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.

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.

Protein For Fat Loss - How Protein Helps You Burn Fat

More often than not, when you think about fat loss diet plans you likely only consider the foods you should avoid. This is an easy thing to do considering one of the principal reasons for excessive weight gain is overeating. While minimizing your intake of saturated fats and simple sugars is always advisable when trying lose body fat, adding certain things to your diet will also help you reduce body fat.

High quality protein is certainly one of the food stuffs that your diet should have large quantities of. Bodybuilders have actually long known the fat loss and muscle building benefits of protein. Protein like the kind found in meat, poultry, and fish is a macronutrient that generally contains 4 calories per gram of protein.

In many ways protein forms the foundation of your entire body's metabolic processes. Protein also regulates the growth and development of the cells found in the muscle tissue, epidermis (skin), and eyes. In addition, protein is also involved in the maintenance of the entire circulatory system. In fact every single cell of the human body contains some amount of simple protein. Unlike carbohydrates which are stored within the muscle tissue, protein is not stored and must therefore be regularly replaced through your food intake.

Here are three reasons why a diet high in protein will aid your efforts to reduce body fat:

1. Increases Body Temperature - Protein actually causes the core temperature of your body to increase which in biology jargon is called "thermogenics". The average core body temperature for a human is 98.6 degrees but as this temperature rises, even by less than 1 degree Fahrenheit, the body's metabolism also rises and this causes calories to be burned more rapidly, even in a state of rest.

2. Increases A Sense Of Fullness - When you slash calories to lose weight your body will often feel a sense of nagging hunger. Because of the way protein is absorbed by the body, a high protein diet will actually decrease the feeling of hunger and make you feel more full. This means you can eat less and still feel full.

3. Protein Builds Muscle - Your body's natural metabolism is determined by several factors including the amount of muscle tissue found on the body. Therefore the more muscle you have on your body the faster your metabolism will process body fat and calories.

The best sources of naturally occurring protein are found in chicken breasts, turkey breasts, fish, egg whites, red meat, cottage cheese, and low fat milk.

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Muscle Building Secrets – Recipe For Ripped Chest Muscles

Male chest muscles are a favorite muscle group amongst both men and women. If your goal is to really get noticed by the ladies and earn respect from other men, then concentrating on your chest muscles should be your prime objective. Many chest exercises are actually great all around workouts because you will usually be working out several other muscle groups simultaneously.

Just like you can't build a house without a sturdy foundation, you can't get ripped chest muscles without a great diet. A great diet that is both low in sugar and fat and high in protein and carbohydrates will provide your body with essential nutrients, amino acids, and energy necessary for muscle mass development. From here on out you will have to pay very close attention to what you eat on a daily basis if a ripped chest is what you really desire. Developing strict eating habits can be tough at first but will become much easier the longer you stick with it.

If you are between 150-200 pounds then following this daily diet will help you get ripped in the shortest time possible:

1.1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight
2.10 grams of creatine (only take 5 days a week)
3.2-3 servings of meat, preferably chicken
4.2-3 baked potatoes
5.28-32 ounces of 1% milk (can be mixed with a protein shake)
6.3 Amino acid tablets
7.Multivitamin
8.1-2 servings of vegetable juice (helps to maintain proper nutrient levels)
9.Reduce high sugar snacks, desserts, and drinks to more than 4 total servings per week.

You can and should eat more than this each day. In addition to the the above diet you should have about 2 extra meals each day which can consist of anything you want so long as what you are eating is low in sugar and fat and high in carbs and protein. 

A good nights sleep and even a few naps here and there will allow your body to recover faster as well as speed up your muscle and strength gains. You should aim for about 9 hours of sleep per night and a 90 minute nap after each intense workout.

If you stick to this recipe for ripped chest muscles for at least 90 days you should begin to notice serious and attractive improvements.

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Muscle Building Supplement Reviews – Which Supplements Will Help You Gain Muscle?

