and publicity basically sells them like crazy. Now I am going to ask you one thing: how many bodybuilders did you see drinking these "great" energy drinks? Think about it and tell me later because I already know the answer to that question. Did you ever look at the ingredients in these drinks? They have so much sugar and caffeine in them that some are actually above what can be considered healthy. You get yourself an energy kick but at what cost. Surely you will also find different minerals, vitamins, ginseng and other ingredients that are healthy but that does not matter when you put in so much of these two damaging ones. Think twice before purchasing one or at least take a look at the ingredients list, some of them are not that bad but 90% of all energy drinks are not healthy at all.

Train your clients at home

This post here goes to all the bodybuilding and fitness trainers that are struggling to make a living and there are so many out there that this entire situation is quite sad. People, you need to wake up, the real money making opportunity in trining individuals is training them at home and not at a GYM. People will pay you at least $50-$60 per hour to train them in the comfort of their homes and you are making a lot less when employed by a GYM. I am basically too lazy to go to everybody's home and train them but I did this at some point in my life too. The money is too good to deny. Now I am not training people at home anymore because my business is going too well and I have the freedom of having a lot of free time. This is why I started this blog, to help out at least like this if I am not training people anymore or even training myself that much to be honest. I am now weighing in at 300 pounds and it is not pure muscle belive me.

Leaving that aside let us get back to the subject at hand. You need to start training people at home if you are a trainer that really wants to gain money. The problem is that all you learnt is directly linked to training people in the surroundings of a GYM. I know it is so because I probably took similar classes as you did to get my license. When you train people at home the advanced techniques you learnt will do you no good and you will start to work on learning again.

Luckily I found something that helped out a friend of mine a lot. He was fired from a GYM and I was browsing the Internet to try and find him a job. He is a very good trainer and quite motivational. In return I found a webpage that was basically selling a package dealing with training clients at home. I recommended it to him, he was desperate and bought it and now he is gaining around $300 per day by training people in the comfort of their homes. That is interesting and when I found out yesterday that it helped him out like that I just had to share this site.

What I liked is what you get: a special ebook telling you what to do, a DVD filled with exercises you can do, another DVD with exercises using portable equipment, 2 DVDs of example training sessions with some clients, a CD Rom with all the legal documentation you need, a copy of another book that tells you how to sell yourself as a personal trainer, a list of sites that offer training insurance, another ebook that tells you how to mold to every type of client you might have, a 10% discount at PerformBetter.com, an exercise package that shows the basic exercises everybody can do at home with illustrations and a whole lot more. This is basically a package that is worth somewhere around $900-$1100 if you buy everything individually. You can get it here for $297 with a 60 days money back guarantee and this is a huge sale and an opportuinty for success that most not be missed by any trainer out there. Hope this proves to be usefull and make you enough money to live the healthy life you want for yourself and your family.

Bobby Lashley Workout with Maxim

The WWE superstars seem to be very researched on the web these days, especially their workout routines. After discussing John Cena's workout yesterday let us now talk about Bobby Lashley. This individual has an incredibly great body. Actually, most WWE superstars have great bodies but Bobby Lashley stands out. He once went at a photoshoot with Maxim Magazine for an interview in the Expert Fitness column they publish. Bobby gave some advice and also showed some of his secrets. If you want to find out about a superstar's workout regime there is a big chance it will be published in a magazine, especially with somebody that has a body like Lashley. He stated :

"I’m going to give away a couple of my secrets to my successes with my body and build. "

Lashley did something nice in that shoot. He immediately built a makeshift pull up bar out of photo equipment as you can see from the picture attached and did a total of five exercise. He said that:

"We did have to rig the bar a little bit to get that exercise in; however, my back is my strong point when I work out, so a pull up is pretty easy for me. I do a lot of core work, so I work my abs a lot, so that was easier for me. For the average person it’s probably going to be more difficult to do."

Isn't it interesting how every great body out there always say that they work a lot in order to have that body? That is what you should do as well! Work out, work out hard and you WILL see results! Just in case you do not know who Bobby Lashley is maybe you should read our Great Body Bobby Lashley dedicated post some time ago.

Interview With MMA Trainer Fred George

Mixed Marial Arts (also known as MMA) is a different sport than most others because there is a lot of work that needs to be done and your body must go through intense training. I tried one simple MMA training session once and I couldn't finish it so I have to hand it to these guys for the effort they put in. I found an interview with Fred Georghe, a MMA trainer that works in Las Vegas. He has had a lot of success in training MMA and is getting more popular each month. Fred was also given responsabilities in training some of today's top athletes with Kevin Randleman being just one of the high prospects under George's training. Even more, Fred George has been involved in two MMA matches and won both by TKO. After the matches he even says that the intensity involved in them is not even close to the training strategies he uses today as a routine. The TKOs were actually achieved in the first round, one after 54 sec and the other after 5 minutes.

In this interview I found on Bodybuilding.com Fred George answers interesting questions like:

- Exactly what is your background in the martial arts Fred? What led to your involvement?
- When you competed in MMA you were a pretty big guy. Do you still train for size, or have your goals changed?
- Do you have any big names fighting soon?
- As a trainer, what kind of style do you teach?
- What do you focus on primarily for your athletes in the weeks leading up to a fight?
- How would you go about replicating the conditions of a big fight, when training one of your athletes to face someone of say Ken Shamrock's caliber?
- How do you develop speed in your fighters?

