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Why Your Music Selection Matters

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Why would music selection matter to a workout? Is it possible to lift more depending upon your music selection? I am going to tell you that your music selection not only matters, but it is probably critical to the intensity of your training.

Studies show…

A study was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that addressed the issue of music during your training. The study put people into two groups. Everyone in group one listened to music they chose themselves. Everyone in group two listened to no music at all. Each group was tested using the bench press and jump squats. The results were different for sure. Both groups performed the bench press equally. However, the group that listened to music reported feeling more vigorous, tense, and even more fatigued. Both groups also performed equally on the jump squat. The group listening to music had more acceleration at the bottom of the movement.

Altered moods

Choosing your music will definitely alter your mood. This has a strong psychological effect on your training that cannot be denied. I can tell you firsthand that mood changes how I train. If I am in a bad mood it usually gives me the ability to lift heavier weights.  If I am in a curious mood I tend to not be as focused as I should be. I find that my music controls my mood so that I can always be focused. I drown out the sounds around me by playing the music I like.

My favorite playlist

I have a favorite playlist that I use when training. I like listening to hard, driving music when I lift. It inspires me to push harder. My favorite list has War of Ages, Slipknot, blessthefall, Underoath, Killswitch Engage, Rise Against, Trivium, August Burns Red, Texas in July, and Shadows Fall. It is long enough to get me through most workouts. It is pumping hard and loud guitar music that gets me through even the toughest workouts. Some of my other favorite artists include As I Lay Dying, A Day to Remember, The Devil Wears Prada, Godsmack, and For Today. I even use this stuff during cardio training.

What is your favorite music to listen to during training? Comment on this article please.

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Life Changing Events that Hurt Your Momentum

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There are many things in life that can get in the way of your bodybuilding momentum. How you react to these events is going to determine how well you succeed on the other side of the event. I can tell you that I have had both positive and negative experiences with life changing events and my bodybuilding momentum, so I feel like I am qualified to talk to you about this topic.

Illness

We all get sick. Some types of illnesses allow us to continue with our work at the gym while others do not. When it comes to an illness you have to treat the time away from the gym the exact same way you treat a rest period from the gym. Do not stress out. Realize that your body is going to be fully recovered by the time you get back into the gym and you will continue to make some massive gains. Your body might have needed a rest anyway.

Injury

An injury is something you should do everything to avoid. However, when injured assess your ability to train other body parts. Keep going to the gym to train. When I recently tore my calf muscle I dropped all leg training from my routine and shortened my training cycle accordingly. I continued to hit the gym hard. As a result, my upper body continues to grow. Now that the injury is healed I am back at it harder than ever.

Job Stress

When job stress gets in the way of my training I tend to change the time I train. I will workout earlier in the day to avoid things like my job from getting in the way of my workouts. Life happens and workouts need to happen as well. Adjust the timing of your workouts to suit your own lifestyle. Yes, some people say training at this time or that is optimal, but sometimes we cannot achieve optimal. Workout out is the important part, not when you do it.

Family Stress

Like job stress, family obligations can get in the way of working out. I try to remain flexible about my training times. I work around my family obligations. You can always switch to an earlier workout time (while everyone is sleeping for instance) if that is the only way to get a workout in.

Divorce

Last year I was planning to compete in December. I started my early preparation in August. By November it was clear to me that my marriage was going to end, so I put a stop to all contest preparation. I am partially sorry that I did so and partially glad that I did so. I am not certain that I could have given it my all, but perhaps I should have tried harder. If you are facing a divorce or the break up of a relationship use that as a motivator in the gym. It will change your mood in a positive way. As my divorce has progressed I have gotten back into the gym and I've been working harder than ever. The renewed focus has done wonders for my mood.

Conclusion

Do not allow life changing events to detrimentally effect your momentum in the gym. Use these events to propel you towards your goals. Getting a divorce? Use that as incentive to get the best body you've ever had. Not only will your ex be jealous, but you'll find that you get a lot more attention from other people. Work hard and achieve your goals. Tell me how you have handled live changing events in the comments below.

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10 Reasons to Get Ripped

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Ask most people and they will agree that they would like to be “shredded” or “ripped” like the people on the fitness magazine covers. I am not talking about bodybuilding magazines, I am speaking of magazines like Shape or Men's Fitness. There are 10 great reasons why you should get ripped and I am going to share those with you today!

