If you are interested in discovering a little-known fact about how to build muscle faster than ever, then keep reading because this part of the ‘training equation’ is critical to getting the kind of physique that will turn heads. First off, let me start by saying that I am not a professional bodybuilder, nor am I a self-proclaimed fitness ‘guru.’ I’m not a bestselling author, and I’m not at all interested in who won the Arnold Classic. I’m too busy living life to think about all that jazz. Even considering all the above, I still have something that I want to talk to you about that could change the way you look at bodybuilding forever. No kidding. This is just about the most overlooked factor to getting fast muscle gains ever. What I want to talk about is the length of your workouts.

I know, I know. It’s not earth shattering news to discover that the amount of time you spend working out has an impact of the rate at which you gain muscle mass. However, it might just be news to you that working out for too long can literally kill your chances of building a winning physique. You see, somewhere along the line, most bodybuilders fell for the ‘more is better’ trap because it is so seductive. But just because the ‘more is better’ philosophy applies to a whole range of areas in life – does not mean that it applies to working out with weights as well.

The simple truth is that if most guys cut their training time in half, they’d probably see double the results they do now. Most guys train far too long. You need to stear clear of the notion that working out for long periods of time has anything to do with muscle gains. In fact the exact opposite is true. You want to workout just long enough to stimulate muscle growth, but not so long that you prevent it from happening because you’ve exhausted your body’s recovery ability. And if you already find it difficult to pack on muscle, then you may need to keep your workout times to the barest minimum just to see any gains at all.

Let’s start with a basic guideline. If you are training for any longer then thirty minute each workout, then you are probably training longer than you should, and you are probably not making the muscle gains that you could. Now I know that’s a bold claim. Thirty minutes isn’t long enough for some guys to warm-up. But it’s still the truth none the less. You see if you are training with the right types of exercises, and if you are training as hard as you should on those exercises, you simply can’t stand very much in the way of exercise.

Sure, you could loaf your way through dozens of sets of dozens of exercises, but you won’t gain any muscle. But if you hit a few basic exercises harder than you ever have before with enough intensity to make a Navy Seal weak at the knees, you’ll very likely see your gains skyrocket. Remember to stick to the basic movements, and work hard on each and every set. keep your training time down to about thirty minutes, and you’ll be well on your way to getting faster muscle gains, without exhausting your recovery ability.

By: Mike Buckinson
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Mike’s fitness and bodybuilding blog is full of tips and techniques that anyone can use to build muscle fast. Best part is – he gives away more muscle building tips for free in his Huge Gains Fast email newsletter.

Muscle Building Tips, How To Build Lean Muscle Fast
Finally, remember that when you want to build up bigger muscles that your body needs the tools to do it. Go for lean proteins, fruits and vegetables.

Getting Started With Your Fitness Program
At any rate you will want to get it all assembled so that you can start your workouts and be on your way to a healthier you. Once you are ready to get started you will need.

How To Build Muscle Fast
This will keep your sessions more intense and prevent the body secreting catabolic hormones which adversely affect muscle growth. Try to keep your workout as short as 45 mins.

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The best shoulder exercises. No matter how big your chest and biceps are, if you have narrow shoulders you will appear to be weak and puny. Learn how to build strong, hard shoulder.

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Gone are the days when you could spend an hour in the weight room and another 30 minutes doing cardio. With kids, there’s just no time to even drive to the gym, let alone workout for more than 20 minutes. But by using the most convenient exercise equipment available – your own bodyweight – you can burn belly fat fast. And you can get your muscle definition back with simple bodyweight exercises.

So, you can forget the fancy machines, expensive gym memberships, or sharing equipment with sweaty strangers. You can forget about not spending enough time with your wife or kids. You can do this workout when you wake up or before you go to sleep. You can do this bodyweight training circuit at home before or after work. You can even close your office door and do this entire workout while everyone else is out for lunch.

5 Bodyweight Training Exercises to Help the Busiest Executives Reduce Stress & Lose Fat Fast:

1. The Prisoner Squat

This turbulence training bodyweight exercise stretches your chest and works your entire body, including your upper back (an area of stress for many busy dads).

