Are You Aware of the Health Benefits of Fish Oil?

The most important benefits of fish oil are that it helps in the cure of heart problems, reduces high levels of cholesterol and anxiety, increases low levels of immunity, reduces inflammation of various body parts, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, macular degeneration and many other health problems. Moreover, the other advantages of are that it assists in the decrease of body weight and sometimes it might also be used to for skin care.

The benefits of fish oil are mainly attributed to the presence of Omega 3 necessary fatty acids like Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The other important acids which are present in the are Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA and Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA.

Are you thinking of the kinds of fish from which you can derive the essential fish oil? They are mackerel, halibut, rainbow trout, herring, sardines, lake trout, oysters, blue fin tuna, turbot, anchovies, salmon and a lot others.

Beneficial effects

It has been found that the omega 3 acids which are present in fish oil have been successful in reducing the instances of cardiovascular diseases. Among its many advantages, it has been seen that it reduces the levels of LDL cholesterol, which is considered as "bad cholesterol", in the body. At the same time, it is also able to increase the levels of HDL, which, on the other hand, is known as the "good cholesterol". At the same time, another benefit is that it checks the storage of triglycerides and also reduces the content of triglycerides in the body. Several studies reflect that consumption of fish oil may lower the chances of sudden cardiac death.

The other benefits of fish oil are that it assists in weight loss. Research suggests that when one supplements their intake of the oil, the effectiveness of exercise in the body increases to a large extent. When a comparison was made, it was seen that groups which were given regular supplementation of the oil showed a better instance of weight loss than the ones who were not given any dosages.

Among its benefits, the most important is the fact that it enhances the immunity of an individual. The reason for this is that it in most of the cases, the oil works as a supplement to vitamins. As a result, you can stay away from illnesses like the common cold. It is also advantageous for patients who are suffering from diseases like lupus where there is a severe attack on the immune system. The other important use of fish oil is that it keeps in control the inflammation that might take place in the various joints of the body, the kidneys, the lungs and other places. Sometimes, it also provides relief for fevers and fatigue.

5 Major Muscle Building Mistakes to Avoid – Help Gain Muscle Mass

Why Am I not Getting Bigger Muscle?

Most of people who start training don’t have any knowledge or experience on how to build muscle and gain weight, And most of them after  6 month or one year, they give up, why? Because they didn’t get any satisfied result.

Before quitting, did you follow any Workouts and diet plans, and did you make it efficacious?

Did You Avoid The Most Muscle Building Mistakes?

We introduce these most common muscle building mistakes, to avoid it and helps you to get and optimal result.

You’re Not Eating Enough Meals

Eating big get bigger ! this is the rules, for some who want to gain weight, eating 3 meals per day (breakfast, luncheon and dinner) it’s not enough,  some research has shown that’s taking smaller meals, is the best way to lose weight, gain muscles, or helps to maintain your body weight, Adding gradually more wood as the flame gets bigger better than placing too much wood on at once.

You should take 6 meals at least per day, you probably think about how much time I need to make and eat those meals,  you can if you want, there are endless ways to make and store food for meals throughout the day.

Use your imagination to make those meals, including carbs, protein, and  fibers, in every meal!

Exemples:

– Turkey and potatoes

– steaks and mushroom

For those who don’t have time, or who can’t eat a more than 4 meals, you can shake some powder with water like gainers and protein powder supplements as a perfect meal replacement (it’s literally a meal in a cup) in addition to BCAA and glutamine.

Diet Plan: Daily Calorie, Protein, Fat & Carb Intake and Sources

Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or improve any aspect of your body or health, setting up your entire diet plan correctly is an absolute requirement for reaching any of these types of goals.

The problem is, between your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake and the food sources you’re getting these nutrients from, diet and nutrition tends to be the area people screw up the most. In fact, our diet plan is often the area we barely even care about in the first place.

I hear it all the time. People tell me all about their workout routines and what exercises and muscle groups they train on what days and how much weight they lift for how many sets and reps and blah blah blah, but when I ask them about their diet plan, the answer is usually “it’s okay” or “I think it’s pretty good.”

