Fitness: How Much Rest Should You Give a Muscle Group in Between Lifts?

Let’s face it: 2015 has been an incredible year for you already. Perhaps this is the year you’ve started losing weight. Perhaps you’ve finally seemed to kick your fast food habit, or implement a healthier late-night routine by not eating past eight at night. On top of it all, you’re hitting the weight room several times a week which means that not only do you feel amazing, but you look it, too.  But the question remains: are you giving yourself enough ‘rest’ in between lifts? Here’s how to know for sure.

÷ Why Proper Rest Gives You Results :

Rest is mandatory in life. Just think about it: what happens when you don’t have a good night’s sleep? You wake up feeling sluggish, and move through your day being relatively unproductive and moody, right? Your body is a machine, so when you don’t rest enough (whether it’s a sound sleep at night or in between chest presses at the gym) consequences will follow.

Are you going from one lift to the next, and overdoing your workout?

Whether you’re dealing with free weights or resisting against your own weight, proper rest in between sets will speed up your strength and fitness exponentially. In addition, it will reduce the risk of injury, allowing you to push through to a whole new physique in a shorter period of time without a pesky shoulder or back injury to slow you down.

÷ Commit to a ‘Resting Rule’:

To know how much rest you need to take in between lifts, ask yourself: what are my fitness goals? If you are trying to drastically increase your muscle mass (as in, becoming toned and muscular) and you’re pushing through intense lifts every time you work out, enforce a three to five minute ‘resting rule’. However, if your primary goal is to get lean and lose inches, a shorter resting time of 60 seconds in between lifts should be sufficient.

Some people tend to think of ‘rest’ as a weakness. Why do you have to stop in between reps when you’re feeling great and getting stronger by the second? Simple! Because without proper rest, you can’t achieve proper muscle recovery and thus, get in the best shape of your life! Whether you have just started a strength training program or you basically grew up in the gym, a commitment to your own ‘resting rule’ isn’t only mandatory for a healthy, fit life. It’s necessary in order to ‘up the ante’ of your exercise plan, indefinitely.

Women's Health: Best exercise to improve posture.

There are many things can affect your posture sitting at a desk all day, slouching at the dinner table, and more. However, there’s one great way to improve it: exercise. The best way to improve your posture through exercise is to strengthen your core and upper back.

A strong core keeps your back safe from injury, helps your body balance and allows you to move with control and efficiency—all of that leads to a better a posture. If you’ve felt pain in other areas of your body, like your back, it could be because of a weak core; when your core can’t do its job other body parts and muscles have to pick up the slack causing weakness and pain.

A strong back is also a critical part of posture because a common cause of poor posture is weak upper back muscles, which leads to shoulder slumping.

Try these exercises to gain better control of your posture.

÷ Plank and Variations

Start with the standard plank: Get into pushup position, with your hands below your shoulders. Keep your back and butt flat and pull your abdominals in. Hold here for 30 seconds to one minute.

Some variations include:

•Move from hands to forearms; one up and down is one rep.
•Put towels underneath your feet and slide them out and in horizontally, or pull them in toward your chest like a jackknife.
•Hold the plank position on your forearms and bounce your butt from one side to the other. One tap on each side equals one rep.

÷ Russian Twist

Sit with a medicine ball in your lap. Pull your legs off the ground and sit on your tailbone, adjusting the angle until you feel the burn your abs. Now move the ball from side to side, touching the ground each time.

÷ Reverse Dumbbell Flies

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and dumbbells in hand, slightly bent at the waist. Hold your arms straight down and slowly bring them out to shoulder height and return to start for one rep.

÷ Weight Raise

Hold a round weight block with two hands in front of your pelvic area. Raise it up to shoulder height and lower back down for one rep.

Many areas of your life can affect a good posture, from working at a desk to many years of slouching without realizing it. Incorporate these exercises into your daily routine and you may notice you’re standing up straight in no time.

