tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89242445974047445392024-02-13T14:17:54.786+05:00Burn Fat 'n' Build Muscle - Free guidance to burn fat fast and gain muscle massBurn Fat 'n' Build Muscle - A complete and comprehensive guide to fitness. Whether it is building muscle or burning fat, you are sure to find some thing useful.
I want to know what you think of my blog - so don't forget to leave comments and enjoy yourself.Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-50785317170317003642010-06-03T11:58:00.004+05:002022-03-14T22:20:13.016+05:00Try Workout Of the Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fZIBRe_dPIMXL68rWDwsPgtDGYku653Kl_ofbujDc-sHP5ir6MSxJTq2rEUzyeysTgX5ACCh8I90E7dGrUjD_mjPbipN31fS6IPMB3YyXIrhssXVMCnwQwVLpL0qywIN0YThx-Gm2oA/s1600/chris-stroud-at-2008-crossfit-games.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fZIBRe_dPIMXL68rWDwsPgtDGYku653Kl_ofbujDc-sHP5ir6MSxJTq2rEUzyeysTgX5ACCh8I90E7dGrUjD_mjPbipN31fS6IPMB3YyXIrhssXVMCnwQwVLpL0qywIN0YThx-Gm2oA/s200/chris-stroud-at-2008-crossfit-games.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478444645771882610" /></a>
I wrote about Crossfit in my very very very early posts. <a href="http://burnfatnbuildmuscle.blogspot.com/2008/07/crossfit-is-exercise-methodology.html">Here is the link</a>. I called it 'the next big thing'. Well...I would now like to correct my self. It is the NOW BIG THING. It is absolutely insane. The workouts are like 15 - 20 minutes long (including the warm up) but extremely high in intensity. I have been going to the guy for a long long time, but after trying this, I was seriously depressed because all that hard work did not REALLY make me all that fit!! <div>
</div><div>The main idea is a combination of strength training and cardio. Typically we do a strength training session and then a cardio session, BUT what these Crossfit super humans do is do both at the same time e.g. 21 clean and jerks without any rest and with a reasonably heavy weight. I have recently start some Crossfit routines and the numbers and times are impossible to reach e.g. 100 pull ups (kipping pull ups), 100 push ups, 100 Squats and 100 situps. Now, very honestly, this will completely burn you out. If you want to be FIT i.e. really really fit then go to a crossfit affiliated gym and see the changes in your body. Ahh but if you want to have that bodybuilder sort of look then, crossfit ain't for you. Crossfit is for people who want to adopt to a healthy liftstyle rather. You will definitely get a good physique, but more like a toned and defined look rather than a bulked up body builder look. At the same time, you get the strength and stamina. Maybe that's why everyday, more and more women and moving towards crossfit!!! HMMM!!!!</div><div>
</div><div>Go to the crossfit site and read about the concept. You can view lots and lots of their videos on youtube. There is this lady called Nicole and MAN is she strong. Go on...type in Nicole crossfit on youtube and you will see what I mean.</div><div>
</div><div>Try the easiest routine of crossfit and share your experience here :)</div><div>
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If you are done with the workout, checkout this website and see if you can learn to <a href="https://moneymaticonline.com">make money online</a>.Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-61792602972859381962009-08-30T14:17:00.002+06:002009-09-08T13:55:24.114+06:00Top 5 tips to eat rightThe amount of information about eating right is OVERWHELMING!! Whereever you see there are people who have their own philosophy about eating right. Well, I can either be one of them or I can read through their philosolphies and tell you which are the most effective ones based on research and personal experience. I would I would go for the latter. I have gone through a number of websites and books to see what nutritional and the fitness industry experts class as healthy eating or the RIGHT WAY TO EAT. I found that most of them were saying more or less the same thing. One concetrated on one bit more than the other and vice versa. So here goes:<br /><br /><b>The more colourful the better:</b> If you are eating a steak, it is usually dark brown in colour. Now just give it color, add a small portion of mashed potatoes (made with olive oil), some bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and chillies. Now that is colorful and at the same time, it will much healthier that just a piece of MEAT. You get fiber and complex carbs from the vegetables and mashed potatoes. You get the fat from the meat and olive oil in the mashed potates and protein from the meat. 'A complete meal' I call it. Add vegetables to add colour to your meal. Lots of vitamines and minerals along with fiber to help you feel more satisfied.<br /><br /><b>Stay hydrated:</b> Doesn't matter how many times I talk about drinking water, it is not enough. I remember reading that if you are a body builder or you workout with heavy weights, you will increase your lifts by about 8% if you are hydrated as compared to when you are not. Just goes on to show you how good water is for you. I mean...we are about 80% water..aren't we? Ohh and if you are a body builder, protein can only bind with water. 1 molecule of protein binds with 2 of water. Have you ever noticed at 100grams of lean chicken breast has 21 - 25 grams of protein. What is the rest of the 75%? Well, about 70% or that 75 is water. So PEOPLE drink up!!