Bodybuilding - How to Accelerate Your Muscle Growth

Building muscle isn't easy, it isn't just lifting weights. Yes that is a very important factor as it is how you stimulate your muscles to grow, but if you are looking for fast growth you need to implement two other main factors into your bodybuilding routine.

Firstly you need to understand that when trying to build muscle through weights you are breaking your muscle fibres BUT don't worry because this is a good thing. Your broken muscle fibres come back bigger and stronger and all this is through the miracle of (drum roll)...REST!

Rest is an important factor for building those muscles because this is when your body repairs itself. Rest doesn't just mean sleep, it means resting some days of your routine - you should only be working out 3-5 times a week no more otherwise you won't give yourself enough time to recover and rebuild. Sleeping is also critical in the rest sector, sleep should be the minimum of 8 hours or less if you are going to have naps in your day.

As mentioned above rest is the period when your body rebuilds but do you think that the body does that itself? No! It needs your help especially when you try to build muscle. You need to give it the essential nutrition!

When bodybuilding you will need to consume a healthy and balanced diet. This is so that your body can be supplied with the energy to workout, go through the day and also give it the energy to recover too.

A decent body building diet should be high in protein and by high I mean that the amount you way you should consume (180 pounds in weight you should consume 180 grams of protein). Protein is the building blocks for your growth and by supplying enough to your body you will be able to repair those muscles faster.

You should look to consume 6 meals a day with each meal giving you about 30gramms of protein. This will give you the protein intake you need and also the energy and nutrition to last you the whole day.

Make sure that you have:

• A good healthy diet that is high in protein to build and recover your muscles
• At least 8 hours sleep
• Rest days from your workout

5 Most Common Fitness Mistakes That Officially Make You a Gym Idiot

1. Lifting too much weight too soon.

This usually applies for newbies. You are increasing the risk of torn ligaments, tendonitis, arthritis at the joints, and stress fractures to name a few. The more weight you lift, the greater the risk is. If your muscles are adequately stretched/warmed up, you are not going to hurt yourself. Lifting heavier is the only way to increase your strength and build some mass but you will do more damage than good if you lift much heavier than your muscle can handle.

How heavy is too heavy?

If you can't finish the set with a good form, reduce the weight.

2. Not stretching before and after a workout.

Don't stretch your muscles the moment you arrive at the gym. Do it after warming up. Stretching your muscles improves the range of motion of your joints. When the muscle tissues are too tight, a little tear could happen if you force a joint to move through its full range of motion. Warming up and stretching can prevent this from happening.

3. Not warming up before and cooling down after a workout.

Stretching is not warming up. It is really important that you perform a warm-up before stretching. It is not a good idea to perform stretching before your muscles are warm enough. Rotate your joints (from toes to your finger) followed by at least five minutes of aerobic activity. For each weight exercise, perform one or two sets of exercise with lighter weight to warm-up the muscles.

4. Not working out within the target heart range.

To get the maximum benefits of cardio, you need to workout within the target heart zone three or four times a week. Exercising at this level promotes weight loss and burns fat. It reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity, and other health related effects. Doing cardio at least 3 times a week also helps lighten up your mood. If you are a beginner, start at a lower target heart zone (perhaps 50% of your maximum heart rate). As your fitness improves, exercise at higher intensity from 60 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate.

5. Running too far too soon.

Be moderate. Run too far and you can get injured and lose your motivation. To measure your fitness level, use X-minute mile instead of X miles per hour. A beginner will jog from 10 to 15 minute mile. A world-class-trained male athlete might run a 6-minute mile.

The process of building muscle is a trial and error. Most of the theories in bodybuilding are debatable and it can be overwhelming to digest all the information on how to eat and train the right way.

The Number One Reason Why You Fail To Gain Muscle

In this article I would like to share with you the number one reason why you are struggling to add more lean muscle mass to your frame. I think we can safely assume that you are already training and you are lifting weights at least three times per week, but no matter what you do in the gym you still fail to see any gains. Am I right?