Great Body - Bill Davey

Our great body of the day is a guy that is labeled as a natural bodybuilder, is a trainer and has quite a lot of success in the busines! Bill Davey definitely has a physique others would kill for. He was born in 1966 and has started bodybuilding between junior and senior high school years. The reason behind it was that he was involved in football and the coaches wanted him to become bigger. Bill Davey is 6 feet tall and his weight during off season is 225 to 230 pounds. During competition he weighs 215 lbs. His competitive record includes:

# Musclemania - 2002 SuperBody - 1st place (Professional Division)
# Musclemania - 2002 World Championship -- 6th place
# 1997 AAU Mr. America - 1st Heavyweight and Overall
# 1996 Musclemania Natural Championships -- 1st Heavyweight
# 1996 WNBF World Championships -- 12th Open Division
# 1996 NPC Team Universe -- 7th Heavyweight
# 1996 NPC Junior Nationals -- Didn't place Heavyweight
# 1995 ANBC USA Nationals -- 1st Tall Class
# 1995 NPC Junior Florida Heavyweight and Overall
# 1995 ANBC Tampa Bay Natural -- 1st Tall Class and Overall
# 1994 NPC Florida West Coast -- 1st Light-heavyweight and Overall
# 1994 NPC Sarasota Championship -- 1st Heavyweight and Overall
# 1994 NPC Naples Championship -- 1st Heavyweight and Overall
# 1992 Florida West Coast -- 1st Light-heavyweight

Davey had a lot of success in his career and even launched a special DVD with his personal training routine. I saw it and it is quite good, very motivational. I saw it on Repetrope Here

If you never saw this guy before here is a presentation of natural bodybuilder Bill Davey:

As a bodybuilding trainer Bill Davey also has some tips written in All Natural Muscular Development that I think you should take a look at:

1. GO HEAVY----- OR GO HOME.
2. CHANGE YOUR WORKOUT EVERY THREE WEEKS.
3. TRAIN ONE MUSCLE GROUP PER SESSION.
4. MAKE EVERY REP OF EVERY SET COUNT.
5. WHEN YOU THINK YOU CAN'T TO ANY MORE REPS IN A SET, DO TWO MORE.
6. KEEP WEIGHT TRAINING SESSIONS TO ONE HOUR MAXIMUM.
7. ALLOW FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS BEFORE TRAINING MUSCLE GROUP AGAIN.
8. LEARN EACH MUSCLE GROUP'S RANGE OF MOTION -- AND WORK THAT MUSCLE THROUGH THAT FULL RANGE OF MOTION.
9. STRIVE TO DEVELOP NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL.
10. DON'T NEGLECT SPECIFIC ROTATOR CUFF EXERCISES.

Looking forward to seeing this guy at the next competition! His full biography and official webpage is BillDavey.com

Replacing Leg Curls

For a bodybuilder the leg curl motion is one that can not be neglected. The need of a leg curl machine is quite big if you want to have good legs. There is also a variation that I found to be very interesting. Instead of doing a leg curl on a regular leg curl machine try this approach! Use a flat bench and position yourself on it facedown. Make sure your knees are above the bottom ledge and ask a friend to help you out next. Take a dumbell and ask your partner to position it on the bottom side of the top plates, resting just on your feet. Now you can do a leg curl by holding your legs together and paying attention that the weight does not fall. The exercise will not feel like a regular leg curl but will help you out in your workout once in a while. Your calves are also involved in the movement adding more strength at the end of the session! Try it out! It is quite a nice variation!

Quadriceps Training

Have you ever seen great bodies that simply look very good from the waste up but simply do not have legs that are as big as their upper body? I'm sure you did and these "chicken legs" are definitely not looking good from a symmetry standpoint. So many individuals think that if you start running, go for hikes or ride a bicycle they will get big and strong legs. Well, they are simply making a huge bodybuilding mistake.

The quadriceps are the muscles located right at the front of the leg. They are very important as they extend it at the knee and help to flex the hip. Four big muscles make up the quadriceps and they are all important for the body and how it looks. For a professional bodybuilder, having a perfect upper body and bad legs is just competition suicide.

Most bodybuilders use the same exercises to train the quadriceps. The Free Bar Squat is the one that actually helps out muscle growth in this area the most and it also stimulates the upper body too because in order to perform the lift part of the exercise you have to use upper body muscles as well. When keeping the bar squat on your back the upper body muscles have to hold a static contraction in order to just keep it in place. Such stress you get from this free bar squat actually stimulates hormone secretion in the biggest way possible during training. A hard squat session will not only prove to be the best exercise for your quadriceps but can also help out the entire body. Do not neglect it and always have a partner ready to help out as injuries tend to appear the most in this exercise. The reason behind it is that novice bodybuilders tend to do it wrong and a partner can point that out and help you out if something bad is about to happen.

Use a Balanced Fat Burning Diet for Abs

By now you have to know that you can not get those sexy abs you are looking for this summer by doing hundreds of crunches and that you have to work hard in the kitchen as well. A bodybuilding diet is a must have if training and wanting to loose weight together with getting sexy, hot abs. If you do not burn that extra fat you have there over your muscles there is no way you can achieve your goal.

Here is another news flash if you need it! Everybody out there has great abs. Human anatomy can prove this. You have great abs there but they are covered with a layer of fat and water. The only thing you need to get to see your abs is reducing the body fat covering it and making it low enough for the muscles to show. In most cases this will happen when body fat falls below 10% for men and 13% for women. If you want those abs to show even better you need to lower it even more to get a defined aspect until around 6% for men and 11% for women. Yes, for women it is a lot easier but men usually throw more motivation behind it. We all love a woman with a flat stomach, those defined "six packs" are not really necessary. For a man we must agree that he looks better if the abs look better.

The basics for a fat burning diet stands in 40% proteins, 40% carbs and 20% good fats. This means that fruits and dairy products need to be eliminates because they have simple carbs that can slow down fat loss. Talking about carbs now you have to know that they must come from complex slow releasing ingredients like brown rice, sweat potatoes, oatmeal in a combination with sources full of fibres like broccoli (yes I know most people hate broccoli I do too) or green beans. Your proteins must come from lean red meat, tuna, chicken or turkey. The main sources of fat should be extra virgin olive oil or flax seed oil. There is no great philosophy to have a good balanced fat burning diet for abs. You just have to be motivated and stick in there!

Great Body - Eugen Sandow

Now I am sure that most bodybuilders today have no ideea who Eugen Sandow was and that is why I decided to pick him as today's Great Body of the Day. Eugen Sandow was born Friederich Wilhelm Mueller on April 2 1867. He died on the 14th of October 1925 but he is the individual that people refer to as the "Father of Modern Bodybuilding". We basically have to thank this guy as much as we have to thank Weider or Arnold for promoting this sport.

Sandow loved Greek and Roman statues of gladiators together with other statues of heroes. He loved them so much that he considered the physique depicted in them to be how a man should look like. By the tender age of 19 he had already reached part of his goals and was performing stunts in different side shows. People din not care about how much he lifted, they were amazed of how he looked. That is when a famous promoter, Florenz Ziegfeld, became his manager and had him perform shows in which Sandow showed off his body. They were called "muscle display performances". This can be considered the "father" of bodybuilding shows and competitions as later on in time a competition was also organized, the first ever bodybuilding competition. Eugen Sandow even built the first ever line of equipment and was among the first people in history to market a product by using as brand his own name.