While I'm not exactly sure how many many muscle building supplements there are currently on the market, judging by the latest issue of Muscular Development I'd guess that there are tens of thousands of different supplements available. And all of these supplements claim to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and promise “amazing” results. With such a massive array of supplements to chose from, actually choosing the right supplements can be a very difficult and time consuming endeavor. 

I have been working out regularly for more than 4 years and during that time have spent thousands of dollars on all kinds of different supplements. Some worked, some were a joke, some gave me diarrhea, some increased my endurance, and some tasted so bad that I couldn't swallow them. Ultimately I have enough experience taking supplements that I have a pretty good idea which ones you should take to maximize your muscular development.

If your goal is to pack on lean muscle in the shortest time possible, here are my picks for must have muscle building supplements:

1.Muscle Milk – With this stuff you can get as much as 50 grams of whey protein in a single serving. Not only that, muscle milk tastes great and comes in dozens of different great tasting flavors. 4 scoops of this stuff mixed with 1% milk will add an additional 100 grams of protein to your diet per day along with other essential nutrients. You can actually save 20-30% off retail by purchasing muscle milk on Ebay (my favorite online store).

2.Egg Whites – Egg whites are an excellent source of muscle building protein. I have met more than a few bodybuilders who consume 30 egg whites each and every day. I suggest about 6-10 egg whites per day which you can actually mix right in with your protein shake and not even taste them.

3.Amino Acids – These are very inexpensive and reduce the time that your muscles need to recover from intense workouts and also help minimize soreness. 3 of these taken every day is all you need and they can be purchased for less than $7 for a 15 day supply at your local vitamin store.

4.Multi-Vitamins – It's always a good idea to make sure your body has the proper amount of vitamins and nutrients necessary for proper health. If you focus too much on muscle building food and supplements you could become vitamin deficient which could reverse your muscle gains and even make you sick which could keep out of the gym.

5.Sugar-Free Energy Drinks – This is optional, however, I've found that consuming a sugar free energy drink during an intense workout boosts my stamina, strength, and endurance. Right now the two best tasting sugar free drinks on the market are Red Bull and Monster. You can also drink the normal energy drinks if you'd like but remember that you will likely be consuming more than 50 grams of sugar and hundreds of extra calories.

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Eating And Exercise - Advice For Post Workout Eating

Most athletes understand the importance of eating a high protein, high carbohydrate meal before an intense workout. But few athletes understand the importance of the post work out meal. Pre-workout meals are great for insuring adequate glycogen supplies during workouts while a great post workout meal provides hydration, nutrients, proteins, and amino acids that aid in muscle recovery.

It's always a good idea to measure your body weight before and after each workout. If you've done a very intense workout your weight should be several ounces less than when you started due to the shedding of water weight through sweat. Every ounce of body weight you lose during weight training should be replaced by two ounces of water. Adequate hydration during and after weight training ensures maximum performance and recovery.

In addition to restoring hydration levels, here are 3 tips for post workout eating that will help you maximize your muscle gains:

1. Juice - Generally speaking, most simple sugars should be avoided, however, the sugars found in juice can help restore your glycogen levels. For optimum performance and muscle gains, take 10-12 ounces of orange or vegetable juice within 15 minutes of working out.

2. Carbohydrates - Research recently conducted by UCLA found that 150 grams of carbohydrates taken no later than 2 hours after intense physical exercise actually builds glycogen stores adequate enough for continued, intense workouts. Depriving your body of these carbs for longer than 2 hours after a workout actually reduced glycogen levels in study participant by as much as 50%.

The best source for carbohydrates are potatoes which should be prepared with a minimal amount of high fat cooking oil and served with minimal toppings. The average large potato contains approximately 60 grams of carbohydrates meaning you generally need to eat 2-3 potatoes for your post workout meal.

3. Protein - There has also been research that shows protein coupled with carbohydrates and consumed no later than 2 hours after a workout also results in dramatically increased glycogen levels. According to researchers, you should plan to take 4 grams of carbohydrates for every 1 gram of protein. So if you plan on eating 3 potatoes after your workout you will correspondingly need to consume 45 grams of protein. Any meat is essentially a good source of protein but whey protein supplements make a nice substitute.