You see, the number one reason why guys fail to gain muscle is not because they don't follow the right training plan or because they don't do the right exercises. It's not because of bad genes or because they are so called 'hardgainers'. It's simply because of bad eating habits.

The number one reason why skinny guys fail to gain muscle is simply because their diets are bad. You see, if you weigh 160 pounds and if you want to get to up to 190 pounds then the first thing you need to start doing is eating like a person who weighs 190 pounds.

The first thing that you need to focus on is making sure that you supply your body with enough energy. I am talking about calories. To make your body grow, to start gaining muscle you need to supply your body with more than enough energy and this energy has to come from calories.

The point I want to make here is that to gain muscle you are going to have to eat a lot and by eating a lot I don't suggest to start eating ice cream and burgers everything single day.

No way.

You need to gather your calories from high quality foods. You need to gather enough proteins to make sure that your body gets enough building materials for your muscles to grow, you need to eat enough complex carbohydrates to have plenty of energy and you need to eat plenty of healthy fats to make sure that your joint and hormonal production runs smoothly and efficiently.

When trying to gain muscle you need to focus on the basics. When training you want to focus on the basic training principles and you want to focus on proven and tested exercises. The same rules apply to your diet. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and start following some complicated bodybuilding diet when all you need to do to start gaining muscle is to simply increase your daily caloric intake and make sure that your daily calories come from high quality foods.

How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle and Burn Fat Naturally?

Let's take a look at nutrition and more importantly "timing" of nutrition. If you have ever been to a gym you would have seen almost every guy and some girls walk out with a protein drink in hand.

They do this because they know how important it is to feed your muscle with a combination of protein and carbohydrates within half an hour of doing exercise. This is when your body needs the nutrition most and failing to give your body what it needs means it will have to take it from somewhere else. Most likely your muscles! Now that is not what we want.

So, back the question of how long does it take to build muscle?

Here are my top tips for muscle building and, most importantly, the best ways to burn fat:

- Drink a high quality protein product after each workout, within half an hour.

- Work out 3-4 times per week for no longer than 45 minutes per session.

- Eat most of your carbohydrates in the morning, have a small protein snack mid morning, eat a lean protein lunch with salad, vegetable and protein snack in the afternoon and another protein and vegetable meal for dinner.

- Eat a lot of citrus to help block the production of Oestrogen. (a hormone that gives you that jelly belly look!)

- Don't drink beer! It is highly Oestrogenic.

Following these top tips will see you build muscle mass fast but you have to be dedicated. Just how long it takes to build muscle naturally depends on many things but as long as you follow some simple guidelines you should have great success.

Most Common Workout Mistakes

According to doctors, workouts may help you reduce your risk of a lot of health conditions, such as cancer, depression and heart attacks. Aside from this, workouts make you stronger both physically and mentally. If you are working out without the help of a good fitness trainer, you are more prone to common workout mistakes. Here are 5 of those mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Workout goals

What are your workout goals? No matter what you want to achieve by working out, your workout sessions should consist of three stages: warm-up, exercise and the stretch-out stage.

Most people focus on the second phase, which is a mistake. Starting your workouts phase without warming up your body first is a bad idea. If you don't warm up before a workout session, you may end up hurting your muscles. The stretch-out phase is equally important.

2. Not Warming-up Before Each Session

With the warm-up stage, you are informing your nervous system of the physical stress it is going to go through. This stage will help your body prevent premature fatigue and skipped heartbeats.

The warm-up phase is more important if you are going to do some high interval intensity training exercises like CrossFit or sprinting. Even if you are going to do a workout of moderate intensity, you should warm up as it will get your blood flowing throughout your body.

3. Doing The Exercises The Wrong Way

After box jumping or deadlifts, some people complain about pain in their lower backs. Some people think that it is muscle soreness and shouldn't be taken as something serious. However, the thing is that you should learn to differentiate between muscle soreness and joint pain.