In reality however it’s often terrible, and it’s the #1 reason you’re not losing fat or building muscle or getting the results you want. The truth is, if your diet plan isn’t set up the way it needs to be for your goal to be reached, then your goal WILL NOT be reached. Simple as that.

So, how should you eat to support your goal? How do you figure out what your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake needs to be and what food sources those nutrients should and should not come from? How do you set up your ideal diet plan?

Here now is a free guide that contains all of those answers. Let’s begin…

Daily Calorie Intake

Above everything else in your diet plan, your daily calorie intake is by far the most important part of it. As you will see, protein, fat and carbs definitely matter as well, but nothing influences your ability to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle or do anything similar as much as calories do.

This is because everything we eat and drink (besides obvious calorie-free items like water) contains calories, and everything we do (exercise, getting dressed, breathing, digesting food, etc.) burns calories. The difference between how many calories we consume and how many calories we burn is the most important factor in every diet plan. Here’s why…

How do you use calories to control your weight?

The way the human body works is pretty simple. There is a certain number of calories that your body requires every day in order for it to maintain your current weight. We call this your “daily calorie maintenance level.” It’s the amount of calories your body requires each day in order to do EVERYTHING it needs to do.

Now, if your diet plan is made up of more, less or the same amount of calories as your maintenance level, 1 of 3 things will always happen…

If you eat MORE calories than your maintenance level, you will gain weight. This is a requirement for building muscle.

If you eat LESS calories than your maintenance level, you will lose weight. This is a requirement for losing fat.

If you eat the SAME amount of calories as your maintenance level, your weight will stay the same. This is a requirement for maintaining your current weight.
And these are really the most important things you need to know about your daily calorie intake and just creating a proper diet plan in general. These 3 simple facts are what most of the population fail to learn, understand, or just pay attention to, and it’s the #1 reason why their body isn’t doing what they want it to do.

How do you estimate your maintenance level?

The first step in figuring out what your daily calorie intake needs to be is estimating what your maintenance level is. There are quite a few ways to do this, but the easiest is to multiply your current body weight in pounds by 14 and 17. Somewhere between those 2 amounts will usually be your maintenance level.

People who are less active, or people who think they have a slower metabolism should use the lower end of their range. People who are more active, or people who think they have a faster metabolism should use the higher end of their range. People who are unsure should just pick a number in the middle.

Another way to estimate your daily calorie maintenance level is with calculator google it 'calories calculator'

How do you adjust your daily calorie intake for your goal?

Now that you have a good estimate of what your maintenance level is, it’s time to adjust it for your specific goal. Here’s how…

If you want to lose weight, SUBTRACT about 500 calories from your estimated maintenance level and start eating this amount each day.

If you want to build muscle or gain weight, ADD about 300-500 calories to your estimated maintenance level and start eating this amount each day.

If you want to maintain your current weight, don’t make any adjustments. Just eat your maintenance level amount each day.

To ensure your daily calorie intake is indeed what it should be, all you need to do is weigh yourself about once per week first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything, and monitor if your weight is moving in the right direction at the ideal rate.

For losing weight, 1-2lbs lost per week is usually perfect. For gaining weight or building muscle, 0.5-1lb gained per week is usually perfect. So, if that’s happening, you’re perfect. Continue eating this daily calorie intake from that point on.

But if it’s not, then you just need to adjust up or down in small 250 calorie increments until it is. Yup, just that simple.

Now that your daily calorie intake is set up, it’s time to set up the protein, fat and carbs that will supply these calories.

Daily Protein Intake

The next most important part of your diet plan is your daily protein intake. Why? I will explain in my next post about the high protein diet, protein is the building block of muscle, it plays a huge role in controlling your hunger and keeping you satisfied, and, if weight loss is your goal, it’s the dietary key to ensuring that the weight you lose is fat and not muscle.

These benefits are the reason why protein supplements are so damn popular and you’ll never hear anyone recommend a low protein diet. The question is, what does your daily protein intake need to be to get all of these benefits?

What is your ideal daily protein intake?

