MuscleandHealth.OrgWeight Lifting and Muscle Building leads to a better quality of life.
Build Muscle to Look and Feel Better!
Build Muscle to Look and Feel Better!
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Weight Lifting Programs: Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced
Weight lifting routines, muscle building workouts, and weight lifting supplements. Learn how to build muscle by weightlifting.
A 100% FREE web site! No registrations, sign ups or log ins required to obtain access to all your muscle building needs. Beginner, intermediate and advanced weight lifting plans.
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Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced: They may be done as a progression or as stand alone weight lifting routines. Phase 1 teaches the most effective way to build muscle. Phase 2 expands the good training habits and builds to a complete weight lifting program. Phase 3 takes muscle building to the "life style" level.Detailed "how to's"of all the various lifts, including modifying moves and expert tips, as well as loads of motivational, diet and nutritional advice.
Building Muscle Phase 1
Building Muscle Phase 2
Building Muscle Phase 3
The Latest in How to Build Muscle, Muscle Building and Weight Lifting |
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‘That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ didn’t just pop into someone’s mind one day. That’s not to say that near death is how a quality workout feel’s, but, in the bell curve of success you can guess where a real difference making session lands. Think of it this way: if I bench 200 lbs for 5 reps and you do 20 reps at 50 lbs, the same poundage results. You moved it. I lifted it. Both can say they did a 1000 lbs of work. But which of us would have worked harder? You can guess which has the greater muscle building effect.
People talk about all sorts of lifting theory. Go heavy. Low reps. Work the negative. Train upper today, lower tomorrow. Push today, pulls tomorrow. Go slow. Long rest periods. Go fast. Do intervals. Pyramid. Rest 2 days between workouts. Rest 2 days between body parts. On and on. So why did person one choose 5 reps and person two 20 reps? I don't think it's a "lazy" thing, or they wouldn't be in the gym in the first place. Maybe a lack of knowledge? Possibly. I think it's that most people do not realize how strong they really are. I see people grunt on the leg press with less weight on it than their body weighs! And then get off and walk away thinking they made their legs stronger. Clearly, they sincerely do not realize how strong their legs actually are.
Once you’re in the gym it basically comes down to a frame of mind. Successful lifters (people that actually do change their bodies for the better) better understand their capabilities and feel they can lift what ever is on the bar, and the more the better. Less successful lifters lift what ever they can and the "more" they can't. Difference makers believe ‘I can lift that.’ Everyone else think's ‘I can’t believe you lift that’. Yoda said it best, “and that is why you fail”.
Muscle building is really not any more complicated than that
The Secret of Successful Muscle Building
People ask me all the time why all their gym time isn’t having the desired effect on their physique. If the “desired effect” is too build muscle, I have to be very careful how I answer. They are in the gym and that’s a heck of a lot better than many other places they could be spending their free time. But the answer for 95% of people who ask this is the same, they move the weights instead of lifting them. Now literally there isn’t any difference. But figuratively it is THE difference.‘That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ didn’t just pop into someone’s mind one day. That’s not to say that near death is how a quality workout feel’s, but, in the bell curve of success you can guess where a real difference making session lands. Think of it this way: if I bench 200 lbs for 5 reps and you do 20 reps at 50 lbs, the same poundage results. You moved it. I lifted it. Both can say they did a 1000 lbs of work. But which of us would have worked harder? You can guess which has the greater muscle building effect.
People talk about all sorts of lifting theory. Go heavy. Low reps. Work the negative. Train upper today, lower tomorrow. Push today, pulls tomorrow. Go slow. Long rest periods. Go fast. Do intervals. Pyramid. Rest 2 days between workouts. Rest 2 days between body parts. On and on. So why did person one choose 5 reps and person two 20 reps? I don't think it's a "lazy" thing, or they wouldn't be in the gym in the first place. Maybe a lack of knowledge? Possibly. I think it's that most people do not realize how strong they really are. I see people grunt on the leg press with less weight on it than their body weighs! And then get off and walk away thinking they made their legs stronger. Clearly, they sincerely do not realize how strong their legs actually are.
Once you’re in the gym it basically comes down to a frame of mind. Successful lifters (people that actually do change their bodies for the better) better understand their capabilities and feel they can lift what ever is on the bar, and the more the better. Less successful lifters lift what ever they can and the "more" they can't. Difference makers believe ‘I can lift that.’ Everyone else think's ‘I can’t believe you lift that’. Yoda said it best, “and that is why you fail”.