Mostly, joint pain may occur if you do an exercise the wrong way. It may also lead to injury in some cases. Therefore, it is important that you get some guidance from a fitness trainer.

4. Sticking to the Same Type of Exercises

Do you find your workouts boring? If so, it's time for you to change our workout plan. Doing the same movements over and over again may make it harder for you to get your desired results.

For instance, if you do jogging on a daily basis, you should change your route. Or you can increase or decrease your speed for a change.

5. Ignoring Other Body Parts

The human body is not a simple machine. It functions on different levels at the same time. Therefore, you should do workouts that will work multiple areas of your body. Focusing on the same parts may cause your body to lose balance. As a result, your body gets weaker and you don't see the desired results.

Therefore, we suggest that you choose a set of exercises that will work all of the important parts of your body that people usually ignore.

So, these are some common workout mistakes that most people make. If you don't want to end up hurting yourself while working out, we suggest that you avoid these mistakes. Hopefully, now you will be able to get the most out of your exercises.

High Protein Foods For Hardgainers

Some people find it really difficult to put on muscle mass. They eat, eat and eat some more, and train as hard as possible, but still struggle to make the scales move up even half a pound. So what's the secret to putting on muscle if you're a hardgainer?

One area in which many hardgainers fall short in is protein consumption. Calories are very important for muscle growth, as they provide the body with energy to build the muscle, but if you aren't eating enough protein, it will be virtually impossible to build substantial muscle.

Each protein molecule is made up of twenty amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of muscle, and without these, the body is not going to be able to add, or even hold on to muscle mass. This is why consuming enough protein is vitally important.

So calories intake and protein consumption seem to be the two areas where hardgainers need to pay particular attention, in order to reach their goals. With that in mind, the suggested foods will be both high in calories, and protein.

Whole Eggs

Whole eggs are a fantastic food. The yolk has been demonised for years, but finally, the medical profession and the general public appear to be realising that the yolk contains many important vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, and does not have an adverse effect on cholesterol levels. One large whole egg delivers around 90 calories, and 8g of protein, depending on the size. They're a great option for breakfast for those who can't stomach meat or fish first thing in the morning, and don't want to resort to having a protein shake.

Eggs are also extremely versatile. They can be boiled, poached, fried, scrambled, cooked as an omelette with added vegetables, cheese or meat, added to salads and used to bump up the protein content of any other meal. They're the ideal food for a hardgainer.

Beef

Many bodybuilders opt for chicken or turkey over red meat, but they're missing a trick. Whilst beef and chicken both contain around 25 grams of protein per 100 grams, depending on the cut, 90% lean beef provides roughly 165 calories, compared to 110 in the same amount of chicken. For a hardgainer, this is a no contest - beef wins every time. Beef is also a brilliant source of iron, B vitamins, and zinc.

If you can, choose grass fed and free range red meat, as opposed to meat from factory farmed animals. Cows are designed to live off grass, and not the corn that they're fed in the factory farms. They are also allowed to grow at their natural rate, and not pumped full of chemicals, meaning they're much healthier. You'll notice a huge difference in taste and nutritional quality in a free range beef.

Oily Fish

Another staple in a bodybuilding diet is tuna. Again, I'm curious as to why it crops up so often, as it is a low calorie food. 100 grams of tuna delivers 120 calories, and 27 grams of protein. The same amount of salmon has 200 calories, and 25 grams of protein Whilst protein is very slightly lower, 25 grams per hundred is still a reasonable amount, and as we've established - calories also play a significant role in muscle growth, so salmon trumps tuna.

Salmon and other oily fish like mackerel, sardines, anchovies, trout and herring also provide a large amount of essential fats, known as omega 3 fats. Consuming a high amount of omega 3 is believed to reduce a person's risk of heart disease, boost the immune system, and help relieve joint and muscle pain.

