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<title>Latest Articles by danmuscleman</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/</link>
<description>Articles at Populate.NET</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<item>
<title>Myth Busted: Lifting Weights Fast Is Not A Bad Workout</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/myth-busted-lifting-weights-fast-is-not-a-bad-workout.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/myth-busted-lifting-weights-fast-is-not-a-bad-workout.html</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ You have probably heard from someone, somewhere that lifting heavy weights fast is a bad idea. If you haven't, then lucky you. 

This myth is bogus. And I am going to tell you why right now... 

There are many different forms of weight training, some include: endurance training, strength training and hypertrophy training. Additionally, there is a form of weight training referred to as... Power training.  

Power training is the ability to move a good size weight, as fast as possible while keeping proper form.  Instead of using a very heavy weight and pumping out a few reps slowly or lifting in a negative fashion, you will decrease the weight a bit and be explosive with your rep sets. 

Power training is a great program for improving athletic abilities, and endurance. Plus, you have the potential to burn tons of calories and not worry about muscle break down. 

Now back to the myth...

Some say that lifting fast weight will increase your chance of injury (such as pulling out your back). As a person with a bad back, I can say that I have pulled my back out picking up a shirt, but never while lifting a weight. 

It all comes down to form and technique. Power training is a highly recommended program after you have worked up to be able to handle the exercises. It isn't for beginners because form is so important that it must be mastered.

Think of training as a progression, you have to get one thing down before moving on. In this case, it is vital to know form and technique...

...If you can not do a proper squat, then you are not ready to progress to power squatting. May sound obvious but you would be surprised at the number of people that just jump right in. 

Then it also comes down to knowing your abilities. If you pick up a weight that is obviously too heavy and attempt to be explosive and power lift... of course you are setting yourself up for injury.  

In this example you would be using too much momentum and not enough muscle. Your form will suffer and so will the workout. 

Now, why is it ok to progress to power lifting? 

Your body is designed to handle fast and slow movements. When it comes down to real life events it is safe to assume that not many of us take the time to slowly bend over to pick up the bags of groceries or to get up the stairs. 

Our body is made to handle this power. To see great results and perform better out of the weight room you should train your muscles to lift and move explosively...

...It is part of a functional workout to improve lifestyle. 

Look at it this way...  Have you ever had a hard time pulling the string to start the lawnmower? You need power. 

You can have a ton of muscle but still lack power. Weightlifting programs should be changing every 4 weeks, and one of those months try out a power routine.  

A great way to get started it to grab a weight around 45% of your 1 max rep and instead of going for a certain rep count try going as intense as you can for a set period of time (generally 30 seconds). 

You will quickly feel the burn. Make sure the movements are controlled and with great form. ]]></description>
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<title>Fiber Has The Power To Push That Bad Stuff Through</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Health/Nutrition/fiber-has-the-power-to-push-that-bad-stuff-through.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Health/Nutrition/fiber-has-the-power-to-push-that-bad-stuff-through.html</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Taking fiber from a supplement causes your body to miss out on all of the other benefits of taking it naturally. And these days, it is a lot easier to get the fiber you need each day. 

So you already know that fiber is really important... but you really should know the difference between the two types of fiber.

Insoluble fiber - This is the type of fiber that you are taking when you swallow down your supplements. This type of fiber moves through the digestive system at a very fast pace because... it is insoluble and can't be digested. 

Fiber is so beneficial because it pushes things through your system quicker. This helps to stop the unnecessary absorption of fats, sugars, and the such that affect your body. Think of it more or less like a big ole brick that just barrels its way through your digestive tract.

While in your body is also absorbs water... making you feel fuller.

Insoluble fiber comes from:

Prunes - high in insoluble fiber... that is why older people always eat them!

100% whole wheat - this is everywhere these days so it is easy to integrate into you diet and it also tastes great.

Beans - beans are very versatile... black beans, lima beans, pinto beans, green beans, I sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump.

Potatoes - the one healthy starch too.

Bran - cereals that have bran are some of the best sources of high quality fiber.

Those are some of the many sources. 

Soluble Fiber - is digestible and usually has a lot of great nutrient benefits... vitamins, minerals, etc...

