Bodybuilding in College: It Can Be Done!

Transitioning from high school to college is difficult for most people, but bodybuilders may find that being away from their home gym and kitchen is extra tough. The first week or so may be a little intimidating, but bodybuilders can stay successful in college with high levels of dedication and motivation. When you enter college, set your goals for the year and try to motivate yourself to stick to your workout and diet plans.

College meal plans vary, but nothing about college food is good for a bodybuilder. Many colleges offer plans that include three meals a day at most, but your diet will probably call for more meals each day of smaller amounts of food. Don't load up at the cafeteria if that's not what you are used to doing! Instead, invest in a small refrigerator for your dorm room. Set aside some extra money each week for food, and schedule your classes so that you have enough time to eat. Most professors don't mind if you carry a snack to class, so if you must take a class that's during your normal mealtime, have some energy bars or protein shakes on hand as a back up plan. When you do eat in the cafeteria, make healthy meal choices. It's ok to splurge on one or two rewards, such as pizza or ice cream every week, but in general, stick to the foods you would normally eat at home-eggs, grilled chicken, bran cereals, salads, cottage cheese, and the like-even if there's a buffet of other things available.

One of the first things you should do when you get to college is explore the gym and weight facilities. Note the hours of operation-most schools are aware that students have busy schedules, so your gyms will probably open early in the morning and still be open late at night, but get a copy of the schedule so you never have to question the times. If the gym is too small or inconvenient for you schedule-wise, check out the gyms in town to see if any would better suit your needs. Students even get discount memberships at some places.

Lastly, be conscious of your other habits. Continue to get enough sleep even with your new workload, and be aware that activities such as smoking will only have an adverse effect on your health. A big part of college for many students is drinking, and you will probably be faced with this as well. If you are just bodybuilding for the sake of looking and feeling good, a few beers every week won't hurt you as long as you are responsible, but drinking is out of the question for competitive bodybuilders. Not only will it pack on the fat, but drinking will also cause you to lower your levels of testosterone and become dehydrated. Volunteer to be the designated driver instead, and you will find that it is easy to fit in while still maintaining your healthy lifestyle.

Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, you can listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 files download and train in gym while you listen. You can check all bodybuilding tips at Ask-How.info now.

Bodybuilding Posing You've Got It Now Flaunting It!

Bodybuilding posing is usually one of the most ignored aspects of contest preparation. Competitors are so focused on their dieting and training that many don't take the time to prepare an exciting posing routine. Some bodybuilders leave it until the last week to try and put something together. There are even a few brave souls who step on stage and try to "wing it." It's easy to spot the bodybuilders who don't do their homework; they can't even perform the mandatory poses properly.

If you hope to win or even place well in a show, you must give your contest preparation the same diligence and dedication as training and dieting. You may be the biggest and most ripped guy on stage, but if you flounder around looking unprepared, your chances of winning, or even placing, will be greatly reduced.

The best bodybuilders select music that reflects their personality. It's also much easier to perform a great routine if you like the song you are posing to. In a manner of speaking, your physique is your product, and you're using the posing routine to 'sell' yourself to the judges. The judges award points in three areas: how well you hit the individual poses, how well your routine flows with your physique; and how well your routine flows with the music you have selected. If you have a rugged, muscular physique, music that is powerful and upbeat will be your best bet. On the other hand if your physique is more symmetrical than massive, slower pop music or classical music, will probably work better for your bodybuilding posing.

Here are a few tips for music selection and preparation:

Choose a song that you like (you'll be listening to it over and over)

Select a song that matches your athletic abilities (i.e. flexibility)

Pick a song that matches your personality.

Choose a song that suits your physique

Whenever you're listening to music on the radio, visualize posing to each song.

Always make at least two, preferably three copies of your music.

Contact the contest organizer to see if they want your music on CD or cassette.

If you have a gift for posing, put together two routines; one for the pre-judging and one for the evening show.

Posing: The Routine

Your first step in contest preparation is to take a series of photos showing all the mandatory poses as well as the other classic poses. Divide the photos into great, good, and poor. Unless your physique is really not ready for competition, disregard the poor photos. If you hold each pose for an average of 3 to 5 seconds, you'll only have enough time for 18 to 30 poses. And don't forget that it each pose will be separated by a couple of seconds of transition time. This means that you'll only have enough time to hit 18 to 20 poses in your routine. Your goal is to start and finish your bodybuilding posing routine with one or two of your best shots. Also don't forget that while not necessary, you should include some, if not all, of the compulsory poses in your posing routine. The judges will quickly spot bodybuilders who avoid hitting the mandatory poses. They'll assume that you're trying to hide something.

Once you have your best poses picked out, your next step is to set the poses to your music selection. Time it so that you are moving between poses as the music is rising and hitting the poses as the music peaks. Many bodybuilders hire dance choreographers to help them prepare their posing routines. One of the early scenes in the classic documentary, Pumping Iron, shows Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu practicing their posing routines under the watchful eye of a dance instructor. While most bodybuilders have no problem holding each individual pose, what distinguishes great posers from good posers, are their transition skills; how well they move between each pose. The best make it look like poetry in motion.

