When people performed exercises that were less than 60 percent of their one-rep maximum to fatigue, they saw gains equivalent to their heavy-lifting counterparts over 6 weeks, explains study author Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., C.S.C.S. The findings are surprising, since fitness experts will tell you that lifting light weights for a high number of reps targets your slow-twitch…
When you start working out, you typically expect to lose weight, not gain it. But don t worry if you re not dropping pounds on the scale - chances are, your workout routine is making you gain lean mass, not fat. If you re trying to lose weight, you ll still see positive changes in your body even if you re gaining instead. And if you re trying to gain, putting on muscle…
Photo Credit Getty Images Gretchen Reynolds on the science of fitness. Upending conventions about how best to strength train, a new study finds that people who lift relatively light weights can build just as much strength and muscle size as those who grunt through sessions using much heftier weights — if they plan their workouts correctly. In traditional weight training…
Losing weight and gaining muscle can seem at odds with each other. You’ve heard the classic advice: If you want to shed pounds, you have to eat fewer calories while burning more of them. If you want to gain muscle, you have to do just the opposite — eat more calories while working your muscles hard. So is it possible to attack these two goals at the same time? The…
Why would anyone want to work out without weights? Everyone knows that using weights and machines is the fastest, most efficient way to gain size and strength. While this is true, there are many reasons why someone would want to—or even be forced to—train for a while without the benefit of using weights. Someone working long hours trying to support his family may…
Read on to learn more about our top six non-weight-bearing exercises for people with lower leg injuries. Swimming Laps in the Pool When you stand in waist-deep water, your skeletal system only has to bear half of what you actually weigh. Once the water reaches your chest, your body weight drops by 75 percent. Once it reaches your neck, it drops by 90 percent. You…
Ripped abs and bulging biceps are great T-shirt muscles, but they won’t turn any heads when you’re bundled up this fall and winter. Broad shoulders, on the other hand, can stand out from beneath even the chunkiest sweaters and overcoats and arguably do more than any other muscles to bolster your physical presence. Use this simple body-weight program to build an imposing…
Mercedes Khani So I decided to make a training schedule for everyone to follow if they want to lose body fat, gain muscle mass and improve their physical appearance (who doesn t?). Follow this training schedule for 2 weeks and start seeing the positive changes in your body! This is the new training schedule you will be following for the next 2 weeks. After that, change…
One of the most curious terms you’ll see pop in any sort of fitness writing is “lean muscle.” It’s a curious term because, as you may know, all muscle is lean muscle. There is no such thing as “fat muscle” or “bulky muscle.” Still, it’s a term that has worked its way into the fitness lexicon because of the imagery it suggests. The expression is used to describe the…
Building muscle mass without lifting weights is attainable. There are many body-weight exercises that promote muscle mass gains. According to Ideafit.com, As you master your own weight, you will not only look better, you will also learn how to train three-dimensional movement, acquire a greater kinesthetic awareness and become empowered as you perform tasks with…
This four-week bodyweight workout will give you a bigger, stronger chest. Almost every man wants to develop a full, thick, round chest. Don t believe me? Go to any commercial gym on a Monday and try getting a bench. It s harder to find than a parking spot in New York City, and you will behold the spectacle of every chest exercise known to man being performed throughout…
New research on the growth of type I and II fibers suggest we may have been selling our slow-twitch fibers short by only training heavy. Type I fibers are maximally stimulated with longer duration sets requiring lower loads. Type II fibers respond best with short sets with heavy weights. There are a lot of ways to vary intensity in your program, like periodizing training…
Do you truly know how to build muscle and gain weight quickly? If you knew how to build muscle then the skinny jokes would have ended long ago. If you knew how to gain weight quickly then the blank stares would stop when you tell someone you work out with weights. And if you knew how to build muscle and gain weight quickly you would no be longer frustrated that the…
So you want to get bigger and stronger, like this guy. Leopard print leotard optional. Maybe you’ve always been the skinny guy and can’t gain weight to save your life (trust me, I’ve been there). Maybe you’re a bigger guy and you’d rather have broad shoulders than a broad waistline. Maybe you’re a female, and you’ve realized that lifting weights with the right diet…
