Weight Training Diet and Workout Tips to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle

Is a weight training diet plan an oxymoron? After all when we think of weight training we think of big burly men, whose only diet would be the see-food diet. I'm joking of course. When it comes to the look and shape of your body, exercise and nutrition go hand in hand, with what you eat arguably the more significant. Exercise dictates performance; diet dictates what you see staring back at you in the mirror.

So if you are putting in the effort with the weights to improve the look and shape of your body, it figures that you would also put some thought into what you eat.

Now conventional wisdom tells us that the exercise program isn't enough to change the look and shape of our body, just open any muscle or health and fitness magazine, they are full of adverts for super foods and supplements as well as articles explaining why you must eat this and mustn't eat that... We need a weight training diet.




The misconception is that because you are weight training you need to eat in a specific way; usually "more", however in reality this is not the case!

You don't require extra calories to get a better looking body
 
Sure if you are trying to gain weight it is a given you will need to consume more energy than you use over a sustained period of time. But who wants to gain weight? Besides, excess energy gets stored as fat which is the last thing you want.

Aim to lose fat and gain muscle
 
Most people would rather have the lean and toned look of a celebrity or fitness model and use weight training as part of the plan to get there. If this is you then you certainly don't need to be adding food or following the typical body "building" approach. After all, when it comes to the look of your body, bigger isn't better.

You don't need "special" foods or supplements, great looking bodies were built before any of them were around
 
In the fitness media, it seems that for every new weight training program is a new wonder supplement that is required to get the best out of it. Of course this is just hype. Never be fooled, the real focus of your training should be, you guessed it, your training. Don't let a supplement steal the glory you earned, and don't let these details steal your life.

Plenty of people waste a long time wrapped up in health and fitness culture. The irony being that this kind of obsessive compulsive behavior isn't healthy at all. Follow an approach to lose fat and gain muscle and do it the right way. You'll be glad you did.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michael_Mukoyogo/856255

The Best Upper Body Workout Routine For Men

The best upper body workout routine for men should consist of exercises for your chest, shoulders, back and arms. Most people forget that the arms and shoulders are part of the upper body and are just as important as the chest and back. Concentrating on all of these body parts will help you maintain muscle balance and proper muscle growth. There are certain guidelines that every person needs to follow, regardless of how long he has been working out.

Guideline 1.
 
It's vital to work yourself to a level that your body will cope with. It is extremely dangerous to yourself, especially when you know that this is a new experience for you.

Guideline 2.
 
Try to rest for at least 48 hours between your workout sessions to help give your body and muscles time to recover.




Guideline 3.
 
Lastly, warm up before indulging in intense weight-lifting workouts.

Exercises For The Chest.
 
The most effective upper body workout routine for a man's chest is the bench press. It can be either on a flat or an inclined plane. One of the advantages of this upper body workout routine for men is that you can perform it with free weights, dumbbells or proper bars. When performing this type of exercise, make sure your eyes are below the bar. Try to get a tight grip and slowly lift the bar up and down. It is vital that you carry out sets and reps that do not overwork your muscles. Push-ups can be done in a variety of ways so you can choose the style you are most comfortable with.

Exercises For Biceps And Triceps.
 
For the biceps and triceps, there are a number of very effective upper body workout routines for men. The hammer curl is probably the most popular triceps exercise ever created. This is performed with free weights. You stand up straight with your hands at your sides holding the weights. You raise your arms slowly all the way up to the shoulder. The triceps pull-down isn't as easy to perform because you need complex machinery, but it's very effective nonetheless. The triceps extension requires you to place one of your knees on the bench and the other on the floor and hold the weight with your arm bent at the elbow and straighten it out. You will feel the burning on the triceps.

For the biceps, you can perform the bicep curl and concentration curl. The lateral dumbbell raise, overhead press and the one arm dumbbell row are other basic exercises for the upper body. There are plenty of extra exercises, both simple and complex, that you can get learn from your personal trainer or trainers at your gym. All exercises can be performed with a number of variations but some also require professional assistance and a lot of practice to ensure that the proper techniques are being used. Over time, you'll experience the difference in your overall strength, stamina and endurance.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Danielle_Wong/1235313