The Best Way to Bulk Up Naturally and Quickly

Looking to bulk up? Many men find it frustratingly difficult to bulk up and gain muscle size. ... Below the best sure-fire ways to build muscle naturally:


1-  Eat more :

If you want to gain more muscle then you need to up your calorie intake, which means eating more. If you aren’t consuming more calories than you are burning throughout the day, you won’t be able to put on any muscle. Your diet should be made up of nutritious, unprocessed foods that are rich in complex carbs, protein, healthy unsaturated fats, and important nutrients needed for muscle growth, energy production and good health. Steer away from processed, sugary and fatty foods that will only mess with your blood sugar levels and promote fat gain.

2- Increase your protein intake:

Protein is essential for providing your body with amino acids, which are vital for building and repairing muscles. Have some good quality protein with each meal and with snacks. Having protein with each meal and with snacks will help increase amino acid levels to optimize muscle growth. Choose healthy, lean protein choices such as lean meat, chicken, eggs, fish, legumes and low-fat dairy foods. Healthy protein-rich snacks include nuts and seeds, quinoa, yoghurt, muesli and protein bars and balls, and hummus with wholegrain crackers.

3-  Protein powders are a great way to boost your protein intake:

There are lots of different protein powders on the market. If you find whey-based protein powders difficult to digest, and you suffer from bloating and gas when you consume them, go for a brown-rice-based protein powder instead, that is still a fantastic protein source without the tummy upset. You don’t need to go overboard with protein either as excessive amounts of protein can put you at risk of putting on fat.

4- Eat 5-6 smaller meals:

Eating 5-6 smaller means throughout the day ensures that your body is getting a good constant supply of fuel and amino acids to build and repair muscles. Having a protein shake (that also contains some carbohydrates) around 30 to 60 minutes after weight training will help encourage muscle development by upping the production of anabolic hormones. Protein fruit smoothies are another healthy post-workout snack, made with healthy ingredients like low-fat milk, banana, berries, LSA, chia seeds, yoghurt and protein powder.

Fitness: The importance of regular exercise for better health.

Countless studies have underlined the importance of regular exercise for better health. Benefits include reduced likelihood of chronic health problems, better flexibility, less anxiety, stress and insomnia and even sharper cognitive skills. Even though we know how much exercise can improve quality of life we don’t always know how we will find time to take advantage of its benefits. If a crowded calendar has you thinking there’s no time left to exercise, think again. These five tips will help you find time to get fit in as little as 25 minutes a day.

•Add Intervals to Your Workout:

Intervals, adding a few short periods of intense exertion to your workout, help you get a better workout in less time. If you have 25 minutes you can get a workout that yields as much benefit as working out for twice as long. For example, try adding some running to your walking or jogging workout to burn more calories and fat, improve your aerobic capacity and build endurance.

•Go the Extra Mile:

Exercise doesn’t have to mean suiting up and heading for the gym, just move more all day. If you think you don’t have time to exercise stop thinking of exercise as an activity separate from your regular daily activities. Instead, aim to add steps to your day. Wear a pedometer and increase your total daily steps by ten percent each week. If your goal is weight loss, try to get up to 12,000 to 15,000 steps daily. Just 10,000 steps per day (5 miles) can help you avoid chronic illness. Every step counts so park the car farther, take the stairs; walk at lunchtime and to talk with co-workers rather than sending email.

•Add a Spoon Full of Sugar:

When it comes right down to it exercise is just movement. Sweeten the deal by making exercise of activities you like and are already doing. Walk your dog a little longer or faster, jog on the treadmill while you watch your favorite show or bike to work.

•Break it Down:

Look for 10 free morning minutes you can devote to exercise. Start with 30 seconds of stretching, add a few minutes of cardio such as jogging in place, jumping rope or doing jumping jacks, add some lunges, squats, abs work and weight lifting. Take a few weeks to comfortably incorporate this time into your schedule three times each week. Once that has been accomplished, add 5 minutes to your morning routine or add a 10 minute evening workout to your day.

