An Intense Full Body Workout Routine for Men

This is a workout that was crafted for beginners, and so it uses some pretty simple exercises to get you going. However, that's not to say that it isn't intense! Also, the title calls it a workout routine for men, but really women can give it a shot as well.

This is a great workout routine for the gym, and you should shoot for 3 times per week, with an off day in between each one.

The main point of this routine is to perfect our form, using slow, concentrated movements. So as you're doing each rep, give it two counts up, and two counts down.

Say you're doing a shoulder press. As you lift the weight, count 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi. Then as you lower it, again count 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi. Don't use too much weight, just add enough so that when you finish the final set you can really feel the burn.

Here's the full body workout you'll be doing 3 days per week:

Squat- 3 sets of 15

Stiff leg deadlift- 3 sets of 15

Seated calf raise- 3 sets of 15

Barbell bench press- 3 sets of 15

Barbell rows- 3 sets of 15

Shoulder press- 2 sets of 12

Standing alternating dumbbell curl- 2 sets of 12

Tricep pushdown- 2 sets of 12

Now take a look at the rest of our exercises for athletes and the Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer review.

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High Calorie Foods to Compliment Your Exercise Routine

High calorie food consumption goes hand in hand with an intense exercise routine, and that statement is doubly true for hardgainers. I've had a few posts on here lately that deal specifically with hardgainers because I think there's no such thing as a "true" hardgainer. Calling yourself that just makes you think you have a reason for not gaining muscle mass.

Well, remember this: You don't have a reason!

With the right workouts and enough calorie intake every day, you should be able to gain as much muscle as you could ever hope for.

So what are a few high calorie foods you should look for? In another post I stated that hardgainers should be eating at least 4,000 calories every day. Even if you're not a hardgainer, you're probably looking for at least 2,000 calories each and every day, and those numbers can be hard to hit if you're not eating enough food to compliment the intensity of your daily workout routine.

So here are a few high calorie foods to get you on track.

Almonds: A single ounce of delicious almonds has roughly 160 calories. Almonds are also full of healthy fats and calcium.

Whole milk: A cup of whole milk has about 150 calories, mostly made up of protein. It also has plenty of minerals and vitamins, so keep a glass nearby throughout the day.

Olive oil or butter: Use it as much as you can, especially the extra virgin olive oil.

Now take a look at the rest of our exercises for athletes and the Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer review.

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Untestested Supplements at Bodybuilding.com- Scooby Video

In this video, avid body builder 'Scooby' talks about bodybuilding.com. They were recently fined $7 million dollars for lacing their supplements with steroids. Scooby has made it clear in the past that he is highly against the use of supplements because they are not FDA approved. What this means is that anybody can put anything in those little tiny capsules and you won't even know. In the case with bodybuilding.com, they gave steroids to unaware customers and this has not only damaged their reputation, but has created a number of personal problems to their client base.

Be careful what you put in your body!

 

Now take a look at the rest of our exercises for athletes and the Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer review!

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Hardgainer Central: A Good Exercise Routine is Nothing Without a Proper Eating Plan

In a previous post entitled A Gym Exercise Routine for Hardgainers that Actually Works we went over an intense, incremental workout for hardgainers who are getting fed up with their lack of results. It's a good exercise routine to be sure, but it's not going to do a whole lot without a proper eating plan.

There's only one goal we're going to shoot for during this workout routine: Eat at least 4,000 calories every day.

When you combine this level of food intake with the progression we get from the workout routine, you'll start packing on muscle in no time flat.

You see, you can train for hours every single day, but if you're not eating to match that activity you're going to have a hell of a time bulking up, not to mention getting the strength to move up through each progression.

Most people who call themselves hardgainers usually won't eat enough. They have fast metabolisms, which requires constant food intake, and they just don't keep up with it.

Now I know, 4,000 calories is a lot of food, but you're not going to get fat as long as you're sticking to the workout plan linked at the beginning of this post.

Here's how your food intake should break down:

-40 grams of protein at least every 3 hours, and at least 180 grams of protein daily.

-30% of the calories should come from fat. That's at least 1,200 fat calories.

-You need 3 servings or more of carbs, which can come from quinoa, bread, cereal, rice, or oatmeal. Try for whole grain over white.

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Are You Eating Right to Maximize Your Bodybuilding Workouts?

The bodybuilder diet is probably one of the toughest ways to eat out there. You need to toss down at least 6 meals every day, you need to shop for and cook all that food, weigh your portions, and calculate the right number of calories to experience muscle gain. Simple stuff, right?

Okay, maybe not.