Eugen Sandow did a lot for this sport and so few people know about him that I just had to let at least some know about him. To read all about him go to this great Wikipedia article dedicated to Eugen Sandow.

The Keystone Pro Classic 2007

The Keystone Pro Classic will take place on the 26th of May. This is a rather new pro men's bodybuilding competition although tradition stands behind it. The reason behind it is that promoters have backed up the NPC Lehigh Valley Bodybuilding and Figure Championships for over 10 years now and the Keystone Pro Classic is a conjunction with that show. The prizes are also interesting. First place gets $20,000, second place will get half of what the first placed bodybuilder gets and prizes in money go down until 5th place, which gets $2,000. There is also a chance to qualify for Mr. Olympia so it is plain to see why the show attracted some interesting names including Dennis James, Dareem Charles, Dennis Wolf and Johnnie Jackson. Also, as special guest you can find pro wrestler currently under contract with the WWE, Mick Foley. Price range for a ticket varies from $15 to $75 and the number is reserved which means it can become a sold out event any minute now! You can order tickets online at www.stablerarena.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

If you want to find out more about the event be sure to visit the official website: keystoneproclassic.com

2007 IFBB Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic - Live Webcast by Bodybuilding.com

Bodybuilding.com recently announcet that they reached an agreement with the Colorado Pro SHow ("Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic") to provide Internet users with a live webcast of the competition. This includes the Women's IFBB Pro Figure Championship and the IFBB Men's Pro Bodybuilding Championship. What is interesting is that the webcast will be free.

Viewers of the webcast will also get a chance to vote and decide the men's and women's "4Ever Fit Fans' Choice Award". It is an interesting way of getting more people involved with bodybuilding and online voting is set to begin at the same time with the web cast of the prejudging. $500 will be awarded to the great bodies that will receive the most votes.

The Men's Pro Bodybuilding session gathered quite a number of valuable competitors like David Henry, Darrem Charles, Branch Warren and Dennis James. More info about the event on Bodybuilding.com.

Jay Cutler on Pro Bodybuilding Weekly

Pro Bodybuilding Weekly will celebrate tomorrow the airing of episode number 75. Because of this event a special guest will be on the show, none other than Mr. Olympia himself, Jay Cutler. There have been a lot of rumors lately saying that Ronnie Coleman is gaining momentum in his quest to re-capture the Olympia title. With this show specialists believe that Jay Cutler will announce his official start to his 2007 Olympia preparation. News from around the IFBB will also be on the schedule.

People Still Don't Get Fat Loss

There are some things that never change and one of them is individuals that are fat and want to lose weight but simply do not understand how to do it properly. You surely saw one of them on the treadmil, walking for half an hour with his cell phone at his hear talking in the same time for half an hour. That is no workout! Leaving that aside let us talk about the subject at hand. The facts are simple: you need to burn more than you eat in order to lose weight. How hard is that to understand? People start eliminating fat from their diets thinking that will make them immediately lose weight, without even thinking about what specialists say: some fats are good for you! Others start eating more times per day, in smaller quantities because this is how you should eat to help out your body. Again, they do not understand that you need to eat properly not less. If I eat a box full of chocolates instead of a stake then I do not gain anything here. Loosing weight is 80% a proper diet, 10% workout and 10% motivation and will to learn.

A cardio workout is not effective unless combined with a diet. You can not loose weight if you consume 300 calories and drink a protein shake after your workout that brings in 500 calories. Loosing fat is easy but you can not do it by exercise alone! How long will it take till people understand this?

Low Fat Diets - Are they Good?

The answer to this question is very simple: NO! Low fat diets are very bad for an individual's general well-being, not to mention his health. This is because healthy fat is very important in keeping your skin looking good, lubricated joints and a key factor in hormone production. If you want to eliminate something from your diet you need to start with sugar and not fat! By doing this you will actually get your glucoze level to be in a healthy range and this induces fat loss. Just do this! Eliminate sugar all together from your diet for a week or two and keep on doing what you do! You will see something change!

If you chose to go for a low fat diet your testosterone level will drop together with progesterone production. In case you did not know, both are important for men and women in order to loose weight. It's simple, if you do not have enough fat in your diet you won't have enough levels of testosterone to aid you in loosing weight because you can not develop muscle. Building muscle is the best way to get rid of fat and keeping it off.

3 Forms of Creatine

Few people are aware of this simple fact but you should know that there are three forms of creatine available for buying: monohydrate, citrate and phosphate. What you also need to understand is that phosphate creatine is not easy to absorb by one's body and is not so effective in bodybuilding, so there is a big chance you will not get the expected results. With citrate creatine research is not conclusive although it does become more popular each day. Monohydrate creatine has been used in research in most cases and is the one that has the most proven results. This is why, until further news, you should try and look for monohydrate creatine in my view!

Who Is Joe Weider?

Josef E. "Joe" Weider was born on November 29, 1922 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is the Canadian co-founder of the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) together with his brother Ben Weider. Joe Weider also created Mr. Olympia and Ms. Olympia. What few people know is that Joe Weider started his empire with just $7 at the tender age of 17. He built barbells out of car axles and wheels. Later he became a manufacturer of gym exercise equipment and one of the first people ever to focus on nutrition as a part of bodybuilding. His line of nutritional supplements is one of the most recognized across the world.

Joe Weider introduced the mental approach to working out. He never claimed to be an innovator. He always said he took different elements from different sources and synthesized them into bodybuilding. To sum it up, Weider is one of the first that put together and introduced a series of training principles that successful bodybuilders use today:

1. Pre-Exhaustion Training
2. Pyramiding
3. Super sets
4. Muscle Priority Training
5. Set System Training
6. Instinctive Training
7. Giant Sets
8. Tri-Sets
9. Staggered Sets
10. Compound Sets

We have a lot to thank Weider. Without him bodybuilding would not have been the way we know it today!

Water in Bodybuilding

There is one simple rule that says: "If you do not know how much water you are drinking then there is a big chance it is not enough for your body!". Lack of water immediately transforms in a less effective nutrition plan. When on a diet water is the most important ingredient you need to look at and so few people understand this. Many individuals start counting calories, fat grams, protein take in but fail to know how much water they drink. As mentioned above this means they are not drinking enough. It is very important in nutrition and bodybuilding in general to know how much water you consume.