•Make it a Date:

Turn fun with family and friends into fitness opportunities. Get together over a game of flag football instead of high calorie grub. Gather the kids for a swim instead of settling in for another movie night. When you combine social connections with cardio you create a win-win.

Even the busiest person can find time to workout – including you. With a little creativity the possibilities are endless.

What Excessive Sweating Says About You Health.

Are you an excessive sweater? Do you leave a trail of sweat comparable to Niagara Falls on each piece of equipment you use at the gym? Hopefully not! It’s always kosher to clean up and wipe up after yourself. Perhaps you sweat very little and have always wondered why others sweat more than you. So what does your sweat say about you?

For starters sweat is not a bad thing, especially at the gym. If you are self-conscious or embarrassed for sweating a lot when you workout, try not be. Just wipe up your sweat and continue working hard. Sweating a lot at the gym is actually a sign of good conditioning. You may think the opposite is true: that the more in shape you become, the less you sweat, because the workout is “not hard anymore”. You may think sweating during workouts shows you are out of shape due to the strain the exercise is putting on your body. It’s just not true.

A conditioned body sweats more due to the higher blood volume and excess of fluid available to be sweated out. More conditioned athletes usually drink more water, which also creates more fluid available for sweating. You may also start sweating sooner in a workout, not later, as your body can tell when it’s time to cool off. And that’s exactly what sweat does: cools the body. Sweat is very vital.

Often the newer exerciser may not sweat as quickly or as much because they either haven’t been drinking enough water or their body doesn’t recognize how to cool itself off yet. This can lead to shorter workouts, because the new exerciser gets so hot they don’t want to continue.

A condition does exist known as hyperhidrosis. This refers to excess sweating on the entire body, but can be localized to more specific areas like the hands and feet that seem to always be sweating. Hyperhidrosis is a genetic condition that can be treated with prescription-strength antiperspirants or other various therapies. If you feel you have hyperhidrosis, consult your doctor.

Your sweat can say a lot about you. One thing it’s not saying is, “You sweat too much.” Whether you sweat from drinking a lot of water or being more conditioned and presenting a higher blood volume, it’s ok. If you don’t sweat enough, you should pay close attention to the amount of water you are drinking.

It should be noted, too, that all exercisers are made differently. It is possible to be in great shape and not sweat profusely and vice versa. Don’t be alarmed or panicked by your sweat, whether it’s very little or in great amounts. Try to take note of how you actually feel. Are you sweating a lot, but still feeling very hot? Chances are you’re either outside or still in a killer workout, and it’s ok. If you are outside in the heat and you’ve ceased sweating, it’s time to head indoors and replenish your water and sodium reserves! If you are indoors working out at your gym and sweating very little, ask yourself how long you’ve been exercising, how hot you feel, and how much water you’ve been consuming.

Muscle & Fitness : Best ways to train Traps.

Don’t get lulled into a shrug-induced coma. Here are some tips on how to spice up your trap training.

In a confrontation on the street, big traps are much more intimidating than big biceps,” says Josh Bryant, MFS, CSCS, owner of JoshStrength.com and co-author of the e-book Metroflex Gym Powerbuilding Basics. But defending your date’s honor, while admirable, shouldn’t be your sole motivation for training traps. According to Bryant, effective training of these fan-shaped muscles on your upper back helps keep the shoulder girdle in alignment, provides postural strength on heavy squats and deadlifts, and offers a boost when benching massive weight. Shrugs are great, but they’re not the only way to build your traps. Bryant explains.

1. SHRUG IN TENS

Shrugs are still the most fundamental exercise you can do for traps, but Bryant likes to add spice to his workouts. With dumbbell shrugs, Bryant says he likes a 10-10-10 approach. “Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides,” he says. “Do 10 shrugs with the right side, then 10 with the left and finish with 10 bilateral shrugs. This greatly increases the time under tension.”

