Feed: Powerlifting Routines - AggScore: 48.0

Weight Training Supplements – Protein Shakes

Weight Training Supplements help the serious bodybuilder to not only increase muscle mass, but to maintain existing muscle mass. The tissue in the body that forms muscle is always being replaced and repaired. Amino acids, which are found in protein, provide the nitrogen our bodies need in order to mend and grow muscle tissue. If you are not taking in adequate protein, or the right kind of high quality protein, your muscle growth and repair are at risk.

Some people worry about taking in more protein, since that also means taking in more calories. But protein is actually harder to digest, so your body burns more calories digesting it. The bottom line is that if you want to pack on muscle, then you need some help getting enough protein.

Weight training supplements help you to get enough of the high quality protein that you need to build and maintain muscle without breaking the bank. The better the cut of meat, the more expensive it is. So it can be costly to eat enough of the right kind of protein. Plus, weight training supplements are more convenient for our busy lifestyles than grilling up a chicken breast. Drinking a protein shake can be accomplished on the go without a fork.

Recovery supplements are very popular because the protein shake you drink after your workout helps you to maximize the window after your workout when your body is building muscle. These shakes give your body the raw materials it needs to be able to construct lean muscle tissue.

If you are trying to consume the recommended .8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight each day, then adding protein shakes to your diet make that much easier, helping you get out of the kitchen and on with your day.

Weight Lifting For Women

If you are a woman, then you want to make sure you are knowledgeable about weight training for women. If you are giving your cardio routine all you have and you still can’t get that scale to budge, then you probably need to add in weight training.

You’ve heard the advice that muscle burns more than fat, but what does that mean? It means that if you can swap out even a pound of flab for a pound of muscle, you’re looking at burning more calories every single day without doing anything extra and without cutting calories.

Once you’ve made the decision to take up a weight training program, then you need to figure out what to do. Women’s weight lifting workouts focus on different things than workouts for men. When women take up weight lifting workouts, they are focused on toning and sculpting, rather than adding bulk, like men are. If you’re looking for this type of exercise routine, then you likely want to be smaller in the right places, and most routines will focus on the lower half of the body with plenty of walking lunges, deadlifts, squats, and leg presses.

Unlike cardio, which might do nothing to make your derrière smaller but you lose a cup size along with the pounds, this kind of training works to tone up and tighten problem areas. Although many women want avoid lifting heavy weights regularly out of a fear of looking like a bodybuilder, there is no basis for that fear in reality. The average woman is not going to pack on muscle like that without pointedly making an effort to bulk up. So go ahead and lift heavier weights.  Most women’s weight lifting workouts fall short because the weights used are too light to make any real difference. Ideally, women want to lift the heaviest weight they can to complete their reps using good form.

Powerlifting Routines: What makes a successful training program?

When it comes to finding the ‘perfect’ weight training program, you often see people getting caught up in the latest trend or fad in the bodybuilding or weight lifting world. The fact is that NO program is perfect. It is simply a question of what works best for you. Some people will swear by one method and others will completely disagree. Having said that, we can perhaps identify the key components of what makes a successful powerlifting program:

• · The right training load

Absolutely vital if you are aiming for power training. You should try and build up your training load over time (on a week to week basis) making sure your training load is neither too light or too heavy. Incorporate a training cycle as this will allow you to hit your peak towards the end of your training period allowing you to make big gains in power and strength. Very effective if you consistently follow this plan.

• · Concentrating on power by using interval training

More specific to powerlifting, interval training is an advanced technique that can produce spectacular results. Concentrate on performing the key powerlifting exercises-the bench press, squat and deadlift. Because you are aiming for intensity you need to allow your body to recover, therefore interval training is necessary for this approach to work properly. Great for building muscle mass and achieving outstanding results.

• · Paying attention to speed and repetition

Essentially the speed at which you perform a rep within any given set. There are different approaches to repetition and speed that can produce varied results. For example, one specific repetition speed may be effective for developing muscle mass and power whereas another will be aimed more at endurance. For powerlifting, the aim is to develop greater power.

