A brief overview.

1. Setting Goals

Before you even begin your training, it is important to identify your primary goal. I say primary, because whether you choose to lose fat or gain muscle the other will be a secondary effect.

2. Base Metabolic Rate and Other tools

There are some tools you will need. First is an understanding of basal metabolic rate and your daily caloric requirements. 2nd, you will need a good body fat scale and a notebook.

You should weigh yourself no more than twice a week and no less than every 2 weeks. Weigh-in should always be at the same time and preferably first thing in the morning, and it is even better if it is always the same day (ex. every Wednesday at 7am). Make a note of your weight and Body Fat Percentage (BF%).

Your weight notebook should have 5 columns, Date, Weight, BF%, Fat Lbs and Other Lbs. It is very important to calculate the Lb values. Fat Lbs is your total weight multiplied by your BF% divided by 100 ex. 200lb x 10% / 100 = 20lbs of fat. Other Lbs is your total body weight minus your fat lbs: 200-20 = 180

Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator
(http://gururwm.googlepages.com/basal_metabolic_rate_calculator.htm)

(http://testoster-zone.blogspot.com/2008/02/managing-your-training-and-diet-losing.html)

3. Macro Nutrient requirements

What do I consider to be Macro Nutrient values? Calories, Protein, Carbs, Fat. Try not to make your diet too complicated. Calculate you base calorie needs using the calculator below. If your goal in section 1 is to gain muscle, add 500 calories. If your goal is to lose fat, subtract 500 calories. Also, I believe in keeping diet simple. Your diet should include only whole foods you prepare yourself: Lean meats, fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk and grains.

Protein: 0.5g to 1g per pound of bodyweight

Carbs: As a general rule, eat all the vegetables you want, limit your fruit to a maximum of 4 servings per day. If you are trying to lose fat, avoid complex carbs (pasta, rice, potatoes etc) after noon. If you are trying to gain muscle, have some complex carbs later in the day.
Fat: This will take care of itself with your meat, eggs and milk.
Calories: Base Rate plus/minus 500

4. Workout

5 days a week. 3 on one off, 2 on 1 off.

Weights

Bench Press (chest, push)

Dumbbell Flies (chest, push)

Barbell/Dumbbell/Cable Rows (back, Pull)

Lat Pull downs (back, pull)

Shoulder Press (shoulders, push)

Upright Rows (shoulders, push/pull)

Triceps Press (triceps, push)

Bicep Curls (bicep, pull)

Forearm Curls (forearms, push/pull)

Squats (legs)

Dead lift (legs)

Calf Raises (legs)

Optional

Thigh Extensions (legs)

Hamstring Curls (legs)

Cardio

Brisk Walking

Jogging

Exercise Bike

Rowing

Elliptical

To lose fat: Cardio should be done 4 or 5 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour. 2 times a week, reduce your cardio to 30 minutes and do a circuit of the weight exercises. Your circuit should be sets of 20-25 reps of each exercise with no rest between exercise sets.

To Gain Muscle: Split these exercises into 2 groups and do group A on day 1 and 4, and group B on day 2 and 5. On day 3, do light cardio, stretching and body weight callisthenics (push-ups, bodyweight squats and lunges etc). Try and do your push exercises all on one day and pulls on the other. Do light cardio (20 minutes) 1 or 2 days of the week.

Martyn is a successful internet marketer and runs such blogs as:

http://www.hotpulp.com (Totally untrue celebrity News)

http://testoster-zone.blogspot.com (Fitness and workout site)

http://affiliate-journey.blogspot.com (Affiliate Marketing Resource)

Learn how to trigger the effects of androsterone and get a perfect abdomen

Bodybuilding is not a sport for everyone; it’s a sport of dedication, and a sport that requires a lot of sacrifice from someone. Other than buffing up, many people start body building to develop a great abdomen. So, evidently many are asking questions about the development of a perfect abdomen, or otherwise known, a six pack.

Firstly, if you want to know how to develop a great abdomen, you must understand that the majority of abdomen exercises are not very effective in getting rid of belly fat. Many of the people that start bodybuilding have excess fat in the abdominal area. Furthermore, many amateur body builders don’t have the knowledge of getting rid of fat in the abdominal area.

A lot of people start doing abdominal exercises in hope that they will get rid of belly fat, like fat in the abdominal area it aint going to disappear over night like some sort of cure. Therefore, many people start exercises that are quite inappropriate for getting rid of belly fat.

I say all this because you must realize that these workouts, workouts for the abdomen, will not help you get rid of your belly fat. What exercises for abdomen do is strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles located beneath your belly fat. To get rid of belly fat you must take it to a whole different level of exercise. You must seek exercises and workouts that increase your metabolic rate; only this way will you be able to get rid of belly fat.

Also, a workout that is concentrated on the whole body will promote the burning of body fat. This is the first step towards your six packs or perfect ab.

If you want to proceed down the road toward the perfect abdomen, you really need to understand that a full body, intensely workout combined with a great diet, full of proteins and nutrients is required to start getting rid of the fat surrounding your abdomen.

Abdomen exercises include leg raises and crunches, these are a great way of hardening your abdominal muscles, but you must realize that in the meantime you must also turn your attention to losing the fat surrounding your abs, only then will you be able to see how your ab looks.

In closing, keep in mind that a full intense workout and a careful diet are the best ways to make use of androsterone and create a healthy body with a clean, strengthened abdomen.

Discover the body building product we use - androsterone Guide

Jean Helmet is one of the editors at a collection of nutritional and health web sites, you can learn more about herbal our produc of choice at - Androsterone Reviews.

