The Fitness Zone

There are a lot of things that come into play when trying to keep your body fit and healthy but the most important one most people don’t take into consideration is sleep. Our body needs sleep to survive, a good nights sleep is important for our overall health and ability to function throughout the day. With busy schedules and hours of homework and studying it is hard to get enough sleep each night.

Sleep is important for body builders because while we are asleep it gives our body the time to produce growth hormone which helps your muscles heal and grow faster from exercise. For the average person 7-8 hours of sleep a day is the best amount. If we do not give our bodies enough time to rest it can lead to sleep loss which can cause depression, headaches, and even impaired heart functioning.

Overall sleep is really important when it comes to our everyday life and mental state of mind as well as in body building. We can’t expect our body to grow and recover after a workout without giving it enough time to rest and recover.

 

Weight training, no matter what kind is beneficial both mentally and physically. It can help you build muscle, gain strength, and feel overall better about youself. A common misconception I hear a lot in the gym is to not start off simple. Stick to the basics and create a plan with a long term goal. Do research online and study more about what body type you are and different exercises you can do that will increase hypertrophy. Above is a good guide to follow when trying to build muscle and lose fat!

When trying to reach your fitness goals people often might think they have to push their body to the limits to see results but that is not the case. A lot of people go to the gym everyday but they don’t realize that mixing a couple off days in during your week is beneficial in building both strength and muscle. When we workout we are doing a lot of damage to our muscles. In order for our muscles to grow, and for our strength to increase we must give our muscles time to heal after a workout. Some people don’t believe in days off, but myself personally I do.

I used to have a strict workout routine, Monday through Saturday with Sunday being my off day. After following this for a while I started to work in another off day during the week. I noticed when I started to take that extra day off my muscles really got the recovery they needed. I would feel less sore after taking the day off and when I got back in the gym the day after I could tell my body was ready and wasn’t lingering from the day before. I started to see my strength slowly increase as well as recovery.

Not enough rest after a workout can lead to over-training syndrome. When you perform excessive amounts of exercise without the right amount of rest you can experience some side effects including decreased performance, fatigue, and or poor sleeping habits. It is crucial to have a well balanced diet, workout routine, and incorporate enough rest days to make sure your body is recovered and ready for the next workout ahead.

Everyone has looked at their arms before and have thought they were “too small” or are just not satisfied with where they are at. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are neglecting your arms during training but it could be due to the things you are not doing or how you are performing them.

The main key is consistency. If you go to the gym to socialize with people and are not completely focussed and consistent with your workouts you are not really focussing on the task at hand. Also a lot of people tend to jump into heavier weight thinking it will help them grow bigger arms but in reality one must learn and be consistent with good form to develop a good base before you start to increase intensity.

Another good tip for building bigger arms is to perform high volume exercises. For your muscles to grow, or reach “hypertrophy” you need to essentially increase the volume of the exercises you are performing to do the most damage to your muscle fibers which will cause your biceps to grow. This can be done by either increasing the weight while keeping in mind good form, or focussing on the Eccentric (downward phase) of the movement to cause the most damage to your muscle fibers.

Lastly, trying different types of movements can also help with building bigger arms. The 3 types of movement are Concentric or muscle shortening, Isometric or when the muscle is neither shortening or lengthening and Eccentric, or muscle lengthening. Besides eccentric and concentric movements, isometric movements are also a good way to hit your biceps in a different way. This can be done by performing a biceps curl but pausing for 2 seconds halfway on the down phase. Its always good to confuse your muscles and perform exercises they are not used to to stimulate muscle growth. Iv started to notice my arms are more sore after a workout and have also seen an increase in size after I started to focus on these things.

There are many reasons as to why people enjoy going to the gym and working out. The gym can benefit you in a lot of ways other than simply helping you lost weight and gain muscle. Studies have been shown that if you keep a regular excursive regimen it can actual combat health conditions and diseases. Heart disease and high blood pressure can both be prevented by regular exercise. Exercise can also improve cognitive function and help lower the risk of death from certain illnesses.

Exercise has even been proved to improve ones mood. If you are having a bad day or going through a stressful part in your life going to the gym and being active can help blow off some steam. Physical activity actually stimulates chemicals in the brain that can leave you feeling happier, relaxed and less anxious. When you exercise regularly, your appearance can make you feel better about yourself and overall boost your confidence and improve your self esteem.

Overall Exercise is a great way to feel better, boost your health and keep your body healthy in in shape. It does not take much to keep yourself physically active, as long as you put some time aside everyday for physical activity you will feel the difference in your body after the first month. When I first started working out regularly I noticed after a few months I was sleeping better, my mood was better and I am more confident in myself.

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Many of you have heard of protein shakes and pre workout but do you know the reason behind taking supplements when you work out? Supplements are commonly used by bodybuilders, weightlifters, mixed martial arts, and athletes for the hopes of increased energy, muscle mass, and even faster recovery times. There are a lot of different supplements on the market that do different things.

Protein for example is one of the most important supplements you can take while you are working out and trying to gain muscle. It is crucial to take in at least 20-25 grams of protein within 30 minutes after a workout so your muscles can be refueled and begin to repair and grow. Protein is a key factor in our whole body so it is important to make sure your diet includes enough protein. Once I started to incorporate higher amounts of protein in my diet I started to see a difference in my muscle size and the energy I’ve been having in the gym.

Another supplement that is used by a lot of athletes is amino acids. BCAA’s can be found in a lot of your everyday foods and provide us with a lot of different benefits. The Amino Acid Leucine can actually stimulate our body to increase protein synthesis which helps us build muscle faster. After a hard workout we often wake up the next day feeling really sore. This is called DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which can last up to 72 hours after exercise. Several studies have been shown that BCAA’s can help with muscle soreness and decrease creatine kinase levels that cause the muscle to be sore.

Overall there are a lot of different supplements out there that can help you in different ways such as creatine, pre workout, ect. It is important to make sure you research what you are taking because supplements are good for you when used in the right ways. I have personally added a few supplements to my workout routine and have found a lot of benefits when taking them such as strength gains and quicker recovery times.

There are a lot of different movements when it comes to working out. A Concentric movement is when the muscle you are working out is shortening, for example a biceps curl. Eccentric contractions are when the muscle lengthens in response to a greater opposing force. Isometric contractions are when you generate force with no change in the length of the muscle. When you are working out it is important to incorporate these movements into your workout. Eccentric movements are what is going to benefit you the most in building muscle due to the stress put on the muscle. I have recently started to incorporate eccentric movements by slowing bringing down each repetition instead of quickly and I felt the difference almost instantly. Instead of rushing through your workouts and sets, take your time and really feel the contraction of the muscle you are trying to work.

We have all seen that person who walks into the gym and goes right for the bench or squat rack to try and lift as much weight was possible without warming them selves up. A lot of people do not realize that if they do not stretch and warm their muscles up before working out it can leave them at risk for getting injured in the future. Stretching allows us to prepare our bodies for an intense workout and can help prevent muscle strains due to the increase in range of motion from stretching. It really only takes about 10-15 minutes to properly warm up your body and joints prior to working out to keep yourself healthy and injury free. Above are a few exercises to do prior to starting your workout. They are easy and will only take a few minutes but will help prevent your body from getting injured in the long run!

Welcome to The Fitness Zone. This blog is here to post gym exercises that can be done by anyone who is looking to get in shape and starting building muscle/losing fat. Stretches and other exercises will also be shared to help keep your body healthy and prevent injury.