I'm just realizing how much trouble people often have with their diets when they're trying to get the most out of their bodybuilding workouts, and it reminds me of back in the day when I was just starting. Back then, the idea of eating 6 meals per day seemed like witchcraft almost. I was a skinny, 130 lb hardgainer, and I knew I had to eat, but I just couldn't seem to force everything down.

So now that I'm here where I am now, it's easy to forget that there are so many people out there who are only where I was when I was just starting.

Listen guys, if you really want to hit those gains you've been dreaming about, you have to eat right. I figured out that there was only one rule I needed to follow: Eat more.

I was doing the training so I knew I wasn't going to get fat, but I had to push myself to eat enough. Every time I thought I was full, I would eat just a little bit more.

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A Gym Exercise Routine for Hardgainers that Actually Works

I spent some time in a post yesterday explaining how the term "hardgainer" is often a fallback for anyone who has trouble putting on weight. I honestly believe that anybody can build muscle mass, and if you think that you are a "true" hardgainer, do me a favor and stick to this gym exercise routine, then tell me you haven't gained anything.

As always keep your food intake up while you are doing the following 3 day a week workout, and don't try to lift more than you can handle. Check it out:

The "rep goal" listed for the following exercises is the total reps you should shoot for out of 3 sets. Remember that. When the rep goal says 25, that's 25 reps split between 3 sets. You might want to aim for 10, 10, and 5.

Now, here's the full body hardgainer workout routine you've been waiting your whole life for.

Squats: Rep goal-25

Deadlifts: Rep goal-15

Bench press: Rep goal-25

Overhead press: Rep goal-25

Dumbbell rows: Rep goal-25

Barbell curl: Rep goal-25

Dumbbell bench press: Rep goal-25

Barbell rows: Rep goal-25

Dumbbell curl: Rep goal-25

Calf raises: Rep goal-45

Weighted situps: Rep goal-45

Side bends: Rep goal-30

20 rep squats: Rep goal-20

Once you are able to hit the assigned rep goal in a maximum of 3 reps, add 10 more pounds of weight for that exercise.

You should be doing this 3 days a week on nonconsecutive days for best results. And don't miss the eating plan for hardgainers to make sure you maximize that muscle gain.

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A Daily Exercise Routine for Hardgainers

Let me just say one thing before we get started here: You are NOT a hardgainer. The word hardgainer is a fallback term used by people who haven't been seeing results. With the right type of daily exercise routine and a proper eating plan, you will gain muscle. It doesn't matter if you're the skinniest, scrawniest kid on the block; I've seen everybody gain when given the right type of regimen.

The thought that you are a hardgainer is only holding you back. It's a fallback because you can not see results, and think "It's okay, I'm just a hardgainer."

What you SHOULD be thinking is: I need to train harder.

If you really want to gain muscle, you need to minimize your cardio workouts to less than 4 every week, and never miss a workout. The first time you miss a workout, you'll just be making it harder on yourself.

If you really want a routine that works, check out the 100 rep full body shocker exercise routine at that link. It's not quite a daily exercise routine, but it gives you the foundation you need to start packing on muscle and getting that body you've always wanted.

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6 Week Home Exercise Routine for Stronger, Thicker Arms

The following 6 week program will work to give you stronger arms (focusing on triceps and biceps), and it does this by incrementally adding difficulty to the workout routine.

This is a beginner workout program that you should only perform on two days out of the week, and it's acceptable for both male and female bodybuilders.

Let's break it down quickly before we get started:

Week 1 and 2: Use a low/moderate weight and a low rep volume. This lets you ease into the twice weekly arm workout.

Week 3 and 4: We're increasing the weight up to moderate along with a moderate rep volume, increasing the intensity and set number.

Week 5 and 6: We're going up another notch to a more intense volume, but we're keeping the weight itself at a moderate level. It's going to be challenging!

After you get through the 6^th week you can either take a week off from all arm exercises, or if you feel up to it you can go through again, starting with week 1 and using slightly more weight. Use a weight level that challenges you but isn't so heavy it prevents you from completing the sets.

Do this twice a week, but make sure there are two days of rest in between each lift day.

Week 1 and 2

First Day

Cable curl: 2 sets of 12

Dumbbell tricep kickback: 2 sets of 12

Second Day

Concentration curl: 2 sets of 12

Cable tricep extension: 2 sets of 12

Week 3 and 4

First Day

Seated dumbbell curl: 4 sets of 10

Skullcrusher: 4 sets of 10

Second Day

EZ bar preacher curl: 4 sets of 10

Seated French press: 4 sets of 10

Week 5 and 6

First Day

Barbell curl: 5 sets of 10

Tricep dips: 5 sets of 10

Second Day

Chin ups: 5 sets of 10

Close grip bench press: 5 sets of 10

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Full Body 100 Rep Workout Routines

In a previous post we talked about the 100 rep shocker routine. That time we only talked about arm workouts. In this one we're going to take the concept higher so you get a concentrated, powerful full body workout routine that will boost your muscle mass and give you a more vascular, ripped appearance.