There are several fast ways to build muscle. If you mix them then you get maximum result in a short period of time. Before I share with you these tips, I want to let you know that there are no natural ways to build muscles extremely fast. Stay realistic and goal-oriented and you will undoubtedly build the muscles you desire. Do not get upset or disappointed, if you don’t see the results fast enough. Just know you are going to be there no matter what and don’t give up.

1. Regular work out. The first and most important thing to build muscles is to create the work-out program that would suit you. The second thing is to follow it. Remember that only persistent work can bring good results. Make a commitment to work out. Plan your week and include regular work-outs in your plan. During one work-out don’t try to build all of your muscles at once. Train some groups of muscles on one day and other groups on another. Make the intensity of your work-outs very high. Give 100% effort.

2. Healthy and nutrient-rich diet is the second way to increase the speed of your muscle growth. Muscles need a lot of energy and the growth material. Fat and carbohydrates are the energy sources and protein is the building material. There are “good” and “bad” carbs and fats. Good carbs are poly carbs. They are digested slowly and do not turn into fat like simple or mono carbs do. “Good” fats are non-saturated fats. They are non animal fats. These fats don’t cause heart diseases like animal fats do. So be selective in the energy sources. Eat more protein if you are expecting your muscles to grow fast.

3. Give your muscles the proper rest. Some people think that if they worked out every day and don’t rest, they would build their muscles fast. This is not true. Muscles need some time to recover and to restore their fibers from the damage done during the training. Muscle fibers brake during the work-out, that creates he stimuli for muscles to grow. The growth happens during rest. So do not spend your time in the gym ineffectively. Give your muscles at least 48 hour for relaxing. You can use visualization exercises at the rest time. Picture yourself working out. It absolutely helps too.

Combine these fast ways to build muscles and the time where you will enjoy your new perfect body will arrive quickly.

Free report reveals how to “Avoid Fatal 8 Muscle-Building Mistakes”. To discover 8 crucial, powerful steps that should be applied to ANY muscle-building program visit: http://www.muscle-building-mistakes.com/

The Final Moments Backstage Then… Showtime

The frenzied pumping and posing then moved to the almost serene silence as our class was lined up in the backstage alcove. We waited anxiously in the darkness for the stagehand’s signal that would drive us out under the bright lights to the howls and screams of an unruly crowd desperate to cheer, jeer, or revere the latest crop of bodybuilding hopefuls.

My mind thought back to what it must been like thousands of years before as the Christians were flushed out into the Roman Colliseum to be gored and eaten by lions as blood thirsty crowd howled with glee. It appears after nearly 2000 years not a whole lot has changed.

The Contest and time onstage is an almost surreal. The depletion of dieting, dehydration, and diuretics, all combine to confuse the athletes onstage and the crowd noise muffles the commands of the Chief Judge as he calls out the various mandatory poses. The burning sensation in my muscle reaches almost unbearable levels as my muscles cramp, flex, and ripple under the blinding glare of the lights.

Time seemingly stands still as I hold each pose in a statue like stillness trying my best to keep from shaking form the intense muscular contractions. My chest heaves between poses as my lungs gasp for air and I taste my own blood in my parched mouth. I paint a well-practiced smile on my face, as I move from one skin splitting pose to another, making it look as if I am taking an enjoyable stroll on a cool spring morning for my morning paper.

Half of the crowd howls with delight while the other half tries to dampen their cheers with a chorus of boos as the judges make the selections. The stone-faced judges, all veteran competitors themselves, scan the line of bodybuilders with only the slightest move of their pencils as they decide the fate of few before them.

Before you know it the MC’s voice booms over the speakers and we are ushered off the stage gasping for air, staggering to and fro to find our gym bags where we hastily grab the tiniest swallow of water to tease our taste buds with a few measured drops of coolness.

The months of dieting, depletion and drug use are all compressed and crammed into a few fleeting minutes onstage but eventually after the last competitors walk off the stage the lights go dim, the music dies and the curtain closes.

The contest for the most part is over and the ensuing night show will more or less be a parade to hand out trophies, t-shirts and a few buckets of protein to the newly crowned champions. The victors pose reveling in the attention while the photographers scramble to get a few shots of each of the class winners. Perhaps one of the winners will be fortunate enough to have a deadline pressed magazine editor fill an empty 2×2 section in the back pages of a scripted account of the days happenings.

The defeated gather sheepishly with their friends and families nibbling on cookies, candy, and the most treasured “taboo treats” which have been avoided like the plague for the months leading up to the show. The faithful friends are quick to point out how each athlete was robbed, or how the call-outs were unfair. Almost everyone agrees that the show must have been rigged as they all murmur in agreement while suspiciously eyeing the promoters, judges and staff.

Bodybuilding’s Ultimate Irony

The irony for the most part is lost on the athletes who have spent countless years of training, straining, and untold uncertainty to get to this moment only to have it skip by the time it takes most people to eat a bag of Doritos.

The testosterone fueled bodies and minds filled with an unwavering drive to become as big as possible drive with an almost insane amount of effort, sacrifice, and discipline to build oneself into the latest version of Hercules are no match for Father Time.

The moment of Glory fades into history like all moments must and the hopes and dreams of most of the competitors are dashed upon the rocks of reality. These few are the lucky ones as often times it’s the winners who move on supported by the illusionary glory a temporary victory might bring.

Eventually, even the greatest bodybuilders will be reduced to a mere mortal before the grim reaper comes to call home their soul. Unfortunately it comes sooner and more swiftly for today’s bodybuilding competitors.