To perform this exercise, start with your hands behind your head, and elbows back. Pull your shoulder blades together to exercise your upper back and relieve your stress. Start with your feet shoulder width apart, and push your hips back and squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Sit back as if you were sitting into a chair. Pause briefly at the bottom and stand back up to the start position. Do this fifteen times.

2. The Decline Pushup

This turbulence training body weight exercise is a harder variation of the regular pushup. To effectively perform this exercise, place your feet on a bench, chair, or step, so your feet are at least 6 inches off the ground. Start with your hands just wider than shoulder width apart. Brace your abs, and bend your arms to lower your chest to the floor. Stop one inch above the ground and press back up to the start position. Do this fifteen times. Feel the burn and see how ready you are for the busy day or night ahead of you.

3. Split Squats

Follow the pushup with a set of split squats. To complete this turbulence training bodyweight exercise, step one leg forward. Move your other leg back so it looks like you are making a slightly larger than normal step. Do this close to a wall so you can use your hands for balance if necessary.

Now, balance on your front foot and on the ball of your back foot. Your back heel will be off the ground for the entire exercise. Bend your back knee. Start the movement by dropping your hips straight down until your back knee is two inches above the ground. Press through your front leg to stand back up. Do eight repetitions for one leg and then switch sides and repeat.

4. Mountain Climbers

This turbulence training bodyweight exercise works your abs, your chest, and your legs. Get into the pushup position. Brace your abs. Now lift one foot and bring your knee to your chest. Touch the foot down, and then return it to the start position. Alternate sides and complete ten repetitions for each side.

5. Stick Ups

To finish the circuit, you will do a turbulence training bodyweight exercise called “Stick-ups”. Stand with your feet six inches from the wall. Now place your back, butt and head flat against the wall. Put your arms overhead as if someone told you to “Stick-em up!”

Keep your hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders against the wall. Now slowly slide your arms down the wall and tuck your elbows into your sides. Again, keep your arms and back against the wall. No cheating! Do this exercise twelve times.

Do these five exercises in a circuit, without resting between exercises. When you’ve completed the circuit once, rest one or two minutes and repeat the circuit two more times. You’ll feel great, boost your metabolism, and sculpt your body without spending a penny.

Creator of the Revolutionary Turbulence Training System, Craig Ballantyne has helped millions of busy dads worldwide lose fat while gaining muscle at the same time with just 3 short but intense workouts a week. For a FREE, Immediate Controversial Fat Loss Report and FREE Turbulence Training Newsletter containing free tips to help you maximize metabolism, build muscle and gain workout success go to http://www.turbulencetraining.com

By Craig Ballantyne Published: 7/22/200

Fat Burning Workouts: Back At It
In the meantime, here are some more of Craigs words of wisdom….. Top 5 Fat Loss Tips By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS Click for Turbulence Training Men’s Fitness magazine.

A Nut in a Nutshell: Sane Fitness Review & Sane Fitness Preggers

Each Sane Fitness card has short, clear instructions with pictures demonstrating proper form. Each workout begins with 20 minutes of cardio followed by 6 full-body weight.

Bodybuilding.com – Workout Of The Week – What Is The Best HIIT
Friday – AM Full Body Weight Training. Saturday and Sunday – Rest. Weeks 3-4. Monday – AM Full Body Weight Training. Tuesday – PM HIIT Workout 30 Seconds Brisk Walk.

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Here are some leg exercises using the bodyweight training method, and these exercises will have more emphasis on the back muscles of your legs:

- Hamstrings and
- Buttocks

The exercises below might look ineffective to you from first glance! On the contrary, they are effective in training your lower body. Just give them a try. Follow the instructions closely, and be consistent to utilize them to the fullest. Please note that some of the bodyweight training of legs exercises are not illustrated with pictures; but there are written instructions, and they are fairly self-explanatory on how to exercise them.