Whole Milk

Whilst not technically a food, whole milk provides lots of good quality protein, as well as some saturated fat, which is important for regulating hormones within the body, particularly testosterone, which plays a vital role in muscle growth. The reason I've included it here is because whole milk is calorie dense, and easy to drink. 100 millilitres of whole milk will give you 68 calories and 3.4 grams of protein. Whilst this doesn't sound like a lot, it is very easy to have a glass of milk alongside each meal, as well as a couple of pints throughout the day. Without even noticing it, you can consume an extra 68 grams of protein and 1360 calories, and still have enough of an appetite for all your food.

As with beef, if you're able to - look for milk from grass fed cows, or at least organically reared ones.

These are definitely my top four high protein foods for hardgainers. By simply adding these into your diet, or swapping them in in place of leaner proteins, you can easily add an extra few hundred calories to your daily intake, and watch your muscle mass sky rocket.

Best Workout Plan To Get A Lean Body In A Month

Introduction

Most of us, in today's world, want the chiseled and lean bodies. The first thing to be kept in mind to get a lean body is the correct diet. The second thing is the right workout that will make sure that you are burning the maximum amount of calories per day. So, to burn proper calories per day, you need to focus on the right exercises and perform them in the correct way.

Top 10 workouts to get a lean muscular body in a month

If you want to get a lean and muscular body and that too in one month's time, then here is the list of such workouts. These will help you to maximize your fat burning process, thus giving you a lean body.

1. Bench Press: Bench Press is that workout that not only gives you a good shape but also builds huge inner strength. It is basically an upper body workout and the target muscles are pectoralis major, deltoids (anterior) and triceps. To maximize your results, slightly position the torso in the form of an arch on the bench, and the shoulders back and down. It will help to maximize the stimulation of the chest muscles, so as to give the best results.


2. Barbell Pullover: This workout aims at the upper pectoral muscles, intercostals muscles, biceps brachii, triceps and the serratus anterior muscle group, that is, the muscles of the rib cage. This is one of those exercises that will help to cut down the fat layer around your chest and build a leaner and chiseled chest within a month. For this workout, always opt for a weight that will help to attain the maximum movement possible. You can easily understand the proper movement of the barbell during the workout, that is a must for maximizing the gains.


3. Bent over Barbell Row: This exercise aims for the deltoids, lats, forearms, biceps and also the lower back. If you are doing this workout in the correct manner, then you are bound to feel the muscles below your shoulders burn. Always use a wide grip for this workout to get the best results.


4. Deadlift: This is that workout that will help you to get a strong core and also help a lot in building a leaner body if you do it correctly. This workout actually aims for the muscles of the lower back, the hips, quads, glutes, hamstrings and also the forearms. The deltoid muscles also work out during this exercise. In a nutshell, this is a full body workout that gives you the desired results.


5. Squats: This is a compound workout that works for your entire body, giving you a wonderful lean body and burns fat like hell. This workout is one of the most important in any strength training regime. The target muscles include quads, hamstrings, lower back, hips, and glutes. Squats are said to be the king of all other workouts, as this exercise alone helps a lot to maximize your muscular improvement.The sumo squat is a variation of the original squat workout. In the sumo squat, the feet are placed wide apart and the toes of the feet are turned outwards making an angle, but in the case of the regular and normal squat, the toes of the feet face forward. The sumo squat puts more stress on the inner thigh muscles and the glutes. But in the case of the regular power squat, the stress is equal in all the areas of the thighs, quads, hams, calves, glutes and hip flexors.


6. Leg Press: Leg press mainly targets the hips, hamstrings, quads and the glutes. This workout determines the strength of your legs that are also a must for getting a good shape. People tend to skip the legs and often end up looking odd, with a huge upper body and thin legs.


7. Pull-ups: This is that workout that will give you the V-shaped torso. The target areas include lats, forearms, biceps, and also the rhomboids. Perform this workout to get a leaner and fat-free back.