The Bodybuilding Side Show Unveiled

Of course outside the auditorium during the breaks and between the morning and the night show is the all too familiar “contest scene” at all the booths. All in all I get to see what the “real bodybuilding world is all about and it’s much like a circus side show filled with a hodge-podge of oddities that would flabbergast Mark Twain.

Bloated bellies, pimped out pretenders, in skin tight spandex flecked with a few ‘Glazed Eyed Pros” signing autographs at the various supplement booths. All the while crowds of onlookers with “Cartoon like proportions” strut and flex with lats flared, arms tensed, and chests pushed out to like bullfrogs ready to mate. It truly is a sight to behold as everyone struggles to gain the attention of everyone else.

After the contest, I met up with the overall winner outside the contest who was in a state of depression. As I congratulated him he said to me, “what now” how can I compete against the pros?

I had trained with this fellow during the last few weeks before the show and he confided in me the prodigious amount of drugs he had used for the last 3 years to “be in the winner circle”. Now that he had actually won he realized he didn’t have the heart, the genetics, or the funds to make the jump into the professional bodybuilding ranks.

Seeing him on the sidewalk that night was a powerful experience and his words echoed in my head for many months after the contest.

The Razor’s Edge

Today’s contest requirements can be a dangerous game that taken to extreme can spell disaster. Most of the public is unaware how many depleted bodybuilders are backstage on oxygen tanks or in worse cases rushed to emergency rooms because of drug overdoses and diuretic use. I call these practices the Razor’s Edge because at any moment the whole thing can result in disaster. Winning and losing seem to be determined by how much risk a competitor is willing to accept.

I was seemingly lucky, as I didn’t require medical attention although after the show I unwisely consumed too much Coca-cola water, juice, etc in my ultra dehydrated state. I spent about 2 hours lying on a bench on the boat cruise, trying to calm down my parents, as ‘knife-like” pains shot though my kidneys.

The best part of the show for me was the fact that I managed to get some business out of the show. During the intermission I made a deal to sell supplements for one of the suppliers who needed a west coast representative. Fortunately they were convinced by my energy and enthusiasm and I landed my first real business contract.

I didn’t win the show but in my mind I had a won a bigger prize as I was going West to make my “fame and fortune”. About 6 Weeks later I was at Scott’s residence discussing my next move. My blood work was A Ok and I would be able to start “really growing now”.

I Recognize The Futility of Chemical Warfare

But something happened, as I contemplated using a collage of drugs over the next few years so that I might become “Canada’s next pro… and worst Pro” I realized that I was fighting an uphill battle. Dorian Yates was ruling the sport at that point and the “Chemical Warfare Era” had begun.

I had a moment of clarity as I finally realized that nothing was going to make me Mr. Olympia and I needed to follow a different path than my boyhood Idol Arnold. I dropped out of the “Hardcore Bodybuilding Scene” as it’s called and I moved to the west coast.

The supplement contract led me to start several successful businesses and thought I had overcome the psychological demon of insecurity that drove me daily in my pursuit of the bodybuilding holy grail. Again, the “fly in my psychological ointment” led me to throw myself into business at a torrid rate.

I Descend Into A Deeper Darkness

I was a success but my need for approval set me up for an even deeper darkness. As the money began to roll in from my business I got introduced to the underground party scene… the defective psychological weakness that was hidden by my armor of muscles led me into a life of sex, drugs and rock and roll as they say which almost cost me my life. Of course that’s another story, which I will share in another article.

The Miracle And Transformation

In the pit of personal Hell, when I had nowhere else to turn, I had a profound moment whereby a series of inexplicable events transpired that too this days would baffle and amaze the most dour skeptic… An event so profound and transformation gave birth to a new awareness as to what I had been searching for all along.

I realize that I am more fortunate than most to have this “spiritual renaissance”. Over time and space, my spiritual teacher appeared to me. How or why this happened I cannot say but it happened and it’s more real than most of the experiences of my life.

The field of spirit finally obliterated my psychological, and sociological pathologies and I threw myself into meditation and a spiritual routine based around meditation, contemplation, and spiritual study of Eastern Philosophy.

My outlook on life, my personality, and just about everything improved. Even though I went through some heart wrenching challenges, my life had new meaning. Events were merely opportunities for growth. I regularly enjoyed blissful states for no apparent external reason even during trying personal circumstances.

In a couple of years I decided to compete again only as a vegetarian, and in drug tested shows. I contacted Scott Abel again and after 5 years of no contact we went on to win a National Title in just two years and a birth in the Mr. Universe contest.

What’s more even more exciting was the rigors of competing was a joy, I was relaxed enjoyed the process and felt at ease during the diet. IN 2003 for the Universe I went about 11 months with on the diet with only 3 pig-out days. Although I was spent physically, I had an incredible time at the Universe even though I did not place.

What’s even more remarkable is how the experience of competing that year led me to several breakthrough discoveries that I have went on to share with the bodybuilding community via my websites.

The Power Of Spirit

Competing was not the, “be and end all” it is for many competitors. In fact it was just something I simply enjoyed doing and I believe that I was able to enjoy this process so much because of my new found psychological perspective garnered by my spiritual base and the sociological influence of my “spiritual meditation group”. Again Dr. David Hawkins notes in AA, and in Power vs. Force this effect.

After the Universe I competed again, but my heart wasn’t in it. My inner path was more gratifying and I lost the “burning desire drive” that every athlete must possess to be there best. When I lost the next years national championship I felt relief instead of disappointment and I have not looked back ever since.