You also need to know some other facts as well. First, if you are thirsty it does not mean you are dehydrated. On the contrary, knowing how much water to drink depends on how thirsty you are. Secondly, it is said that if your urine is dark then you are dehydrated. That can not be considered to in bodybuilding or in any other sport because there are many factors that can change urine color to dark. The last myth you have to understand refers to caffeine. Many individuals belive that it dehydrates the body. Well, studies proved that it actually hydrates people that are used to caffeine and together with teas and sodas they can even be useful in hydration for some bodybuilders.

As mentioned above, drinking water should be done when you are thirsty. There is a chance to overdue it though and it has to be avoided. Let us keep it simple. Before a workout be sure you are hydrated and drink a glass or two of water. Then, every 15 minutes you spend at the gym should translate in another glass of water, especially if you are sweating a lot. Do not neglect water in bodybuilding, fitness or any other sport. It can help out!

What is Tae Bo?

I see a lot of people doing Tae Bo and I actually went to such a training session. I must say I loved it, it was a little similar to my personal combination of Mixed Martial Arts and ground exercises routine. Mine was more intense in terms of muscle usage but I really tend to think that Tae Bo is a lot better when talking about aerobics, muscle tonification and loosing weight. Tae Bo is basically an aerobic exercise routine. It was invented by Billy Blanks, an individual that practiced tae kwon do and boxing. By combining elements from these two styles of fighting and music choreography Tae Bo was born. It was the original "cardio-boxing" routine and basically uses martial arts movement at rapid pace while promoting body fitness.

Tae Bo is a combination of boxing and tae kwon do and this is where the name comes from. Later a backronym was thought of: "Total Awareness Excellence Body Obedience". Belive it or not, it all started in 1989 and thanks to the fact that Billy Blanks started training some celebrities like Paula Abdul in the nineties now we have some sort of pop culture type movement in some areas. Some of the best sold training DVDs out there are Tae Bo related and many gyms offer this type of aerobic training.

Do not think you will practice Tae Bo and learn martial arts. This is not the case. There are no throws, ground moves or grappling moves here. It is all intended to make your body stronger in terms of fitness. You might learn to kick and hit better but it will not really teach you to fight. If you think about fighting and self defense maybe you should try mixed martial arts for the most similar effect to tae bo in terms of intensity. Tae Kwon Do is also a very good option. To sum it all up this high-intensity workout in Tae Bo is aiming to increase cardiovascular fitness, strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. You will not get stronger or gain muscular endurance unless you really are a beginner at training!

Milos Sarcev suspended for 1 Year

Milos Sarcev has been officialy suspended for one year from bodybuilding by the IFBB. It looks like he was punished for different words he said and unless Milos decides to start an appeal (which seems to be very probable with Bob Cicherillo as his representative). The pro bodybuilder was presented with this official letter confirming the suspension:

May 29, 2007, to Mr. Milos Sarcev, C/o Koloseum Gym, 1101 South Placentia Avenue, Fullerton, CA, 92831 USA. Sent by e-mail to milos@milossarcev.com and to milossarcev@gmail.com and by International Courier

IFBB PRO LEAGUE DECISION
IN THE MATTER OF YOUR CONDUCT
DURING THE BODYBUILDING COMPETITION AT THE ASIAN GAMES,
DOHA, QATAR, DECEMBER 8-9, 2006

1. On January 3, 2007, the Pro League notified you that, on receiving letters of complaint from Mr. Paul Chua, IFBB Executive Assistant to the President, IFBB Vice President for Asia and Secretary-General of the Asian BodyBuilding Federation (ABBF), and Mr. Walter van den Branden (Netherlands), President of the Netherlands Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation and IFBB International Judge, it had appointed an ad hoc Pro Disciplinary Committee to investigate your conduct during the Bodybuilding competition at the Asian Games, which were held in Doha, Qatar, on December 8-9, 2006. To read the rest of the letter click here!

Teen Bodybuilders Should Use a Full Body Workout

As a teen there are different approaches to bodybuilding in my view. I was glad to see that many shared my ideas. I am now training a friend that is pretty fat I must say and it was pretty hard for him to understand why I emphasized on a full body workout instead of what he read in bodybuilding magazines (you know, the regular one body part per workout routine). Well, the reason is simple, he is a young guy and wants to lose weight while getting fit. He basically wants to look good! That is what every teen bodybuilder out there wants but misses one important step: the beginning! Any good trainer will make you work out your entire body when you are teen and want to go into bodybuilding. A full body workout is what you are after! You will thus be able to hit all major muscle groups three times per week instead of just once. Working out with one muscle group per session is a sure step to overtraining if you are young. Don't take my word for it! Just try it out! If you are young and want to look good and not become a professional bodybuilder just go for a full workout! It does Work!

4 Questions before starting Bodybuilding

If you want to start bodybuilding there are some very important questions you will need to ask yourself first. Before we even get to that you need to go to the doctor so that he/she will tell you if it is safe for you to lift weights. If you are not healthy or have some diseases you might hurt yourself by doing bodybuilding. THe good thing is that there are alternatives but you have to ask for your doctor's permision to work out first. Now let us get to the questions any individual has to ask himself/herself before starting to lift weights:

1. Do I have the will power to practice bodybuilding?
Why start this sport if you go to the gym for 4 months and then quit. Once you start it you should continue! Be sure you are prepared to stick with it!

2. Can I eat Right?
A major part of bodybuilding lies in nutrition. You need discipline to eat right and make compromises. Are you ready to quit unhealthy food or at least stay as far away as possible?

3. Do I need goals?
You need to think straight! You can not imagine to become huge in two months. Bodybuilding is hard and setting small realistic results is what you need to do. You will not be able to compete at Mr. Olympia in one year! You do need goals but they must be achievable

4. Is bodybuilding going to change my life?
YES! bodybuilding will change your life but you have to realize that there is live outside the gym. Think about the sacrifices you will need to make if you want to be ready to keep up with your regular schedule and go to the gym!