Supine Bridge Exercise (modified or beginner level)

1. Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet or heels on the floor

2. Arms relaxed to your sides, palms facing up

3. Lift your body off the floor as high as you can go by using the thighs (back muscles of your legs) and squeeze the butt at the same time

4. Don’t use your hands for the lift only your butt and thigh muscles.

5. Lower your butt to touch the floor for a second then repeat step 3

Supine Bridge Exercise (intermediate level)

To make this exercise more challenging, simply place your feet on an elevated object from 6-14 inches, examples:

Stool
2-3 thick stacked books
Sofa
Chair
Ottoman
Bed
Bench

Supine Bridge Exercise (advanced level)

And if you want to make this exercise even harder than it is now, every time you lift your body to the top position, pause for 2-4 seconds.

Leg Raises Exercise (All levels)

Like a horse pose, your hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips

Extend one leg straight (let’s say the left leg)

Next, squeeeeze* your hamstring muscles by bending the left knee and bringing the left heel towards your butt…

Followed by raising* the bent left leg towards the ceiling. Then bring the leg to the start position

Things to focus on:

1. During bending your left knee, imagine someone is pulling your heel to the opposite direction and you’re resisting by bending your knee and bringing your heel as close as possible to your butt.

And that’s how you can really exert power and tension from your thigh muscle fibers and make them GROW.

Word of caution

When you exert tension in your thigh muscles (especially the hamstring group muscles) start gradually and don’t squeeze the muscles too hard.

Many of us have tight hamstrings (because of our sedentary lifestyle) and squeezing too hard too soon can give you a cramp feeling, so take your time. And make sure you stretch them too, but you do that anyhow, right.

Know Your Muscle Building Exercises – The Legs
Part of this analysis should include an assessment of the core exercises that make up your bodybuilding training program. In this article we’ll look at the leg exercises.

Importance of Leg training
They noted that high-volume, moderate-to-high-intensity weight training, using short rest intervals and stressing a large muscle mass, multiple joint exercises.

25 Different Leg Exercises
Last blog I talked about challenging your legs and getting the most out of the strongest muscles in your body. This blog I’m providing you a list of 25 great leg exercises.

By Mohamad Alodah Published: 12/3/2007

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Technorati Tags: body weight, leg exercise, training

Bodyweight exercises are basically exercises that strengthen the body without using free weights or the conventional strength training equipment used in gyms. The weight of the individual’s own body is used to provide the resistance to strengthen the muscles. Exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and sit-ups are examples of the most common types of bodyweight exercises.

Bodyweight training exercises date back into ancient times. They were usually the training method used by the warriors of those times, like the ancient Greeks, Indian Wrestlers, Egyptians, Romans, Shaolin Monks, and so on. In fact, bodyweight exercises are used by all branches of the military even today.

Of course, over time, bodyweight exercises have taken many forms, such as yoga, isometric exercises, gymnastics, calisthenics, rope climbing, hand balancing, breathing exercises, and so on.

However, modern fitness gurus decided that weight training using machines and irons were the superior form of gaining muscular strength a la Arnold Schwarzenegger, hence, in gyms all over the world machine crunches, bench presses, and lat pull downs became the norm instead of sit-ups and push-ups, which were even scoffed at as lowly forms of weight training exercises meant for wimps.

Nevertheless, these days, new interest has been growing in these very lowly bodyweight training exercises as more and more people are experiencing muscle fatigue, injury and pain from lifting all those chest-thumping heavy irons in the gym.

And surprise, surprise, muscle bound hunks who have been sweating and grunting and throwing around anywhere like 300+lbs and more weights in smelly gyms are beginning to discover the high energy, supercharging, and powerful effects of bodyweight training. And they are discovering that the exercises are certainly not meant for wimps at all.

So why are bodyweight training exercises so powerful, you might well ask. Well, basically, bodyweight exercises are founded on three main principles, which are contraction, leverage, and resistance. While most exercise programs have leverage and resistance in them, but bodyweight training’s contractions are far more effective. And, why do you think that is so? Because, when you perform these exercises, the harder the contractions of your muscles are, the more will the effectiveness of your training be.

Many of the exercises in bodyweight training require full-body contractions, along with various static holds. While the full-body contractions increase your workout’s effectiveness, the static holds, such as one-armed push-ups, increase your body’s resistance, and improve the strength of your joints and connective tissues, and enhance the overall strength of the body.

The only thing you will require if you take up bodyweight training is staying power. And that is because this is not one of those exercise programs where you will begin seeing awe-inspiring bulking-of-muscles results in two weeks flat. Sure, the results will happen, but it will take some time.