The Torch Is Passed To The Next Generation

I went on to pen a book aimed at Natural Bodybuilders as I felt there were many naive young men and women that might be drawn into the same self-destructive path I had been on, which by grace I escaped. Since thing the book has given the way to a series of courses, audios, videos, and nutritional supplements to improve health and performance.

My life could not be more fulfilling and I firmly believe it’s all because of the grace given to me by my spiritual journey. Even today in the throws of business pressures, personal relationships, social requirements, I feel a sense of center and balance that provides a constant state of well-being.

It’s my firm desire to help positively influence others about the benefits of building a bodybuilding without using harmful drugs. The feedback and results have been overwhelming and I feel truly grateful to positively affect so many lives. More importantly I hope to help others avoid the slippery slope I was on that leads to Bodybuilding Oblivion.

Too date it seems my wishes have come true.

A Final Note Of Interest

One more note: When I first began my spiritual journey I was reading a line on the power of spirit as written by my spiritual teacher Paramahansa Yogananda. He said that if one had a strong desire based in good intentions and even if the item desired did not exist it would be created by the universe for you. This sounded almost insane to me at the time I was barely on the road to recovery and competitive bodybuilding was just about the last thing on my mind.

Yet as soon as I read the words it flashed in mind the thought of realizing my dream of competing in the Mr. Universe without using performance-enhancing drugs, a desire I originally had when I was 15 years old and did not know drugs existed or that bodybuilders used them. Keep in mind that at the time my mind, and body were pretty much finished.

My Journey Final Reaches The Myth-Ster Universe

Less than 2 years later I won the Newly created “light middleweight division” in the Canadian National Championships World Qualifiers in Hamilton, Ontario. This qualified me to compete in the 2003 Mr. Universe in MUMBAI, INDIA, the home country of my spiritual teacher.

What is even more remarkable is the Mr. Universe was held exactly 3 years to the day that I was hospitalized for a drug overdose. Couple this with the fact that I stood onstage at the Mr. Universe in a division that had not existed in the previous 54 years.

The facts are simple: Had the new division not been created I surely would have lost the chance to go as the fellow that won the class above me would have beat me soundly as he had done so a year previous to the World Qualifiers.

Now some may say it’s a coincidence by I am certain that it is not. Considering the planets travel in a predictable sequence, the tide moves, the seasons come and go, and the sun and moon rise in perfect harmony it would seem that there is a rhythm and cycle to the universe that if only one can tap into and become aware all of life seems to flow…

Spirituality, psychology, sociology, and the pursuit of all mankind is really just an exercise in remembering that we are all part of this universal energy which guides, directs, and gives us all that we need, or could desire if we but become aware of it’s subtle yet all encompassing nature.

I thank God that I have been gifted with the opportunity to realize that in my lifetime and in my pursuits. I wish the same for all of you!

Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at http://www.freakybignatural.com

Bodybuilding And Insecurity

My own journey into bodybuilding innocently started out as a way to overcome a common teenage insecurity. This need to be bigger, stronger, and thus “more masculine” was coupled with a new found confidence that I could produce a desirable outcome in my life by progressive weight training.

As a teenager and a young adult seeing changes in my body exerted an influence as powerful as any drug because there was so much in my life I could not control. The gym served a two-fold drive. One to overcome an insecurity: and two, to become SELF-Directed as previous mentioned.

But here is where things went awry if you will.

After my first bodybuilding contest and then after grinding out another 3 more years of intense effort I came to the realization that I would not be able to be “successful” in competitive bodybuilding unless I started to use steroids. Note this is not a commentary on whether steroid is good or bad etc. I am using this to illustrate the “changing psychology” and the rationalizations that sprung up within myself.

Even though I had built an impressive physique form my efforts I was not satisfied. You see, once I started competing, I began comparing myself to others, and it was this comparison that got me into the sport in the first place.

It appears my own insecurity was only masked by a few muscles and had allowed me to succumb to the bombardment of fabricated ideologies propagated in muscle magazines about the value of winning a bodybuilding show, or better yet, reaching the pinnacle of human development and winning the Mr. Universe.

Of course I would have to start out, and work through the ranks to become like my Idol Arnold. Basically, my mind finally took the bait and I bought in as my “value system had been compromised”.

My First Steroid Guru - Bill Phillips

I then set about “educating” myself about these drugs. I remember my excitement when I purchased my first copy of the “Underground Steroid Handbook 6th Edition” written by Bill Phillips. Yes the same Bill Phillips that brought us EAS and Body For Life.

To Bill’s credit the book was pretty good and certainly helped me understand the need to safely inject myself. It also provided numerous, graphs, charts, theories, and definitions as to what steroids did what, how to use them, side effects, counterfeits, and how to locate legitimate products at reasonable prices.

After hanging around the gym and “getting to know” some of the bigger guys who were competing I inquired about how I might obtain some of these drugs to enhance my own chances of bodybuilding success. It wasn’t long before I made friends with a local bodybuilding champion who took it upon himself to show me the ropes.

After the requisite exchange of cash, and the “duffel bag drop” off in the locker room I was in with the “Big Boys”. I went home in a state of euphoria and nervousness as I took my new found “magic potion” to my apartment. I fumbled with the vials nervously for almost an hour before I figured out how to get the drugs out of the tiny vial.

Before you know it I managed to take my first injection of “Primobolan”, Arnold’s favorite drug of choice according to our good friend and steroid advisor Bill Phillips. I also ingested a couple of “Dianabol” tablets a day for the next 8 weeks according to the diamond pattern recommended by the Guru.

I gained 25lbs on my first cycle drugs… it all seemed to easy. When I eventually came off the drugs I lost about 15 pounds and had a curious pain in my shoulder. The individual who sold me the drugs assured me this was normal. His reasoning I had just pushed to hard as my strength shot up so fast my tendons couldn’t keep up to my gains.