7 Golden Put on Muscle Rules

1. Eat at least 5 times per day
Your body needs to be saturated with glycogen from carb and protein sources and amino acids. Eating 5 times per day is needed because you never now when you will need these nutrients. Also, if you do not eat often you get starvation kicking in and this starts a chain reaction that eventually consumes muscle tissue for energy!

2. Center you Workout
You need to concentrate on big compund movements like presses and squats. Working as many muscle groups as possible with few sets will get you packing on muscles much faster. Just as a simple example, squats can train your lower back and glutes even if focusing on your quads. Assistance should be minimal and this makes your growth process work better

3. The number of Sets
Never do more than 30 sets at any workout and keep in mind that in most cases less is better. Overtraining is one of the main reasons why most bodybuilders can not pack muscle weight!

4. Rest
Do not train more than two days in a row is a golden rule! You need to take a rest and not only your muscles need to. Your entire nervous system needs to relax!

5. Protein Drinks
Having a protein drink right after a training session really works. It boosts insulin levels and promotes synthesis in muslc protein. This basically means faster growth

6. General Break
Every four to six weeks of intense training should be followed by a big break. You can take a full week of rest or minimize training for two weeks. You can thus recuperate and promote a new growth spurt.

7. Aviod Stress
Keep your cool! No matter what happens try to be the best you can be. Stress can cause excessive energy burn and this energy burn is better shifted towards muscle growth.

No Sit-ups for Sculpting Abs

So many individuals still think that in order to sculpt your abs you need to do hundreds of abs. This is NOT TRUE! I said it before and I will say it as many times as I have to. Here is an interesting routine that I recommend (among many others possible) that can sculpt your abs without any sit-ups if done properly. First of all add balance moves to your routine. This improves your posture, helps prevent future injuries and strengthens your core. The following exercises are recommended by Michelle Dozois, owner of Breakthru Fitness in Pasadena, California. You need to do them three times a week and remember to keep your abs tight through each move.

1. Plank with Shoulder Clock
Get into a push-up position after wrapping a resistance band around both of your hands. Your right arm should reach forward, then to the side and then back toward your right thigh while lowering to center each time. You should do complete series of these exercises twice per each side, 3 sets in total. If effort is not enough you can use small dumbells.

2. Reverse Lunge with Press
Grab a dumbbell in each hand and stand while holding them at shoulder height, palms forward. Step back with the right lef, then lift the right knee toward your chest. In the mean time press the weights over your head. As you back in the original positions lower the weights. Do 15 reps an then switch the leg.

3. One-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press
Lie down! Face should be up with your shouldres and head on a stable bench or medicine ball. Knees should be bent and feet must be on the floor. Take a dumbbell in your hand and hold it above your shoulder with the palm facing forward. Now bend your elbow and lower the weight out to side until your elbow is bent around 90 degrees. Now press the weight back to the starting position. Do 15 reps with your right hand and then switch hands.

Is There A Way To Deal With Sugar Cravings?

Is there a way to deal with sugar cravings? I seem to be able to follow a good bodybuilding diet for 5 days but by the sixth day I am craving all sorts of sweets. Is there anything that can be done to take these cravings away?

I have found that with the right bodybuilding diet, real physical sugar cravings can be minimized and eliminated for the most part except when you are extremely low in body fat (as in below 6%).

If you follow the correct bodybuilding diet as well as the recommendations below, you will see how your cravings will practically go away:

What to eat after a good work out?

The sweat, the blood, and the tears…You have given it your all. This time you didn’t hold back. You truly gave it everything you had and then some. You’ve trained beyond failure, beaten your body into submission, and conquered the hardcore world of mass training. One final step remains in the quest for hypertrophy…

Post-workout nutrition is a short, but crucial, window of opportunity that only comes immediately following a brutal bout of training.

This is one opening that you do not want to compromise on even one percent. Doing so will not only hinder previously hard earned gains, but will undermine any potential gains you would have made from your training programs.

What happens within the body during this window in time establishes whether you will gain muscle in response to the workout you just completed, or simply return to your pre-existing state.

Learning How To Relax

Relaxation is investing time in yourself. Sure, you might think that investing that time in your work or your children might be more productive, but that's not necessarily so. You'll be more productive when you are working if you've spent some time relieving stress. So, rather than thinking, "I'm doing NOTHING," think of it as an investment. At the moment it might seem as if you're doing nothing, but later on you'll be more effective in whatever you're doing because you'll be less stressed.

Instinctive Training

Believe it or not, some people simply refuse to train instinctively, including some of the world’s top champions. They feel they need the regiment of a routine, following a planned program written down in a journal. Some, including the “Iron Guru” himself, Vince Gironda, even spoke against incentive training stating it was for people who didn’t know what they were doing or how to train. The truth is instinctive training can be one of the most rewarding workout concepts in bodybuilding. It can keep your enthusiasm level high, ward off burnout, increase your energy level, and promote new growth and gains. I know some who train every workout instinctively and wouldn’t train any other way. Now I don’t subscribe to doing that but I definitely feel at various times in your training, doing so instinctively is a great approach and one that is well worth considering.

I have never understood the fear some have of training according to how the mind and body leads them. After all, experimentation, trail and error, are by far the best teachers in determining what is best for each (Read More)

Chris Benoit and Family Dead

This one was a shoker. Chris Benoit missed the WWE pay per view Vengance and was eventually found dead, together with his wife and seven year old son in what the police is currently considering a double homicide - suicide. His wife was found killed and his son was asfixiated. Near both victims Bibles were found. The body of Benoit was located in a private GYM in the house, hanged by a weight-lifting machine. Police is considering a case of anabolic steroids overdose that can cause what is known as "roid rage". No suicide note or motive for the possible murders discovered. District Attorney Scott Ballard said:

"In a community like this it’s bizarre to have a murder-suicide, especially involving the death of a 7-year-old. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to wrap our minds around this."

Few people know about problems in Chris Benoit's life. In the past he said:

"Quality time with my family is a big vice. It’s something I’ll fight for and crave."

Nancy Benoit filed for divorce in 2003 stating that the child was receiving "cruel treatment" and that there was broken furniture in the case. It seems there were some problems in paradise with Chris and Nancy Benoit but nothing really suggested something like Chris killing his son and wife. Everybody is in shock. After tests it will be determined if the steroids had any part in this but what police is currently declaring is that Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy Benoit (also known as "Woman" in the wrestling world) and then killed his son. The next day he sent out messages to co-workers at wwe and gave them his address plus stating that the garage door was open.

