Let face and that includes myself in the past, how many of us have been sucked into the glossy hardgainer muscle supplements ads that you see in all the health magazines. All promising to be the perfect answer for your muscle building goals, when in fact all they do is line those bl##dy fat cats wallets. It has to be said that the large supplement companies love hardgainers like you and me.

We need to take a step back and analyse the word “supplement”  which simply means supporting your muscle building goals. You need to to know exactly the right supplement to take,  when to take it  and in what quantities to get the most potent muscle building results, particularly if you are a hardgainer.

So then I hear you ask, “What hardgainer muscle supplements should I take”, well let me tell you now!! (more…)

Are you a hardgainer struggling to gain muscle?, if so take a look at our hardgainer supplement tip for more muscle growth.

You’ve probably heard the term “you are what you eat”, right?

But it’s not exactly what you EAT that counts, but what you USE from what you eat.

And this couldn’t be more true for skinny “hardgainers’ who have a hard time growing muscle!

Why?

Because you can eat all the protein you want, but unless it makes it to your muscles to help them rebuild, you’ll continue to look more like Olive Oil than Popeye!

You see, “skinny” men and women tend to have an overabundance of the “stress hormone”, cortisol.

Cortisol actually plays a useful role in our bodies but for hardgainers, its catabolic effects are a real hassle as it inhibits important protein synthesis. (more…)

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
http://www.musclebuildinglive.com/burnthefat

Media reports say that most people gain between 5 and 10 pounds of body fat in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to research from the New England Journal of Medicine, the average amount is much more modest - just over a pound. However, even modest holiday weight gain may be cause for concern:

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that this seasonal weight gain - even just a pound - is usually not lost after the holidays; it simply adds to the “weight creep” that sneaks up on us as we get older.
Whether the weight gain is a pound or ten pounds, did you ever ask yourself why does holiday weight gain happen at all?

Here are some common answers I’ve heard:

“I’m too busy over the holidays to work out as often as usual.”

“I’m more stressed over the holidays, and the food is there, so I eat more.”

“I have at least three parties to attend and then there’s Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s impossible to stay on a diet.”

“No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I’m just going to eat whatever I want.”

These answers all have a few things in common. (more…)

Take a look at our muscle building growth recipes. If you think putting yourself on a muscle building diet has to be a painful process well think again?  Or muscle building growth recipes are delicious and we all know that whether your goal is fat loss or muscle building, getting proper nutrition is at least 80% of the game.

The good news is that your tastebuds don’t have to suffer if you don’t want them to. There are plenty of ways to get in your proper nutrition while keeping things interesting. If you think gaining muscle means suffering through can of tuna after can of tuna or pounding back a protein shake as fast as humanly possible, you need to think again.

Give one of these muscle building growth recipes a try and you’ll be surprised just how easy it is to eat right, achieve your goals and actually ENJOY your food at the same time. (more…)

Would you believe me if I said the best free fat burning product is water. Well it is true!. It is scientifically proven that water is by far the best free fat burning product. You need to drink plenty of water because water is by far the most abundant substance in our bodies. Without water, an organism could not survive. Most people who come to me for advice on how to get in shape almost always underestimate the value of water. Realize that a lack of water will not only cause dehydration, but also would stop the fat burning processes! Lets take a closer look to see why water is the best free fat burning product

·Over 65% of your body is composed of water (most of the muscle cell is water).·Water cleanses your body from disease inducing toxins and pollutants.·Water is needed for all of the complex chemical reactions your body needs to perform on a daily basis. Processes such as energy production, muscle building, and fat burning require water. A lack of water would interrupt these processes.

·When the outside temperature is up, water serves as a coolant to bring the body temperature down to where it is supposed to be.

·Water helps control the appetite. Sometimes hunger indicates a lack of water. Drinking water may take the craving away.
·Cold water increases metabolism.

In order to know how much water your body needs a day, just multiply your lean body weight by .66. This would indicate how many ounces of water you require per day. So in conclusion make sure you drink plenty of the best free fat burning product available water!.

   Today we want to show you the fat burning diet for a lean ripped body that will look good on any beach But, wait a minute! Do I hear that can’t do because some of the flab gained over the holidays is still on your waist?

In this article, I cover what needs to be done with your fat burning diet. Don’t worry; I won’t take your carbs away or stick you with a liquid or celery diet. If you want a lean ripped body and have the determination necessary to do what it takes to get it, I describe the path that will lead to it.

1) Eliminate all sorts of junk food from your fat burning diet. That alone will cause you to eliminate empty calories that are not used by the body and are turned into fat.

2) Reduce your intake of bad fats in your fat burning diet.Bad fats are things like butter, cooking oils, and saturated fats such as the ones found in meats. However, ensure adequate intake of good fats such as flax-seed oil. 1 tablespoon of flax-seed oil a day covers all of the essential fatty acid requirements of most people. I tend to take 1 tablespoon in the morning with my protein shake.