He advised me to be careful about lifting so heavy when I did my next cycle. Which came all too soon.

Drugs And My First Bodybuilding Championships

I took my first two cycles and experienced tremendous results with almost no apparent side effects other than a bit of acne, water retention, and some hardness under my nipples which of course was the dreaded “gynocomastia” commonly called “bitch tits”. I had a predisposition to the condition as I had gone to my doctor as a teenager with the budding condition. Since it’s common in adolescent males my doctor assured me that I was okay.

Still it wasn’t serious and I was gaining size at a rapid rate so it seemed well worth the risk. Besides the magazine writers stated most of the pros simply get the tumors cut out as they advance up the ranks. Some of my newfound bodybuilding friends assured me that it was not big deal and just part of the process of “Getting Huge”. I conceded to the opinions of my friends.

In just a year and a half my efforts were rewarded as I won my first ever Bodybuilding Show, which included the Heavyweight Title and The Overall Provincial Championships. My ego soared; “it was all working out as planned and I was on my way to becoming the next Arnold”. Boy, it’s amazing how delusional a person can become when fueled by the ego gratification of a cheering crowd.

Booze, Bars, And Babes -

Finally I Was Living The Bodybuilding Dream

During this time I worked as a Door Man at a local nightclub as this was one arena that my newfound brawn qualified me for. It was also a great place to vent my increasing testosterone fueled aggression on unruly patrons.

In between bouts with the local drunks I discovered my muscles gave me the confidence to approach even the “hottest girls” in the club who were seemingly impressed or amused as I alternated between throwing out cheesy one liners, and “out of line assholes” from the fine establishment I patrolled like a Spartan Sentinel on red alert.

I felt unstoppable as I experienced the all too familiar rush of testosterone fueled adrenaline coursing through my veins whether I was in the gym, the bar or out on the town with my latest sexual conquest.

I defended the use of steroids, and would openly discuss them to anyone willing to listen. I justified my position and spent time with those who agreed with me. I learned everything I could about drugs, dieting, and carefully saved my dollars diligently as I prepared for my next show.

My whole life revolved around becoming bigger, leaner, and more powerful and bodybuilding became the driving force in my life. What I didn’t realize is how the drugs, the muscles, and the titles only masked the insecurities of the scrawny teenager who first picked up the Weider weight set.

Like so many before me my unsuspecting spiral into the underground steroid subculture had begun and my growing ego began to envision bodybuilding stardom. Still I knew very little about what I was doing (all to true with most athletes and bodybuilders) but I then discovered you could hire a professional coach.

Fortunately, I hired the best in the business Scott Abel.

I Meet My Mentor Scott Abel

After attending the 97 Nationals and seeing that the athletes had achieved a greater level of physical conditioning and size then myself I decided to hire Scott, as his athletes seemed to better than all the others on stage.

Even today almost 10 years later I can still remember my first letter from Scott, hand written as he was in the middle of a move. I won’t get into the details but I will share the line that had the biggest impact on me:

Scott said, “Your training is amateurish, your diet is not doing your body justice, and your “Drug Stack” is a joke. Good thing you got with me because you’re really spinning your wheels.” I was Elated because after 10 years at grasping at straws I had now graduated to the “big leagues”.

I trained all year as always and followed Scott’s training to the tee although I could not afford “pharmaceuticals” until the last 14 weeks before the 98 Nationals. I worked three jobs, alienated my friends, and my family, and “sacrificed” everything for the ultimate… a pro card and a trip to fame and fortune… LOL Yep I was pretty naive.

Anyways the long grueling months of dieting, training, and endless posing sessions paid off as I achieved what then was my ideal condition. I remember specifically 3 days before the show posing in the basement of the then World’s gym on Yonge Street near Bloor in Toronto, Ontario.

I remember being filled with excitement as I stared at the rippling muscular body looking back at me in the mirror. I had finally achieved the look I had dreamed of for over 10 years. I secretly expected I just might be crowned the winner. The skinny teenager seeking the approval of others was still lurking behind the muscular shell I had created but I for one could not see him.

The Nationals - NOT What You Might Expect

Scott didn’t pull any punches when I went to see him the day before the show. He straight out told me that I might make top five in my class. He was right, I came something like 6th in the light-heavyweight division.

Backstage the show was a circus, and we were herded around like cattle set for slaughter.

Dye stained towels and half opened bottles of posing oil littered the floor along with the assorted bodybuilders lying around dehydrated, dazed and half dead, encased in several tracksuits while they listened to their posing music on headphones.

The smell of sweat, oil, and chocolate bars filled the air as one by one the classes are filed into the “pump room” at the regular and periodic cry of the stage hand stuck with job of organizing the motley crew of walking muscle zombies into some semblance of order.

The “pump room” might well have been a scene out of Gladiator. Bronzed men and women, with sunken cheeks and eyes, glanced nervously at each other while they pumped and flexed their muscles with reckless abandon. Hoping against hope to squeeze every ounce of potential improvement they could in these last seconds before they went onstage.

It was here in the few fleeting moments before there physique would be mercilessly pitted against the lights, their rivals, and most of all the critical eyes of the judges that the insecurities become exposed from beneath the mountains of muscle encasing the souls of the latest crew of “Arnold Hopefuls”.

Each athlete knew the potential retribution that would be rained upon him from the lips of the audience members who are all too quick to point out the smallest flaw in any competitors physique. Competitive bodybuilding can be a cruel and unforgiving world.

Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at http://www.freakybignatural.com

Recently I was asked about the psychological components or reasons behind my somewhat unusual journey in bodybuilding. Having competed at the Mr. Universe in 2003, in Mumbai India I feel I am somewhat qualified to share how I got to compete at Bodybuilding’s Biggest Event.

My journey was one full of twists, turns, triumphs, and tragedies but most of all it’s about the power of perseverance and about an unseen force that guides all of us whether we are aware of it or not.

As many of my readers know I follow a spiritual pathway that suits me best which has affected my choices in life and in sport. First I would whole-heartedly agree that my spiritual pursuits have given me a whole lease on life that I readily share with anyone. But it was not always this way!

In fact my own ignorance to universal principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness led me too the brink of oblivion. It was only there, at the point of no return did I fully come to realize how reckless my life had become. What’s even more remarkable is the turnaround that transpired after I hit bottom. But before we get to that let’s go back to see how this all transpired.

Early Life And High Performance Sports

Since bodybuilding is the context here I will use that as a reference point in my shared experiences. I would also like to cite that I have played sport at the high performance level most of my life, majored in exercise physiology at university, and had more than a few classes in sports psychology, coaching, and sociology of sport. Basically, I have been around sport my whole life and tend to look at it from a wide variety of angles.

I started out playing mostly team sports, which I enjoyed greatly. Mostly the thrill of improving my own skills and capacities was my primary motivation and secondly came winning. I mostly just enjoyed the thrill of training and playing and I approached every practice, game, or training session with an unusual level of intensity, determination, and focus.

My main sport of choice was Hockey and I played for about 12 years at the highest levels. While I loved the sport of hockey I grew frustrated that I was not able to overcome some of my teammates lack of work ethic or talent. In other words I could play my best game and we would lose, or I could play my worst game and we would win.

It became obvious to me that team sport had way too many variables I could not control and I began to gravitate to Bodybuilding, which seemed more self-directed. Considering I was smaller than most kids building muscles helped provide a boost for insecurities about my height and weight.

I Am Bitten By The Bodybuilding Bug

Bodybuilding was the perfect match for me and I was bitten by the bodybuilding bug as they say. I relished the fact that the outcome was based solely on my efforts, something that team sports didn’t offer.

I threw myself into bodybuilding with an even more intense determination then ever before as I began my quest to become Mr. Universe. A lofty ideal for sure but I was young, naïve, and full of vigor.

Even at the tender age of 15 I realized that it’s easiest to motivate myself when I have BIG GOALS and dreams. For me Realistic won’t cut it, I like unrealistic because it’s unrealistic dreams that stretch me the most and that’s where the fun is.

Directed by clear vision I would faithfully go out into my barn every night even in -40 C below to train in a snow suit with a gym that looked something of a cross between Rocky meets the Duke boys.

I had no trouble pushing myself to my absolute physical limits because I had the dream of being like “Arnold”. I am pretty sure I would be hard pressed to duplicate that training intensity or desire today because I am a very different person then I was then.

Nevertheless, day-by-day I grew bigger and stronger. I enjoyed the satisfaction of building my body so much that when I graduated from High School I enrolled in the University Of New Brunswick to study exercise physiology.

I wanted to learn everything I could about training and nutrition so I could one day write books like my hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold’s Encyclopedia Of Bodybuilding became my bible and I poured over the words and pictures almost daily.

The Naïve Bodybuilder

I was pretty naive at the time and it was about my second year of university when I saw the movie “Pumping Iron’ and I was completely horrified that Arnold was smoking a joint. My girlfriend at the time thought it quite funny as I was sent into the shock, denial, and utter disbelief, that Arnold, my idol at the time, used drugs. Up to that point I regularly defended Arnold and naively believed he never used any drugs.

Later on my belief’s would swing almost entirely in the opposite direction however the first time the image of one’s hero is smashed can be traumatic. Eventually, I recovered but I feel this event planted the future seeds that sprouted into the rationalization of my own use of drugs.

It was about 1 year later when I competed at my first bodybuilding show and I began to realize drugs were a part of the sport. At the same time I also had a professor who was on the Dubin enquiry sharing some eye openers for me about the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport.

The Sociology of Sport

I remember my professor citing a study explaining something like 95 percent of the Olympic athletes polled by the Dubin Inquiry said they would take a drug if it guaranteed them a gold medal despite the fact there would be a high probability that they would die in the next 5 years. (I am not sure of the exact numbers but it was very high).

Gradually it became clear to me that many High Performance athletes at the top levels of sport tend to have a more risk taking attitude then the general public. It became increasingly obvious to me as I studied sports psychology and sociology that many professional athletes are driven by a burning desire for success not possessed by most of mankind.

What ever the reasons for these desires there is an observable pattern of behavior, which in general contributes to a tendency of high performance athletes not to carefully consider the social, psychological, or physiological costs of performing at the world-class level.

This is evidence by the colossal amount of career ending injuries many of which create permanent disabilities in violent sports such as football at both the pro and collegiate ranks. Regardless of the dangers of many sports, extreme sports are increasing in popularity as our society demands, bigger, faster, or more dangerous forms of competitions.

Attractor Patterns And The Role Of Media

The media, in particular sports casters, emphasize physical sacrifice as some sort of “badge of honor”. This is just one example of the influence of the media pervasive in all sports including bodybuilding.

Slowly this attitude permeates into the thought patterns of anyone, including myself because the more one is exposed to subjective belief systems the more one tends to adopt them as their own.