Work Out with Jay Cutler

I bet a lot of you have thought about what it would be like to workout with a pro bodybuilder and even the big man himself - Jay Cutler. Well the only thing I really lifted was a camera but I did get to watch while Jay worked out with his lifting partners in the "Pit" at world famous Muscle Beach right on the boardwalk at the beach in Venice California.

So let me tell you how this happened. I was at the Junior California NPC competition in Pasadena CA on Saturday. Jay was in town as the guest poser for this show along with his good buddy, IFBB Pro Derick Farnsworth. Well I got the phone call in the late afternoon that Jay was possibly going to come out to the "Pit" to workout and he would also be videotaped for his brand new DVD to be released at the end of July. (Read the rest of the entry)

Standing Bar Curls

The standing bar curl is a very basic and important exercise when you want to think big biceps. The simple bicep curl can be performed in numerous ways: standing with dumbbells (with both hand curling at the same time or alternating), one arm resting on an inner thigh while in concentration curl, a preacher curl variation or seated with dumbbels.

The bicep has a main role in elbow flexion and the best movement one can use to stimulate it the most is a curl. The most basic curl movement comes with the barbell curl. Most bodybuilders consider it to be the best biceps exercise. Performing it is very easy:

Hold a bar in a shoulder-width grip, holding arms straight towards the floor with the elbows locked an inch from your sides. The weight needs to be curled towards the chest and your back and elbows must remain fixed for better isolation. When the barbell reaches the front of the chest contract the biceps. Slowly lower the weight, applying resistance until you have a full arm stretch

Facts about Overtraining

So many bodybuilders keep referring to overtraining but I have noticed that few people actually know what that is. To put it all simple, when the intensity and volume of one's exercise is higher than the recover capacity we have a problem: overtraining. This is why an individual can no longer make progress and can loose fitness and strength, making overtraining one of the most common problems in weight training. Runners and other athletes can also experience it. If you want to know if you suffer from overtraining you should see if you have one or more of these symptoms:
* Persistent muscle soreness (Delayed onset muscle soreness)
* Persistent fatigue
* Elevated resting heart rate
* Increased susceptibility to infections
* Increased incidence of injuries
* Irritability
* Depression
* Loss of motivation
* Insomnia
* Decreased appetite
* Decreased sexual performance
* Weight loss

To treat overtraining be sure to allow your body to recover from it properly and:

* Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.
* Reducing the volume and/or the intensity of the training.
* Suitable periodization of training.
* Splitting the training program so that different sets of muscles are worked on different days.

Change your diet:

* Ensuring that calorie intake at least matches expenditure.
* Ensuring total calories are from a suitable macronutrient ratio.
* Addressing vitamin deficiencies with nutritional supplements.

Some claim spa treatments are effective but I would not recommend them:

* Deep-tissue or sports massage of the affected muscles.
* Self-massage of the affected muscles.
* Cryotherapy and thermotherapy.
* Temperature contrast therapy (contrast showers etc).

Insomnia and Types of Insomnia

Insomnia is basically a sleep disorder. It is characterized by an inability to sleep or remain asleep for a sufficient period. People that suffer from insomnia are named insomniacs and they usually complain of not being able to close their eyes or "Rest their mind" for more than some minutes a day. There are many reasons as to why Insomnia happens. It can be caused by stress, anxiety, fear, herbs, caffeine, depression, medications or bipolar disorder. It can also appear sometimes for no apparent reason. Even physical pain or an overactive mind can be causes for insomnia. What is "special" is that in order to cure insomnia you have to see what causes it. There are three main types of Insomnia:

1. Transient insomnia - lasts from one night to a few weeks. Most people occasionally suffer from transient insomnia due to such causes as jet lag or short-term anxiety. If this form of insomnia continues to occur from time to time, the insomnia is classified as intermittent.
2. Acute insomnia - is the inability to consistently sleep well for a period of between three weeks to six months.
3. Chronic insomnia - is regarded as the most serious; persists almost nightly for at least a month

How to Eat More

It may be strange for most bodybuilders that keep on trying to eat less that there are individuals out there that are struggling to eat more. Professional bodybuilders need calories and some need a lot of them. This is why there is a need to eat a lot. Unfortunately not everyone can consume so many calories. One example is former second placed at Mr. Olympia Mohamed Makkavi, who had a problem: his appetite was not enough and he felt full after a couple of bites. If you have the same problem and need more calories here is what you should try:

1. Wait until you are hungry - This is a very good rule of thumb. Just because most pros out there eat every 2 hours does not mean that everyone can. Some people have a digestive system that is simply slower and need 3 or 4 hours between meals. You need to experiment and determine how many hours you need for your appetite to come back. You might have been trying to eat to often and you metabolism might have not been able to cope with that.

2. Add more - You are trying to add a little more on your weights each week so why not try this with food? Raise the number of calories taken in with just a little more food than normal. In some weeks you should be able to eat around 20% more. Add a shake at every meal. There might be a possibility that you will feel you are eating to much if you take in more food but with a shake you can not fail as you have liquid proteins.

3. Eat faster - The human brain has different sensors that will make your appetite drop when it feels the stomach is full. However, there is a delay in signaling. This means that you can eat a lot more after you are full because the brain announces you after some time. Try to eat faster so that more food can enter your stomach until you feel "full".
I hope at least one of these three suggestions will help out.

Age does not matter

Bodybuilding is not necessarily something that you need to start young. You can see on TV a lot of examples of bodybuilders giving interviews and it is true that when asked "When did you start bodybuilding?" they will answer something like 15-16 in most cases. This does not mean that you need to be this young in order to practice this sport. You can even be successful in competitions. For instance, we have Pax Beale, which won the Mr. USA title and started bodybuilding at 54. Ed Corney started at 26 and became succesful. He even won the Mr. World title. You do not have to compete in bodybuilding, I always keep saying that but you can even do this if you have good genes and determination. Bodybuilding is as much as heart as it is body and mind. Age does not really matter when it comes to starting. It is good for anyone to practice a sport and if you enjoy bodybuilding why not do it? The same goes for fitness of course.