Since fiber is a carbohydrate... this is what makes a carbohydrate a complex one... you should try to also eat it when you eat carbs. 

The reason I say this is... it will not produce massive glucose production which in turn will skyrocket your insulin levels... which then in turn has the affect of packing on body fat. 

Because it does move through your body with such speed... it doesn't produce the same amount of glucose and 100% whole wheat breads are even thought of to keep you slim... the germ of the wheat is packed with great nutrients. 

So button line is... eat your fiber. Make sure when you purchase bread, it says 100% whole wheat, eat veggies, and etc... Just so you know... a lot of breads that say they are wheat are most likely not 100% whole wheat... they are only dyed light brown to make it look 100% whole wheat.

One last little fact about fiber... a lot of the very popular fat loss pills are nothing more than a fiber supplement.

So include complex... high fiber foods in your diet. ]]></description>
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<title>Why 3 Sets & 10 Reps Is Killing Your Results & Workout</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/why-3-sets-and-10-reps-is-killing-your-results-and-workout.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/why-3-sets-and-10-reps-is-killing-your-results-and-workout.html</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ After all where did the 3 sets of 10 reps even come from?

Back in the 1940's Thomas Delorme create a similar resistance training program to help rehabilitate World War II soldiers. His routine was a little different but is did consist of 3 sets of 10 reps. 

For some reason this was such a stick idea... or tactic... that is just stuck around. Even today I get some kick back from my clients because they think something is not right if don't use 3 sets of 10 reps.

Like the blind leading the blind, I used to do the same thing. For the longest time early on in my fitness lifestyle... I used 3 sets of 10 reps. I even used the same weight on all 3 sets.

Like The Treadmill 3 - 10 Bores Your Body Big Time

You are not alone because 80% of the weight training population... the "normal," not body building population uses this 3 sets of 10 with out even thinking. 

It doesn't work for your body because you are never giving it something to strive for. Sure, you can increase the weight but only so far... and the impact on your results from really mixing things up will be incredibly noticeable. 

Let's change this and rev up your results again.

The Key Is In The Inverse Relationship

Sets and reps have an inverse relationship. That means that when you increase the number of sets, you need to decease the number of reps. When you increase the number of reps, you need to decrease the number of sets. 

Run through some examples...

1 Set 15-20 Reps - Depending on what the goal of the workout, you need to keep these reps high so that you can really exhaust the muscle and get the benefit out of the work you are doing.

If you are a true beginner, you want to just do one set and many reps. This will help you build the foundation for form. It will also get your muscles growing so you can progress properly.

2 Sets 12-15 Reps - This can be great place for beginners to get going... again this is just an example and it really depends on what the particular goal is of the workout.

This type of setup will just bring more endurance and a little more intensity to the workout. These types of setups are really great for fat loss... granted there are some other factors that really make a fat loss program work.

5 sets 5 Reps - This is popular make up of a very popular workout called the 5x5 workout. Built for building maximum muscle. When you increase the sets and drop the reps... you are almost always building muscle.

With a smaller amount of reps, you can really increase the weight and give yourself a much greater intensity workout. The more intense your workout, the more muscle you will grow... and that doesn't always mean that you will get bulky.

So whatever you may be doing now, change it the next time you are in the gym. Like a herd of sheep, don't just follow conventional wisdom... take a stroll into new territory and change your workout up by changing your sets and reps. ]]></description>
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<title>How Thinking About Your Muscles Produces a Better Workout</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/how-thinking-about-your-muscles-produces-a-better-workout.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/how-thinking-about-your-muscles-produces-a-better-workout.html</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ This is not some mystical "believe in yourself" stuff, even though that does work... this is about working your muscles harder. And concentrating on what you are doing. 

This is a really cool tactic, but you have to remember to do it... you need to fight the tendency to bust through the exercise. Learn to slow down and think about what you are working.

So the next time you are in the gym, feel the muscle that is contracting and concentrate on working it in your mind. Feel the movements that make that muscle work and feel the squeeze. Or to use the old cliche... 
Feel The Burn!

Why Does This Work?