Most people looking to improve their body should usually be eating between 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, with an even 1 gram of protein per pound being the most common recommendation.

Most people should use their current body weight when doing this calculation (so a 180lb person would eat 180 grams of protein per day), but people who are truly obese should use their goal body weight instead (so a 300lb person trying to get down to 200lbs would eat about 200 grams of protein per day).

What are the best sources of protein?

Some common high quality sources of protein include…

Chicken
Turkey
Fish
Meat
Eggs/Egg Whites
Milk
Protein Supplements

Daily Fat Intake

After your daily calorie and protein intake, your daily fat intake is the next part of your diet plan that needs to be set up. There are primarily 4 different types of fat (trans, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), and each has a significantly different effect on the human body. My next post about Good Fats vs Bad Fats explains this in detail.

The short version is that trans fat should be avoided completely, saturated fat should typically be limited to no more than 1/3 of your total daily fat intake, and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats should comprise the majority of it.

A definite extra emphasis should be placed on getting enough of a specific polyunsaturated fatty acid… the omega-3. My next post about Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements explains why it’s so important.

What is your ideal daily fat intake?

In most cases, somewhere between 20-30% of your total daily calorie intake should come from fat, with an even 25% often being just right for most people.

So, just figure out what 25% of your total daily calorie intake is, and then divide that amount by 9 (because 1g of fat contains 9 calories) to figure out how many grams you’d need to eat per day. I’ll show you a full example of how to do this in a minute.

What are the best sources of fat?

Some common high quality sources of fat include…

Fish
Fish Oil Supplements (highly recommended)
Nuts
Olive Oil
Avocados
Daily Carb Intake

With calories, protein and fat all set up, the last part of your diet that needs to be figured out is your daily carb intake. The reason we left carbs for last is because out of the 3 macronutrients that supply our daily calories (protein, fat and carbs), carbs are the least important.

Another post in pipeline about how many grams of carbs you should eat per day will explain, carbs are extremely useful and a sufficient amount should definitely be eaten. However, protein and fat are the only macronutrients that are truly essential to the human body and MUST be present in our diet plan in order to live and function. Carbs aren’t, although we definitely live and function much better when we eat them.

Here’s why this is important…

What is your ideal daily carb intake?

Simply put, your ideal daily carb intake is whatever is left over to meet your daily calorie intake after your daily protein and fat intakes have been factored in. That might sound confusing, but it’s not.

Remember the daily calorie intake you calculated before? Subtract calories from protein and calories from fat from that amount. Whatever amount of calories are still left over, those calories will come from carbs.

Here’s a step-by-step example…

Let’s pretend you calculated that you need to eat 2000 calories per day to lose weight or build muscle or whatever your goal is.
Next let’s pretend you figured out that you need to eat 150 grams of protein per day. Since 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories, that means 600 of this example person’s daily calories will come from protein.

Next, since 25% of your calories should come from fat, this example person can calculate that 500 of their 2000 daily calories will come from fat (2000 x 0.25 = 500). To figure out how many grams of fat that would be, they’d just divide 500 by 9 (since there’s 9 calories per gram of fat) and get about 55 grams of fat per day.

So that’s 600 calories from protein plus 500 calories from fat which gives this person 1100 calories accounted for so far (600 + 500 = 1100).

Now they’d just subtract 1100 from their 2000 total and get 900 left over calories. Since 1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories, this example person can see that they should eat 225 grams of carbs per day (900 divided by 4 = 225).

You’d just repeat this same process using your actual daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake instead of the example amounts I just used.

What are the best sources of carbs?

Some common high quality sources of carbs include…

Vegetables
Fruits
Oatmeal
Brown Rice
Beans
Potatoes
Whole Grains
Organizing Your Diet Plan

Now that you know how many calories and grams of protein, fat and carbs to eat per day and which foods they should usually come from, you’re probably wondering how it should all be put together and organized.

You know, like what times should you eat, how many meals should you eat, and how big or small should each meal be? Well, I can explain all of those answers in just 3 simple words: it doesn’t matter.