• · Diet & Nutrition

It goes without saying really: You are what you eat. As well as proper hydration, your body needs the right fuel in order to get the most out of your workouts. There is a wealth of information out there (and opinions) on what is a great diet and I’m not going to go into that sort of detail here. Supplements can also play a key role so make sure you research and implement an effective eating plan to complement you training.

If you follow these principles, there is no doubt you will see great benefits to you training and this can further help you decide how you build your powerlifting routines and search for the gains you want.

Improve Your Power Lifting With Amino Acids

When you start strength through weight lifting you start paying attention to what goes into your body as well as how much weight you’re pressing. When this is the case you’ve probably ran across information regarding amino acids and how they can help you develop muscle. The truth is that amino acids are essential to healthy muscle tissue among many other organs in the body.

Protein Building Blocks

When you’re working out to build muscle your diet is going to need to be rich in lean protein.  That’s just part of the ingredients list you’ll need to pay attention to when getting definition and strength. You’re also going to need amino acids. Our body only makes about half of the amino acids that are necessary to keeping muscles healthy, that means we need to get the rest from our diet.

Amino Acid Rich Food

Once you have established the fact that you are going to need some additional amino acids to get the results you’re after when you’re training, you’re going to need to find a source for these substances. There are some foods such as fish, nuts, avocados, wheat germ, raw honey and high quality eggs that provide these essential acids. Only when the food is as close to its natural state as possible will you get the most nutritional value from it.

Diets Are Difficult Enough On Their Own

You may be working hard to maintain a diet that is full of protein, that is low in fat and now you need to worry about getting more of something? First of all, it’s very easy to add this to your diet without having to start hunting out certain foods. There are many different supplements that are easy to find that can help you increase the levels of amino acids you’re getting in your diet on a daily basis. You can usually choose from many different ways to take them as well. This makes it easy to not only continue working out, but get the results you’re working hard for while making sure your body is getting the proper nutrition. See MyProtein.com for supplements to aid your power lifting.

Weight Lifting Routines-Tom Hardy ‘Warrior’ Workout

Following the release of the film ‘Warrior’ most of you will probably have seen the transformation actor Tom Hardy underwent to put on some lean muscle for his role as an MMA fighter in the movie-somewhere in the region of 30 pounds. Interestingly, he was not strictly limited to your typical weight lifting routines that other actors have done for similar roles. Instead Hardy performed four strength workouts per day on top of his cardio, martial arts and boxing workouts. The reasoning behind this comes directly from his trainer who says:

“Throughout the day you need to send constant signals to your body, so that it adapts in the direction you point it in. It’s better to do 10 press-ups every hour than 100 in a single burst. If you do things often enough, your body adapts for the task you set it, and you evolve.”

Interesting stuff when you consider the effects just a few months training had on TomHardy.

The actor’s workouts and training routines were demanding and I’m sure those of you out there who are keen to know more about his training methods and want to put it into practise will be asking themselves , ‘How the hell i’m I going to train 4 times a day while i’m working most days?’

After all, Hardy had the luxury (if that’s what you can call it) of training when he woke up, at lunch, before dinner and before bed. Each session lasted no more than  20 minutes, focusing on form, using only light weights and moving slowly and in a very controlled manner unlike more explosive weight lifting routines. Perhaps the best solution then would be to begin with two sessions (in the morning and evening) concentrating on gaining muscle quickly by working out little but often.

Here’s the weight gain program in full:

Exercises:

Press-Ups

Your first set should see your hands shoulder length apart. You should form a diamond with your forefingers and thumbs for the second set. Your third set will require you to put your hands wider than shoulder-length. Your final set will see you balling your fist and doing the press-ups on your knuckles.

Shoulder Flys

Stand with your feet shoulder-length apart and get 8 kg(about 17 lbs) dumb bells in each hand. With your palms facing forward raise your hands 180 degrees until they meet above your head (somewhat like a snow angel movement). Lower to start position and repeat. To up the difficulty use heavier weights or stand on one leg (good luck).