By taking the time to gradually incorporate consistent and incremental gains and improvements, you will certainly begin to notice the results in about six months. In other words, within half a year you will get stronger triceps, biceps, abs, chest, legs and glutes. Plus, stamina, finesse, balance, and confidence. And all of that using just your body!

Given below are a few of the most popular bodyweight training exercises. Try them out to see what the wimps of the strength training world are experiencing. But, wait! Before plunging headlong into them, I must give you a word of caution. Remember, you need to consult your doctor before undertaking any program of exercising. The exercises given here put a lot of stress on various joints, and are quite advanced, which your body may not be able to take straight away. Hence, you may need to get stronger and fitter first. Check out with a physical trainer. Well, that said, here goes:

The V-Squat: Begin by standing straight, with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Then lift your arms overhead and hold them in a V position all through the exercise. Your shoulders and upper back should be taut all the time. To get the full benefit of this exercise, get your shoulder blades as close together as you can. Now, pushing your hips back, begin going down in a squat, as if you are about to sit in a chair. Squat down as deeply as possible, while keeping your lower back neutral and taut Don’t allow a rounding of your lower back.

Then, after staying in the squat for a few seconds, use your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes to push yourself back in an upright position. How many reps? As many as you are capable of doing. Begin small, and build yourself up. 10-20 reps are the standard recommendation. Remember, however, it is not the number of reps that matter, it is the correct form. This exercise puts a lot of stress on the lower back, if you are not in condition. So, proceed with caution. And, of course, if you have lower back problems, avoid it.

Bulgarian Split Squat: Stand as in the above exercise, with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, but keeping your arms neutral. Placing one foot on a bench behind you, use the other foot to take a large step forward. Then, contracting your glutes, tautening your abs, and keeping your spine straight, lower your body down until the thigh of your front leg is parallel to the floor. Stay in this split-squat position for a few seconds, then push yourself up using the muscles of your legs. Perform all the reps in one leg, and then change to the other leg. The number of reps and the cautions are the same as above.

Decline Push-up: This is the toughie version of the good old push-up we are all familiar with. Get into a push-up position, except that your feet have to be placed in an elevated position behind, either on a step, chair or bench which is about 6 inches higher than the ground where your hands are resting. See that your hands are placed wider than than your shoulders. Now tauten your abs, and bending your elbows lower your chest until it is about 1 inch from the ground, then push your body back into the starting position. 15 reps are recommended, to begin with. But, as usual, all the cautions apply.

Jack Knife Sit-Ups: This little beauty is for your abs and torso. Lie down flat on the floor, with your arms extended over your head and your legs straight. Now, keeping your arms and legs straight, sit-up, like a jack knife, contracting your abdominal muscles, so that you touch your fingers and toes straight on top of your head. Then lower back into the starting position. Yeah, this is a tough one. Certainly not for beginners. And even advanced exercisers need to venture into this with caution.

Single Leg Squat: This is probably the toughest of them all. Begin by standing with your feet apart. Picking up one foot off the floor and extend it forward. Then spread your arms to the side, or extend them forward, in order to balance yourself. The contracting your glutes, tautening your abs, and keeping your spine straight, squat down slowly all the way to the floor, keeping your focus on your balance. Then pushing your quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, get back to the standing position. Do all the reps – 15-20 – on one leg, then change over to the other leg. Yeah, like I said, this is the toughest. So, as before, use caution before you venture.

By Rita Putatunda Published: 9/4/2007

Build Muscle Mass With Body Weight Exercises | Fitness Black Book
I don’t talk too much about building mass, since it really isn’t the main focus of this site.

Body Weight Exercise – Pull-ups | Girlwith Noname Achieving
a great body weight exercise is the pull-up (or chin-up). Craig Ballantyne is the king of the body weight exercise routine, check out his book Turbulence Training here.  

Proper Push Up: Do It Right Or Not At All -Body Weight Exercise Online
This site is all about Body Weight Exercises. As it builds, I hope to make it the authoritative site on body weight exercises. I promise to deliver good content and provide solid review.