3) Reduce your intake of sugars in your fat burning diet.Foods laden with sugar cause a sharp rise in insulin levels. Insulin is a good hormone when it is not present in excess as it carries the amino acids from the protein into the muscle cell so that they can be used for growth and repair. It also carries the carbohydrates into the liver and muscle cells for storage as glycogen (stored carbohydrates) that can be used for future occasions. However, in excess, once the body’s reserves of carbohydrate storage are full, insulin turns these carbs into fat!

In addition, the excess insulin production will also take the carbs away from the blood stream too quickly creating a situation of low blood sugar. In this case you feel tired, groggy, and usually craving sweets. It is a vicious cycle that guarantees fat gain.

4) Increase your intake of protein. Protein foods provide the building blocks of muscle tissue. Without it, building muscle and burning fat efficiently would be impossible. Its importance is paramount. Protein also helps increase your metabolism every time you eat it by 20%! It also makes the carbohydrates that you eat ‘timed release’, so you get sustained energy throughout the day and you get a more steady release of insulin as opposed to the sharp rise you would get if you ate carbohydrate foods alone.
Good examples of protein are eggs (I use Egg Substitute: 1-1/2 cups liquid), chicken breast (cooked, skinless and boneless: 6 oz), turkey (cooked, skinless and boneless: 6 oz), lean (90% lean) red meats (6 oz), and tuna (6 oz). Each serving size equals approximately 35-40 grams of protein.

5) For every serving of protein, have an equal size serving of starchy carbohydrates. Remember, too many carbohydrates cause a huge release of insulin. When there is too much insulin in the body, your body turns into a fat storing machine. Therefore, it is important that we eat no more carbohydrates than necessary and that we eat the right amount of carbohydrates. Good sources of starchy carbohydrates are: Oatmeal (1 cup dry), sweet potatoes (8 oz baked), potatoes (8 oz baked), rice (1 cup cooked), pasta (8oz cooked), corn (1 cup canned), peas (2 cups cooked). Each serving approximately equals 40-50 grams of carbohydrates.

By ensuring that you get no more carbohydrates than your body requires you will guarantee that body fat decreases. Now, I am not saying to eliminate the carbs. All I am advocating is portion control. In other words, if you have a serving of protein, have an equal sized serving of starchy carbohydrates. The minimum amount of carbs that you can get away with is an equal serving of them in three meals.

 6) Drink plenty of water! Water is by far the most abundant substance in our bodies. Without water, an organism could not survive. Most people who come to me for advice on how to get in shape almost always underestimate the value of water. Realize that a lack of water will not only cause dehydration, but also would stop the fat burning processes!

7) If you fall into temptation, do not sabotage the entire diet! We are all human and we are bound to make mistakes. If you fall off your diet, do not binge all day long because you fell off once. Just start eating correctly at the next meal. Bingeing for a full day can destroy the progress that weeks of effort delivered. Do not fall for it.

Be prepared! Prepack all of your food so that you have all of the food that you will need throughout the day. I don’t know about you but my life is pretty hectic. Without my cooler, I would be at the mercy of the fast food joints and then I would probably be a candidate for the Mr. Pillsbury Doughboy Championships. In addition, if you run into a situation where you don’t have food with you and don’t have the time to stop somewhere to eat either, hunger will increase and drive you to binge! So prepack all of your food; such practice wins half the battle.

9) Get your Zzzzz’s. That’s right, getting enough sleep. Everyone’s requirements differ but, on the average, people usually need between 7-9 hours per night depending on their level of physical activity. Sleeping adequately will ensure that your insulin metabolism operates properly. A faulty insulin metabolism leads to sugar cravings which spell disaster in any diet.
In addition, deprive your body of sleep and you’ll have lousy fat loss. As a bonus, you also get muscle loss which lowers your metabolism. The reason for this is because without enough sleep the body stops producing anabolic hormones (Muscle Producing/Fat Burning Hormones; e.g. testosterone and growth hormone) and starts increasing the production of catabolic ones (Muscle Destroying/Fat Depositing Hormones e.g. cortisol). In addition, you will lack the energy and focus to get through your workouts and it will also lead to overtraining as you won’t be able to recover adequately.
To top it off, there is research that indicates that a lack of sleep creates cravings and binges in addition to hardening of the arteries which leads to heart attacks. If you don’t think that you have enough time to sleep, then turn off the TV and make the time!

10) Stop associating social gatherings with food. Unfortunately, we live in a society that celebrates everything with food, usually the type that does not serve our goals. The minute that you train yourself to think about what is more important for you, the chips and the piece of cake at the party or the six pack of abs (not beer), the faster you will reach your goals. I wish that we lived in a world where exercise gave you a license to eat whatever you wanted. If that were the case, I would be the first one in line waiting for the cake. But since life is not fair, you only have one choice. If that summer body is important enough for you, I am sure that when the time comes, the decision will be clear.

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Author Bio
Hugo Rivera CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and nutrition theory, but also applies it on a daily basis as evidenced by the fact that he’s always in shape and by his awards and high placings at numerous national level bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of books called “The Body Sculpting Bibles” which collectively have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also author of the very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after many years of weight problems as a child. For more information on Hugo’s Muscle Building / Fat Loss Program please click here