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The Surprising New Tricks Pros Are Using to Build Muscle

The Surprising New Tricks Pros Are Using to Build Muscle
Last Updated: 4/06/2014 12:50 PST Reading about sports these days, we are constantly bombarded with news of top notch athletes being exposed for using illegal steroids. Steroid use involves huge costs, legal issues, and above all, potential health problems. With such risks, you wonder why anyone would be tempted to go this route. Fortunately, steroid use may eventually be a thing of the past. One of the most interesting fields of research surrounds a naturally occurring chemical compound called nitric oxide. It’s been shown to lead to: Drastic Muscle GainsIncreased Blood Flow and Oxygen DeliveryBoosted Strength, Endurance, and PowerSupport for Your Immune SystemImmediate ResultsTotal Body Transformation While the body naturally increases nitric oxide during workouts, it’s only a limited amount and researchers have been focused on artificially increasing your nitric oxide levels. One of the most successful products that has emerged from this research is called Factor 2.

10 Best Foods and Drinks for Exercising You know exercise is key if you want to stay fit. But did you know that what you eat and drink can help you reach your fitness goals faster? By feeding your body the right nutrients you can ensure it’s getting the raw materials it needs to help you power through your workout and build and repair muscle afterward. Jumpstart your exercise program with these 10 essential food and drinks. OatmealWhen it comes to priming your muscles for a workout, carbs are your best friend. They provide glucose, the fuel your muscles run on. CoffeeIf you’re a java junkie we have happy news for you. OystersThese mollusks are loaded with iron, needed to build hemoglobin, which delivers oxygen throughout your body. AlmondsIt may sound counterintuitive, but the more intensely you exercise the more damaging free radicals your body produces. RaisinsSkip the energy bar and fuel up with a small box of raisins instead. WaterThink you need a sports drink during or after exercise? Your thoughts...

What to eat to see better results from your workout What you eat before and after a workout can have a big impact on the results that you see. To make the most of your efforts, follow these tips from Juan Carlos Simó, a Poliquin strength coach and Bio-signature practitioner with years of functional medicine experience and the owner of Workout RD, an elite personal training facility in the Dominican Republic. And whenever possible, choose high-quality nutrition: organic, grass-fed or wild, and stay away from artificial flavors and colors. Before a workout Pre-workout snacks should be eaten approximately 1 to1 .5 hours before training. Portion size is important and should be kept to around 4 ounces so that training doesn’t interfere with digestion. If you are strength training, your pre-workout meal should include caffeine, almonds or avocados, all of which trigger dopamine release. Try wild caught salmon with a handful of almonds, Carpaccio made from grass-fed beef paired with avocado, or 2-3 sardines with a small portion of caviar.

Snickerdoodle Muffins | Sweet Pea's Kitchen - StumbleUpon Snickerdoodle Muffins I have been obsessed with Pinterest lately! Pinning this and that all while trying not to drool all over my computer. While I like pinning lots of different things, as you can imagine, I love pinning recipes. A picture of snickerdoodle muffins kept popping up all over my Pinterest page just begging me to make them. Could it be, one of my favorite cookies in a breakfast treat? I really need to stop looking at Pinterest after dinner! I found using an ice cream scooper with a release lever the easiest way to scoop out the batter. After the ball of dough is completely covered in cinnamon and sugar just plop it into the muffin liner and bake! Delicious muffins that combines the best of a snickerdoodle cookie with the comfort of a warm muffin, perfect for breakfast or dessert! Yield: 16 muffins Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 18 minutes Ingredients: For the Topping: 2/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon Directions: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. One Year Ago: Orange Pound Cake

Designing a Resistance Training Program - McKinley Health Center - University of Illinois Your fitness goal The first step to designing a resistance training program is establishing your fitness goal. The type and number of exercises, as well as the number of sets and repetitions will differ based on your fitness goal. Table content taken from Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, edited by Thomas Baechle for the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Endurance and Health/Fitness programs are appropriate for inexperienced or currently inactive individuals. Strength and Power programs are appropriate for individuals training for sports. Your fitness plan The next step in designing your program is determining how many exercises you will include for each of the muscle groups. Rotation 1 Rest 60 - 90 seconds between sets. Rotation 2 Exercise suggestions The last step is choosing the specific exercises you want to do for each muscle group in your program. Upper Back Prone/seated rows Push-ups Pull-ups Lower Back Superman Trunk extension The plank Chest Biceps Triceps

