Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered

Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered

         If you’re serious about making a solid commitment to a muscle-building program, you need to be very careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar industry with new websites popping up every single day. Many of the so-called “experts” out there really don’t have a clue of what they’re talking about and are only motivated by pushing expensive pills, powders and “miracle programs” on you that you don’t really need. If you don’t watch your step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains and prevent you from ever achieving the impressive, muscular physique you desire. In this article I’m going to expose 4 very common muscle-building myths in order to keep you on the proper path to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve.
1
        For those of you who are just starting out, a “pump” is the feeling that you get as blood becomes trapped inside the muscle tissue when you train with weights. The muscles will swell up and leave your body feeling bigger, tighter, stronger and more powerful. While a pump does feel fantastic, it has very little, if anything to do with properly stimulating your muscles to grow. A pump is simply the result of increased bloodflow to the muscle tissue and is certainly not indicative of a successful workout. A successful workout should only be gauged by the concept of progression. If you were able to lift more weight or perform more reps than you did in the previous week, then you did your job.

2
       This one goes back to the old days when people described bodybuilders as being “muscle bound” and “bulky”. Contrary to what you may think, building a significant amount of lean muscle mass will actually speed you up rather than slow you down. Muscles are responsible for every movement that your body makes, from running to jumping to throwing. The bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is, the more force it can apply. Having stronger, more muscular legs means increased foot speed, just as having stronger and more muscular shoulders means the ability to throw farther. Strong muscles are able muscles, not the other way around.
3
       While using good form in the gym is always important, obsessing over perfect form is an entirely different matter. If you are always attempting to perform every exercise using flawless, textbook form, you will actually increase your chances of injury and simultaneously decrease the total amount of muscle stimulation you can achieve. Remember, we are not robots! It’s very important that you always move naturally when you exercise. This could mean adding a very slight sway in your back when you perform bicep curls, or using a tiny bit of body momentum when executing barbell rows. Loosen yourself up a bit and move the way your body was meant to be moved. Obsessing over perfect form will actually work against you rather than for you.
4
       This is another huge misconception in the gym. The “burning” sensation that results from intense weight training is simply the result of lactic acid (a metabolic waste product) that is secreted inside the muscle tissue as you exercise. Increased levels of lactic acid have nothing to do with muscle growth and may actually slow down your gains rather than speed them up. You can limit lactic acid production by training in a lower rep range of 5-7, rather than the traditional range of 10 and above.

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Health of women

     Loose Weight Attain Beauty and Health

              Tips for Healthier Living

       Don't worry. I'm not just going to sit here and tell you that if you just ate right and exercised more you'd lose weight and live happily ever after.

Life just ain't that easy. What I am going to tell you is to stop worrying about your weight. That's right. Forget the scale, buy the clothes that feel comfortable, learn to love the body you have. As long as you start focusing on your health.

Confused? Don't be. It's all part of what you've been hearing and reading about all over the place. You don't have to be thin to be healthy—and you don't have to be overweight to be sick. So here are my top 10 recommendations for things you can do today to live your way to better health:

1. Limit yourself to two processed or pre-made foods a day. So, for instance, if you have a danish instead of oatmeal and a Hot Pocket instead of a sliced turkey sandwich, you're done with processed foods for the day. Processed foods are swimming in salt, sugars and unhealthy fats and are deficient in all-important fiber.
2. Have a piece of fruit or a vegetable with every meal. Having toast with melted cheese for breakfast? Slice up some strawberries. Fixed a sandwich for lunch? Dip some raw broccoli in low-fat ranch dressing to go alongside.
3. Walk wherever you can. If you're going less than six floors, take the stairs—up and down. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk into the building; park and walk into the restaurant instead of zooming through the drivethrough; get up and go talk to your coworker down the hall instead of sending an e-mail. At the end of the day, those steps add up.
   
4. Don't buy food you know you shouldn't eat. I've never understood people who say they can't resist the chips and ice cream in their house—but keep buying it! And if you're buying it for the kids, stop. They don't need it any more than you do.
   
5. Limit eating out to once a month. Your waist and pocketbook will thank you.
   
6. Schedule at least three hours a week for yourself. This is time you're not driving the kids around, not cleaning the house, not at work, not doing anything to please anyone except yourself. This time is yours to do with as you like. Women need stressbusters like this to help reduce the dangerously high levels of stress hormones we walk around with all day, hormones that lead to numerous diseases, as well as pack on the fat around our middles.
   
7. Wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. The evidence on these little batteryoperated machines is amazing. One major study found that couch potatoes who met a daily goal of 10,000 steps improved their fitness level, blood pressure and body fat just as much as a group that followed a traditional gymbased aerobic program. Overall, studies find that getting 8,000 to 10,000 steps (about five miles) helps you lose weight, while adding 2,000 steps to your current level, or about one mile a day, helps maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight.
8. Keep a food diary. Not so much to track what you eat, but to track why you eat. Too many people eat as a way to smother emotions or relieve boredom. If you find you're doing this, you need to talk to someone about finding a healthier way to cope.
9. Stop drinking soda and fruit juice. They are huge sources of extra calories not to mention unhealthy sugars that don't pack much nutritional benefit. Instead, stick to low-fat or skim dairy, water or unsweetened iced tea.
10. Find a physical activity you enjoy. It could be gardening, kayaking, golf (but walk the course), tennis, hiking, biking or rock climbing. You'll meet new people, become more physically active and reduce stress—all at the same time.
    

         Adaptive Exercise: What to Do When                         Moving Isn't Easy

    
    

    

    
    

          Everyone needs physical activity for good health. Yet when women develop conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure or too much weight or are affected by cancer or other diseases, becoming or staying physically active may seem impossible.