Muscle building is really not any more complicated than that
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A Healthful Cookout
What's better than a backyard barbeque on a summer weekend? Not much. Unless you know how to turn it from a calorie and fat fest into another muscle building block of your healthy life style, of course. As you should know by now nutrition and diet are as important to muscle building as weight lifting is. So check this backyard grilling feast out and build muscle even when relaxing on your deck. |
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First, let’s define “ripped” in realistic terms. Anything at or less than 20% body fats will show definition very nicely. Doctors consider anything from 14-20% to be in the healthy range. But if you want abs to show through you have to be below 14%. I can tell you from experience the average, not obese person is between 25-30%, with fairly serious regular lifters in the 18-23% range, and serious ones in the 12-17% range. The real point here is that 5% one way or the other is a lot.
Ultimate How to Get Ripped Guide
Ultimate How to Get Ripped Guide
The fastest way to look muscular is to get lean. People with average muscle mass look great if they are cut. But nothing looks better than seeing the clean lines of hard muscle. The number one most popular fitness goal is chiseled abs, but really everything looks better when you’re ripped. Here’s how to do it.First, let’s define “ripped” in realistic terms. Anything at or less than 20% body fats will show definition very nicely. Doctors consider anything from 14-20% to be in the healthy range. But if you want abs to show through you have to be below 14%. I can tell you from experience the average, not obese person is between 25-30%, with fairly serious regular lifters in the 18-23% range, and serious ones in the 12-17% range. The real point here is that 5% one way or the other is a lot.
Ultimate How to Get Ripped Guide
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When To Work Your Biceps: Part 2I have received numerous requests to be a bit more specific with my thoughts on this matter. Before reading this article please read the first part to give yourself the proper context. Like any advice about muscle building, consider the source, and realize that any generalizations that are made, are just that. You can feel free to do as you wish. My goal is to help you develop more muscle. Everywhere. So that you can have more strength, that leads to better overall health and a better quality of life.When I comment that when I see people grab a set of dumbbells and blast out a couple sets of curls, that it is a “waste of time and effort”, I am referring to the big picture. You’ll notice that none of the people who do this have massive arms. You got 18” arms? You the man, and YOU can do isolation exercises and build entire workouts around your arms. This is the rule of thumb for those of you who don’t……. When To Work Your Biceps - Part 2 |
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In a society increasingly preoccupied with anti-aging, more people begin serious training later in life. Did they miss the boat by not starting as teenagers, when energy and hormones run at their highest? You could say that, but then again they used to say that about having children. Now having children a little later in life is seen as smarter because of the advantages more mature, established couples have over their young counterparts. I can make the same arguments for weight lifting.
Clearly you are ultimately better off if fitness has been a life long pursuit. “Abusing” your body as a youth (which I consider up to 30) is like not saving for retirement as a young person. You miss out on the time frame when gains are the easiest and getting that head start can put you way ahead by the time you reach 40. BUT, by the same token you have advantages at 40 you didn’t have at 20 and as I like to say “it’s a long game (hopefully)”.
Over 40 Weight Lifting Advantages
Over 40 Weight Lifting Advantages
In a society increasingly preoccupied with anti-aging, more people begin serious training later in life. Did they miss the boat by not starting as teenagers, when energy and hormones run at their highest? You could say that, but then again they used to say that about having children. Now having children a little later in life is seen as smarter because of the advantages more mature, established couples have over their young counterparts. I can make the same arguments for weight lifting.
Clearly you are ultimately better off if fitness has been a life long pursuit. “Abusing” your body as a youth (which I consider up to 30) is like not saving for retirement as a young person. You miss out on the time frame when gains are the easiest and getting that head start can put you way ahead by the time you reach 40. BUT, by the same token you have advantages at 40 you didn’t have at 20 and as I like to say “it’s a long game (hopefully)”.