100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time in School - Eternal Code [via onlinecolleges.net] With classes, homework, and projects–not to mention your social life–time is truly at a premium for you, so why not latch onto the wide world that Google has to offer? From super-effective search tricks to Google hacks specifically for education to tricks and tips for using Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, these tricks will surely save you some precious time. Search Tricks These search tricks can save you time when researching online for your next project or just to find out what time it is across the world, so start using these right away. Convert units. Google Specifically for Education From Google Scholar that returns only results from scholarly literature to learning more about computer science, these Google items will help you at school. Google Scholar. Google Docs Google Docs is a great replacement for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, so learn how to use this product even more efficiently. Use premade templates. Gmail Use the Tasks as a to-do list.

Bodyweight Exercise Routines from Basic to Advanced | One of my favorite aspects of bodyweight training is how its underlying simplicity is so scalable, from basic to extremely advanced levels. So, today I’m going to highlight an outdoor bodyweight workout for lower and upper body that can be done at basic, intermediate or advanced levels, which was featured in an article about Global Bodyweight Training in last month’s Men’s Health South Africa, called “The Evolution of Exercise”. Click here to read the complete Men’s Health article as a PDF. I’m pretty excited with how the Men’s Health article takes the time to explain the Global Bodyweight Training system, and in particular to demonstrate how the progressions work: With GBT you start with the Basic exercises outlined below and then, after you’ve mastered those, you can progress to Intermediate and Advanced. Following is a brief recap of the basic, intermediate, and advanced versions of the upper and lower body routine featured in the article. Basic Bodyweight Workout

8 Bodyweight Exercises for Any Dorm Room Living spaces and schedules can get pretty cramped these days. But that doesn’t make squeezing a couple exercises between furniture — or roommates! — impossible. Just under three hoursper week of moderate-intensity exercise (the challenge level of a brisk walk) can help reduce heart disease, some cancers, and improve mental health and cognitive function. So in addition to power-walking to and from class, here are eight moves that'll really get you movin' — right in the comfort of your own home. The Moves 1. Targets: Quads, glutes, calves, shins (anterior tibialis), hip flexors, ups that heart rate How to: This could cause a riff with that cranky neighbor downstairs. 2. Targets: Hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, shins (tibialis), aaand heart rate How to: Ready to kick things up a notch? 3. Targets: Quads, glutes, calves, shins (anterior tibialis) How to: Again, if you’re on the top floor, you may piss someone off. 4. Targets: Chest, triceps, shoulders, core, lats, adductors, abductors 5. 6.

How To Make Perfect Brownies | How To Cook Like Your Grandmother - StumbleUpon I’ve tried lots of brownie recipes: Boxes, scratch, frosted, plain, nuts, chips, fudge … Each of them has something to like, but depending on my mood I might want a change of pace. Not any more. My wife found this recipe, and it’s perfect. I’m done looking. This is the brownie recipe that I’ll use from now on. Ingredients 1½ cups sugar ¾ cup flour ¾ cup cocoa powder (see note below) 3 eggs ¾ cup butter, melted ½ teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter) ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (see note below) Directions A NOTE ON CHOCOLATE: You’ll notice the list of ingredients is very short. The assembly is about as easy as you can get. Do this by hand, until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet, and stop. Stir in the chocolate chips. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment. Pour the batter and spread it out. Bake at 325° for 20-30 minutes. Very carefully lift the parchment out of the baking dish. Peel the edges and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Like this recipe?

The Best Of The Best: Here Are 20 Gems Of Wisdom You Need To Know Think of this list as the Academy Awards of getting bigger, stronger and leaner: It’s a collection of tips that represent total domination in the gym. Each “best” selection was chosen based on either bona fide scientific data, overwhelming anecdotal evidence by hardcore gym rats around the world or both. Looking for the best way to add thickness to your arms, carve out a six-pack or throw around more weight than you ever have? You’ll find the answer here. 1) Best For Big Biceps: Barbell Curl While variety is key to developing well-balanced arms, we suggest you stick mainly with straight barbell curls and use the EZ-bar just once in a while for a change. More weight used means greater muscle-fiber stimulation and growth potential. 2) Best For Overall Chest Mass: Dumbbell Bench Press 3) Best For Deltoid Development: Dumbbell Overhead Press 4) Best For Building Triceps: Dips Pushdowns might be your favorite triceps movement, but when was the last time you did dips? Sample HIIT workout to try: 1.

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