When it comes to muscle building, most of us know the basics. We know that in order to build muscle we have to take in enough calories and do a lot of strength training. But what a lot of us do not know is that muscle building requires a lot of work and eating the right kinds of food and that we need to make sure that we are getting enough of the right calories in order for it to be effective. A lot of people are not … [Read more...]

Muscles cells (also know as muscle fibers) are like little sacs of water that contain specific proteins that cause the muscle cell to contact.  When a muscle contracts, all of the fibers in the muscle shorten in length and bulge in width. Muscle cells have two ways of growing.  The first, called hypertrophy is when the existing muscles cells swell through the accumulation of water and muscle proteins.  The second, … [Read more...]

One of my favorite stamina enhancing techniques involves the inclusion of higher rep finishing exercises at the end of a training session.  These should be exercises designed to work the four major body functions: quad emphasis lower body work, upper body press, upper body pull, and posterior chain flexion; as opposed to the body part based hypertrophy training you do in your bodybuilding training.  In addition to the … [Read more...]

Salads: while dieting, a mixed salad (carious types of lettuce or spinach) can be an indispensable addition.  While lettuce might seem lower in nutrients than many vegetables, it contains large amounts of cellulose and water, amking it very filling while onlow carbs. Prewashed salad in a bag, of course. Spinach: although a great source of iron, cholorphyll, and carotenoids, I think the greatest value of spinach … [Read more...]

On almost any bodybuilding diet we will be limiting our starchy carb intake, with those servings being placed in the morning, mid-day, or near our weight raining session.  Depending o your goals at a particular time, you might be consuming anywhere from two servings of starchy carbs a day to four servings, with the servings sizes determined by your metabolism and how you train. As you may know from previous articles, … [Read more...]

Turkey: one of the best proteins you can find for precontest dieting is 99% lean ground turkey breast.  This is becoming available at more and more groceries.  90% lean ground turkey contains slightly more fat, but is perfect if you are following Beverly International’s 50-20-30 nutritional guidelines. Another convenient item is the ready to heat roasted turkey breast.  Pork loin is also available in this heat and … [Read more...]

When helping people design their diets, the most common weakness in their nutritional game plans tends to be a haphazard approach to grocery shopping.  While many bodybuilders go into extensive detail figuring out their macronutrient ratios and supplement regimens, they attempt to wing it once they are filling their shopping carts.  Trust me: what you put in your cart has a very direct bearing on the quality of your … [Read more...]

Posing proved to be a critical aspect of bodybuilding training.  As soon as a bodybuilder learns its importance at the Beverly International workshop, they really start focusing on improving in this area.  The more a person poses, the deeper their cuts became and the better their physique looked.  A body builder’s confidence level keeps increasing as their posing gets better and better.  You can watch Pumping Iron … [Read more...]