If you don't have access to a dance instructor, check with one of your gym's aerobic instructors. Most aerobics' instructors, especially those who incorporate martial arts into their classes, know how to set coordinate static and transition movements with music.

Once you have your bodybuilding posing routine put together, it's time to start preparing for each of the four Rounds in the contest. As each round is distinct you must know how to conduct yourself during each one. You don't have to win every Round to place first, but you must place at or near the top in most of them.

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you looking for more of his bodybuilding-posing articles? http://www.bodybuilding.md  Article ? Bob Howard 5/5/2006

Bodybuilding While Traveling

Despite all of the busy airplane lines, cramped hotel rooms, and uneasy feelings of meeting new people, staying fit while traveling is easier than most people realize. If you are motivated enough to stay fit then there is no doubt that you will achieve whatever you want. Okay so now I`m motivated, but what will help me maintain a decent physique while i`m 500 miles from home? You are going to learn the basics of bodybuilding while traveling and be able to use this information to your advantage.

The equipment you choose is going to be one of the toughest choices you make because access to gym equipment may not become available. You are going to have be creative and develop a split based on your goals. Pushups will work your front delts and chest and is a good way to for getting your heart rate elevated. Squats and lunges will work your quads, glutes and hamstrings. Dips from a chair with feet on the floor will work your triceps. Jumping rope for 2 - 3 minutes will get your sweat flowing so don`t forget to pack a jump rope in your suitcase before leaving.

The other part of the bodybuilding equation is eating right. Before you leave and are hitting up the local grocery store, you should be shopping for protein bars, canned tuna, chicken breasts, eggs. Just make sure you remember to refridgerate the eggs and freeze the chicken breasts. When packing your meals, you need to choose foods that are slow digesting and have an adequate amount of protein. Vegetables contain a numerous supply of vitamins and minerals and they also keep you energized throughout the day. Sandwiches may be frozen overnight and will be ready to eat by lunch time the next day. For the bread, you should be eating whole grain breads but it also must freeze well. Be sure to also drink just enough water to satisfy and do not go overboard. You don`t want be having to urinate every ten minutes or you`re vacation will start to become a nightmare.

If you have ankle weights, use them to add resistance to your exercises or stick them to your wrists if your dumbbell is not heavy enough. Make sure that you watch your diet, if you eat more than you should, add more jumping jack sessions to burn the extra calories. How well you sleep will depend on many factors and will vary from person to person. You may want to pack some tylenol PM just in case.

As I stated previously, being motivated is the only way you are going to be able to maintain a decent body while you`re on the road. I see way to many people, who are into fitness, go on vacation, gain five pounds, and come back wondering what had happened. You do not want to be one of these people. Doing this can also make you quit bodybuilding altogether just from the week vacation you took . On the road, do whatever you can do, it doesnt matter if it`s very little exercise, that`s still better than doing none since you keep your mind trained that it needs to be exercising.

My Sites: http://www.clubbodybuilding.com and http://www.geocities.com/bashore69/bodybuildingarticles.html

Find Out Why Bodybuilding Supplements May Not Be Necessary

To supplement or not to supplement - that is the question on more bodybuilder's lips than ever before. Are they safe? Have you ever wondered what works and what doesn't?

Lets have a look at the basics.

There are various reasons why athletes may be interested in supplementation.

* Concern about getting adequate nutrients from our food
supply.
* Suspicion of pharmaceuticals.
* Belief that diet alone will not achieve optimal nutrition

Supplements include the following:

* Vitamins
* Minerals
* Amino Acids
* Herbs

The concerning thing about supplements is that anything classified as a dietary supplement is not required to meet any FDA or other standards! Think about that! there are no regulations in place that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement.

They are also not made to meet the similar safety requirements as prescription drugs or any other manufacturing standards. They are not required to meet product potency or purity ratings and are not required to prove the effectiveness of any health claim that is made.

Studies suggest that a number of supplements may deliver on advertising claims. However, trainees are spending large sums of money on products that have little or no proven usefulness.

Personally I find the use of supplements over rated and as with strength training, supplementation asks the same question

"If a little is good then maybe more has to be better"

Supplementation and steroids started to proliferate when volume strength training became the training system of the day. Young strength trainees slaving in the gym for five to six days a week was seen as normal. All this without making any progress or putting on any size whatsoever.

They then turned to the latest supplement or steroid thinking that this is the magic bullet to put on that added muscle when all the time they were just plain

"Overtraining"

The cold hard facts are that the majority of the regular trainees in your gym are overtraining. The sad reality is that the type of training that you find in bodybuilding books and magazines (and used by the stars) are irrelevant to the majority of
the population and has a high failure rate.

If more bodybuilders started using more infrequent, short, high intensity weight training sessions, followed by the required amount of time to recover and become stronger...