Everything you’ve heard about a certain type of diet organization being beneficial for losing weight or building muscle is either a lie, a myth, or complete crap. Ignore it all. My post about why eating 5-6 small meals per day is BS and why eating after 7 pm at night is fine explain why.

So, the real answer to every question you have about how to best put your diet plan together is this…

Eat the right total amount of calories, protein, fat and carbs each day, get them from mostly higher quality sources, eat a proper post workout meal, and then do EVERYTHING else in your diet in whatever way is most enjoyable and convenient for you. Whatever is most likely to cause you to consistently get the important stuff right… that’s what you should do.

I’ve now calculated your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake and set up the most important aspects of your new diet plan.

By :Juraj Krajcik

How to Build Muscle Quickly With a 3 Day a Week Routine

Here's an easy to follow 3 day a week routine. You can definitely learn how to build muscle quickly with this routine. Matter of fact, it's much more effective for muscle gaining compared to the typical 5 day a week routines.

Learning how to build muscle quickly is dependent on rest and recovery. A 3 day routine allows for proper rest and recover to take place, which will maximize gains. Let's get started:

MONDAY - Chest, Shoulders, Triceps. 

• Bench Press (barbell or dumbells) 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Pec Dec Machine - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Shoulder Press (barbell or dumbells) - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Shoulder Laterals - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Tricep Pushdowns - 2 sets for 10-12 reps

WEDNESDAY - Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves) 

• Squats or Leg Press - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Leg Extensions - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Leg Curls - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Calf raises - 2 sets for 10-12 reps

FRIDAY - Back, Biceps, Forearms 

• barbell row - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Lat Pulldowns - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Bicep Barbell or Dumbbell Curls - 2 sets for 10-12 reps
• Reverse Curls - 2 sets for 10-12 reps

This is the basis for the 3 day workout. Exercises may be added, or excluded depending on one's own preference and recovery ability. The days do not have to be set up in a Monday, Wednesday, Friday manner. Basically any three days, with one day separating each workout, and two full days of rest. This is an excellent and straight forward way to learn how to build muscle quickly. Give it a try!

Exercise Tips - Best Exercises To Build Muscle Size

Many people workout without really knowing what exercises really add muscle size. All workouts will help you add some muscle, but certain ones add considerable amount of muscle mass. I like to call these the basic exercises for getting big.

Most beginners should start out with these first before moving on to another. Please use strict form and start off with light weight. Take your time while lifting and use full range of motion through out the exercise.

Squat

The squat is by far one of the best exercise you can do for developing muscle. It increases size in the legs and overall body size. This one movement can pack on loads of muscle when done right. I know many people who do just squats for building the lower part of the body.

Bench Press

I love the bench press. It's my favorite exercise to build the chest. Not only does it work the chest, but also develops the shoulders, triceps and abdominal. I recommend adding this to your workout routine to add size to your chest. People can also use dumbbells or barbells to do this exercise.

Dead Lifts

The deadlift is also a great exercise to add to your routine. It works the whole body, especially the back, legs and abdominal. Please be careful with this exercise. You must use strict form and take your time with this one.

Military Press

This is definitely a shoulder builder. If you want big size shoulders this is a must to add to the workout plan. Please start off light then add more weight as you get stronger. This exercise also works the triceps and some of the back.

Wide Grip Pull Downs

Mainly a back exercise this will give you that V-Shaped look. If the person is looking for a defined back muscles, add this to your workout schedule. You will be happy with the results. Also by changing hand position from wide to narrow the individual will be targeting different back muscles.

Barbell Or Dumbbell Curls

Looking for larger arms, bulging biceps. This one exercise can add muscle mass to the arms. Arms are fairly east to grow and curls will do the job. When doing standing curls do not swing back and forth. Lower the amount of weight and stay straight up when doing curls.

Triceps Press

Another arm building exercise. This one will make the back of the arm huge. The back of the arm called the triceps makes up two- thirds of the arm. Most people think the bicep is the biggest part of the arm. That's incorrect the triceps are. Build that part and you will have very large arms.

If you add the exercises I explained to your workout routines you should see an increase in muscle size and definition to your body.