Technorati Tags: bodyweight training, exercises, tough exercise

Elliptical exercise machines are soaring in popularity, and for good reason. They are among the most effective pieces of fitness equipment on the market today. The ‘all over’ workout you get with elliptical cross trainers is well suited to many different fitness levels and it is easy to learn the proper techniques for using one.

Benefits of Elliptical Machines

Elliptical trainers provide tremendous benefits to users, including:

Weight Bearing Exercises – Fitness experts agree that a weight-bearing workout is the best way to improve conditioning, increase bone density, strengthen muscles, and burn calories efficiently.

Low-Impact Workout – Despite providing a good weight-bearing workout, an elliptical cross training machine is very low impact. This means less stress on your joints during cross training exercises because your feet never leave the pedals and therefore do not experience high impacts.

Cardiovascular Workouts – An elliptical machine or cross trainer provides an excellent cardiovascular workout, a key part of overall fitness. Whether you want to lose weight, firm up your body, or a combination of both, incorporating cardiovascular exercise into your workout routine is critical to your long-term success.

Other Factors

Anyone who has ever gone through the cycle of starting and stopping an exercise routine several times will tell you that one key to sticking with your routine is to find something that gives you maximum results in the shortest amount of time.

Elliptical cross training fits the bill perfectly. Most people live busy lives and do not have several hours per day to devote to total body exercise, so an elliptical machine lets them get in a good workout in a minimal amount of time.

Motivation to exercise is a big issue for many people, but most elliptical machine users will tell you that they have an easier time staying motivated to get on their machine.

This is because you can vary your workout tremendously, depending on the amount of intensity you want, and also do other things like read or watch TV while on your elliptical machine. This helps reduce boredom and increase the likelihood that you will use your elliptical for low-impact cross training regularly.

Proper Technique and Motion

Any exercise or fitness equipment can cause injury or discomfort when used improperly, and elliptical cross training machines are no exception. They are among the easiest pieces of equipment to use, but still require you to use proper techniques for maximum safety and fitness benefit.

Here are a few key tips to remember:

Adjustment – Make sure the elliptical machine is adjusted properly to your size and range of motion. For most people, a step length of 18 to 24 inches is recommended to start.

Intensity – Familiarize yourself with how to change the intensity of your elliptical cross training. You may be able to increase resistance, increase the incline, or a combination of both. Remember that it is better to exercise at a lower intensity until you have built up the strength and stamina to a more intense regimen.

Posture – Always maintain an upright posture while on an elliptical workout machine or cross trainer. Keep your shoulders back, chin up, back straight, and abdominals tight. Do not lean forward over the balance bar or handles; instead, make sure your body weight is being carried by your lower body throughout the exercise.

About The Author

Julie-Ann Amos is a freelance writer for http://www.elliptical-machines-n-trainers.com, a consumer guide on elliptical exercise machines.

Copyright 2006 Elliptical-Machines-N-Trainers.com

This article was posted on January 08, 2006

A KnowledgeTo Home Gym Equipment
Having suitable home gym equipment gives the flexibility of working out at the time convenient to you, in the comfort of your own home. 

Do elliptical machines burn more than treadmills?
yes they fef do, and theyre low impact. References : 2 ahhchoooo. April 14th, 2009 at 1:51 pm. ellipticals do burn much more. It is the most efficient way to work out.

Home Exercise Machines are a Good Investment With a Faster Return
Elliptical exercise machines are hard to beat when it comes to improving cardiovascular health. If you ever had the chance to work out using elliptical exercise machines.

Technorati Tags: effective, elliptical exercise, fitness equipment, machines

The Best Way To Build Muscle Fast

Most of us don’t succeed in building muscle mass due to various reasons. But still if one has failed already in gaining muscle mass, he may try again. This article is aimed to help such people who are still looking for the best way to build muscle fast, this time without failure.

Though many natural or herbal supplements to build muscle fast are available in the market but no body knows about the reliability of these supplements. There are many people who have wasted a lot of hard earned money and efforts on these products due to lack of knowledge about ‘how to build muscle.

Another important aspect of using these products for gaining muscle mass is that most of these may deliver side effects. Though some 100% natural supplements have also been developed to build muscle mass but the results are yet to be proven.

