What other muscle group would you recommend training with the abs on a given day?

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I tend to isolate two muscle groups per training session. What other muscle should I train when I work my abs?

Also, is it better to work your abs at the start, middle or end of an intense workout?
first off you should be aware that your abs arent just that six pack- your abs are part of a larger group of abdominal muscles( ext abdominal obliques, internal abdominal obliques, rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, and I'd even include quadratus lumborum, and erector spinae), which all play a role in core stabilization and help resist movement and aid in defecation and coughing as well lol..anyway all of your abdominal muscles shoud be trained somewhat with every workout- not necessarily in isolation, but you can focus on obliques in one workout and abdominal muscles in another, and your back stablizers (QL and ES) on another day i suppose  (+ info)

How can i gain muscle on the Tread mill?

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Ive been running on the tread mill latley to try to gain muscle and i put the speed very high and the incline high to. Im really skinny and i dont want to loose any weight and someone told me that if i keep running on the treadmill that ill loose weight instead of gaining muscle. Is that true? If it is, what type of exercise machine could i use to build muscle on my legs and thighs?
running is a cardio exercise so yes you'll lose weight. to gain muscle you need to move to weight lifting.
if you don't have your own weights and don't want to go to a gym then exercises like push ups, squats, chin ups,, etc...will work  (+ info)

How do I get muscle shape and muscle intensity?

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I weigh about 108 pounds and about 5 foot 1 and I've been working out everyday for about a couple of months, but I can't get my muscles to shape. What do I need to do? And also, what is the bst way to get muscle intensity?
drop sets. something like this (biceps)
10 at 25lbs
10 at 20lbs
10 at 15 lbs
10 at 10 lbs
10 at 5lbs
when you get to 5 its gonna feel like 50.

Or another thing to build muscle tone is to do more reps of less weight example: 20 reps of 20lbs instead of 10 reps of 30 lbs  (+ info)

How does delayed onset muscle soreness work?

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Delayed onset muscle soreness. Is it a sign or something that the muscle experiencing it is becoming stronger? Anyway, i heard if you do warm ups before some strenuous exercise it'll be reduced. But does that actually reduce muscle fitness gained?
Oh yes, are push ups eccentric or concentric contractions?
I'm a Cert. Nutritionist and this is what I tell my clientel.
Numerous things are taking place after working out the muscles. Have you heard of the saying "rip and repair?"
Make sure you repair your muscles with what they're made of. Protein (aminos) and vitamins. Lack of can cause a catabolic reaction, the break down of tissue. You're muscles eat themselves. Exercise causes you to use more nutrients than someone sitting on the couch. The mineral magnesium is needed to help the muscles relax and aid in recovery. Women really need this to help relax their cramping, contracting muscles at that time of the month. Get magnesium from food in dark leafy veggies (ie spinach, greens) and nuts, esp. almonds (higher than greens!). Another reason for delayed soreness is lactic acid. Do this: Rub the palms of your hands together real fast. What is happening is heat, caused by friction. If you kept doing this you would possibly get a blister. Inside the blister is a liquid, lactic acid, that doesnt hurt until popped. When oxygen hits it it burns. This same reaction takes place in the muscles but there arent the blisters and the oxygen is already there to help cause the burn. Glutamine, an amino, can help neutralize this pain. Even buffed, muscular people who work out often can get this esp. when they change up the way they move a muscle group. Like changing the position/direction with your hands when you were rubbing them together. When you work out you need to think differently. Not "what can I do to be anabolic (build up muscle)" but "what can you do to prevent catabolic (break down)". Make sure you get your protein, aminos and antioxidants. Timing is important too. It is proven that 45 mins into your workout that your muscles want to recover. Working out longer can be more harm than good, making you become catabolic. You can prevent this if you want ot work out longer. Just passify your muscles with apx 10grams of protein diluted in a water bottle at the 45 min mark. After the workout do apx 40g (most guys can handle per serving, 25g for women) in a powder/liquid form. (More is not better. Too much protein can become stored fat) Food takes 2-3 hrs to breakdown and get to the muscles and then they are already catabolic. Drink plenty of water and try to say away from caffeine which 1) dehydrates you 2) is a vaso-constrictor (shrinks blood vessels diameter 3) depletes your minerals esp. the much needed magnesium (girls, that's why they tell you to stay away from caffeine at that time of the month). You want your muscles to dialate, open up, so nutrients get to muscles for improved recovery. Hence NO2 supplements. Yes, soreness is a sign of recovery. If you aid the recovery as mentioned you will notice increased strength. Remember, taking more protein doesn't make you bigger, justs aids recovery and preventing loss of muscle. Heavier weights do, "rip and repair" more. Lack of protein can make you smaller. Best of luck and enjoy your veggies! :o)  (+ info)

How much muscle could i gain over the summer?