 2. SHRUG LIKE ATLAS

One of the reasons people skip shrugs or relegate them to the end of their workout is because the movement seems too slight or subtle to matter. These people haven’t tried power shrugs. “Power shrugs use the same hip drive that you would do a clean with, but the weight is heavy, so you just violently shrug it up,” Bryant says. “You want to try to make your traps hit your ears. Bill Starr stated in The Strongest Shall Survive that if your traps aren’t sore after a day of power shrugging, you didn’t do it right.  You should eventually try to use more than your deadlift max with this movement for multiple repetitions. This is a great trap builder.”

3. CHANGE PLANES

The standing shrug is great for building trapezius height, but to increase overall thickness, you need to add variety to your angle of pull with scapular retraction. “On a seated row, grasp a narrow-grip handle with your arms fully extended,” Bryant says. “Pull your shoulder blades together. This will build the middle traps and give a denser look. This is one of my favorite prehab movements for big benchers.”

4. PULL. PUSH.

The functional opposite of scapular retraction is scapular protraction. Bryant likes performing protraction to work the traps in a different way while building his strength chain on the bench. “Hand spacing should be the same as your regular bench-press grip,” he says. “Lower the bar with straight arms by dropping the shoulders down toward the bench and crunching the shoulder blades together. Then force the bar upward by spreading the shoulder blades out, as in a lat spread, while raising the shoulders off the bench. The bar will travel only three or four inches either way. This is a great way to add thickness to the midtraps and directly benefit your bench numbers.”

5. ROW

Shrugs for the traps are, by nature, isolation moves — movement is only occurring at the shoulder and without the benefit of other muscle groups. The upright row, however, is a multi-joint movement that provides “a high level of activation in the traps,” Bryant says. This move, which also uses your biceps, forearms, middle and rear delts, is a great move for building total upper-body mass.

Why Alcohol is More Worse For You Than Your Men.

Alcohol in any amount can be dangerous to anyone but it affects women more than men, with increased health risks like liver and heart diseases and infertility for them, according to experts.

According to Monika Jain, a senior hepatologist with Fortis Hospital, "the female physiology is such that it allows for greater toxicity with lesser amounts of alcohol and in lesser time, as compared to males."

"A woman's body doesn't break down the alcohol as quickly as a man's body does. This results in greater levels of alcohol in blood, resulting in greater toxicity," Jain said.

 "The enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) which breaks down the alcohol in stomach is produced in smaller quantities in women resulting in slower action as compared to men," Jain added.

According to a publication by the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism(NIAAA), women who drink heavily face greater health risks than men who drink heavily, with women alcoholics being more prone to liver disease, heart damage and brain damage.

Amongst the other problems, the report claims, chronic heavy drinking can lead to menstrual problems, infertility, and early menopause while drinking during adolescence can interfere with puberty, growth, and bone health.

But the most vulnerable are the pregnant women who drink because in their case, even the unborn child is at risk from alcohol, which is a teratogen, a substance that can harm a foetus.

"Alcohol consumption by pregnant women can induce problems like Fetal Alcohol Disorder(FAD) and Abruption," Shivani Gour, a gynecologist and director of Isis hospital, told IANS.

"FAD is a major problem with ill-effects ranging from mental retardation to delayed physical growth. Any amount of alcohol consumed by an expecting mother is enough to harm the unborn child. And then there is abruption, which means premature detachment of the placenta," she added.

"The women are more vulnerable to alcohol because of increased percentage of fat as well as estrogen, which delays alcohol breakdown and increases alcohol toxicity in women," said Gour.

However, the damage is not just physical.

Beyond the physiological ill-effects, the NIAAA report claims heavy drinking can make a woman more vulnerable to violence, including sexual assault and they are twice as likely as men to die from .