  1. You will have healthier internal organs. Fat can cause all kinds of problems in people. I personally know someone who recently passed away from cihrrosis of the liver and this was directly related to the fact that he had a ton of fat around his mid-section. The fat choked off his liver. Getting ripped will mean you eliminate the fat and that will help your internal organs stay healthy.
  2. You will fit better in your clothing. A pound of fat takes up 18% more space than a pound of muscle. Replacing fat with muscle will make your clothing fit better.
  3. You will look better naked. Yes, to some people this is a very important consideration. A nice tight body looks better sans clothing. It is just a fact.
  4. You will be able to tie your shoes without losing your breath. Let's face it…I big gut gets in the way of tying your shoes. You bend over to tie them and you're out of breath before you're done. Getting ripped fixes that.
  5. You will find that people want to touch you. People love to see muscles no matter what they say to the contrary. In fact, when you are ripped people come up and want to touch you. It is an interesting thing to say the least. Who knows what will happen as a result?
  6. Your ego will be stroked. People will be looking at you everywhere you go. That's going to stroke your ego and God knows we all need that from time to time.
  7. Your knees will thank you. By decreasing the fat you carry around you will put less stress on the lower half of your body. Your knees will say thank you.
  8. You will eat better. Because you are in better shape you will want to stay that way. This means you will pay more attention to what you eat.
  9. You will have more confidence. People who are physically fit tend to have more confidence. They carry themselves differently. It is just a fact of life.
  10. You will be more attractive to the opposite sex. It is true. Man and women are attracted to people who are in great shape. Men especially are so visual that a nice tight body is going to attract their attention. Women claim to be turned off by muscles but their actions betray that statement.

Please note that some of these reasons are dead serious while others are all in fun. Now get busy getting shredded.

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5 Reasons to Lift Weights

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Lifting weights is something that many people look on with scorn and disdain. I generally hear things like “I don't want to get big and disgusting like the bodybuilders in the magazines!” or “All I want to do is lose some fat!” or “I only want to be leaner.” When I hear these objections to lifting weights I think of my 5 reasons to lift weights.

  1. You will lose more fat by lifting weights. Most people think that cardio is the ticket to burning fat. Penn State University did a study. They put people into three “dieter” groups: (1) no exercise; (2) cardio only; (3) cardio and weight training. All 3 groups lost about 21 pounds. The group that lifted weights along with the cardio lost 6 lbs more fat than those who did not push the weights around. The reason is that the lifters lost almost pure fat while the others lost a combination of fat and muscle. Further research showed that those who don't lift lose 75% fat and 25% muscle. This makes it more likely that you will gain the weight back. Weight training while also incorporating cardio will protect your muscle while helping torch the fat.
  2. You will burn more calories.  Weight training increases the number of calories you burn while at rest. This happens because your body will burn calories as it repairs the damage done from weight training. Researchers have shown that people who do 3 full body workouts with just 3 big muscle moves have an increased metabolism 39 hours later.
  3. You will build stronger bones. As you age your bone mass decreases. Lifting for 16 weeks will help increase your bone mass by 19 percent. This will help you avoid a debilitating hip fracture later in life.
  4. You will have a healthier heart. Research has shown that weight training will reduce your blood pressure over time. It can reduce your diastolic blood pressure by 8 points. This is enough to reduce the risk of stroke by 40% and the chance of heart attack by 15%.
  5. You will have better fitting clothes. Muscle takes up less space than fat. In fact 1 lb. of fat takes up 18% more space than 1 lb. of muscle. When you add muscle and burn fat you will look better in your clothing. You will turn heads because of how good you will look. Who doesn't check out the tight body of someone walking by who is in great shape?

If you are one of the people with the objections I already mentioned, perhaps it is time for you to rethink your objections. Weight training is essential to get into the best shape possible. If you have any other reasons why someone should lift weight please share with us in the comments area.

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Monday Madness: Hammer the Hamstrings

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Great hamstrings really make the legs look good from behind. They are not really a difficult muscle to train, but there are definitely some tricks I have learned to help with it.

The Workout

Exercise Sets Repetitions
Seated Leg Curls 1 20-25
Seated Leg Curls 3 12-15
 Lying Leg Curls 4 12-15
 1 Leg Standing Curls 3 10-12
 Stiff Legged Deadlift 4 6-8

The Execution

The manner in which you perform these exercises is of the utmost importance. You will start with one set of Seated Leg Curls to warm up the muscle. You will do 20 to 25 repetitions. Make each repetition really slow and contract the muscle at the end of the movement. The objective is to force blood into the muscle. After the warm up set you will do 3 more sets in the 12 to 15 repetition range. Again, take it really slow, forcing the blood into the muscle. You will feel a burn, but keep going. Next you move to Lying Leg Curls. You will do 4 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. You will use a slow and controlled motion. Next you will do 1 leg standing curls. You will do 3 sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Again, go very slow. Contract the muscle at the end of the movement. You want to force blood into the muscle. By now your hamstrings should feel like balloons. Finish things off with 4 sets of Stiff Legged Deadlifts in the 6 to 8 repetition range. This means you will be going heavy. Be careful how you handle the weight on this exercise. Unrack the weight and rest it against your upper thighs. Pull your shoulders back and your chest up. Keeping the weight close to your body, slowly descend until you feel a nice stretch in your hamstrings.

Why It Works

By pumping your hamstrings full of blood you force expansion which breaks more muscle fibers. By finishing with a heavy movement you force the hamstrings to use up their very last bit of energy. When finished you will feel like your hamstrings are full of blood and without any energy left in them. This is the objective.

What do you think? Give me your comments below.

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