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Building Muscle Mass Diet - Why You Should Avoid Sugar

According to findings recently released by the American Medical Association, the average American consumes an astounding 115 pounds of sugar per year. The kind of sugar that is found in most foods and drinks is manufactured sugar. Manufactured sugar contains virtually no vitamins or minerals and therefore in order to be metabolized the body must draw on the body's reserves of vitamins and minerals.

When the bodies natural reserves of vitamins and minerals are depleted, the natural metabolism of bad things like cholesterol and fatty acids are either impeded or slowed down. Eliminating sugar entirely from your diet is next to impossible and in fact eliminating sugar from your diet completely is actually unhealthy because your body needs some sugar to produce critical glycogen.

You can and should take in about 10% of your calories for the day in the form of sugar. On a 2,000 calorie a day diet you can consume about 50 grams of sugar per day which is about 1/3 of what the average American takes in. As much as possible though, you sugar intake should come from juices or things that are naturally flavored rather than from snacks and desserts.

Here are a few reasons why you should keep your sugar intake to a minimum:

1. Increased Sickness - In playing havoc with your body's physiology, excessive sugar can actually weaken the immune system. A weakened system inevitably leads to increased illness.

2. Robs Your Body Of Other Nutrients - To be properly metabolized by the body, sugar requires that your body rob its natural mineral reserves. This can easily lead to mineral and vitamin deficiencies.

3. Reduced Energy - In large amounts, sugar can give you a major energy boost. However, the energy boost doesn't last very long and usually leads to burn out. Burn out means that you will actually have less energy throughout the day than normal.

4. Cavities - Although unrelated to muscle building, cavities can be expensive and painful. Your dentist wasn't lying when they said sugar is horrible for your teeth. Sugar causes cavities by wearing out the enamel on your teeth.

Far and away the easiest way to reduce sugar in your diet is to simply start drinking diet soda's and sugar free energy drinks. 3 servings of the average soda contain nearly 70 grams of sugar while the average energy drink has more than 40 grams.

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How to Build Muscle Fast - Make Sure Your Diet Contains These Three Nutrients

It takes healthy nutrition in order to build your muscles up the way you want them. Many people have a difficult time adjusting to their diet and do not want to change their way of doing things. If you want to learn how to build muscle fast, being able to follow a diet is essential. There are three essential nutrients you are going to need to add into your diet.

The first one is protein. Some professional muscle builders are saying that you need to consume approximately 2 grams of protein for every pound that you weigh. Resistance training is very important for muscle building. You can do resistance training to work out, but without the protein in your diet, you cannot build muscle. Some examples of protein are skinless chicken and lean meat.

Another essential nutrient is carbohydrates. This is where the body gets its energy. As you are training it is essential for you to consume carbohydrates, but they must be the good kind of carbohydrates to maximize potential. Carbohydrates are also used to heal the body in case of any injury. Eliminate processed foods for carbohydrate intake as these are not the right kind of carbohydrates you need to be eating.

The last essential nutrient is fat. The intake of just any kind of fat will not help in your muscle-building regimen. It has to be the good type of fats like flax seed and nuts, just like carbohydrates. Butter and junk food are the bad type of fats to consume. You need to be eating things that contain Omega 3, such as salmon. Supplements such as fish oil are a very good thing to get. Cook your food in olive oil for example.

There are plenty of carbohydrate and protein bars you can buy at your local supermarket. These are good sources of food that you need to be eating. Eating several small meals a day will also help in your muscle-building program. It releases insulin, which help your carbohydrates build more muscle.