Training Mentality

If you have any type of problems on your mind before you start your work out it is imperative that you free yourself from them. All your mental energy needs to be channeled on your fight with the weights. Keep in mind that you should reduce talking during training to a minimum and if you do talk with somebody be sure to reconnect your concentration to your work out. If you fail in doing this you will see that your thoughts will stay at that discussion and the effort you put in lifting weights will not be as high as it should. Your mind must be ready for “war” when you train and this is a golden rule for any bodybuilder, beginner or professional.

Your Warm Up

One of the most neglected parts of a productive work out is the warm-up. The risk of having an injury is reduced to a minimum if you do a proper warm-up. You should also realize that the execution will be improved because your muscles will be better prepared for effort. Before you start the training session I have to recommend that you do at least 5 minutes of cardio workout. This is excellent for your body because you are raising its temperature and you take it to the needed status for the work out. Do not exaggerate as a cardio session must not be transformed in a training session. Doing a long warm-up will reduce the muscle’s glycogen reserves needed to sustain effort during weight work outs. After doing a warm-up you could also do a series of movements intended for all muscular groups and you have to do this before every work out.

Muscles Do Not Grow Without Nutrition

You can not use your fat deposits as an energy source during hard work outs so it is very important that you have enough glycogen reserves in your muscles in order to complete the session. It is not enough to start training as you have to successfully finish it as well. Consume around 300-400 calories coming from carbohydrates around 2 hours before work outs. People that do not train hard do not need this energy infusion but gym work outs are very tough and you will end up using a lot of calories (coming from carbohydrates). If you ever had a sense of weakness during training, as if you had suddenly remained without energy, it is because you consumed your entire reserve of carbohydrates. Your car runs on fuel and if you run out of fuel it will not work anymore. It is the exact same thing with your body. A meal made up of rice, fish, potatoes or a carbo drink/shake, 2 hours before working out, will do wonders. For those that train in the morning there is only one solution: special drinks to aid in working out.

Craig Titus – The Way to Professional Bodybuilding

Craig Titus was born in Detroit, the city where you can find the centre of all the big car companies in the USA. During high school he got his first connection with a gym and was immediately struck down with love for bodybuilding as soon as he saw results. In 1983 he weighed 65 Kg. and was 1.65 m. high. After high school he grew 5 more cm. until he was 20 and a little more afterwards.

Craig Titus started working in underground excavation, at the subway, with his father. He is still working there but Craig quit after 3 years and started a job as a personal trainer in order to earn a living while his mind was centered on a professional bodybuilding career. This is what he did since 1988. In 1991 he weighed in at 93 kg. and won the Ironman Cup for amateurs. In 1995 he weighed 103 kg. but Craig Titus lost the nationals in front of Denis Newman, which got the professional card Craig was looking for. In 1996 he decided that would be his last attempt to win the nationals and to obtain the professional bodybuilding card the winner automatically gets. If he would have won a professional career would have been a reality. If not he would come back to underground excavations with his father. It was a turning point for Craig Titus as he was turning 30 and MET-RX, a company that sponsored the bodybuilder in the past three years would have taken back the contract if he lost the nationals. His wife also divorced him after three years of loosing and not being able to raise money to raise his family, which grew with the birth of his daughter.

As you can imagine Craig Titus won the nationals and got a great two year contract with MET-RX. He became a professional bodybuilder and he categorizes himself as a refined professional, a category that includes people like Lee Labrada, Flex Wheeler and Shawn Ray among others. Craig said monsters are people like Dorian Yates, Nasser El Son Baty, Paul Dillett, Kevin Levrone and Ronnie Coleman.

Ronnie Coleman Won A Lot As Mr. Olympia

With the Mr. Olympia status you can expect to gain a lot more than just fame. Ronnie Coleman for instance made great money from other activities outside of bodybuilding like seminars, sponsorships, demonstrations and modeling. One example was a commercial for equipment made by N.P.C. Active Wear. Ronnie Coleman won outside of the competitions a total of half a million dollars in one year. As long as you are Mr. Olympia you get a lot of offers that make you gain money. Any bodybuilder that can stay on the top for 3 or 4 years can get set for a pretty well lived rest of his life. This comes in comparison to when Arnold was Mr. Olympia. In that time the winner got $1000 and around 10-15 extra during the rest of the year from seminars and demonstrations.

Stress Related Acne

Many people know that acne usually appears becaus of hormonal changes and eating habits. Few people know that acne can also be emotional. If an individual runs through a period of time that is filled with stress then that guy/girl might develop acne. The body reacts to stimulation and psychological conditions. If you are under stress the adrenal glands will immediately react to release cortisol (a hormone). As an immediate result you will get the sebaceous glands affected and sebum will be produced. It is a sticky substance that makes your skin oily. Acne will thus develop because pores will be clogged with sebum. Such conditions are usually seen in the case of students that are constantly stressed during exam sessions.

The bad thing is that we can not avoid stress. It is a part of everyone's life and the only remedy is improving our life through miditation, relaxation, doing exercises, listening to music or whatever makes us relax. Make sure you have a good night's sleep. Reduce stress to a minimum in order to reduce the risk of getting acne. Nobody wants to see a college guy or girl with a great body and full of nasty pimples.

Is Bodybuilding Dangerous?

Is body building dangerous? This is a very interesting question that I will try to answer to from my point of view. Men and women from all around the world practice it and it is a logic fact that it is popular because of the better-defined body you achieve through this sport and the general appearance of one's body. We also need to get real. Body building has its own risks and everyone should acknowledge them before even starting to lift weights.

The body building work out is hard. Overdoing the growth of the muscles is common among practitioners, especially when thinking about trying to participate and win a body building competition. Your body is very important. There are many consequences of over-working the muscles and they can turn in serious injuries. Skin is over-streched because of this sport can can cause stretch marks when you stop working out. This is in my view one the biggest problems. We can see many individuals that did go to a gym for a long time and then suddenly quit. You can easily see this on one's body. Also, when you stop working out you might end up gaining weight as your body is still used to eating the same amounts and now you do not need to eat as much as you did before stopping working out.

The best thing you can do work out under the supervision of a good instructor and exercise moderately. If your dream is not becoming Mr. Olympia like Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, Jay Cutler and so on then why over-grow those muscles? While body building, be sure to undergo a good protein diet and once you decide to stop working out be sure to continue your diet. The body stops recognizing food that is quickly used as a substitute for protein diets and this causes it to transform food in fat. be sure to exercise regularly, even if you are not body building anymore. You must keep fit once you decided to live a fit life. Taking body building to an extreme level can be very damaging so why do it?