Dips

Grab a chair for this one. Sit on the ground, legs in front of you with the chair behind you. Grab the seat of the chair with your hands so that your fingers pointing towards your body. Keep your back straight and push up so your backside is off the floor until your arms are extended. Lower yourself until you’re almost touching the floor and you’ve completed a rep.

The Bridge

This one is a monster. There are multiple stages and if you’re not comfortable you probably shouldn’t move on to the advanced ones as it could result in a neck injury. This exercise is going to give you back flexibility, a powerful neck and a lot of core strength.

Stage 1

Lie on a mat with your feet on the ground and knees bent. You’re gonna lift your hips off the mat — bring your hands to your ears with palms on floor and fingers pointing towards your feet as you do this. You’re gonna do the 10-7-5-3 rep routine for this two. At the top during the 7 reps count to 1 second at the top, at the top during the 5 reps count to 3 seconds and at the top during the 3 reps count to 5 seconds.

Stage 2

Here’s the next stage, if you’re comfortable with stage 1. Push to the top position from stage 1. But this time, push harder. Push through your hands, lift your shoulders off the ground and allow your head to tilt back so the top of it rests on the floor. Push from your heels to your toes as well. All your weight should rest on your hands and toes, not your head. Same rep count as Stage 1.

Stage 3

When you’re comfortable with Stage 2 (AND YOUR FLEXIBILITY IS GOOD) you’re going to do the same things but allow your head to carry some weight. Start by allowing your head to carry 10% and increase as your neck flexibility increases. Do not rush this. Take your time, go slowly. Increase pressure on your head as you feel comfortable. Be careful as this could lead to a possible SEVERE neck injury if you’re not careful.

Stage 4

When you’re comfortable with Stage 3 and your flexibility is up put all your pressure on your head in the bridge position. Be sure to keep your hands near your head in case you need support. Same rep count as the rest of the Bridges.

Stage 5

This is insane, so be warned that you should only do this when Stage 4 is like drinking water. Assume the extended bridge from Stage 3 but hold a light barbell or very small dumb bells in your hands and do 5 reps at the top with the weights. Increase weight as it gets easier.

Abdominal Workout

This is gonna give you core strength and increase the size and power of your abs. Like the Bridge, start with Stage 1 and move on as you get comfortable.

Stage 1

Lie on a mat with your legs pressed together. With your hands clasped behind your head lift your head and shoulders and hold. Then tighten your abs and lift your legs. Lower to start position and repeat. 10 reps, then 7, then 5, then 3.

Stage 2

Perform Stage 1 then at the top of your position bend your knees and pull them in so they touch your elbows. Straighten your legs and lower to starting position. Same reps as Stage 1.

Stage 3

Do the same thing as Stage 1. At the top of the position pull your legs in to touch your elbows but DON’T bend your knees. Yeah, it’ll hurt. Lower legs back to start and repeat. Same reps as before.

Stage 4

Get an 8 kg kettlebell (about 17 lbs) and insert your left shoe in the handle. Wrap your right leg on top of your left leg and foot to hold it in place and do the Stage 1 exercise. Increase as needed.

That about wraps it up-this is definitely a workout worth checking out.

Welcome to Powerliftingroutines.org

We are primarily a blog designed to bring you the latest news to do with the world of powerlifting, weight training and bodybuilding, whether it be articles, top stories, hot topics, videos or links to high quality and useful information. Topics covered can vary from weight lifting routines, to bodybuilding supplements and even womens weight training.

We aim to cover a diverse range of topics within the powerlifting and bodybuilding community and hope that you will find lots of useful information here-whether you are simply interested in reading more about weight lifting workouts or if you are looking for inspiration for a new workout. If you would like to contribute to this blog, please fill out the contact form provided at the bottom of the page.

Top 10 Chest Building Exercises

Whether you are a serious gym enthusiast looking for something new to add to your existing powerlifting routines, or if you just want a bit of information about what are considered the best muscle building exercises for the chest, this article will take you through a list of some great chest workouts to help boost your muscle growth in that part of the upper body. It is important to use a variety of exercises that will work your pectoral muscles and stimulate growth if you have reached a plateau-this means being able to change your weight lifting workouts when necessary and having enough different training methods to draw on when needed.