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I am 16 years old. 5ft10 and 142lbs. I have never really done any serious workouts before. I want to get bigger over the summer. I was wondering if i worked hard how much muscle i could gain by summer's end. What exercises should i do? How many times? And any other tips that would help me gain muscle fast. Thanks!
Don't expect o blow up in size, you will gain good amount in first month cuz of newbie gains when your body gets a shock from training and then on other months you can gain at most 2lbs of muscle a month. That is if you eat 500 calories more then your maintenance level is and if you don't overtrain. For more info on nutrition go here:
http://www.36pounds.com/2009/04/22/8-rules-of-nutrition-for-skinny-guys-gaining-muscle/

For a workout program go here:
http://www.36pounds.com/2009/04/28/36poundscom-beginner-workout-program-for-skinny-guys/

Cheers  (+ info)

How to maintain muscle tone but keep testosterone levels low?

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Hi there, I'm a young male and have been doing resistance training for a few years. However, I'm reading that weight training can increase testosterone (and maybe DHT) production in the body, which is a good thing for the bodybuilder since it reduces bodyfat and helps build muscle, but is a bad thing for those concerned with cholestrol levels, cancer, and/or hair loss.

My question is, are there resistance training methods (ie: low intensity, high-rep workouts, adding cardio to your workouts, etc) that would not stimulate the production of testosterone? Is it true that cardio helps lower testosterone levels? Basically, I want to maintain my muscle tone but keep those testosterone levels low. Is that possible?

Thank you very much, all suggestions are appreciated
the source of your information is highly inaccurate. test and dht are both neccessary for the human body to function properly. how these hormones may cause certain illnesses, etc. has nothing to do with the levels of them. it has to do with how "your" body reacts to them and that is based on your genetics.

take dht for example. it does cause hair loss but the level of dht is irrelevant. a person can have low dht levels and great hair loss, another can have very high levels of dht and no hair loss. it is how the androgenic receptor on the hair follicle reacts to dht and that is based purely on genetics.  (+ info)

Whats the difference between lean muscle and building muscle?

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i have been working out and want to purchase some supplements, so im wondering whats the difference between lean muscle and building muscle?
You want lean muscles, without the fat ... proper muscle on its own.
Supplements are fine but it will all depend on what you eat at the end of the day.

Ensure that you eat protein and carbohydrate about thirty minutes before a workout session and immediately or within 30 minutes of the end of the session: whey protein and a simple carb like a banana.

• Only have simple carbs first thing in the morning at breakfast and immediately following your workout.

• Don't use protein supplements excessively. You can get the required amount of quality protein from lean chicken, fish, soy, skim milk and some red meat.

• Some supplements work, some don't and they are a waste of money. Whey protein is fine and it even has other health benefits but it is not necessary to have more than a serving a day, which is preferably after the work-out.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds; some lean meats, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products; and mono and polyunsaturated oils.

• Eat lots of fibre. This is essential for a good digestive system and to maintain your ideal weight but also to prevent heart complications and bowel cancer.

• Your goal is to trim fat and build lean muscle mass, preserve abs by eating foods low in sugar.

• Follow a low sugar diet. Sugar easily turns into fat if not burnt by exercise and contributes to weight gain.

• Limit intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, alcohol and an excess of added sugars and sugary foods.

• Drink plenty of water. Teas and juices count towards your daily fluid intake but coffee and alcohol don't!

• Switch from flavored yogurt to low fat plain yogurt and from canned tuna to salmon for less mercury and more omega 3.

• Avoid salt, try and buy salt reduced or no-added-salt foods. Salt also masks the taste of food, you will notice this after a couple of weeks of eating low salt foods.

• Eat small meals throughout the day when you are hungry, rather than three big main meals.  (+ info)

How do you gain more muscle when you have a hard gaining weight?