I think doing physical exercise and taking proper diets regularly is the best way to build muscle fast. One can’t build muscle mass overnight; it needs time, commitment, dedication and proper guidance.

The whole process involves various personal factors, so one method can’t be suitable for all. It is a fact that regular gym workouts build muscle fast but only if performed under proper guidance. This article is aimed to provide you some simple tips for doing gym exercises for gaining muscle mass fast.

Before stepping in a gym, you must know about the exercises you are going to do in that session. These exercises should be performed in a particular sequence. Don’t forget to take proper time for relaxation in between the exercises but too much relaxation time is also not good.

Generally it is seen that people start weight lifting exercises with heavier weight thinking that they will gain muscle mass early. But, it is not so. When you overload your muscles, the benefits you expect from it are considerably reduced. So never try to do more than enough weight lifting.

Maintain a daily record of exercises. This record helps you to review the results of particular exercise. You record should contain other data also like the sleeping hour, eating time, diet content. Spending more time on gym machines is not the guarantee of gaining muscle mass. Never visit a gym with a heavy stomach. Results of rigorous exercises especially designed for building muscle mass can be improved many times by taking protein and carbohydrates in ample quantity.

By: Frank Croft

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Having a good body is every man’s wish, and by clicking below you can find not just a few tips but the bible of bodybuilding to help you get ripped!

www.102tips.info/bodybuilding

Cardiovascular Training Exercises – Benefits of Cardio Exercise
You tend to get lots of benefits from practicing exercises on a regular basis. In olden days, people did not have gyms to go to, but their daily chores gave them as much exercise as they could.

Easy Weight Loss Exercises for Your Regular Practice
Aerobics is an exercise for legs, bum and your hips. These are the major areas of women to keep fit. It is better to go for an aerobic workouts just for 30 minutes daily both morning and evening.

The Evolution of Abs Exercises and Core Workouts
When you take a regular plank and combine it with a side plank, the subsequent resisting rotation works to provide a total body workout. So to perform this exercise.

Technorati Tags: best way, building muscle, muscle mass

Bodyweight exercises are basically exercises that strengthen the body without using free weights or the conventional strength training equipment used in gyms. The weight of the individual’s own body is used to provide the resistance to strengthen the muscles. Exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, squats, and sit-ups are examples of the most common types of bodyweight exercises.

Bodyweight training exercises date back into ancient times. They were usually the training method used by the warriors of those times, like the ancient Greeks, Indian Wrestlers, Egyptians, Romans, Shaolin Monks, and so on. In fact, bodyweight exercises are used by all branches of the military even today.

Of course, over time, bodyweight exercises have taken many forms, such as yoga, isometric exercises, gymnastics, calisthenics, rope climbing, hand balancing, breathing exercises, and so on.

However, modern fitness gurus decided that weight training using machines and irons were the superior form of gaining muscular strength a la Arnold Schwarzenegger, hence, in gyms all over the world machine crunches, bench presses, and lat pull downs became the norm instead of sit-ups and push-ups, which were even scoffed at as lowly forms of weight training exercises meant for wimps.

Nevertheless, these days, new interest has been growing in these very lowly bodyweight training exercises as more and more people are experiencing muscle fatigue, injury and pain from lifting all those chest-thumping heavy irons in the gym. And surprise, surprise, muscle bound hunks who have been sweating and grunting and throwing around anywhere like 300+lbs and more weights in smelly gyms are beginning to discover the high energy, supercharging, and powerful effects of bodyweight training. And they are discovering that the exercises are certainly not meant for wimps at all.

So why are bodyweight training exercises so powerful, you might well ask. Well, basically, bodyweight exercises are founded on three main principles, which are contraction, leverage, and resistance. While most exercise programs have leverage and resistance in them, but bodyweight training’s contractions are far more effective. And, why do you think that is so? Because, when you perform these exercises, the harder the contractions of your muscles are, the more will the effectiveness of your training be.

Many of the exercises in bodyweight training require full-body contractions, along with various static holds. While the full-body contractions increase your workout’s effectiveness, the static holds, such as one-armed push-ups, increase your body’s resistance, and improve the strength of your joints and connective tissues, and enhance the overall strength of the body.