Below you will find ten of the best exercises to help build and strengthen your chest:

Press Ups

One of the classic exercises and still excellent for developing chest strength and definition. You can do this exercise anywhere, use different hand positions to change muscle emphasis and concentrate a lot of intensity by performing multiple sets. A great exercise for targeting the chest muscles as well as shoulders and triceps.

Chest Dips

Extremely intense and demanding exercise that is traditionally viewed as an exercise to develop the triceps.

However, it is particular useful for targeting the lower chest and building up strength.

Barbell Bench Press

Considered the most effective chest workout exercise and the standard amongst most body builders and weight lifters. You will also often see this as the main upper body exercise for most powerlifting routines. Great for targeting the muscles in the middle of the chest, you can build great strength by lifting more and more weight as you progress. Also useful to develop shoulders and triceps.

Barbell Incline Press

Like the bench press, except this time the bench is at a incline, therefore focusing on the upper chest and generally harder to lift as much weight as the barbell bench press.

Barbell Decline Press

Targetting the lower chest, this exercise will compliment the previous two exercises and therefore help develop the upper body.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Works the pectorals,deltoids and triceps.Because you are balancing two weights instead of one you will get a greater range of motion, bringing your stabilizer and supporting muscles into the exercise. Great to help develop proportion between the right and left side of the body and to stimulate faster gains.

Dumbbell Flyes

Another standars chest exercise and great for helping to build a wider chest and targeting the inner chest. An excellent exercise to help maximise your gains and develop a good look.

Pullovers

Usually performed with dumbbells, this is an exercise designed to build both your chest and back.Great to compliment the other exercises listed here.

Cable Crossovers

An isolation exercise for the pectoral muscles but also targets the triceps and back muscles.

Stability Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

Although not hugely common on most chest workout lists, this is considered by some personal trainers to be one of the best chest building exercises out there. Because you are balancing on a stability ball while performing the dumbbell press,you have a lot of stabilization involved which means strengthening your core and concentrating on developing greater power. 

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Weight Training Programs

In this section you will find a guide to several weight training & bodybuilding programs that are available to buy. This is a list of potentially useful materials such as ebooks that contain relevant and excellent information that you can own and help expand your knowledge, give you great tips and help improve your weight training workouts. They are a selection of some of the most popular, useful and effective programs out there. As with anything, some people will find a particular product more useful than others, so spend some time researching a particular product that interests you. If you are looking for great bodybuilding systems that will teach you everything step-by-step, with full instructional videos, personal advice and much more, then these are some of the best programs out there.  You will also notice that I have selected a few programs by Vince Del Monte and I can honestly say that his bodybuilding workouts come highly recommended-the information he provides is very accurate and easy to put into practice. He has also been around long enough in the community to prove his muscle building programs are not another scam or fitness trend.

I personally know people who have benefitted greatly from his ‘No Nonsense Muscle Building Program,’ and it is simply one of the best online courses on how to build muscle fast without drugs or supplements. On top of that, just so you know I am not just recommending these products for the sake of it-all come with a 60 day money back guarantee. 

You will find the full list of programs below, just click on the links to find out more information on a specific product.

The Truth About Six Pack Abs

A bestseller since 2005, this excellent ebook created by Mike Geary-a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer, is not just another ‘How to get a Six-Pack’ gimmick,but rather a complete program that features full body workouts and detailed eating plans. This is a product that contains unique workouts designed to speed up your metabolism, target that unwanted belly fat and start you on a dietary plan that is conducive to fat loss. Backed up by years of customer satisfaction and positive testimonials, ‘The Truth About Six Pack Abs’ will also give you motivational secrets for lifelong fitness success, foods that will burn stomach fat and many other unique tips on how to get that six pack that you have always wanted. Translated into many different languages, this is one of the best products of its kind available in the marketplace today. Has a 60 day money back guarantee.