When you concentrate on the muscle or muscle groups you are working, you are more aware of the actual work it is doing. This actually has a bunch of great benefits...

1. Helps you concentrate on form: maintaining good form is such a vital skill. If you get into the good habit of using good form, you will be rewarded with great results. 

Not just great results though. You will avoid all of the major injuries and pains that come from people neglecting form. Thinking about the form of the exercise while you are doing the exercise will also be a good way to rid yourself of dysfunctions.

Being able to strengthen muscles that cause dysfunctions will make you more effective in your daily life overall.

2. Helps you eliminate momentum: momentum is one of the biggest killers of fast results. Think about how easy it is to use momentum... when you are struggling to finish a rep, you will use momentum to polish it off.

Ego gets in the way a little and you will try to lift too much weight. When that happens... momentum really comes into play. But why is momentum so bad for your body?

When you use momentum, you are taking away all of the work that the primary muscle is supposed to be performing. That completely sacrifices the calories you are trying to burn and the muscle you are trying to build.

3. Helps you keep you on tempo: tempo is a small piece of the fitness puzzle that never gets talked about in typical fitness programs. However, tempo has everything to do with the type of results you are trying to get. 

If you are trying to concentrate on your muscles, then slowing down the movements will force you to do just that. Because the intensity of the movement is so great, you are going to feel your muscle going crazy. 

This is my favorite way to concentrate on your muscles and also concentrate on a great exercise. 

These 3 benefits will supercharge your workout and the way you look.

Another big issue during a typical workout is a wondering mind. When I am at the gym, things that bring my game down are friends who are working out at the same time, tv's, to many people at once (rare but does happen), and a few other things.

Rest times tend to last to long, you go faster on a particular exercise because somebody else is waiting to use the area after you, or anything else...

This is where a conscience effort to really think about your exercise and the muscles that are working... works so well.

Quickly you will find your form becomes stronger, the momentum that use to be there no longer is, and your tempo improves. All of this will filter into one thing... Maximum Results! ]]></description>
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<title>Weight Watchers vs. Weight Lifting - Which One Is The Biggest Loser?</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Weight_Loss/weight-watchers-vs.-weight-lifting-which-one-is-the-biggest-loser.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Weight_Loss/weight-watchers-vs.-weight-lifting-which-one-is-the-biggest-loser.html</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ The Battlefield:

A University of Missouri researcher studied a specific amount of participants and watched to see what program helped people...

- lose body fat
- lose body weight
- gain health benefits

These participants stayed with their particular program for 12 weeks. 

They only issues I have with this is they didn't say what the fitness group did and they didn't say if the Weight Watchers groups did anything else to help out. 

There's only one place to go from here...

The Results:

Steve Ball, assistant professor of exercise physiology in the MU  College of Human Environmental Sciences... geezz... how is that for a title?

Anyway, he found that those who participated in the Weight Watchers program had no affect on their body fat percentage. In fact, In a lot of them it went up. The amount of lean body mass these participants had also when down.

The groups that did some fitness program at a gym had very little drop in body weight but did find a decrease in abdominal fat. They also witnessed an increase in lean body mass.

Finally, the weight watchers group had a much higher percentage of participants finish the program because they were part of a support group. The support group provided them the motivation to keep going when things got difficult. 

The gym group found that a lot more would give up... in fact Mr. Ball states that on average 50% of people who start at the gym will give up 6 months later. This due to a lack of support and motivation.

All in all...

No wonder the best results would come in doing both the fitness program and the Weight Watcher program in this case. And why is this so?

Weight Watchers is a nutritional program and it proves that if you watch what you eat then you will lose weight. But not all weight is good weight to lose.

Losing weight through nutrition and building muscle through an effective fitness program will...

- raise your metabolism 
- increase you lean body mass
- decrease you body fat
- improve you mood
- improve you body
- and so much more!

There is only one place to go from here. You need both a nutritional program and a solid fitness program. Sure Weight Watchers can work, but you need something. In regards to fitness you need to lift weights... it's just as simple as that.