Over 40 Weight Lifting Advantages
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Is Protein Supplementation Necessary to Build Muscle?This website is about learning how to build muscle by weight lifting. I give you a path to follow that has worked for me, and I think will work for everyone. I believe in certain bodybuilding truths.So the honest answer to this question is that it depends. What it depends on is how seriously do you wish to take getting fit and building muscle? It is widely accepted that protein provides the building blocks necessary for your muscles to grow. For example who needs more protein, a 12 year old soccer player or a 25 year old weight lifter? The answer might surprise you................. Is Protein Supplementation Necessary to Build Muscle? |
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When most people hear the term Muscle Building Supplements, steroids and Barry Bonds (why it isn't Marian Jones I can't explain) come to mind.
But then most people are over weight, out of shape and not sure what to do about it.
For 99.9% of people who build muscle, supplements are Creatine and protein. And protein is amino acids. And people who build muscle are women almost as often as they are men. Or at least it SHOULD be that way. Ladies you need protein as much as men and this article will explain it all.
AMINO ACIDS: A GIRL'S GUIDE
The building blocks of protein can also be the building blocks of all your workout goals
When most people hear the term Muscle Building Supplements, steroids and Barry Bonds (why it isn't Marian Jones I can't explain) come to mind. But then most people are over weight, out of shape and not sure what to do about it.
For 99.9% of people who build muscle, supplements are Creatine and protein. And protein is amino acids. And people who build muscle are women almost as often as they are men. Or at least it SHOULD be that way. Ladies you need protein as much as men and this article will explain it all.
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Bodybuilding Facts: Before and After Photo’s, The TruthMuscle building and fat loss goals are things to be taken seriously. They can be the literal difference between life and death for some people. The decision to change one’s physical appearance is a huge one, something to not be taken lightly. It is life changing. Every aspect of your life improves, from the obvious physical changes to the less obvious boost in self confidence and the even less obvious way in which every one around you treats you. Especially the people who don’t know you and make their initial judgments of you on how you look and carry yourself.Have you ever seen the site’s with the amazing photos of the complete body transformation? Of course you have. Believe it or not, 99% of them are true and legitimate before and after photos. And the transformations are amazing indeed. Here is what they don’t show you. Bodybuilding Facts: Before and After Photo, The Truth |
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Phase 1 Plan Modified to Burn Fat
More proof positive of my beliefs that muscle building is the BEST long term way to handle weight issues. Here is the expert's description of how to use my Phase 1 lifting theories to burn fat verses build mass.
Simply a matter of adjusting weight amounts down and reps up, slightly, and a reduction of rest time between sets. But still using all compound moves for a total body workout. No Cardio!
WARNING: You should have a base of experience doing Phase 1 of at least a month before trying this.
Weight Lifting Routines: 5 Ways to Burn More Fat
It doesn't take fancy cardio equipment to burn bodyfatPhase 1 Plan Modified to Burn Fat
More proof positive of my beliefs that muscle building is the BEST long term way to handle weight issues. Here is the expert's description of how to use my Phase 1 lifting theories to burn fat verses build mass.Simply a matter of adjusting weight amounts down and reps up, slightly, and a reduction of rest time between sets. But still using all compound moves for a total body workout. No Cardio!
WARNING: You should have a base of experience doing Phase 1 of at least a month before trying this.
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How Long Before I Start Seeing Results?Without a doubt this is the most often asked question of everybody who is relatively new to weight lifting and fitness. If only the asker new what a complex can of worms they had opened by asking. Before I even attempt to answer, let’s look a little deeper at the QUESTION itself.How Long Before I Start Seeing Results? |
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Phase 3 Lifters Only! This is a very advanced workout!
Generally I am not a fan of "fat loss" and "muscle building" done together. Though I get the whole cross training thing, and for full body fitness, it's hard to beat.
This workout takes it to a whole 'nother level. Tough compound moves combined with sprinting. WOW! This was the hardest cross training work out I've ever done.
For those of you who try it, I would be very interested in knowing your times. Check it out here and good luck!
Weight Lifting Routines: Big weight workout that also burns body fat
Try this full-body blitzPhase 3 Lifters Only! This is a very advanced workout!
Generally I am not a fan of "fat loss" and "muscle building" done together. Though I get the whole cross training thing, and for full body fitness, it's hard to beat. This workout takes it to a whole 'nother level. Tough compound moves combined with sprinting. WOW! This was the hardest cross training work out I've ever done.
For those of you who try it, I would be very interested in knowing your times. Check it out here and good luck!
