What Should You Avoid If You Want to Gain Weight?

Most of the sacrifices you make are healthy choices, but nonetheless they take a pinch out of you. The first thing you should avoid is being ill or having a low immune system. Having a poor immune system or being sick is a slow spiral staircase down the weighing scale. No matter how powerful your regime is, without health you will go down. Your immune system can be improved by the usual vegetables, fruits, water and also by sleeping 8 hours of uninterrupted rest at a go.

Speaking about sleep, there are a lot of things which will de-rail you from sleeping. In our metropolitan society, we have nightclubs, bars, internet gaming and socializing which will probably prevent you from getting your sleep. If you avoid all these temptations, I promise you that the gains will always come faster for you. Remember the hard work you put in so put in the effort so that the results are more permanent and easier to achieve.

Some permanent boundaries are created by us and smoking is one of them. The alarming rate that people smoking to socialize has increased drastically over the years that it is no longer startling to see an underage teenager smoking anymore. Being socially numb to this just proves how inhumane we have become and how we are so willing to accept instant gratification over the long term results which will last. Gaining weight is not a touch and go achievement. It requires precise planning, well-thought out and executed actions in order to work. Smoking is definitely not a stepping stone for you in your pursuit of weight.

The next thing to avoid is tweaking the system that is working for you, no matter how small the results. We always have a tendency to tweak something when it is working for us as we are impatient and want the end results to come faster. However, unnecessary tweaking is the thing that separates the good from the great. The great do and when it works, sticks to it all the way. Even if the efficient way to dig up a hole in the ground was to use a teaspoon, a great person will keep digging until he gets the whole he desire, whereas the good person will find a shovel, hire manpower, get an excavator and by the time he is done with all this, gives up because it has been too draining on him.

Types Of Protein Powder

Protein supplements especially the powder type for protein shakes are very popular these days. Knowing what's in a protein powder is crucial in choosing what product to take. The three main proteins are whey protein, casein and egg white. For bodybuilders though it gets more complicated. Here's a brief overview of the types of protein powder you can get.

WHEY PROTEIN Whey protein is a by-product of cheese and is a good source of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) that is used to fuel muscles when working out. In the bodybuilding world, though, it doesn't just end on a product being whey protein based. This type is sold in three forms: whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate and whey protein hydrolysate.
Isolate is more popular than concentrate. It is more expensive though; for a reason. It takes more to produce protein isolate. It is processed to remove fat and lactose so it is pure protein and the easiest to absorb. Most supplements are taken atleast 30minutes before workout but whey isolate can be absorbed in about 10minutes so it also makes a great post-workout drink. Whey protein concentrate on the other hand has more fat and lactose. It has about 70-85% protein content. Isolate obviously has higher value of protein because it is pure but a lot of bodybuilders say they don't notice a big difference between using isolate and concentrate. The third type which people don't normally hear of is whey protein hydrolysate. This is processed like isolate but other than making it more pure, the process also already pre-digests the protein making it even easier to absorb. Unfortunately though, the process that makes it so also leaves the product bitter tasting. Unlike concentrate and isolate, manufacturers don't put how much hydrolysate there is on their product.

CASEIN Casein is protein found in milk. The protein is separated from milk by ultrafiltration. Casein is slow digesting and continues to feed the muscles long after whey have been absorbed and used. It can sustain the body with amino acids for up to 7hours. Casein is best used with whey. This is important for bodybuilders to know. Unlike whey which is great as a post workout drink, casein is usually used before bed or during the day. It can supply the body with the necessary protein that it needs throughout your sleep especially since muscle repair and rebuilding takes place on our sleep.

EGG WHITE Egg whites have excellent amino acid profile. This is considered as one of the types of protein with the highest quality and is even dubbed the most perfect protein. It is almost fat free and cholesterol free. Egg whites from a large 33g egg can contain almost 4grams of protein and less than 1gram of fat and 1g of carbohydrates.

SOY PROTEIN Most body builders don't pay too much attention on soy protein because it has the lowest quality of protein. However, this is very important for vegans and vegetarians. One upside of using soy protein is that it gives us protein without the usual cholesterol included in meals.

Understanding The Things That Can Hinder the Growth of Muscles

If you are wanting to increase your muscles you will soon find out that it is a very difficult thing to do especially if you don't stick with a program or you don't do the exercises correctly. To be able to build your muscles you need to have structure, discipline and you must be completely dedicated to what you do in your workouts, what you eat as well as what you drink. Below are some things that can hinder the growth of your muscles.

One of the biggest factors that will hinder your muscle growth is the drinking too much alcohol. The reason for this is because it will limit the protein synthesis that is needed by your muscles. Drinking too much alcohol can also keep your body from distributing nutrients like vitamin A, B, C, calcium as well as zinc, all of which are vitally important for the development of muscles.

Another thing that will hinder the growth of your muscles is if you allow yourself to become dehydrated. Remember that your muscles are made up out of protein and water so how much water you drink or don't drink on a daily basis is going to impact the way that your body will build or not build muscle. In order for you to build good muscles is for you to drink at least 8 glasses of water each and every day, which is 72 ounces of water. Without this amount of water in your body you are not going to be able to build the muscles. The water will saturate your muscles and this then in turn will increase the anabolic environment that will then help your muscles to grow. One thing to take into consideration is the amount of water a person needs to take in also will depend upon their height, weight and the amount and level of activity they are putting their body through.