The support group for motivation is HUGE. Don't sit there hanging by a thread... get involved in The Art of Weight Lifting for both motivation and fast acting fitness programs. ]]></description>
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<title>Tight Butt? Tight Abs? Big Chest? Even Spot In On Those Calves</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/tight-butt-tight-abs-big-chest-even-spot-in-on-those-calves.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/tight-butt-tight-abs-big-chest-even-spot-in-on-those-calves.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Before you know it, women will be strutting around town in their tight skits showing off their tight butts, while men will but bolstering their chests in puny shirts.

Sounds pretty cool huh?

It is a load a crap and why continues to be used as a selling tactic is just a downright travesty.

But you and I both know we have certain parts of our body that we love... parts that we want to look "cool" or "sexy." The great thing is, with a program that concentrates (2 week muscle zone concentration)... but remains total body, you can achieve a pseudo spot reduction and build up a particular body zone.

Spot Reduction Doesn't Work

Spot reduction doesn't work because the body doesn't burn fat in just one area. I won't lie... how cool would it be if it did? 

Your body is efficient at burning fat but it is almost like a hierarchy. It burns fat evenly throughout your body... so the spots that have the least fat see the fastest results. Most people will almost always notice their arms and legs getting muscular first before their midsection. 

The unfortunate fact of this is... your abdominal fat is the last to go... usually because it has the most fat surrounding it. 

That is why I always tell you to do your squats, deadlifts, and other compound moves. They burn the most calories and when that happens you speed up the fat burn across your entire body.

Why do compound exercises burn the most calories? - because they involve the most muscle. What do you think? If you work just your bicep... do you think that will burn more calories than working your legs and core at the same time?

Of course not... that is why compound exercises are far superior.

Concentration Can Help With Pseudo Spot Reduction

This is dangerous to do and you have to work with a really good trainer to make sure you don't develop dysfunctions. But you can concentrate on your favorite muscle group and build that up simply by adding a few extra exercises that isolate that muscle group.

However, after say a 2 week period of concentration, your body will be slightly out of balance so you have to make sure you work the opposing muscle group to bring things back... or else you could suffer pain and issues.

One of the biggest issues is that people don't build their bodies evenly. For example... most guys will work their upper bodies more than their lower bodies and women will do just the opposite.

They then wonder why their results have stopped. There body is simply out of balance and then need to bring things back to equilibrium to continue making great gains. So remember that you can't spot reduce any particular muscle group... but you can use concentration programs to build something up.

Balance and consistency is key to getting those results. ]]></description>
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<title>Create Significant Improvements With Pyolmetric Training</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/create-significant-improvements-with-pyolmetric-training.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/create-significant-improvements-with-pyolmetric-training.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ One of the major keys to keeping improvement consistent is changing a weight training routine every 4 weeks on average. There are an infinite amount ways to change things around... one of those that creates fast and significant results is adding plyometric training.

What is Plyometric training?

Think of plyometirc training as explosive training. It consists of many jump ups, jump downs, fast push ups, explosive push ups, and many more. It is a prime training method of building power. 

Athletes tend to use this type of training a lot because of its ability to build great power. Power is your muscles ability to produce maximum force in the shortest amount of time. This type of training is not just for athletes... normal people can use it too.

It has the great ability for the "normal" person to create more energy. It also builds up the stabilizer muscles in the joints... making your weight training 100% more effective.

The Amazing Effect of Plyometric Training & Weight Training

Normally I would not have thought about combining these two types of training. It would seem that the intensity would be so great that over training could result. A study conducted by the Department of Physical Education at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in Spain proves otherwise. 

They took 37 male physical education students and divided them randomly into a training group and a control group. The training groups of students follows a training schedule that consisted of 6 weeks of weight lifting and plyometric exercises.

Since this test was use to measure an athletic act, they measured their maximal angular speed of the knee during instep kicks on a stationary ball. That is not the important measurement though. Just list to what happened to their other statistics...

Training resulted in a 4.3% gain in muscle hypertrophy, increase in size of type2a muscle fibers by 8.4%, increase in 1 rep maximum of their inclined leg press by 61.4% and their half squat by 45.1%, and in increase in their vertical jump. 

In the control group, these variables remained unchanged. You would expect that because the control group did not do anything according to this study. I was hoping that they would have at least done just weight training or just plyometric training. 