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Great Tasting High Protein Snacks

If you're reading this you likely know the benefits of consuming the proper amount of protein in your diet. But just in case, protein is essential for keeping your immune system strong, protecting it against bacteria, viruses, or other harmful foreign invaders. Protein also helps build strong muscles, bones, and joints (it's actually what they're made of). While depending on different factors such as exercise routine, diet, and other factors, an average person should consume between 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. So if you weigh 160 lbs. you should consume between 64-80 grams per day (consult a dietician, doctor, or other qualified professional to suit your particular needs before starting any diets). Many weight lifters and dieters choose to be on a high protein diet. Now as with many other dieting foods, some protein-rich food are just disgusting. So here is a short list of great tasting high protein snacks for a change.

The first, and my personal favorite, is beef jerky. One ounce of jerky is about 11 grams of protein, but do watch out for the high salt content found in many brands, just look for lower salt content brands. Protein bars. Not all are created equal, but there are many different great tasting brands available that are low in fat and carbs and range in average between 10-40 grams of protein per bar. Protein shakes. Yeah, many taste bad, but try the fruit flavored shakes for the best taste. I prefer strawberry and avoid the chocolates. You'll get about 18 grams of protein per serving. Mix them up as well, as the taste of one flavor can get old fast. Anything with peanut butter. Spread it on bread, crackers, celery, you name it. Peanut butter is higher in calories and fat, so if you're dieting go for salted or unsalted peanuts. Really any nut is good as well, or sunflower seeds. There are many high protein cereals available, you can just eat it dry as a snack. Chicken sandwiches taste great, as does salmon and steak (yes, they're all technically meals, but can be cooked and cut up into smaller portions). I hate cottage cheese but too many people seem to love it. Yogurt has protein as well. Then wash it all down with a glass of milk.

So there it is. Plenty of great tasting high protein snacks. You may not love their taste, but it sure is better than eggs, sardines, and tofu. This is just a short list, there are many more great tasting high protein foods. Just remember to check labels for fat, sodium, calorie, and other important intakes and again please consult a dietician or doctor to see how much protein you should be eating.

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10 Foods to Buy On Low Carbohydrate Diet

Foods to buy on low carbohydrate diet are not as simple as it looks to be. Diet is often a scary word, because it usually means withdrawal of certain foods. But there is a healthier and easier alternative that helps you to eat foods you love, yes, and the low carbohydrate diet. 

The only diet that strikes at the real cause of obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2-diabetes is the low carbohydrate way of life. Plus, there are plenty of low carbohydrate alternatives that taste just like foods you aren't allowed to eat. So, now you can eat everything not anything!

Now, you have made up your mind and eager to know the foods to buy on low carbohydrate diet. Well, searching for all natural low carbohydrate foods is like searching for fresh air in this polluted world. Many of the products available are not natural, so here is a list of fresh natural foods that you can experience for overall health and fitness.

(1) Lets start shopping, first of all if you like eating non-vegetarian foods buy meats, poultry, eggs, fish and most shellfish as they contains practically no carbohydrates. Avoid processed meats as they are often cured with sugar. Try to avoid meat and fish products cured with nitrates, which are known as carcinogens.

(2) Lettuce, spinach, mushrooms; cucumber, peppers, celery and other leafy greens are the best in my list because they offer some of the highest quality nutrition for a more natural low carbohydrate diet. These leafy green vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

(3) Green beans are among the good foods to buy on low carbohydrate diet. While black beans, red bean, and Lima beans pack almost 30 grams of carbohydrates into a serving, green beans weigh only 5 grams of carbohydrates.

(4) Breads, pasta, and other starchy foods made with white flour are banned on a low carbohydrate diet. But, still you can buy a slice of low carbohydrate Atkins bread or Joseph's lavish bread and enjoy the taste of bread. These breads are healthy with no cholesterol and contain 3 healthy ingredients; flax, oat bran and whole wheat, which may help, protect your heart, while losing weight.

(5) Broccoli and tomatoes are other healthy members of my natural, low carbohydrate food list. Both tomatoes and broccoli are very much known for their cancer fighting qualities. Add to that broccoli sprouts may cut the risk of stroke, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

(6) Green peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas are relatively low in carbohydrates with so many flavors. You can enjoy peas and stay in your diet plan with only 10 grams of carbohydrates per serving, plus it contains fiber, which is also important.