"Most of the Muscle building supplements and steroids available today would not be needed"

. The bottom line on weight gain supplements

* Before taking a supplement try to make modifications to your
diet that might achieve the same goals.
* Only choose products that show the amount of active
ingredients on the label that are required.
* Be aware that "natural" does not mean 'safe'
* Some herbal supplements may have unpleasant side effects.

Listed below are some popular bodybuilding supplements available on the market today:

Creatine monohydrate

Creatine was first introduced to the market place some eight years ago and has since become the most popular bodybuilding supplement of all time.

Creatine is said to significantly increase lean muscle mass, improve performance, increase energy levels and speed up recovery rates.

Creatine also stimulates the uptake of amino acids in the proteins, which means that the more that it's used the more muscle that may be grown.

Dosage: A loading phase of 20grams a day for the first five days then a maintenance phase of 5grams a day from then on.

Whey Protein isolate

The highest yield of protein currently available and is extracted from milk. This is another popular supplement for athletes and bodybuilders because of its high proportion of amino acids.

It is supposed to be high in potassium, which is essential
for muscle growth and is an antioxidant and a good immune system builder.

Dosage: 20gms - 100gms a day.

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus terrestris is a plant that grows in many tropical and moderate areas of the world and is very rich in chemical compounds such as saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids.
Tribulus terrestris is supposedly a testosterone enhancer and increases sex drives in both men and women.

Dosage as per bottle.

Glutamine

Is a non-essential amino acid, which makes up to 60% of the amino acids in the bodies muscles. Glutamine containing products are protein shakes and good quality protein powders; it can also be added to protein shakes for added potency.

Dosage: 5grams to 15 grams per day.

So there you have it, a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency or imbalance, they are not intended to substitute for eating a balanced diet. If they are to be taken at all they should only be used to supplement the diet and not replace it.

Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' muscle building e-course.

Know your bodybuilding supplement - l-taurine

 Taurine is the second most abundant amino acid in the muscle after glutamine. It performs several useful functions and can act in a way similar to creatine in that it expands cells by helping the muscle to hold more water, thus increasing cell volume. The added benefit for bodybuilders is that these expanded muscle cells boost hydration and stimulate greater protein synthesis giving an enhanced muscle fullness.

The best time for bodybuilders to take taurine is thirty minutes before training and again immediately afterwards as this will heighten the effect of training. With any amino acid supplement overdosing can lead to weakness and nausea so care should be taken in applying small doses and increasing them gradually until an optimum level is reached. Bear in mind that many protein powders and other supplements are fortified with amino acids so check the labels carefully. The manufacturer's instructions should be followed in all instances.


Richard Mitchell is the creator of the bodybuildingadvisor.com website that provides guidance and information to athletes at all levels of bodybuilding experience. Go to Bodybuilding Advice to learn more about the issues covered in this article.

Gym Equipment For Total Body Fitness

Exercise can literally make you feel better mentally and emotionally and you can often train even if you have some health problems or injuries. For example if you have arthritis or stress fractures you can still use elliptical equipment to exercise and maintain muscle mass. And you can exercise at home in relative ease if you have the equipment for it.

It can be tuff to get started and you simply need to find your inner motivation for using the exercise equipment. Well, don?t feel too guilty, people often make resolutions to begin a proper exercise routine and find that they slack off in a few weeks. If you set specific days for the training it often work better and after some time you get kind of addicted to training.

Even if your gym might have some of the newest and greatest exercise equipment available there are great alternatives to gym training. In fact, aerobic exercise is far more effective at helping you lose weight then strength training, although a home gym can help you build up your muscle mass which can accelerate your weight loss in addition to the aerobic exercises that you do.

Whether this comes in the form of housecleaning for an hour or strength training at the gym, it is a fact that exercise keeps your muscles strong, your heart strong, and your body in shape. If you haven?t been involved in weight strength training in the past, it is really easy to get confused by all the different kind of home gym equipment that is on the market today.

Try to get some good guidance and training before you undertake using free weights to make sure you are doing it properly. If you decide to go this route, it's a good idea to invest in a training program that will show you how to use your equipment properly and avoid injury.

Most home gyms are usually strength training machines that provide a structured way of performing each exercise. The benefits of strength training are many and well-documented, and they can be very useful for overall body conditioning

When you look at gym equipment, you can pick out some of the most useful and flexible machines and tools, and separate them from the gimmicks. Many users of home gym equipment have or use multistation pieces that allow them to workout on several types of machines in one, for example the Bowflex. There are also multiple weight machines to use each one focusing on a different muscle.

The home gym equipments generally falls into two major categories, the first being home gyms that use rods or bars to create resistance, and the second being strength training machines that use a weight stack or plates. Both categories have advantages and do not hesitate to use a machine with weight stack or plates. It is good training to do that job as well.

Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Home Gym Equipment. Further information can be found at Mortage Rates & Mortgage Cycling.