However, it was concluded that weight training and plyometric training showed significant improvement to not just the kicking speed, but many other physical capabilities.

This would be an ideal method for 4 week training. In order to get the most out of this type of training while not killing your body, you need to follow this schedule. 

Alternating weeks do one week of 3 days of weight training and 2 days of plyometic training. The following week do 3 days of plyometric training followed by 2 days of weight training. You would need to keep the weight training routines balanced. I suggest you use super-sets with alternating muscle groups (random). 

After these 4 weeks take an entire week off and measure your results from the first week you started. The ability of your body just skyrocketed and you not only feel great, but you look even more amazing. ]]></description>
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<title>Range of Motion is the Answer to a Pain Free Body</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/range-of-motion-is-the-answer-to-a-pain-free-body.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Muscle_Building/range-of-motion-is-the-answer-to-a-pain-free-body.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ I am not going to lie. If I were an athlete, I would be kicked off the team. Because of my fear, it has taken me 3 months to fully get over my broken ankle. It just makes me think of Terrel Owens when he played for the Eagles. 

He broke his ankle, or maybe it was a sprain, but it took him maybe three weeks before he was playing again. That is truly incredible. Being an Eagles fan, I think I remember him coming back and playing terribly. 

The point of telling this little remembrance of mine is that I have finally started my yoga again... and WOW I am really really bad at it. My range of motion is horrendous! 

Range of motion is really important in every aspect of your life. Think about how stiff you feel during the day. Your lower back may hurt constantly, or pains all over your body may occur. This is most likely due to a really bad range of motion. 

Some muscles are tighter than others causing other to be to stretched out and pulling your body into a terrible posture. This is why at The Art of Weight Lifting we concentrate an entire training on Flexibility. Whether you are a believer or not when it comes to stretching, it has been proven that stretching increases your joints range of motion. 

The benefits of a great range of motion are numerous...

1. Less Pain

For starters, you will experience less body pains. These pains are almost always caused by posturial dysfunctions. This is how it works in the body. Lets look at the Hip Flexors.

The Hip Flexors one of the tightest muscles in the human body. This is because we spend a great amount of our time sitting down. I know I spend a great amount of time in front of the computer. So the hip flexor is shorter in length pulling the hips forward. This in turn stretches out the glutes and hamstrings.

A common dysfunction of this is forward pelvic tilt. 

You fix this by stretching your hip flexors bringing things back in balance.

2. Better Results

With an increased range of motion, you weight training is going to flourish. You will be able to easily put your body into positions that allow for maximal muscle tension and use. 

For example, squating past horizontal can really explode your results... but most people have such bad ranges of motion, just getting to horizontal is a task in itself.

The same applys with exercises like dumbbell benching, lunges, deadlift, flys, etc...

3. Better performance

Performance means anything athletic. If you play sports, you will be more nimble and have the ability to make better moves. For example... soccer.

The range of your kick can be greatly increased. That with weight training will give you a very powerful kick and make you a start player. 

You can also benefit from a boost in other performances... if you know what I am saying!

So work on your range of motion with Flexibility Training. Take the flexibility training one step further and practice yoga. While it can be really difficult, it is one of the best ways to make sure you increase your range of motion and fight postural imbalances. ]]></description>
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<title>Go From Obese To Lean With The Right Combination</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Weight_Loss/go-from-obese-to-lean-with-the-right-combination.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Fitness/Weight_Loss/go-from-obese-to-lean-with-the-right-combination.html</guid>
<pubDate>Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ This is not a joke, a piece of equipment, nor a magic diet... the powerful combination that is spoken of is simply diet and weight training. 

I hope that didn't let your build up down. Weight training with proper diet is a powerful combination that not only melts the fat from your body, but increases your fat burning muscle. This combination is much greater than just weight training alone or dieting alone.

The first mistake that beginners make is run, run, and then run some more. Running will initially cause you to lose some fat, but after a short period of time the fat will actually begin to accumulate. Without consistent improvement on this running your metabolism will actually slow down.