8. Dumbbell Shoulder Press: The target areas are upper pectorals, rotator cuffs, shoulders, and triceps. To get the maximum results always press the dumbbells with your palm facing each other. You can perform this workout with or without a back support. This is the best workout for getting huge deltoids. The pictures shown below will guide you properly, how to perform the dumbbell shoulder press without mistake.


9. Dips using parallel bars: The target muscles include anterior deltoids, triceps, and pectorals. This workout is one of the most important to lose fat around your triceps and chest, in order to get a lean chiseled look in a month's time. This workout is also one of the most important exercises in a calisthenics workout regime. The figures shown below give a clear description of how to perform dips using parallel bars in the most effective way. Always remember that proper starting and finishing off the exercise is a must in order to give you the maximum results. Often people tend to do the dips in a wrong way.


10. Sit ups and crunches: Sit ups and crunches target the core muscles and also the tummy fat. These two workouts combined together can help a lot to cut down the excess fat layer of your tummy and help you to get a prominent 6 packs. The muscles that are worked out during sit-ups and crunches are clearly mentioned in the pictures.

Conclusion

These were the best 10 workouts that are the most effective in maximizing the fat burning process in the body. Always keep in mind that merely working out all day long can never lead to a wonderfully sculpted body. For getting a lean and muscular body, which is devoid of excess fat, you need to give your body ample amount of rest. By giving proper rest, you will help to maximize the muscle growth. What is more, if proper rest is not given, muscles may not grow at all, and as a result, you will end up working out every day all day long and still you may not get the best of results.

The above-mentioned workouts are basically resistance and strength training exercises that are a must to burn a huge lot of fat in a small amount of time, thus giving you a leaner and more muscular look. But wait! Only, working out is not the ultimate solution. Perhaps the most important part is the correct diet. All bodybuilding experts lay stress on the diet as the very basic parameter that is coupled with proper workouts.

Always opt for fat-free diets, and say no to fast foods. Fast foods can become the worst enemies of your body. Fiber intake should be increased since fiber helps to flush out the toxins from the body. Last but not the least; you need to drink plenty of water, a vital constituent of our body, of all the muscles as well. Water helps to keep the muscles hydrated and in good condition.

3 Most Important Keys to Muscle Gain - You Will Never Gain Muscle Unless You Know This!

A lot of guys out there want to know how they can easily increase their endurance and stamina and really pump up some heavy weights in the gym. You see saying and doing are two different things and the issue with most of these people is that they want to get big but they don't know how to actually do it. There are some extremely important keys without which you will never gain muscle. Read on to discover what these keys are and get the desired results fast...

Machines or free weights? - This has been a big debate in the bodybuilding where people constantly ask whether machines are good or is it better going with free weight. If you were to follow any professional bodybuilder out there you will always come to know that they are very frequent on free weights than machines. The reason being that free weights give additional muscle workouts which machines will never do. Therefore make sure you rely more on free weights than machines.

Change your workouts every week- When you mix up with workouts your body will never get used to one sot of a workout due to which your muscles will always show tremendous amounts of growth. The issue with most people out there is that they never tend to change their workout due to which their muscles tend to peak out.

Keep your workouts short- The longer you keep them the worse it is going to be for you. You see a lot of people out there tend to workout for hours and hours long due to which they end up burning muscles instead of gaining it. Keeping it short and high intensity will always give you stronger gains.

Building Muscle - 3 Things Skinny Guys Should Never Do

Being skinny and having very low body fat levels in every day life is a great thing. You tend to look pretty good in most clothes, you don't have to choose clothes that hide your lumps and bumps. You generally have more energy and it isn't such a challenge simply moving around each day as it is for your larger friends. But as with all things in life there is often a catch and there is one here too.

Whilst you may find it much harder than most to store body fat, which is great, you will also find it much harder when building muscle. The following three mistakes are most commonly made by skinny guys when trying to gain muscle.

