A Complete Leg Workout

Anyway, logically in the final of our bodybuilding training routine articles with a look at variety, we move down to the legs.
So, onto the quads or QUADRICEPS FEMORIS, vastus internalis, lateralis and vastus medius. The latter set now often referred to as 'tear drops'. These are the extensors of the thighs, balanced by the biceps of the thighs, which is the large muscle at the back of the thigh, brought into use when the leg is bent bring the foot to the buttocks (and very easy to cramp ..ouch)

Best exercises for these is the leg curl machine, usually found in both home and modern gyms. Athletes develop such thigh biceps by sprinting and other track events. As for the earlier extensor muscles of the thigh, all squatting moves, front squats, hack squats, straddle lifts, leg presses, smith machine exercises, bench squats, partial squats, unlocked squats, sissy squats and again all sporting activities like running and especially jumping.

Its easy to change your routine often, yet still use the best exercises with just a little imagination and thought. Better still is to change frequency of workouts and sets and reps, shock your muscles out of that apathy. If you usually train 4 sessions a week, drop it to three and notice any change. If you improve, so much the better, if not, simply drop back to your original plan. But do give it all some thought, nothing is written in stone - see what works for you by trial and error.

At rock bottom now we come to the CALVES or gastrocnemius (Greek name from frogs bellies would you believe) with the main muscle group on the front of the shin being the tibialis. The calves are exercised almost continually, whenever we are standing (I do heel raises on the kerb when waiting for a bus, to much amusement of other passengers) or moving upright.

All sports of the running variety, especially sprinting (try running in soft sand) develop the calves, but of course bodybuilders isolate the group further and use heel raises, best on a block to stretch fully the muscles. Try a variety of foot positions for both calves and toe raising for tibialis. Calf machine raises, calf raises seated with the barbell placed across the knees, and perhaps best of all, single leg calf raises, holding a dumbell for added resistance and with toes on a block to stretch the muscles to the max.

Next week we won't be looking at any particular muscle group in particular, but we will be focusing on other ways to bring some variety to your regular bodybuilding training routines, so until then...

Fouad Abiad Canada Bodybuilding

Fouad Abiad

Alves Troy USA Muscle

Alves  Troy 

How to Build Muscle with the Right Plan

No matter what you currently look like, building muscle can benefit you in numerous ways. When you exercise your body releases endorphins this in turn enhances your mood and you automatically start to feel relaxed. Many think that exercise actually makes you very tired but in fact it does quite the opposite. When you start building muscle by doing exercise you will soon start to realize that you can eat more food without gaining too much weight, this is because your body burns fat more quickly and this makes you less stressful and tired.

Don't get too excited though, there is still much you need to learn in order to build muscle properly. Many get the wrong idea that building muscle fast means to go all out in the gym for hours on end, this will get you no where... you need to follow a correct plan for building muscle and follow it accurately. Before you start going to gym you need to realize that every workout machine has its own intensity that your body can handle and you need to record the level of intensity that you can do for each workout. There is no rush, if you ever want to see those muscles get bigger then you need to go slow and increase your weights as you go. Soon you will start to feel your weight get lighter this is an indication to increase them.

Now that you have your workout routine set you need to plan a proper diet and eat accordingly in order to shape your body correctly. You can spend hours upon hours in the gym working hard but without following a diet you might as well sit home watching TV.

Finally the most important factor in the whole muscle building process is sleep. Your muscles actually grow in the night when you sleep, one day you'll wake up and realize how pumped your body really is after a month or two.

If your just starting out then you probably won't know what foods to eat or how to set a proper schedule for your workouts. In this case you should consult one of the instructors in the gym and they will give you a perfect plan to start from day 1.

Before you start your planning you need to get your timing straight, how much time are you willing to put into your workout every day or week? If you suddenly decide to start working out then you need to make time for it, this can create problems in your current lifestyle, sometimes if you have a partner then they won't be able to adapt to your new schedule. Don't think too hard though, usually your family and friends will be delighted to hear that you have decided to change your life in a positive way. Just make sure to involve them as they can provide extra support and motivation. In most cases by supporting you many of them will also decide to follow this new and better lifestyle that you are taking upon. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get your friends and family to workout with you. Surveys show that when you have a friend working out with you in the gym you feel more motivated in competition.

Many who already do body building will tell you that the hardest part of it all is staying motivated in the start. You need to set a goal and stick to it no matter how difficult it gets, when you start going gym for a few months you will notice some of the people who you'd see every day will slowly disappear and won't return. These are the less motivated people who decided to quit. Those top models you see on magazines and tv are the ones who decided to stay. So what type of person do you want to be?