Silvio Samuel wins His First Major Contest

The Europa Super Show in Dallas, Texas marked the win of Silvio Samuel, his first major contest win in a professional competition. Samuel actually won 2 days in a row as the day before he also won the Under 210-poung class. The bodybuilder declared:

"It all goes along with what trainer Charles Glass and I had planned. he plan was to try to get a victory and then go to the Olympia with a win. I plan on putting on some size between now and then to really give myself a chance to be at the top at the Olympia."

The competition was quite close as Bill Wilmore and Will Harris were good threats for Samuel. The interesting factor was weight. Silvio weighed in at 40 pounds less than Harris and Wilmore. Conditioning and shape proved to be the winning combination. Harris came second and Wilmore finished third.

Chris Benoit's Autopsy Does Not Shed Light

We will probably never really know what happened during the horrible weekend that saw pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and son dead some time ago. The investigations on the case have evolved a little as autopsy results came in. The scenario believed to be true is still that of Chris Benoit killing his wife and son and then hanging himself because evidence points to this alternative. What exactly happened is still not known.

Test results showed that Benoit's body contained 10 times the normal level of testosterone and it was injected shortly before he died. Drug Xanax was also found in the system together with painkiller hydrocodone. Benoit tested negative for alcohol. No other anabolic steroids were found in the wrestler's body. Dr. Kris Sperry, the state's top medical examiner declared that there was absolutely no proof of steroids that could have played a role in the deaths of Daniel and Nancy Benoit.

What was strange was that Daniel seemed to have been sedated when he was killed and Nancy had what was deemed as a "therapeutic" level of sedatives in her body. The conclusion is still not sure but it does seem like Chris Benoit murdered his wife and young child, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then killed himself. Why he did it is still not known

Interview with Great Body LL Cool J

LL Cool J was featured in the past as one of out Great Bodies. To read that entry Click Here. Now we get back to LL Cool J for an interview he did in the past for Bodybuilding.com. In most cases a nutrition and fitness book is not to be judged by the cover but with this rapper's book we might have a change of heart. "LL Cool J's Platinum Workout" is what I am talking about. Just take a look at the cover and you will understand what I am talking about. LL Cool J looks real well and one can immediately tell that he has been working hard to achieve that body. An interview for Bodybuilding.com told it all about "LL Cool J's Platinum Workout" and a whole lot more. Interesting to read.

Starvation - Marketing or Reality?

How many times did you hear in the past something like "If you go under 1000 calories you are starving"? The fact is starvation is when you do not get energy or nutrients, absolutely nothing, that is starvation. If you do not eat for 5 hours you will not starve. There are many cases of individuals undergoing days of not eating and not losing muscle mass (that much anyway).

Starvation quickly became a marketing method. I mean marketers use it as a tactic to scare people into buying supplements. This works very well with Americans because you basically end up telling people that you can lose fat by eating more, this linked with starvation marketing techniques. It sells!

By lowering calories the metabolism goes down. This is not damaging and is also not starvation. There are many diets of around 1500 calories that offer more nutrients than a 3000 calorie diet. The fact that your metabolism gets slower is not bad and after reaching your weight losing goal it does not really matter weather your metabolism is fast or not. That is when you do not have to lose fat anymore so you can keep the metabolism down.

Harold Poole is Back

Surely bodybuilding fans from around the world will be happy to hear that the former Mr. America and Mr Universe, Harold Poole, decided to return to the public eye after a very long absence. The last time he competed was at the 1982 IFBB World Pro Championship. After that he removed himself from the spotlight. We can see the interest towards bodybuilding thanks to Poole's new Website: www.haroldpoole.com You can check it out, it has some interesting information there.

Harold Poole started it all as a quarterback on his football team at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis. After that he placed fourth in the school wrestling championship and had a lot of physical achievements. His bodybuilding career was also filled with success and all culminated with the induction in the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004 and in the WBBG Hall of Fame in 2007. He still lives in Florida and keeps and training and practicing martial arts. Truly a great body and a great inspiration in bodybuilding.

What is Mr. Olympia?

Here is what every beginner bodybuilder is dreaming about: the Mr. Olympia title. Let us see some things about this competition. It is held annually by the International Federation of Bodybuilders and winning this award is considered to be the highest title you can reach in your professional bodybuilder career.

Mr. Olympia was created by none other than Joe Weider in order to get the Mr. Universe winners to compete more and earn money. The first ever Mr. Olympia took place on the 18th of September, 1965 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. The winner then was Larry Scott and the second winner was the same man in the following year.

As you might now, the record number of wins in the Mr. Olympica competition is of 8 wins, record held by Lee Haney (1984-1991) and Ronnie Coleman (1998-2005). The 2006 edition of Mr. Olympia is very interesting because it marked the first win of Jay Cutler, after he came second for 3 consecutive years. This is a great build up for this year's competition as everyone is wondering who of the two will be successful now. Others can be a surprise as well. Mr. Olympia is the biggest stage of bodybuilding and everything can happen there!

Contrary to popular belief, there are not many bodybuilders that won the title along the years. Arnold Schwarzenegger won it 7 times, Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman 8 times, Dorian Yates 6 times, Frank Zane and Sergio Oliva 5 times, Franco Columbu and Larry Scott 2 times, Chris Dickerson, Samir Bannout and Jay Cutler once. So you can see, during the 42 Mr. Olympia competitions we only had 11 winners.

Thoughts on Carbohydrates

Some people still do not get it: you can not pack on hard and lean muscle mass if you only focus on protein. You need to take carbs in. The problem is that not all carbohydrates are good for you. Complex carbs food is the right approach to the situation. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and are slowly digestible. This slow digestion is ideal because you end up getting "fuel" during your entire work out. You simply need carbs for training and all is as simple as that so remember that! Avoid sugar, honey, jam, cakes, chocolate and so on. These are simple carbohydrates that do you no good as they do not have high nutritional value.

Thinking about complex carbs, you should eat oatmeal, brown rice, brown bread, sweet potatoes, yams and similiar food in your daily diet. Fibrous carbohydrates must not be avoided. This includes green beans, asparagus, brocoli, cauliflower and so on. By consuming these you avoid constipation and regulate bowel activity, making it more effective.