• Not Changing Your Lifestyle - Your body will normally struggle to get enough calories each day to carry out quite simple tasks such as work or any other activities that you do on a regular basis, let alone recover from the rigors of weight training. If you do decide that building muscle is going to be one of your priorities then it will be necessary to slow down in other areas of your life. Rest whenever you can, never run when you can walk etc. Also you should add in extra meals or snacks wherever possible in order to ensure that you are eating enough calories to support muscle growth.
• Training Harder Than anyone Else - Another common misconception when training on a regular basis is that you will see others who seem to not work as hard as you do or perform workouts much shorter than yours, yet they appear to be getting more muscular and at a much quicker rate than you. Your natural instinct at first will be to work harder and for longer still to keep up with them. This is also a big mistake because you are built differently to others and what works for them won't necessarily work for you. You run a real risk of over training and your body will shut down and flat out refuse to grow. You'll feel run down, tired, have no energy and struggle to eat the calories you need to eat each day. The list of side effects is endless and can be a real sticking point in anyone's progress. Instead ease off your training a little, monitor your progress by taking measurements regularly. If you are making gains then keep going at the rate you are, if not then add a few extra sets, reps or exercises in to your program gradually.
• Eating More Calories - Yes you are nearly right, eating more calories is absolutely essential for anyone interested in building muscle, but for the skinny guy, the tendency is to just eat any old food in an attempt to pack on the muscle. Eating large amounts of fats especially saturated fats is not a healthy way to add body weight. Whilst the aim is to gain weight we ideally want to gain most of that from muscle as opposed to extra stored body fat. The key here is to increase both the amount of proteins you eat and also the carbohydrates. There may need to be a small compromise in that you will need to eat slightly more processed foods such as white bread instead of whole meal for example, because generally speaking unprocessed foods fill you up much quicker than the processed types and you may struggle to eat enough calories.

Being skinny can be great, but when building muscle it can be a real hindrance. Far more skinny guys stop training before they make any real progress than any other type of body shape. You need to slow down a little and take things easy, eat more of the right types of foods and stop judging yourself against the progress of others. Be patient and you will see results.

Best Muscle Building Secrets - 6 Top Secrets For Building Muscle

While it may seem like building muscle is just based on exercising more, the truth is that best muscle building secrets can help you achieve the results you're after. But be careful about what secrets you consider the best.

With the right training tips and following a sensible routine and diet plan, you will begin to see the muscle build in just a few weeks, rather than feeling like you are fighting a losing battle.

Rest Is Important

1. The first thing that you will want to know is that you should allow your body to rest and recuperate at least a few days of the week, so that it can repair from your last training session. This is one of the best secrets for building muscle that you need to know since your common sense may have been telling you to work more, instead of less to build muscle in your body.

2. It's vital you stretch each and every time that you work out, both before and after you exercise. Don't ignore this muscle building tip since forgetting to stretch your muscle correctly can lead to damage that can take weeks or months to heal, making it take longer for you to build your muscles.

3. Remember to keep track of which exercises you do, so that you can increase your repetitions and weight in the future. It may be a good idea to write down exactly what you do, and how many repetitions you have so that the next time you work out, you know how many more you need to do.

4. Most of the time, it is better to train more intensely than to train for a long period of time, so keep your workouts short and intense for best results. Keep your time in the gym for weight training brief, but make every minute count.

5. Another of the top muscle building secrets is that you should keep your weights relatively light, so that there is less strain on your muscles. Remember that doing 15 sets of thirty pound weights is just as effective as lifting 250 pounds three times, but it won't cause you to become sore and overworked nearly as easily as lifting the lighter weights.

6. Maintain a positive attitude about training, so that you don't give up too easily. It may take several weeks, or even several months, before you see your muscles begin to respond to your training, especially if you have just begun eating the right foods. Nearly everyone who is healthy can build muscle, as long as they stick to their routine and maintain a healthy diet.

Bodybuilding Myths Vs Truth

There are a lot of bodybuilding myths out there that should be busted right now. They are giving people false hopes about bodybuilding. It also makes bodybuilding sound easy. The real truth is that bodybuilding is not as easy as you think. Most bodybuilders spend years to achieve their perfect, ripped body; this with the help of multiple supplements as well as a lot of intensive and extensive training.