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Female Workouts: Tone Zone
You don't have to look hard to notice most women prefer other forms of weight training than to simply throw iron around. Nothing builds mass and strength like weight lifting. But for all around fitness workouts using Bosus, balance boards and fitness balls are hard to beat. More and more workouts are being designed around these items. Here is a 20 minute workout (maybe 30) from Womens Health Mag Online that hits every muscle and focuses on all around fitness and muscle toning. Men, you can use it too! |
Weight Lifting Programs:
Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced: They may be done as a progression or as stand alone weight lifting routines. Phase 1 teaches the most effective way to build muscle. Phase 2 expands the good training habits and builds to a complete weight lifting program. Phase 3 takes muscle building to the "life style" level.Something for everyone and FREE. Learn, enjoy.
How to Build Muscle by Weight Lifting - Phase 1Building Muscle Phase 1 |
Are You A Phase 2 Weight Lifter?Muscle building is a continuum. There is no “end” to it. No matter who you are, you can have more muscle than you do. You can be more fit than you are.It has nothing to do with AGE, sex or most importantly, your current physical state.
So, of course, people today look at Coleman and repeat “how can anybody be any bigger and better?” But they can, and they will. Coleman himself improved dramatically from his first title through his last, 8 years later, and he was not a "young" man. The point is, if bodies as developed as Arnold was and Coleman is, can still build more muscle, safe to say you can to. Are You A Phase 2 Weight Lifter? Are You a Phase 3 Weight Lifter? |
This Months Most Popular Weightlifting Supplement
Optimum 100% Whey Protein, 2 Lbs.- $21.99
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Like its predecessors, this canister of ON 100% Whey Gold Standard contains Optimum Nutrition's proprietary blend of...
* Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolates
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* HydroWhey Hydrolyzed Whey Peptides
From: Bodybuilding.com
The 5 Most Common Muscle Building MistakesThe first and probably the most common is doing too many reps. If doing a lot of reps was the way to build size wouldn’t carpenters have arms like Arnold did? Or wouldn’t marathon runners have huge legs? Only doing high rep (anything over 8) work outs will NEVER allow you to add size and mass. Secondly most people do not use enough weight. This is partially because of the high rep counts they do. The idea of “lifting big to get big” seems so obvious, yet few do it. Who is bigger and stronger, the person who lifts 500 lbs once or the person who lifts 100 lbs 5 times? They both move 500 lbs of weight, but the mass building effect of each is totally different. You will NEVER add mass or get stronger if you don’t try lifting weight amounts that you presently can’t! How does anybody ever think their muscles will grow to handle loads that they never try to lift? It is the essence of muscle building! Thirdly, most people lack the workout routine necessary to build muscle. The workouts they do seem to have no rhyme or reason. Building muscle requires a plan. Your workouts should follow that plan. You can not show up at the gym and begin doing stuff and expect it to have a positive effect on your physique. Until you adopt a muscle building plan and stick to it any gain you get will be by sheer effort and luck. The fourth common error I see is you can not, efficiently build mass and lose weight/fat at the same time. One, the other, but most likely both, will fail. This means lifting for mass gains and doing a lot of cardio exercise simultaneously will undermine your efforts. And not why you think. It has nothing to do with calorie burn. Adding muscle to your body requires a MAXIMUM effort in the weight room. If you have the energy to do a bunch of cardio before or after your lifting, then you left mass building in the gym. You should be physically spent after a muscle building session. And most definitely don’t dilute a lifting session by doing cardio first. The last common mistake I see people make is related to the previous one. Some people try to make the case that cardio workouts done on non-lifting days is the answer to the above problem. I will say it’s better than doing it the same day, but the truth really is that you need to rest 100% on your non-lifting days because it is on these days that your muscles actually do their growing. Allowing your muscles to recover is the only way you are strong enough to go back in the gym and lift more than you did before. Which is what muscle building is all about, isn’t it? |
This Months Featured Weightlifting Supplement
Get Jacked With Ultra-Intense Muscle Gorging Strength - Energy - Power & Endurance!
USPlabs Jack3d, 225 Grams - $24.99
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Like having tons of energy, strength, stamina and endurance for your workouts? Who doesn't? There's nothing like the right combination of compounds taken pre-workout to deliver consistently mind-blowing workouts to help you achieve your goals. After all, if your workouts suck, you can all but forget about making killer progress anytime soon.