The only thing you will require if you take up bodyweight training is staying power. And that is because this is not one of those exercise programs where you will begin seeing awe-inspiring bulking-of-muscles results in two weeks flat. Sure, the results will happen, but it will take some time. By taking the time to gradually incorporate consistent and incremental gains and improvements, you will certainly begin to notice the results in about six months. In other words, within half a year you will get stronger triceps, biceps, abs, chest, legs and glutes. Plus, stamina, finesse, balance, and confidence. And all of that using just your body!

Given below are a few of the most popular bodyweight training exercises. Try them out to see what the wimps of the strength training world are experiencing. But, wait! Before plunging headlong into them, I must give you a word of caution. Remember, you need to consult your doctor before undertaking any program of exercising. The exercises given here put a lot of stress on various joints, and are quite advanced, which your body may not be able to take straight away. Hence, you may need to get stronger and fitter first. Check out with a physical trainer. Well, that said, here goes:

The V-Squat: Begin by standing straight, with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Then lift your arms overhead and hold them in a V position all through the exercise. Your shoulders and upper back should be taut all the time. To get the full benefit of this exercise, get your shoulder blades as close together as you can. Now, pushing your hips back, begin going down in a squat, as if you are about to sit in a chair. Squat down as deeply as possible, while keeping your lower back neutral and taut Don’t allow a rounding of your lower back. Then, after staying in the squat for a few seconds, use your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes to push yourself back in an upright position. How many reps? As many as you are capable of doing. Begin small, and build yourself up. 10-20 reps are the standard recommendation. Remember, however, it is not the number of reps that matter, it is the correct form. This exercise puts a lot of stress on the lower back, if you are not in condition. So, proceed with caution. And, of course, if you have lower back problems, avoid it.

Bulgarian Split Squat: Stand as in the above exercise, with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, but keeping your arms neutral. Placing one foot on a bench behind you, use the other foot to take a large step forward. Then, contracting your glutes, tautening your abs, and keeping your spine straight, lower your body down until the thigh of your front leg is parallel to the floor. Stay in this split-squat position for a few seconds, then push yourself up using the muscles of your legs. Perform all the reps in one leg, and then change to the other leg. The number of reps and the cautions are the same as above.

Decline Push-up: This is the toughie version of the good old push-up we are all familiar with. Get into a push-up position, except that your feet have to be placed in an elevated position behind, either on a step, chair or bench which is about 6 inches higher than the ground where your hands are resting. See that your hands are placed wider than than your shoulders. Now tauten your abs, and bending your elbows lower your chest until it is about 1 inch from the ground, then push your body back into the starting position. 15 reps are recommended, to begin with. But, as usual, all the cautions apply.

Jack Knife Sit-Ups: This little beauty is for your abs and torso. Lie down flat on the floor, with your arms extended over your head and your legs straight. Now, keeping your arms and legs straight, sit-up, like a jack knife, contracting your abdominal muscles, so that you touch your fingers and toes straight on top of your head. Then lower back into the starting position. Yeah, this is a tough one. Certainly not for beginners. And even advanced exercisers need to venture into this with caution.

Single Leg Squat: This is probably the toughest of them all. Begin by standing with your feet apart. Picking up one foot off the floor and extend it forward. Then spread your arms to the side, or extend them forward, in order to balance yourself. The contracting your glutes, tautening your abs, and keeping your spine straight, squat down slowly all the way to the floor, keeping your focus on your balance. Then pushing your quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings, get back to the standing position. Do all the reps – 15-20 – on one leg, then change over to the other leg. Yeah, like I said, this is the toughest. So, as before, use caution before you venture.

The Best Muscle Building Exercises
This site is all about Body Weight Exercises. As it builds, I hope to make it the authoritative site on body weight exercises. I promise to deliver good content and provide solid review.

Hotel Room Workouts Bodyweight Exercises
For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit.

6 pack abs | The Bodyweight Exercises Blog
To many people, have “6 pack abs” is the holy grail of fitness. Nothing says “I’m super fit” more than a muscular, washboard stomach.