Myth No.1: You can become as big as a pro-bodybuilder if you work out for a long period of time

Let us tell you that what the magazines have been telling you are lies. Pro bodybuilders get their bulky muscles by using steroids and growth enhancing drugs. It is not possible to become as muscular as them even if you work out for 10-20 years. Drugs help pro bodybuilders to manipulate their hormones so that their body can increase the ability to pack on muscle mass. Exercise alone will never get them to achieve those tree bark like muscle veins. Nevertheless, you can always choose to join natural bodybuilders. They believe in natural supplements and training to build their body. That's your safe way to bodybuilding.

Myth No 2: Your muscles will grow bigger if you work out more

This myth causes a lot of beginner bodybuilders to overwork. Working out too much is not helping to build your muscle mass. Overworking will only cause muscle failure, which in turn, will take approximately one week for you to recover. You should be working out consistently, for 3-4 days a week. In between your workouts, do some cardio to maintain your fitness level. It is not true that the more you work out, the bigger you will become.

Myth No 3: The longer you work out, the better it is for muscle development

No, it is not necessarily better to work out longer. The main point in working out is to achieve muscular fatigue. You can achieve this in just one set of workout. For instance, when you lift weights, you are working on every muscle of your body; legs, biceps and triceps, back and chest muscles. If doing one set is enough to tire your muscles out, you don't need to work out more. Otherwise, you'll experience muscle failure. When you achieve muscle fatigue, rest your muscles before your next workout. This will give the muscles an opportunity to grow. The myth is again, proved to be just a myth.

Myth No 4: A hundred sit ups will get you a washboard abdomen in the end of the day

This is overrated. There is no such thing as achieving a washboard abdomen in one day. You can do a sit up until you faint but there is no way you are going to get those six packs in one day. For your information, exercise only will not help to flatten your tummy. You also need to watch out your diet. Otherwise, your hundred sit ups is just a vain attempt to gain six packs.

20 Benefits of Deadlifts You Probably Never Knew

Without question, deadlifts are one of my favorite compound exercises after the squat. Before I share the top 20 benefits of deadlifts, in case you don't know, deadlifts are a weightlifting exercise which involves lifting a bar of weights off the ground.

Deadlifts will help increase your overall strength and build lean muscle mass unlike any other exercise. All you need is a standard Olympic bar and the appropriate weights for your body size and you are good to go.

Some people are afraid to do deadlifts in case they get injured. You will only get injured if you don't know how to perform the exercise safely. Like any exercise, if your form and technique is bad you're going to injure yourself eventually.

There are several variations of the deadlift, but I prefer just regular conventional deadlift as I find it more beneficial, also, I've been doing it for years now.

Other Deadlift Variations Include:

1. Rack Pulls
2. Sumo Deadlift
3. Romanian Deadlift
4. Trap Bar Deadlift
5. Kettlebell Sumo Deadlifts

I personally don't do any of the above deadlift variations, but are more suited for different people based on their goals, especially if they are just learning to improve their form or lack mobility to pull the bar safely off the floor.

How often should you deadlift?

I do deadlifts once a week when I do my back and biceps workout in the same day. I usually start off every back workout doing deadlifts because it's the only exercise that requires more effort than any other back exercise I do. So, after deadlifts, it's, barbell rows, pullups etc.

Some people like to deadlift 2-3 times a week because they are not pushed to their maximum limit, therefore they are able to recover faster.

Deadlifting is popular among athletes and non-athletes alike and it's never too late to start. So, there is no excuse!

Here are 20 benefits of deadlifts which you probably did not know existed.