Click Here To Find Out More

No Nonsense Muscle Building

One of the most popular and comprehensive muscle building programs on the market, ‘No Nonsense Muscle Building’  by Vince Del Monte is an ebook that contains a detailed collection of workout plans and other fitness materials that any weight training or muscle building enthusiast must have. As a personal trainer, nutrition export and former self-confessed ‘skinny guy,’ Vince Del Monte’s program is aimed at helping you achieve muscle growth in a steady, safe and natural way. The main components of the program are:

• No Nonsense Muscle Building Main Ebook
• The Beginner-Intermediate 29 Week Program
• The Advanced 29 Week Max Power Workout Program
• Nutrition-84 Day Healthy Meal Plans
• The Insane Virtual Exercise Demonstrator
• The Metabolic Growth Calculator
• The Supplement Watch Files
• The Exclusive Unforgivable Sins Audio Expose
• The Instant 24/7 Fitness Coach
• The No Nonsense DVD

A great program with a huge volume of materials, this is an effective ebook aimed at sustained and long-term muscle growth and comes with a 60 day money back guarantee.

Click Here To Find Out More

Muscle Gaining Secrets

An Ebook by Jason Ferruggia, ‘Muscle Gaining Secrets’ is a program that aims to dispel common weight training and bodybuilding myths and offer any level of reader the opportunity to learn something new for their workouts.It contains:

• Main Ebook
• Nutrition Guide
• Workout Guide
• 10 Minute Meals
• Supplement report……..and much more…..

A great ebook to help develop your knowledge and then apply it to your workouts, this is a program that will help produce the muscle building results that you want. Come with an 8 week money back guarantee.

Click Here For More Information

21 Day Fast Mass Building

The ’21 Day Fast Mass Building’ program is a new ebook from Vince Del Monte & Lee Hayward-two people renowned for their muscle building knowledge and years of experience within the weight training community. The aim is to get the prospective reader to gain lean muscle mass quickly by understanding that muscle can grow in bursts as opposed to having to bulk up over a long period of time and gaining unwanted fat on high calorie diets. Thr program contains:

• Main Ebook that is clear, concise & easy to understand
• Invaluable workout videos that are easy to follow
• Diet Section
• Different workout plans that include-’Hardcore Bodybuilder Workout,’ ‘Fitness Model,’ ‘Muscle Model,’ and ‘The Fat Cutting 500 Workout.’
• Group testimonials to inspire you

A great program for those wishing to get more toned and muscular with the added bonus of reducing that unwanted body fat that goes with most weight training programs. Comes with a 60 day money back guarantee.

Click Here For More Information

Technorati Tags: 21 Day Fast Mass Building, bodybuilding, Mike Geary, muscle building, No Nonsense Muscle Building, The Truth About Six Pack Abs, Vince Del Monte, weight training programs

 Westside Barbell Powerlifting Workout

Many of you familiar with the world of powerlifting or weight training will have come across the Westside Barbell gym, invented by Louie Simmons. Considered a very tough, demanding but ultimately well respected program, the Westside Barbell philosophy attracts the interest of serious powerlifters and those who are wishing to push their limits beyond what is usually required. This is not for the faint-heated or weak minded. This is a training regime that will test every part of your body’s physical and mental strength. If this all sounds a bit too much, don’t worry-there is still a lot that any lifter can learn from this powerlifting routine.

Based upon the Russian system of weight training (that bred many champion weightlifters), Louie Simmons adapted it for Americans and re-packaged it as a back to basics program focusing on core exercises and developing power.

It is not about simply bodybuilding and ‘looking good’,this is about real gains and tangible strength. Typically, a Westside Barbell Powerlifting Routine includes a training system of four sessions per week, that breaks down as follows:

Two Workouts For The Upper Body 

The Bench Press is used as the main exercise, with one session aimed at lifting heavy or maximum weights. The other session is a dynamic workout, using lighter weight at high speed.

Two Workouts For The Lower Body

The two exercises used are the squat and the deadlift. Again, like the upper body one session is lighter weights and dynamic, the other focusing on strength and heavy weights.

This is the general Westside template and it is advisable that those of you who are beginners, new to powerlifting or inexperienced realise that this is a demanding program that you will have to build up to. Do not let that discourage you, just realise it will take some dedication and hard work to get the most out of this type of weight training. Work on building your abs, back muscles and developing joint flexibility before you start the Westside training. Ultimately it is one of the best powerlifting and weight lifting workouts you can do and can produce great gains in strength and muscle mass. 