I'm writing this article to help you realize how important exercise and nutrition is to your overall health and physical appearance. Exercise and nutrition helps with arthritis, diabetes, depression, motivation, weight loss, lowering cholesterol, flexibility and muscle definition.

How to Lose Weight - Lose Fat Keep Muscle

Most people think that if they do some weight lose exercise, they will also lose their muscles. This is never true because fat and muscle are not the same. You can also lose muscles when trying to lose weight if you are not doing it the wrong way.

Below are some ways in which you can experience muscle loss during weight loss programs:

1. Weight training: This helps for easy loss of body fat, but if you do it too often without allowing your muscle to rest, your will experience muscle loss. You must rest for 24 hours after each weight training routine to allow your body to rest, else you will continue to injure your muscle and allow no time for healing and growth.

2. Eating a wrong diet: A good diet that supports weight loss and body building should consist of 60 percent protein, 20 percent carbohydrate, 5 percent fat and 15 percent of vitamins and minerals. If you avoid any of the above mentioned food nutrient, you may begin to experience loss of muscles. Also if you eat too much of any of the above food nutrient, you will find it very difficult to lose weight.

3. Doing Exercises with a wrong posture: This is one of the main reason why most muscle builders find it difficult to build their muscles even with all the time them spend on routines. If you want to become a successful muscle builder, you must learn how to do your routines in the right position. As a beginner get the assistance of an expert Muscle Building trainer and learn the right posture slowly.

4. Decrease in Body Metabolism: One of the major catalysts in losing body fat and building huge muscles is increasing your body metabolism rate. This is why it is recommended to drink lots of water when undergoing weight lose or a Muscle Building programs.

5. Eating of Processed foods: Processes foods also know as junk foods are not good for your body as they contain so many chemicals which are used as preservatives, these chemicals helps to increase your body fat. Most people are overweight all over the world because they always eat junk foods. They eat processed foods because they are too lazy to prepare their meals or they don't have much time for cooking. If you want to lose weight, it is recommended that you spend some time to prepare your meals yourself.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels Naturally

Chiselled jaw line, broad shoulders, muscular build, facial hair, a deep voice, and a high cheek bone are just some of the handful of characteristics associated with a man who has high testosterone levels. In general they are a manlier man, somebody strong and healthy.

It is therefore no shock that women are more attractive to these men, as they show characteristics of a sexual partner who can provide healthy offspring. As a result these are more likely to be successful at reproducing. So it comes as no surprise why thousands of men wish to know how to increase testosterone levels, after all it is what makes a man a man.

This article will provide you with information to do just that but also cover, symptoms of low testosterone levels, benefits of increasing levels but more importantly how to increase them.

You should seek to increase testosterone levels only if they are low. It is true that you can have too much of a good thing and testosterone is no exception. How to increase testosterone levels need not be read if you already have high levels. Signs that you may already possess high testosterone include: increased muscle size, road rage, aggressive behaviour, mood swings, acne, insomnia and headaches. If you have any one of these issues or more, then eating soy could help reduce your testosterone. The list is endless of foods that contain soy so do not panic.

Firstly let us take a look at symptoms of men with low testosterone (If you suffer from one or more of the following symptoms then I advise to visit a Doctor).

Symptoms:

Reduced sex drive

Erectile dysfunction

Tiredness

Sleeping problems

Losing muscle and strength

Weak bones

Osteoporosis

Poor memory

Increase in body fat

Mood problems

How to increase testosterone:

Get a minimum of 8 hours sleep per night

Reduce your stress levels (walking, yoga, listen to music, laugh and meditate)

Avoid soya

Quit smoking

Consume cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Turnips, Brussels and Watercress)

Eat animal protein.

Cut down on the alcohol

Try taking a zinc supplement

Have more sex

Lift weights (lift weights around 3 times a week, use compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press)

uphill sprinting (sprint for 8 seconds at a time)

Lose weight (this should be done gradually)

Eat healthy fats. (almonds, walnuts, olive oil, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)

Do not consumer too much fibre

Make sure you consume more carbohydrates than protein

Benefits of high testosterone:

Higher energy levels

Increased muscle size

Better memory

Higher sperm count

Helps prevent depression and stress

Increased bone density

Less likely to experience a heart attack

This article on ''How to increase testosterone levels naturally'' may help you increase your levels by following the advice above.