Dr. David Hawkins author of Power vs. Force proves this model better than anyone to date using a terminology in physics called Non-Linear dynamics, this concept originated first in chaos theory, but is now provable through Quantum Mechanics. The concept of “Attractor patterns” was coined and used to explain how individuals gravitated to certain sociological and lifestyles based on predominate thought patterns programmed by one’s environment.

It seems in the past I was under the influence of some “Attractor Patterns”, only today, some 20 years later, I am only fully beginning to understand the influence the Media has on every athlete’s sociological and psychological motivators.

Since the advent of the Internet, satellites, and a dizzying array of communication, technology mainstream media has become increasingly more influential on people’s belief system. The old saying of “Caveat Emptor” or buyer beware is becoming increasingly important to the avoidance of becoming ensnared by the all too numerous pitfalls of choice that technology presents to athletes as well as all of humanity.

But let’s get back to the issue:

Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at http://www.freakybignatural.com

In Part II of Build Muscle Mass - 6 Keys to Muscle Building Success, we discussed
the first threy muscle building keys:

1) The Proper Warm Up

2) Phase Training and the Proper Way to Cycle Your Training for More Muscle Building Results

3) The Proper Way to Use Variatio in Your Weight Training

The next three muscle building keys you can are as follows:

* Use the Correct Muscle Building Exercises

I’m not going to tell you that, when used properly, semi-isolation exercises
like flyes, lateral raises, and concentration curls don’t have a place in a
proper weight training program. However, the key to adding lots of muscle
mass is using the best exercises as the foundation of your weight training
routine. This means exercises like the squat, deadlift, a variation of the
bench press (with a bar or dumbbells), Dips, Chins, some sort of shoulder press,
etc.

These multi-joint exercises should always be part of your program. There are
many different variations, both of the exercises themselves, as well as how
you perform them - number of sets, reps, rep speed, rest intervals, etc.

* Word Harder, Not Longer

Weight training is not a marathon. It’s more like a sprint. Intensity and
duration are inverse to each other. The harder you work, the shorter your
weightlifting workout needs to be so that you can recover from your workout
before your training session, while also allowing enough rest time to grow
more muscle.

You recover and grow between training sessions, not whie you are working out.
You don’t want to look like a marathon runner, so don’t train like one.

* Implement Intensity Techniques in a Proper Manner

While you want to make sure your intensity level is high, you don’t want
to go overboard and hit your muscles with so much intensity that they
can’t recover from the workout, let alone build more muscle mass.

A good way to use intensity techniques is to plan ahead and add them over
time, as part of your phase training. If you are going to work out hard
for a six week training cycle and then downshift the intensity for a week
(or stay out of the gym completely for a week), consider starting to add
some intenity techniques in week four, a few more in week five and a
serious blasting week in week six. Then stay out of the gym for a week
to rest and recover.

Adding these muscle building keys to your weight training plan will go a
long way toward building muscle mass quickly and efficiently.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com
His href="http://www.buildleanmuscle.com/weightlifting-articles.html">muscle building articles have appeared in Ironman Magazine. He has written two books
and is a regular contributor to Body Talk Magazine. Grab a copy of his free ebook Mass Building Tips! at http://www.massbuildingtips.com

Muay Thai is a Thai mixed martial art form. It has many techniques of fighting. While using Muay Thai techniques, also known as “Mae Mai Muay Thai,” fighters use the entire body including fists, elbows, shins, feet and knees.

The basic Muay Thai training techniques include punch techniques (jab, straight right/cross, hook and uppercut), elbow techniques (horizontal, diagonal-upwards, diagonal-downwards, uppercut, downward, backward-spinning and flying) and kicking techniques (push kick, roundhouse kick, etc.). The following are some special Muay Thai techniques:

The Clinch

This technique is exclusively used in Muay Thai fights. While combating the fighter applies this technique by holding his opponent either around the neck and head or around the body. It is known as Thai clinch.
To apply the clinch, the fighter has to hold his opponent either around the neck and head or around the body. The fighter also has to press his forearm against his opponent’s collar bone while his hands are around the latter’s head rather than his neck.

A common clinching technique used in Muay Thai fights is to just tap the head downward then give a throw. The fighter can also throw the opponent to his left in case the latter is using a knee from the right. It can cause the opponent to lose his balance.

The Kru

This is a tough technique. A new fighter takes a lot of training and hard work to learn this technique. The technique is provided by the fighter’s Krue or Thai boxing training. The trainer makes the fighter work hard and learn the technique. It is a tradition for the fighter to express his respect to his trainer through a ritual called Wai Kru.

There are some elements that are part of Muay Thai training techniques. These include:-

-Running - A trainee has to run 18 km running per day (around 12 km in the first half and around 6 km in the second half).
-Stretching - The trainee has also to do stretching for around 20-30 minutes. It improves muscular elasticity and reduces the stretch reflex.
-Shadow boxing - This training includes around 20 minutes of shadow boxing. Shadow boxing is usually practiced in front of a mirror.

Muay Thai training takes a lot of hard work. To become a good fighter young people have to go through a lot of physical and mental strain. It takes sheer dedication, commitment, and “never-say-die” attitude that a trainee transforms himself into a sound Muay Thai fighter.

About the Author

Shin Chang writes about various Muay Thai
training and Muay Thai training techniques. His articles have been published in various sports magazines. He lives in New York. For information visit us at: http://www.muaythai.cc

So how long have you been lifting? A few days, a few months, never? Chances are you are looking to build mass on those muscles of yours. After being a fitness and weightlifting enthusiast for years, I will give you my top 7 tips to building mass muscle. My own tips I used to pack on girth and mass on my arms, chest and legs. These are general tips you can use to explode your gains in the weight room.

