Benefits Of Sauna - Why You Should Use The Sauna After Workouts

I have been using the gym off and on for about ten years now and until very recently I would usually walk past the sauna and never really give it a second thought. After all, the idea of a sitting in a hot box with several other half naked, sweaty men held very little appeal for me.

Then back in July of this year a friend of mine told me that using the sauna for 5-10 minutes after my workouts could reduce muscle soreness and fatigue. Because I hadn't set foot in a sauna for nearly a decade I decided to give it a go.

I was pleased to discover that the sauna did have a noticeable effect on the muscle soreness I usually experience. I also experienced a sense of well being that I normally wouldn't feel after a workout.

As it turns out, the sauna has many health benefits that go beyond simply reducing muscle soreness and fatigue.

The other benefits of sauna include:

1) Increased Blood Circulation

2) A Strengthened Immune System

3) Enhanced Detoxification Process of the Body's Impurities

4) Deep Skin and Pore Cleansing

5) Tension and Stress Relief

6) During the Winter Time, Sauna Also Restores Moisture to the Skin and Lips Preventing Cracking and Drying

I suggest using the sauna at least twice a week for at least 5 minutes on the highest setting.

Admittedly, it can be a bit awkward using the sauna with several other men which is why I suggest bringing your MP3 player along with you so that you can relax and not be forced to carry on conversations.

Also, don't forget to bring a towel so that you can shower afterward.

I'm Back!

After a long absence, I'm ready to start posting to this blog again.

I'll be posting 2-3 times per week.

For the few of you who are still reading my book, I would like to thank you and invite you to email me your suggestions and questions.

My email is exercisefitnessguru@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Mini Meals Can Help You Obtain Perfectly Flat, Ripped Abs

Without a doubt the most glossed over step towards building flat, ripped abs is a proper meal plan and eating schedule. People are usually so concerned with what they eat and how frequently they chose to exercise that they simply overlook the importance of when it is they are eating. Creating and sticking to a proper diet plan is critical to developing ripped abdominal muscles.

Skipping meals does not help you burn body fat and build your abs. When meals are skipped the idea is to simply reduce your calorie intake but what actually ends up happening for the rest of the day is increased snacking. People who miss out on meals to burn calories many times end up taking in more calories than if they had actually eaten all of their meals. The second step towards a healthy meal plan is consuming small or mini meals as opposed to the normal 3 meals a day.

Rather than eating every 5 or 6 hours, with mini meals you eat a small meal every 3 to 4 hours.
Eating small portions like mini meals allows your metabolism to work its magic at a faster and more efficient pace than normal, which is the main benefit to eating mini meals as opposed to 3 meals a day. You can further maximize the benefits of mini meals by including a little extra protein and fiber with each and every meal. Protein not only helps build muscle but also improves your metabolic activity and makes you feel full for hours longer than normal.

6 Simple But Highly Effective Tricep Workout Tips

Despite what you may have heard, the tricep muscles are actually the largest muscle group in the human body. The triceps generally take up nearly double the space that the bicep muscles occupy. This means that in order for you to develop massive, ripped arms you absolutely need to focus on building and strengthening your triceps. If building massive arms is something you are interested in, then I strongly suggest implementing the following tips:

Don’t Mix Your Chest & Triceps Workouts – When performing chest workouts, a substantial proportion of the weight is placed upon your tricep muscles. If you start your tricep workout immediately after your chest workout you simply will not be able to train with the same intensity you normally would. Whenever possible, try to leave a solid 48 hours between your tricep workout and your chest workout.

Avoid Overtraining – Undoubtedly, the largest single problem causing a lack of muscle growth in men is training to hard. Bear in mind that your triceps tend to be hit very hard when performing both chest and shoulder exercises. Try to make sure that you do no more than 18 individual sets of direct and indirect tricep exercises each and every week.

Lower Your Reps & Increase Your Weight – Your triceps do not need to be trained in a very high rep range. Your muscle tissue responds much better to heavy weight and reps between 6 to 10 reps which is also true of the tricep muscles.

Do More Squats – Believe it or not, doing more squats doesn’t just produce better looking thighs and buttock muscles but also causes muscle gains through out your entire body due to the fact that squats are such a demanding and intense exercise. To better strengthen your triceps you should try doing squats at least once a week.

Weighted Dips – Compound exercises happen to be very effective at forcing your muscles to grow and develop. A very good but often overlooked compound exercise is something called weighted dips. Weighted dips are of course just like regular dips except that you are using weight while performing the dips. While performing weighted dips always make sure to keep your body vertical at a 90 degree angle to the floor in order to maximize your muscle gains from the dips.

How To Rapidly Build Muscle Mass The Natural Way

Many weight lifters have a difficult time gaining muscle weight and, more often than not, these same people end up gaining more body fat in the process of trying to gain muscle. Discovering the correct diet and weight lifting plan to gain lean muscle mass tends to be a difficult process for many people. Fortunately, the solution is actually much more simple than most people imagine.

Because illegal drugs like steroids tend to be readily available, many people will go after this "easy fix" forgetting the dangerous side effects that steroids often inflict upon users. Steroids are simply not the answer to gaining muscle weight fast, assuming of course that your overall health and well being is of some importance to you.

So what exactly can you do?

The answer is your workout and diet plan. Gaining lean muscle mass while minimizing body fat necessarily requires the right diet as well as the proper mix of cardio exercises and weight lifting. Most fitness enthusiasts believe that loading up on quality protein is the best solution. While protein certainly is very important, you should not fall into the trap of ignoring other vital nutrients.

Your body needs a good amount of carbohydrates in addition to vitamins A,B, and D in order to stimulate and sustain muscle growth. This being said, always make sure your carbohydrate intake does not mainly come from refined flour foods as these kinds of foods are very high in bad carbs and sugars. As an alternative, try eating whole grain past instead or even broccoli and potatoes.

While engaged in your workout routines, try using intervals to trick your body to allow more muscle development. Performing the same "5 sets of 6" will teach your body to simply cut off growth because your body will adapt to repetitive motion. As an alternative, mix up your routine by doing 2 sets of 10 one day and 4 sets of 6 the next. So long as you keep your body guessing as to what is coming next you will see much better and faster muscle gains.