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Im a skinny guy that can only gain weight by gaining muscle by going to the gym. Ive tried eating more but my metabolism just burns it off. I eat healthy (Boneless chicken breasts, vegetables etc) and have started going to the gym regularly again. Im slowly gaining muscle, but its so hard to actually add on muscle and weight, any thoughts?
There are to basic principles two gaining muscle mass:
1. Consistency in training
2. Eating above your calorie maintenance level-your maintenance level is the amount of calories you need to stay at your current body weight

Your body doesn't want you to have muscle, and will minimize muscle growth if there is not a surplus of nutrients. In other words you have to eat alot. 80% of your gains of muscle will be from nutrition.

Heres a formula to find your calorie maintenence level:

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Home :: Nutrition
How Many Calorie Do You Need?

Everyone burns calories at their own pace. This is because every one has his or her own unique metabolism rate. Hence it is quite difficult to find one size fit all kind of estimation for Calories requirement.

We need calories for all our basic purposes. We need calories to even breath and live. We burn calories both at rest and play. The only thing that differ between various activities is the rate at which we burn calories. So we burn much fewer calories when we are sitting and working on our computer as compared to when we are running or going upstairs. While sleeping, our bodies burn between 70-100 calories per hour. This is called our Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.

Your calorie requirement is dependent on your objective. Are you looking forward to weight gain or weight loss. For people looking for weight gain the idea is to increase your calorie intake. When you increase your calorie intake, the excess calories get stored in your body. Depending on your nutrition type as well as your workouts, these excess calorie may get stored as fat or muscle. What we discuss out here is how to estimate the number of calories you need for maintenance level - your maintenance level is the amount of calories you need to stay at your current body weight. Simply, if you want to gain weight you will have to cross your maintenance level.

All the tools out there for finding your maintenance level just give you an approximate value. There is no formula to find your exact maintenance level. This can be attributed to the fact that your calorie consumption depends a lot on your day to day activity level. One of the most commonly used and preferred method of finding your maintenance level is called the Harris-Benedict Equation.

Harris-Benedict Equation is so popular because of the number of variables that it analyzes. It takes your sex, age, height, and weight into consideration. Other important factors like your heart breathing, activity level etc are also given their due importance. The additional energy requirement of these processes is also taken into account by the Harris-Benedict Equation.

The equation is identical for both men and women except that the numbers in equation change.



Here is a sample calculation for a guy named Jack:

Parameters

Age: 26

Weight: 175 Pounds

Height: 70 Inches
First multiple the weight in pounds with the number 13.8, we will call this value as X

175 pounds x 13.8 = 2,415.0;

Next multiply height by number 5, we will call this value as Y

70 inches x 5 = 350.0

Next multiply age by number 6.8, we will call this value as Z

26 x 6.8 = 176.8

Total Calories Needed = A + Y - Z + 67

Total Calories Needed = 2655.2

Also make sure to eat one gram of protein per bodyweight daily, as this is the prime muscle building nutrient.

Secondly make sure that you push hard when you weight lift. Go for between 8-10 reps if your a begginer and 5-7 if your intermediate or advanced. Make sure to it muscular failure on these- the point where you cannot lift the weight for another rep.

Also make sure not to neglect your legs and back when you train, becuase when you train them you create more testosterone throughout your body, which is a muscle building and fat burning hormone.

Lastly make sure you are making consistent gain in your work- make sure you are increasing the weight or reps each week, to be consistent in your gains.  (+ info)

How to maintain muscle if I have limited time to work out?

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I'm happy with how much muscle I currently have, the thing is that I'm working a 40 hour + job and going to college, so I only have one day I can truely work out. Can I maintain my current muscle size and strength by eating right and only fully working out once a week, also with a push up and sit up routine three times a week?
I'll be drinking a protein shake of course
Oh yeah. Muscle does not really lose size or shape unless you change your lifestyle dramatically. Doing push-ups, sit-ups, and running three times a week is more than enough to stay in shape with the busy schedule you have. I also go to college and work, but I set up a schedule to work around everything! Just watch what you eat and stay committed to your workouts and you will be fine!  (+ info)

How do i determine my muscle fiber make up between fast and slow twitch muscles?

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I am running track this year, but havent decided between sprints or distance. Ive been told that muscle makeup can give one an advantage(sprinters use fast twitch, distance runners, slow twitch). Is there any way to determine which muscles I have more of? Do i need to get a biopsy?
If you can naturally run fast and jump high then you have more fast twitch fibers. If you are naturally good at running for a long time with out your muscles fatiguing then you have more slow twitch fibers. Which ever track event you choose, you can train your muscles to act more like fast or slow twitch fibers anyway.  (+ info)

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