Tip # 1: Eat to build muscle mass. If you are looking to making gains quickly, you need to make sure that your nutrition plan is up to the challenge. Nothing spells disaster more than getting the proper training, but neglecting protein and other food sources to help build and support those muscles. Think of it in terms of a finely tuned race car. If the proper oil and gasoline (protein and carbohydrates) are not given. It will not run at its best and will probably break down (injury). This is often an issue that never gets discussed in many fitness arenas. To make sure that you are maintaining the muscle mass you are building you need to make sure you are getting the proper amount of protein, usually around one gram per pound of body weight.

Tip # 2: Rest. This cannot be emphasized enough. How many of you sleep a few hours a night? I am guessing the majority of you. In order to function at an optimal level and to make the most out of the hard work you are putting into the weight room, you need to make sure that you are allowing your body to rest and recuperate. Your muscles need ample rest to repair and get ready for your next workout. Allowing your body time to rest and recharge will help pack on those mountains of mass muscle.

Tip # 3: Heavy Lifting and lower reps. This one is a basic no brainer. The equation for gaining mass on your muscles and the equation for getting ripped muscles are the complete opposite. Big muscles equal heavy weights and low reps, ripped muscles equal low weights and high reps. In order for muscles to grow there are microscopic tears that occur during the weight training session. Enough so that it does not cause injury, but growth to become possible. By using heavier weights, you are pushing your muscles to the limit and are also allowing the all important goal of building mass muscle to occur.

Tip # 4: Stretching. When lifting heavy weights, it is important to prevent injury. Nothing can push you back further than an injury. Stretching allows your muscles to become more elastic and flexible. It also will aid in preventing injuries that may occur in the weight room. When you push or bend something to a certain limit, it will break. Your muscles are the same way, stretching allows them to be bent and pushed to higher limits, thus causing the occurrence of breaking (injury) to a minimum.

Tip # 5: Keep a training notebook. Constantly monitor what works best for you. And keep it fun. Keeping a notebook of your exercises helps you to prevent boredom and the eventual training plateau from occurring. Mix up your routine to keep your muscles guessing and more importantly - growing. Once your muscles get used to certain exercises week in and week out, they hit a period where the don’t really get stronger or bigger (plateau). In order to avoid this, we need to keep our muscles growing and guessing by switching it up. This could be something simple like doing a barbell bench press one week for chest, and following up the next week by doing dumb bell bench presses.

Tip # 6: Technique. The proper lifting technique can bring upon more growth. If our rep counts are too fast, pressing or pushing the weight too quickly, we may not be getting the maximum effort possible out of them. Isolate the muscle and fully work the muscle you are concentrating on. Try not to cheat and watch the mass start to build!

Tip # 7: Learning. Never stop learning. I am constantly trying to learn more techniques to try out in the weight room. Visit weight lifting sites, pick up a weightlifting magazine or do your own research on line. There is a vast amount of weightlifting knowledge out there. We just have to keep looking.

Using these techniques, I put on more mass on my muscles than I thought was possible. I hope that it helps you to do the same!

Weightlifting enthusiast looking to help you build more muscle. Looking for a fool proof guide to build mass muscle? Want my 8th tip? Act Now, before its too late!

Gaining weight is all about eating more calories than you burn and doing it over a long period of time. When you first start changing your diet, it’ll be hard to find the foods that will add enough calories to allow you to gain weight. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in between meals have to filled with calories in order to gain weight.

The cliche that breakfast is the most important meal of the day is true. If you go to sleep around 10pm, your last meal was probably around 7 or 8. When you wake up at 6am, you’ve been fasting for almost 12 hours or half a day. This isn’t good for weight gain.

When you’re trying to gain weight, you need to eat a lot and often. Fasting for 12 hours isn’t ideal. Since avoiding this is hard and impractical, you can take steps to minimize the impact. This is where a nutritious and calorie filled breakfast comes in. Try to eat a meal that is high in protein and carbohydrates while low in fat. Don’t totally avoid fat since it plays an important role in our diets. Some good choices for breakfast include eggs, cereal, oatmeal, orange juice and milk (regular or chocolate). Have more than one choice for breakfast since your body is begging you for energy.

You have plenty of options for lunch. For many people, lunch is a break from work and means going outside to the closest restaurant. If you’re trying to quickly gain weight then there’s nothing wrong with this approach, but there are better options. If you aren’t in the mood to cook, consider lunch as a big snack. Eat some sandwiches, nuts, fruits and have some (non-alcoholic) drinks. The calories will add up quickly.

Dinner, like breakfast is also an important meal. While you sleep your body repairs the damage you caused from working out and doing daily chores. To do this, your body needs energy (carbs and fat) and amino acids, the building blocks of muscles (protein). If you eat a dinner that’s high in calories, your body will have the resources it needs to rebuild, repair and recover. If not, you won’t gain muscle as quickly as you’d like. Meals for dinner are limited to only what you can cook up and imagine. Pizza, chili, pasta, fish, chicken, steak, potatoes and lasagna are all good options as well as the hundreds that aren’t mentioned here.

Snacks are very important even though they aren’t full meals . If you have 3 snacks per day at 200 calories (a very low estimation) each, it adds up to 600 calories which can be the difference between a 2400 and 3000 calorie day. Snacks are an excellent way to add calories to your daily diet. Nuts, sandwiches, drinks and fruits are all good ideas.

No matter what kind of food you like, the most important point to remember is that gaining weight can only be accomplished by taking in a lot of calories and eating often.

Guide to Gaining Weight

Straight Health - Exercise, Nutrition and Diets