USPLabs Jack3d gives you the mad aggressive desire and ability to lift more weight, pump out more reps and have crazy lasting energy, along with sick muscle-engorging pumps.
From: Bodybuilding.com
Visitor's Top Choices: The "Best Of" MuscleandHealth |
Weight Lifting Routines: 40 is the New 20
(Which MUST mean that 50 is the new 25?!?!)
I didn't really start having any success as a weight lifter (success defined as actually adding muscle mass to my body)
until I was 40. So my lifting style and philosophies are shaped by that. Clearly they are different than when I was younger, but for me, different in that I was NOT a successful muscle builder as a younger man.
Bonus Tip:
What's important to get from this article is that I and even he, as a former pro, can still add mass well into middle age. BTW, I do DO things at 52 that people half my age would have struggled with 20 years ago. We have come a long way.......................
Weight Lifting Routines: 40 is the New 20
How Much Protein Do You Really Need to Build MuscleI can not believe the amount of misinformation there is on this topic. Depending on your source you will read everything from the governments RDA of .36 gram per pound of body weight, to some bodybuilding sites that go as high as 2 grams per pound and everything in between. The answer is “in between”.But there is more to it than that. Once you have a little understanding it’s quite simple to figure out the right amount of protein that YOU need to add lean muscle mass....... How Much Protein Do You Really Need to Build Muscle |
Add 2 Inches to Your Arms
I have written two of the most read and copied arm articles to hit the internet in a while (Google the titles and see):How to Get Big Arms
How to Build Muscle for Bigger Arms
so I feel I know a good arm workout when I see one. Check out this muscle building arm workout from 2006 Add 2 Inches to Your Arms from the Men's Health archive, complete with nine video demonstrations. It emphasizes the basics, which just happens to be what works. Good stuff!
Weight Lifting Routines: How Much Rest to Take Between SetsWeight lifting routines are comprised of the exercises you’ll do combined with the amount of sets and reps. But there is another component and it might just be the most important. How much time to rest between each set.If you read each of my three muscle building plans, you will see that I offer a recommended number of sets and reps per set, but make no mention of the time to rest between each set. I DO give a time frame for how much rest to take between each workout and body part. Why do you suppose that is? How Much Rest to Take Between Sets |
Double Your Bench!
Phase 3 Lifters Only! This is a very advanced routine!A headline like that gets peoples attention and implies "do this" and achieve the result now. WRONG! Serious lifters know this kind of hype is just that, hype. But they also know with the right muscle building plan, doubling your bench press is not only attainable but ultimately expected.
This routine will help you get to this very specific goal much quicker than following your present chest routine. It's designed by power lifters for the specific purpose of becoming stronger in the chest. I use it for a month at a time as a "shock treatment". Know right now that to do this routine AND train other muscle groups you will need to be training 6 times a week. You have been WARNED!
Double Your Bench
Weight Lifting Routines: Behind the Head Shoulder PressCan this "never do" movement be safe and build massive shoulders?Phase 3 Lifters Only! This is an advanced workout technique!  How many times have you heard to NOT do behind the head movements? The people that say this are GENERALLY right. Why? Because they are very HARD and IF you don't do it correctly, you WILL wreck your shoulder joint. BUT, done properly, NOTHING builds the mass of your shoulders faster. NOTHING. That includes presses done in front and every other shoulder movement. I recommend this 3:49 second video, which explains in great detail how to do it properly and why it is so effective. WARNING: If you are over 50 (maybe even 40) OR you have shoulder issues already, don't even THINK about doing this movement, UNLESS your ego is in check and you use APPROPRIATE weight. Seriously, this is a difficult exercise. |
How to Build Muscle for Bigger Legs
If you watch a lot of people in the gym you would think their legs are only used to hold the upper body high enough for people to see it. Close to half the bodies muscle mass is below the waist, yet training it is an after thought for most. This is partly due to the fact that leg training is very hard and the most common leg exercise, the squat , is very difficult if you have any back issues. This routine shows how to build muscle in your legs without squats.How To Build Muscle For Bigger Legs
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This site is solely for informational and educational purposes. It is not intended as medical advice.
Consult a physician before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or supplementation program....Disclaimer
Copyright 2007-2008 Steve R. Robbins. All rights reserved.