Chin Ups Vs Pull Ups and How To Get Better At Both

Before I even discuss whether chin ups or pull ups is better, let us first distinguish the important difference between the two. With chin ups, your palms are facing toward you and your hands are in general closer together. Pull ups are done with your palms facing away from you and typically your hands are spread further apart.

Chin Ups Vs Pull Ups- And The Winner is...

To be honest there is no winner as it depends on what your goal is. Both are great compound exercises which target many muscles of the upper back, biceps and also other muscles such as the chest and shoulders which you may of not even thought it did. To make the most out of a compound movement, you will want to work the largest muscles groups and also have a wide range of motion. Pull ups win hands down when it comes down to working the larger muscle groups such as the lats. Chin ups are better than pull ups when it comes to range of motion and also works your bicep muscles more. As you can see they both have their benefits and in my opinion if you want to really get a bigger and stronger back and biceps you should really be doing both.

Some Tips For Getting Better At Chin Ups And Pull Ups

When it comes to getting better at an exercise, your first course of action is to make sure you are using proper form. For both of them you want to make sure you are gripping the bar tight, and also "packing" your shoulders into your body. Make sure that you use your lat muscles when pulling yourself up. A lot of people make the mistake of using their arms, your arms should just be hooks with your armpit muscles pulling you up clearing your chin of the bar. You can also cross your legs and squeeze your butt to use an irradiation technique which borrows strength from neighbouring muscles.

The next tip I am going to offer you to get better at chin ups and pull ups is to practice often. You should aim to practice chin ups and pull ups at least 3 times a week, but I would suggest even more. You should mix it up between a high volume of training from 20-25 reps for endurance and some low volume training to increase your strength. For strength training, do not go to failure and use a weight you can do about 5 reps on and do 3.

Weight Training Rest Periods: The X-Factor Of Muscle Growth

Weight Training rest period are very important in a fitness regimen. Most people get so intense and focused on working out and just keep moving on with their routines that they forget rest is essential to recovery. Muscle is not built during a workout. It is actually built during rest. If you keep going and going without weight training rest periods then there is no recovery time and no muscle built.

As you lift weights in the gym you are tearing the muscle fibers apart. The weight you lift and how intense your workout is will determine the damage done to your muscles. In this case damage is a good thing. Once you stop working out the muscle begins to repair and builds new muscle. If there is not enough rest time then the muscle can't regrow as it should.

Most people get confused and do not understand the concept of recovery or why it is important. They think that muscle is built when they are lifting weights in the gym. They do not want to recognize that when they rest is when the real muscle building occurs. Making this mistake is not a smart move if you want to actually build serious muscle.

If you keep hitting the gym and working too much you will get very frustrated because you won't see results. If you do not allow for rest and recovery then you will never see the big muscles that you are working so hard to build. When it comes to building muscle you should have the mindset that less is more.

There are two types of rest that you need to ensure for good muscle growth. You need muscular rest which is the actual rest that will allow the muscle to rebuild. This takes about 48 hours. This is why trainers will tell you to not work the same muscle group on consecutive days. Generally you will work a muscle group every other day to allow for muscular rest.

The other type of rest is CNS rest. CNS stands for central nervous system. During CNS rest the system is able to recover from the stress weight lifting puts on the body. The amount of time for CNS rest can vary, but you should be able to tell for yourself how long you need. If you are not getting adequate CNS rest then you will have slower reactions, you won't feel on top of your game and you will not be able to do as much before you have to stop. It is CNS rest that can affect your body overall. It can stop you from being able to do strength training two days in a row. Some people may find they must rest every other day to allow for proper recovery.

It is important to listen to your body and to allow for weight training rest periods. You are only hurting yourself when you ignore rest. When you factor in rest to your workouts you will find you accomplish more. You are able to get a better workout and you build muscle much faster when you include rest periods in your routine.