If you do not take in enough protein into your body you are not going to be helping the growth of your muscles. Proteins contain the essential building blocks for your muscles and that would be amino acids. The lower amounts of proteins that are taken in the lower amounts of amino acids there will be and this will hinder muscle growth. The reason for this is that the muscles will lack enough fuel for them to produce the energy to grow. If you want to build muscle it is important that you have one to two grams of protein for each pound of body weight that you carry on your body. So if you weigh about 150 pounds then you need 150 to 300 grams of protein each day of the week. If you eat less than 100 grams each day your muscles will find it just too difficult to function and be able to grow.

Another factor that can hinder muscle growth is weight training. You heard that right. Although this is supposed to be part of building muscles, it's not going to do any good if you don't do it right. For instance if you over train, you will not give your muscles the rest they need and it will be harder to recover. If they don't have enough recovery time they will not be able to increase in size. Understand that growth only takes place when you are actually resting. So if enough rest is not given the muscles don't have a chance to rest and grow.

Boost Your Muscle Building Effort - 3 Types of Drinks to Gain Weight

If you are looking to find out which kinds of drinks to gain weight and build muscles are the best, then you are in the right place. This article will teach you about the different kinds of drinks that are easy to prepare and can be done on your own kitchen at home. There is nothing wrong with drinking high-priced protein powders, but preparing your own drinks will allow you to have more control over the flavor as well as the caloric content of the drink.

Protein Drinks

Although most fitness experts would recommend solid foods when it comes to consuming protein for muscle building, drinking protein rich drinks is also being recommended. Although protein drinks do not contain any ingredient that could magically transform your body to a muscular physique, it has a lot of nutrients in them, equivalent to that of a chicken. Of course, your protein drink will not be as delicious as that of a piece of chicken, but it still has the ability to deliver the same nutritional content.

When preparing your own protein drink, look for the best protein powder in the market and blend it with a 150 ml skim milk. Mix all the ingredients and pour over a blender. Blend it for a few minutes and you'll soon be able to come up with the most delicious and nutritious protein drink.

Carbohydrate Drinks

High carbohydrate enriched drinks are actually considered to be the best drinks to gain weight and increase muscle mass. But take note that not all carbohydrate enriched drinks are safe, because some can be hazardous to our health. The main benefit of drinking carbo-enriched drinks is that they boost one's energy levels, which is necessary to perform strenuous muscle building exercises.

To prepare carbohydrate enriched drinks, simply add fruits to your choice of shake. This would normally require you to blend the fruits and the shake altogether, although doing this will not allow you to control both the nutrient ratio and tailor the taste of the shake according to your specific needs. It is best to prepare your carbohydrate shake from scratch by blending a banana with your milk or be more creative by adding a combination of whatever fruits you like best.

Low Fat Milk Drinks

Since our childhood years, our parents have been telling us that milk is the most important food to drink. The protein in milk is actually eighty percent whey and twenty percent casein, and both of these nutrients are high-quality proteins and known as a "fast protein" due to its ability to quickly break down into amino acids and be absorbed to the bloodstream. Therefore, low fat milk drinks are best to be consumed right after your workout.

To get the most nutrients out of milk, while consuming only a few amount of fat and calories, always go for fat-free milk, like skim milk and low-fat milk drinks. In order to get the most out of your milk drink, always go for low fat milk such as skim milk. Try to drink a glass of milk each meal and do this more than three times each day.Now if you are a chocolate person, then you may go for low fat chocolate milk drinks for a more delicious drink with the same nutritious benefits.

So the next time you hit the gym, try to bring along any of the drinks to gain weight mentioned above. These drinks are so quick and easy to prepare and will be able to help your muscles to grow and become stronger. There are no other better ways of feeding your muscles after a strenuous workout than by drinking a glass of your favorite milk!

Best Bicep Exercises - Blast Your Arms With This Simple Tip

The biceps are the one of the most important muscles in the body. The look of your biceps shows whether your workout plan is really working or not. It is also a factor of masculinity. For the pros, biceps are the parts that are mostly flexed and flaunted in competitions. There are many exercises that can help put the bicep in good shape, but the best bicep exercises get the result faster. Here are a few things to know about the best exercises for your biceps.

They target the whole upper body

If you want to build your biceps, you don't necessarily have to do exercises that target these muscles directly. In fact, many professionals and coaches will tell you that you don't need to more than two exercises that target the biceps directly. The best bicep exercises target the whole upper body. Those workout plans that put too much pressure on the biceps end up destroying what they intend to build.

They stimulate the muscles

What the biceps need to grow and be in shape is the right stimulation. Only the most effective exercises for your biceps will provide the needed stimulation.

They produce results in two ways

The best bicep exercise should be able to make the biceps grow in size. The shape of biceps is greatly enhanced by their size. It is very difficult to put small biceps in the desired shape. But size without shape is equally bad. For that matter, good bicep exercises should be able to put the muscles in great shape.

Curls are among the best bicep exercises

If you take your time to read a few articles about how to build biceps, you will realize that the exercises that top the list are curls: dumbbell curls and barbell curls. These are two most important biceps exercises that people who are serious about their biceps cannot avoid. Fortunately, these are exercises that are not difficult to do at all.

They don't lead to injury

This is very important. It is easy to damage your muscles if you do the wrong exercise. Damaged muscles can take time to heal. That is why you must avoid the very complicated exercises when looking for good bicep exercises. You should be able to tell which effect is tolerable and which is not. You've heard of no pain no gain, but if the pain is too much, then the exercise is not good.