1. Fat burner

For anyone who would like to lose extra pounds, deadlifts can come in very handy. Deadlifts facilitate the rapid burning of body fat and it complements dieting and aerobic exercises. Some experts say believe that with deadlifts alone, one can burn more pounds of fat than they would while dieting

2. Muscle Workout

Deadlifting is the best workout for those who would love to exercise as many muscles as they can. What most people do not know is that deadlifts engage all the major groups of muscles of the body. Not only do deadlifts work out the upper body, but also the lower body and the muscles of your back. If you have no time to do many exercise routines, this one will suffice.

3. Improves Posture and Stability

If you have problems standing or sitting upright, you should try deadlifting. The idea behind deadlifting is to enhance core stability and strength. Regular deadlifting can help you achieve the appropriate posture, even when doing other activities.

4. Improves Grip Strength

What most people do not know is that when they perform deadlifts they actually work out their finger muscles. The forearm is exercised as well, but the fingers are relied on to hold the weight in place. With time, you will increase your grip strength, something which may come in handy when you have a task that requires you to hold onto something for long.

5. Makes Real Life Lifting Easier

When you do deadlifts over time, you will realize that lifting things become easier and effortless. Unlike a bench press, which requires you to lie on your back and push things upwards, deadlifts are more realistic since nobody really pushes items in the air on a daily basis. On the other hand, people lift items off the ground or from other surfaces on a daily basis.

6. Sculpt and Strenghten Your Core

Deadlifts will help sculpt and tighten up your entire core section, upper and lower abs, obliques

7. Increases Testosterone

For a man, testosterone is a very important hormone as it is responsible for most of their features. Doing deadlift is advisable for anyone who would like to increase their testosterone levels. Testosterone improves the growth of muscles and their repair.

8. Increases Growth Hormone

Any form of exercise, especially deadlifting, increases the levels of growth hormone in the blood. This hormone is produced by the pituitary gland and is responsible for tissue healing, muscle growth, strong bones and fat loss.

9. Keeps the Heart Healthy

Doing 10-20 repetitions of deadlifts in a single set will definitely increase your heartbeat. Deadlifts can be an alternative to aerobics as they work the same way to increase your cardiovascular ability.

10. Affordable

One of the reasons why people avoid signing up for a gym membership is because of how expensive it is. Instead of spending that much money to stay fit, simply buy yourself an Olympic bar and a few plates and you are good to go.

11. Strengthen Hamstrings and Butt

A note to all women: Do you want curvy legs and a sexy butt? Deadlifts will help you achieve this. Squats and deadlifts are the two best compound exercises that will help strengthen and tone your entire body.

12. Prevents Potential Injuries

According to fitness experts, deadlifts may reduce the chances of one getting injuries affecting the tendons and ligaments. The reason behind this is that deadlifts enable you to develop strong muscles that support the joints.

14. Suitable for women

Women are always concerned about getting a male physique when working out. Unlike common belief, deadlifts do not distort one's femininity, but improves on their physique.

15. Not just for athletes

I don't consider myself a professional athlete although of people who don't personally know me, think I am. So you don't need to be a pro athlete to do any compound exercises - squats, deadlifts of bench press. Anybody can do them.

16. Slows down the aging process

Strength training exercises such as deadlifts and squats helps make your muscles firmer as well as and speeds up the metabolism and keeps the skin taut and strong.

17. Reduces Depression

Deadlifts help your body release feel-good hormones which are responsible for lifting the mood. After your workout, you will feel a lot happier and peaceful. This is the perfect way to deal with stress.

18. It's Fun

If you would like to exercise with friends or family, this is the best exercise to do. You can challenge each other to do a number of deadlifts and have fun while at it.

19. More than one squat variations

There are several different squat variations that you can do based on your goals and experience.

20. Builds Stamina

Deadlifting is one type of exercise that challenges a person to go beyond their comfort zone. Apart from strengthening your core, you will also get lessons on stamina and discipline.

It is obvious that deadlifts are very beneficial to both men and women. However, apart from these 20 benefits of deadlifting, there are many more reasons why you should create your own deadlifting routine.

The good thing about it is that you can do it anytime and without supervision. Start doing your ten repetitions today and take advantage of these benefits!