The second mistake that beginners make on this journey is ignoring the hard work that is reworking your diet. The hardest part of going from obese to lean is taking your now diet and cutting out the crap. 

In a study that took 40 obese women and put them through three different methods of weight loss... the same methods mentioned above...

- Only weight lifting
- Only diet
- Weight lifting and diet

So changing the diet is one of the hardest things to do; however, the women that changed just their diet...

- Lost 4.47 kg of weight - That seems pretty good
- Lost 3.56 kg of fat - That seems pretty good too
- Lost .91 kg of lean mass - Lean mass is muscle and that is real bad

Obviously changing just the diet has some desirable affects such as losing weight and fat, but losing muscle is not good. Less muscle will decrease your metabolism... and that can increase the speed at which fat accumulates.

The women who only took up weight training...

- Gained .45 kg of weight - Not so desirable
- Lost .62 kg of fat - Very desirable
- Gained 1.07 kg of lean mass - Very desirable

Weight training alone, in the short term, does not have the best affect you might want. This is to be expected and it also depends on the type of weight training. The good thing about the weight training is it increases you metabolism... that eats fat!

Those women that performed the combination of both diet and weight training accomplished...

- Lost 3.89 kg of weight - Very desirable
- Lost 4.32 kg of fat - Very desirable
- Gained .43 kg of lean mass - Very desirable

Now that is what I am talking about! Together the change in diet and weight training accomplished all of the desirable affects that any person obese or not would want. So now you know that to accomplish the fat and weight loss you desire you must change your diet and add weight training. ]]></description>
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<title>4 Ways To Increase Your "Persistent Fitness Motivation" & Hit Your Goals</title>
<link>http://www.populate.net/Inspirational_Motivational/4-ways-to-increase-your-persistent-fitness-motivation-and-hit-your-goals.html</link>
<guid>http://www.populate.net/Inspirational_Motivational/4-ways-to-increase-your-persistent-fitness-motivation-and-hit-your-goals.html</guid>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ It doesn't matter what the task at hand is because if you keep trying to accomplish it, you will eventually succeed.

So what does this have to do with fitness motivation and you?

You need to increase your motivation so you can persist on getting the body you want. Motivation just happens to be one of the largest problems people face trying to hit their goals. That is no surprise...

1. Results take some time to come: Even with the best designed program, it takes at least a month to see some visible results. That is not long but it sure can feel that way.

2. You gain weight at first: If you are smart, you are weight training... and you might be surprised to see that you put on a little weight to begin with. That is before the massive fat loss.

3. You body is in constant pain: The first week to two weeks, you will have to get used to weight training and exercising... not the best feeling when you are not used to it.

These can be tough to handle at first, especially when you are new to fitness -- however, when you stick it out for at least 1 month, you will be blown away with the tighter, slimmer body.

The 4 ways to increase your fitness motivation:

1. Support

Having a support group, somebody to turn to, is one of the most influential ways to keep your motivation consistently increasing. How many times have you turned to friends or family when you needed support?

The key to getting the motivation support groups can provide is to participate. You actually need to use the support group. It may be difficult to open up to strangers, but know that these people are probably going through the same thing you are.

2. Accountability

Accountability goes hand in hand with support groups. You need to find people to hold you accountable. Bear in mind, this means opening up and sharing your goals and making a public commitment to reaching them.

First things first when it comes to accountability... you need to tell somebody you fitness goals and assign a time line to them. Now you are on the hook and need to pull through.

3. Inspiration

Time and time again, inspiration is all around you... have you ever paid attention to it? That is why having "like minded" people for you to associate with delivers the goods. You will find people who have been where you are and have succeeded.

These people are your inspiration. You can look up to them and use them has an example that it can be done. Consult and use these people... allow them to become your mentor.

4. Competition

Do you have the competitive spirit? Do you want to have that feeling of victory?

Create some friendly competitions with other people who share similar stages. You can not only push each other, but let the thirst for results push you to faster action.

The competitive fire is a great catalyst for action and making the fitness lifestyle part of your life.

Use these tips to stoke the fitness motivation and keep things going when you might be feeling the drain. Learn to always tap into fitness motivation and use it to set new goals. ]]></description>
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