(7) Everyone likes to eat cheese, so you can consume 3-4 ounces daily of firm, soft and semi soft aged cheeses including cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, Gouda, and cow, sheep and goat cheese. Imitation cheese products are not allowed; so don't buy these cheese products. One of my favorite foods is a smoked salmon filled with brie cheese and cucumber slices.

(8) Don't be surprised if I ask you to buy coconut oil as it has been proved that coconut oil when consumed on a daily basis can speed up metabolism and can make a difference in weight loss success. Though you can buy olive oil or other good vegetable oil I recommend you to buy coconut oil as it will benefit you in many ways.

(9) Foods to buy on low carbohydrate diet must be low Glycemic index foods such as high-fiber grains and most fruits and vegetables. These foods keep your blood sugar and insulin levels steady and may help people trying to control their weight because steady blood sugar can delay hunger.

(10) You cannot forget to buy bean sprouts, as they are perfect for salads in Chinese food. Even a low carbohydrate diet will allow you to eat bean sprouts as they provide vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Well, these are the 10 foods to buy on low carbohydrate diet. Anybody can be successful by eating these foods and the greatest thing of all is you're not required to exercise. Many people switch to a low carbohydrate diet simply because they don't have enough time to exercise. Still, I recommend you to add some simple activities like walking, swimming, etc. Have confidence in me; you're about to make a positive change in your life. 


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Ronnie Coleman Explains The Diet He Has Used To Get RIPPED!

Eight times Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman discusses his diet and the changes he needed to make tighten his stomach for the 2005 Olympia

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Honey: A Natural Bodybuilding Supplement

In order to complete 1-2 hour weight and cardio training sessions, malt dextrin or dextrose is consumed by many bodybuilders. These sources of carbohydrate are chosen because of their slow-burning nature, this can aid in blood glucose level management following workouts. A lot of bodybuilders are discovering that honey is a great substitute also containing additional benefits.

Honey, like dextrose, is great for increasing insulin levels in post-workout protein shakes. It not only provides a different taste (which is great in the bland world of bodybuilding nutrition), but the body also burns it slower. But honey is something that should not replace dextrose as your primary carbohydrate source after working out. After all, almost half of the calories in it derive from fructose, the carb flavor that often transforms to fat. It is a great option to keep available if you ever run out of dextrose, or if you are trying to sweeten a cheat meal, or if you're going through a bulking phase and you are craving extra calories.

You can purchase honey at any grocery store, and it can be great to have if you are on the road missing a good protein shake, and just picking up some lunch meat or other quick protein source having just worked out. Take in 1-2 tablespoons of honey with the meat to maximize the time period after working out. Fast food should never really be considered when bodybuilding, but a good meal to eat if you have to is KFC chicken dripping with honey.

Honey is also a chief provider to supplemental anti-oxidant effects on the body, so bodybuilders find it extremely helpful to assist their routine in the very important recovery time period having been through a tough workout. You want to be extra sure that you are not allergic to honey (as many are) and any bad reactions or side effects to eating honey in this manner should result in you consulting a doctor. Adding honey or using it as a substitute can have various benefits that will make your bodybuilding experience more joyful and successful.

Something to keep in mind though when choosing which honey you buy at the store is The health benefits of honey - like all foods - depend on the quality of the honey. But in this case, the situation is even more extreme, because the pollen that collects on the bees' legs as they move from plant to plant is only as healthful and as diverse as those plants. In addition, the processing of honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive.

Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions. However, substances like road tar have also been found in propolis.

Bee keepers sometimes use special screens around the inside of the hive boxes to trap propolis, since bees will spread this substance around the honeycomb and seal cracks with the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal resins. The resins found in propolis only represent a small part of the phytonutrients found in propolis and honey, however. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate.

Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.

Dane Fletcher is the world-wide authority on bodybuilding and steroids. He has coached countless athletes all over the world. To read more of his work, please visit either http://www.BodybuildingToday.com or http://www.SteroidsToday.com

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