Here are the quick guidelines for the 100 rep workout routines one more time:

Do at least 40 reps, more if you can. Subtract that number from 100 and rest for that many seconds. (50 reps= a 50 second rest). Then do the same thing, adding your rep count to the first time.

That's it. It's intense, difficult, and it will make you feel like a beast at the end.

For the following full body workout, do each exercise as explained above, then rest 3 minutes before moving onto the next exercise.

Full Body 100 Rep Workout

leg press calf raise

cable tricep extension

hammer curls

dumbbell lateral raise

barbell shrugs

incline bench press

lat pull down

leg press

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The 100 Rep Shocker Arm Exercise Routine

Most people who work out tend to stick to the 8-10 rep limit for their sets, so talking about a 100 rep set might seem a little crazy. Now, most of the time you're going to want to stick to that. 8-10 reps is an excellent number for frequent workouts. But once in awhile, blasting through a 100 rep set will sort of "shock" your body into action, leading to increased weight gains and letting you increase muscle mass.

100 rep sets do three things: They increase reserves of glycogen in your muscles, they improve your vascularization, and they increase your pain barrier.

We're also going to use a slightly lighter weight than we're used to. In fact, it should only be between 30 and 40 percent of your typical max weight.

Now, do 40 or more reps and then rest for one second for each rep you're short of 100. For example, if you do 40 reps, rest 60 seconds. Then do it again, adding to your first count. If you can't hit 40 reps on the first try, use a lighter weight. If you're pushing 70 or 80 reps on the first try, use something heavier.

Start with these arm workouts. Do a 100 rep set for each one with a 3 minute rest between each exercise:

Decline triceps extension

Triceps rope press downs

Incline dumbbell curls

Cable concentration curls

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Drinking and Exercise: How Do They Really Stack?

A few weeks ago I put a post on here about smoking and exercise, taking a look at how they really measure up to each other. Not surprisingly, I got a lot of emails saying something along the lines of "Of course they don't go together. You should never smoke period, let alone with exercise!"

Well, yeah, it does seem pretty obvious, but what about alcohol?

First of all, there are several studies out right now that say light to moderate alcohol consumption may be beneficial to your health. The studies basically found that putting alcohol in dirt made worms live longer. Not exactly the cocktail I'd order on a Saturday night.

However, we also know that alcohol lowers testosterone levels. To a bodybuilder or anybody looking to gain muscle mass, that's big news. Testosterone and growth hormone are two of the hormones which we need to repair and build muscle tissue.

What do I personally think? Honestly, I am a person who has a beer or a glass of wine several times per week. A lot of it depends on your history as well though. If you don't have any problems with drinking, it's not going to be the end of the world. If you have a history of alcoholism, definitely stay away from it (and if you're still going through trouble, find an Atlanta alcohol rehab center).

In the end, I really have to step aside and say that if you seriously want to maximize your workouts and get the most out of your time in the gym, just don't even bother with alcohol. It's only going to slow you down. And again, completely seriously, if you or someone you know has problems with drugs or alcohol, take a look at this link for an Atlanta drug rehab center and make sure you know everything you can about beating it.

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Relief from Chronic and Acute Pain Due to Sports Injuries?

It's hard to work out when you're in pain, and really you shouldn't even be trying. Both chronic and acute pain can come from a myriad of different types of sports injuries, and even more that are caused by other conditions, but which could be exacerbated by sports.

In this community, getting injured is the last thing you want to do- it can be a career ender. But sometimes accidents happen and there's nothing you can do about it. I know that more than anybody probably- a few years ago I blew out my ACL, not actually working out, but playing ultimate frisbee if you can believe it.

I went through surgery and the whole shebang, and it's pretty much recovered now, but every now and then I still get a dull, thudding pain going through my knee. So I've been looking into muscle stimulators, which are a form of mild electroshock therapy that can help relieve pain. Specifically, I've been looking at TENS units, which stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.

Basically, they send a low volt electrical impulse through your skin to the nerves that are acting up and causing you pain. If you want to take a look, you can visit LGMedSupply online to browse through their units.

See, I like their home units because they're portable- I can take mine to work with me as well and keep in the car when I'm at the gym. That way I know that if the pain starts coming back I have a quick fix. I've tried pain medication too, but what I don't like about that is it affects your whole body, and with all the other supplements I take I hate to throw in yet another pill.

I use the LG-TEC Dual Combo TENS Unit and Muscle Stimulator, but if you want information you can just check out their online customer blog, which has tons of info about this stuff.

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