By Rita Putatunda Published: 9/4/2007

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Here are some tips on how to stay safe and injury-free when you train.

An increase in Weight-Training Injuries

Injuries related to weight-training are on the rise. In fact, a 35% increase in weight-training injuries has been reported to emergency rooms between 1978 and 1998.

Significant increases occurred in people older than 45, young adults between 15 and 24, and home exercisers. Men accounted for 80% of the injuries.

Soft tissue injuries such as bruises, abrasions, strains, and sprains were the most common injuries reported in the study. Some of the causes included unsafe behavior, equipment malfunction, lack of supervision, and inattention.

A Safe Activity Overall
However, this doesn’t mean strength training is unsafe. Strength training is still one of the safest activities, as long as it’s performed with safety in mind.

Safeguarding Your Workout
You don’t have to be a newcomer to fitness to be concerned about safety. No matter what your fitness level, you should give your strength-training program a safety check-up.

The best strategy is to hire a qualified, certified personal trainer. Although regular sessions with a trainer can be costly, you can still get a lot of benefit from one or two sessions.

If you’re new to strength training, ask to be introduced to exercises and equipment. If you’re a veteran, ask to have your form checked. Also, if you exercise at home, ask the trainer to evaluate your equipment.

Guidelines
Experts also recommend following these guidelines:
Wear protective gear for your hands and feet. Always wear gym shoes and never strength train in bare feet. Wear gloves to prevent your hands from becoming rough and callused and to improve your grip.

Warm up before beginning a strength session. Walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike for five to seven minutes to increase blood flow to your muscles.

Start slowly and progress wisely with light weights that you can lift comfortably for eight to 15 repetitions. Increase the weight no more than 3-5% at a time. This goes for experienced exercisers, too, who have spent two to three weeks away from strength training. Get back into your routine slowly.

Lift slowly and think two counts up and four counts down.

Understand each exercise and know which muscles should be working and which muscles should be stabilizing your body. Also, identify the correct range of motion for each exercises. In a lunge, for example, know whether you should take a small step or a giant step.

Always make sure you use good posture. With bad posture, you could activate and injure a muscle group that’s not supposed to be working. Use the "athletic ready stance" with your head and shoulders up, knees bent, and shoulders and hips in line. If you can’t maintain correct posture, you’re either lifting a weight that’s too heavy or doing the exercise incorrectly. Check your posture by lifting in front of a mirror.

Don’t forget to breathe! Take a full breath with every repetition. And don’t ever hold your breath.

It is very important that you recognize bad pain. It’s okay if you experience light soreness in your muscles 24 to 48 hours after your training. But deep soreness, especially in the joints, indicates that you’ve overdone it.

Work front-to-back and side-to-side. Every muscle has an opposing muscle, such as quadriceps and hamstrings or abdominals and lower back. If you train one muscle, train the opposing muscle to avoid creating imbalances in your body that can lead to injury.

Position yourself properly when using machines and know where you should adjust your seat and align your joints. Beware of home equipment that is more than five years old. It may not have safety features like adjustability and lumbar support.

When using free weights, use a spotter and proceed cautiously because you don’t have a pre-selected range of motion and there’s greater risk of dropping a weight or over-stretching a joint.

Be careful when using rubber tubing and bands. Make sure they have no cuts or tears and keep them out of extreme heat or cold, and secure them well.

Stretching after your workout is always a good idea. When muscles are contracted, they shorten. "Stretching lengthens muscles and allows them to release tension," Wood says. Hold each stretch 30 to 60 seconds.

Always make sure you allow 48 hours of rest between strength sessions. Your muscles need the time to rebuild and repair themselves. That goes for abdominals muscles, too. Your abs are a muscle and should be given adequate recovery time as well.

By: Sean Lombardo

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About The Author: Sean Lombardo is a fitness enthusiast whose aim is to help people achieve their fitness goals. His website at BellyFatBurning.com offers weight training, fat loss and nutrition advice for beginner and advanced fitness levels. Subscribe to Sean’s FREE weekly newsletter at BellyFatBurning.com and get the report "Top Secret Fat Loss Strategies Revealed" as a gift. They are both jam packed with tips and techniques guaranteed to help anyone achieve their fitness goals.

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