For more info, including a template for the Westside Barbell training, click on the following links below:

The Westside Barbell Official Website

Westside Barbell Template

Powerlifting Video-Westside Barbell

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Weight Lifting For Women

Today we are going to do something for the ladies out there and focus on weight lifting for women. This is always a subject that prompts a lot of controversy and confusion as there are a lot of conflicting views on the subject. We’re going to start by tackling the most common misconceptions about  women’s weight training and then move on to what you need to do to get started. .

Common Misconceptions About Weight Lifting For Women

Weight Training Will Making Women Muscular & Masculine 

It is wrongly assumed that because guys can become big and muscular following a bodybuilding program, the same will apply for women. The reason why this is not true is because women do not naturally produce enough testosterone in their bodies and therefore the most likely outcome of using weights is an improved, toned and feminine appearance. Any women that you do see with huge muscular appearances are most likely using some ‘extra’ ingredients to obtain this look, or trying like crazy to be muscular.

Women Should only Lift Light Weights

This is also quite a common misconception. Whilst doing a large set of reps (e.g. 12-15) with light weights has its place in workouts, it is better to aim for 5-8 reps on a more challenging weight that aims to get the muscles to respond to resistance and stimulate changes that will begin to create the look you want.

If You Lift Weights Your Chest Size Will Increase

Weight training can increase the size of your back and shoulders, perhaps creating the impression of a bigger chest. There is no scientific evidence that chest size will increase in this manner.

Using Weights Will Turn Fat Into Muscle

Much like their male counterparts, this is simply not true. You need a combination of proper nutrition or diet and a reasonable amount of cardio that will compliment a weight training program. There is no magic formula that turns fat into muscle.

If Women Stop Weight Training, Muscles Turn To Fat

Yet another myth-the most common occurrence is that when you stop training, several things usually happen. The inactivity leads to poorer diet, less frequent training and lower metabolism.

As with anything-you cannot simply workout for 3 months and never do any training again hoping that your superb, toned body will remain.

Women Should Only Use Machines Instead Of Dumbbells & Barbells

This is one of the most ridiculous things I have seen-I mean, seriously-what the hell? Of course machines can be useful but dumbbells and barbells (using freeweights) are excellent because they can work so many muscle groups at once. You therefore are able to get a great all round workout and start to achieve the desired look you want.

Benefits Of Weight Lifting For Women

There are many benefits of a weight training program for women. These include:

• Strengthening of bones.
• Strengthening of joints.
• Reduced risk of injury to joints.
• Effective workouts that burn calories, boost strength quickly and generally improve body tone and posture.
• More defined and attractive body.
• Builds a stronger heart & better health.

Thses are just some of the key benefits of weight training for women-i’m sure there’s a more exhaustive list out there if you want further advice.

Getting Started

As with any weight training program it is wise to consult a doctor if you have any doubts about your physical health. Having the right diet or nutritional plan in place is also vital to maximise your chances of success. Finally, make sure to choose a workout program that you are comfortable with and know what you want to achieve. There is simply no point in just doing something for the sake of it or stopping your training after 2 weeks because your program is unrealistic for your level. A few points to get you started:

• Always maintain proper technique when lifting, ensuring you do not pick up any injuries
• Aim for 30-45 minutes for a workout
• Aim for around 10 exercises that will work both the upper and lower body
• Target 8-12 reps per set for each exercise
• Try and keep the intensity high between each exercise-60 seconds maximum rest
• Do not go all out in the beginning and burn yourself out-aim for around 2 workouts per week
• Ensure proper rest and steadily build your strength 
• Try and find ‘female-focused’ exercises-probably good to speak to someone in your gym
• Vary your exercises

There is a good deal of info out there around weight lifting for women-with some careful research you will be able to explore the different programs and options available to you. If you can take in the principles mentioned above in the article, it will give you a solid base for beginning your training and enable you to set some realistic targets and goals for what you are looking to achieve from a weight training program.

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