<br /><br /><b>Never fill yourself to the limit:</b> Smaller meals speed up your metabolism whereas larger meals speed it to the extent that your systems get exhausted and then slows down very quickly, UNLESS you have the capacity to cope with this load. Let's take a look at an example. If you have an old car, you travel at a speed of 30 - 40 miles an hour, the car will be fine and will take you from point A to point B. That very same car, if driven at 100 miles an hour will go fine for a while but chances are it may get heated up or might get some other problem. I know not that great an example but you get the idea!!! I suggest fill up to 2/3rds of your stomach.<br /><br /><b>Don't eat any a MEAL 2 hours before bet time:</b> The reason for this is because when you sleep your matabolism slows down. If you eat something (especially carbs) before going to bed, they will not get used up and get stored as fat. Now noones wants that!! right? So give it a couple of hours before you go to bed.<br /><br /><b>Avoid simple sugars and saturated fats:</b> This really is a no brainer. Simple sugars like any thing that has sugar and saturated fats like processed oil and butter etc. both should be avoided. Ohh and don't forget the ICE CREAM!! Ice cream has both simple sugars and cream i.e. saturated fat. <br /><br />Follow these and you see a difference your lifestyle.<br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-90365231383147448242009-08-30T14:00:00.004+06:002009-09-04T18:19:30.060+06:008 ways to lose weight without exerciseNow many people grilled me on my <a href="http://burnfatnbuildmuscle.blogspot.com/2008/07/no-sweat-burning-method.html">No sweat fat burning method</a> post some time back, saying why am I prmoting not exercising. The thing is that I want to help people with atleast one thing if not both. Either, start and keep them with exercising or get them to start eating right. Both would absolutely amazing if there is a person who saying I want to lose weight but I don't want to exercise, people look him like he is some lazy coutch potato. I don't think there is any thing wrong with not wanting to workout. Working out is important for fitness not for weight loss. Weight loss is a secondary phenomenon that happens when you get fit. If you just want to lose weight, you CAN do it by not exercising. What happens is people get put off when they hear that they cannot lose weight without exercise and they won't even try. I have a problem with people trying to take pills to lose weight but not really the not exercising issue.<br /><br />I have come up with 8 things that you can do to burn fat and lose the extra weight. Here you go guys:<br /><br />- Eat real foods: Basically, NO PROCESSED FOOD. I think this is the most common advice you will find for losing weight. The reason is that it is the best one. Stick to natural and real foods like lean meat, veggies, grains, nuts and fruits. Avoid anything that comes out of a package and with a brand name on it.<br /><br />- Eat Frequently: Eat after every 2 - 3 hours as it increases your metabolism. You won't feel hungry or won't have carbohydrate cravings. Honestly, this is excellent advice. You will never BINGE EAT ever again.<br /><br />- Control your portion size: Now it doesn't mean eat HUGE portions of chicken and whole grain bread sandwiches. Even though they are healthy, bug portions mean more calories so you might actually gain if eat too much of whole foods as well. Restrict your portion size. If you have a 12 inch subway sandwich, leave 6 inches and eat it after 2 - 3 hours. The same thing, same amount of calories BUT better digestion, increased metabolism and weight loss :)<br /><br /><strong>- </strong>Water before and during: Drink water before and during your meal. Not right after your meal. There are some serious absorption issues. I always recommend take a glass of water before a meal and take one glass during the meal i.e. sipping as you go on eating.<br /><br />- Don't fill yourself up: Eat enough to fill about 2/3 of your total stomach capacity. Only YOU can be the judge for that.<br /><br />- Eat fats: Eat enough healthy fats from nuts and non-processed oils. They are great for energy and help you get enough calories in a small meal. E.g you need a 400 calories meal and using protein and low carbs you get about 300. Sprinkle one tablespoon of olive oil on it and you get those extra 100 calories to get the 400 calories.<br /><br />- Eat junk once a week: You are allowed to cheat once a week so go all out. Eat WHATEVER you want. Just keep it to one day. Even better, just keep it to one meal.<br /><br />- Take fresh juices: If you feel like having some juice. Go to the kitchen, switch on your juices and get some fresh juice. Avoid the other juices...Ain't always what they say it is.<br /><br />There you go. Nice and simple wasn't it? Let me know what you think by leaving a COMMENT!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/'" pub="burnnbuild&url=" title="+ data:post.title' target=" title="Bookmark and Share"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" height="16" style="border: 0px; padding: 0px" alt="Bookmark and Share" /></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-1301389526792949572009-08-30T11:55:00.009+06:002009-09-01T23:15:27.729+06:00Top 5 foods to burn fatLet's be honest here. There no foods that BURN fat directly. There are a number of different theories out there but there is just one basic principle about foods that burn fat. Foods that raise your metabolism for long periods of time will burn fat. The longer the metabolism is raised for, the more fat burning will take place. I am not saying everything else is pointless. I am just saying that they may help the process...THAT IS IT!!<br /><br />Animal protein is usually the best candidate as it takes longer to breakdown. Here is the breakdown rate order from quickest to slowest.<br /><br />Simple Carbohydrates<br />Complex Carbhydrates<br />Unsaturated Fats<br />Saturates fats<br />Fibrous Carbohydrates<br />Dairy Protein<br />Animal Protein<br /><br />Some people might want to argue with me. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT...BRING IT ON B_ _ _H.<br /><br />Now let's get to the point. Top 5 fat burning food. Here it comes. The number 5 place goes to........<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.urbansurvivalist.com.au/images/dictionary/170_Avocado.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 190px;" src="http://www.urbansurvivalist.com.au/images/dictionary/170_Avocado.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a>Avocado: Some websites call this a SUPER FOOD. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a super food, but they are pretty good. Very high in unsaturated fats, vitamins and have quite a bit of fiber. I don't want to get into how fats are good for you, that is a whole post on its own. Just remember unsaturated fats in moderate amounts are good to burn fat.<br /><br />Fibrous vegetables: First of all these vegetables (and even fruits) that are high in fiber are low in calories and fill you up for a good amount of time. They are mainly carbohydrates so energy is not a problem. So basically all I am trying to say is listen to your mum...take in lots of vegetables :D<br /><br />Lentils and Beans: Lentils are not used in the western world all that much...unless you are a vegan. The main usage of lentils and legumes is in the indian subcontinent. They are high in SECOND GRADE protein so one should always try to mix them up with some sort of LOW GI carbs to get a complete protein. Even if they are taken alone, they will help in reducing body fat.<br /><br />Chicken: This one is a no brainer. Isn't it? Every where you look you see high protein and you can't have too much beef and even eggs so people stick to lots and lots of chicken. Turkey falls in the same category but I personally couldn't develop the taste for it. The meat i.e. chicken i.e. animal protein i.e. complete protein keep you full for longer. The thermal effect raises the matabolism for longer and it help muscles rebuild themselves after a workout.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.carnitech.dk/Files/Billeder/Salmon/salmon_home.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 96px;" src="http://www.carnitech.dk/Files/Billeder/Salmon/salmon_home.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />An the WINNER IS............THE FISHES<br /><br />Fish: Let's just say you get all the benefits from a fish that you get from chicken. The only difference is that the fish has healthy fats in them. Oils that are mono and poly unsaturated. Oils like Omega 3 and 6 etc. So a fish is excellent. to burn fat ohh and to build muscle as well. But that's a different story.<br /><br />Hope you guys enjoyed the post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.<br /><br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-50984312249766921572009-08-30T06:03:00.005+06:002009-08-31T10:01:04.259+06:00Top 4 methods to increase HGH<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens2371505module13399799photo_1231631723Combo_12.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 335px;" src="http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/250/draft_lens2371505module13399799photo_1231631723Combo_12.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I have mentioned earlier the benefits you get from increasing HGH (Human Growth Hormone) production in your body. If you want to read some more about it, you can refer to my post about the fat burning hormones <a href="http://burnfatnbuildmuscle.blogspot.com/2008/11/understand-burn-fat-and-build-muscle.html">here</a>. Here are the TOP 4 methods of increasing your HGH.<br /><br /><b>Max muscle usuage:</b> Workout as many muscle groups at one time as possible. The more muscle you use, the more fatigue and exhaustion you will experience and therefore the body will release more HGH. Usually I recommend compound exercises but if you are not a beginner, then try to modify workouts. The idea is to activate your stabilizer muscles. But make sure you don't try to do a 250 lbs bench press, on a ball. You can seriously hurt yourself. Try doing all isolation movements like bicep curls, lat raises etc. on the ball. You can do some exercises on one leg as well. The main idea if engage more muscle than you usually would in a normal exercise. If you don't bench press too heavy, then bring your legs up in the air to work your lower abs. If you don't use heavy weights then try things like overhead squats. Ohh and do full body workouts in a weight training session. Not just once body part. Be creative and remember to be safe.<br /><br /><b>Low or no fats in your pre-workout meal:</b> I remember reading that eating fats before a workout slows down the production of HGH. Some people recommend unsaturated fats before a workout for energy as they take longer to breakdown. That is for people who are not concentrating on HGH. There are some other reasons to workout as well you know :P<br /><br /><b>Don't take carbs till an hour after your workout:</b> Some people might kill me for saying that and they might be right as well. The only reason is that one tends to take High GI carbs or simple carbs right after a workout which increase your insulin levels. Insulin in normal circumstances is an anti-HGH hormone. There are ways to increase both at the same time they are a bit of an extreme measure if you ask me. Not taking carbs after your workout can end up in low energy levels and slower and LESS muscle repair, so do this a couple of time a week to reap maximum benefits and keep a balance. <br /><br /><b>Get atleast 8 hours of sleep:</b> HGH is released to its max when you go into deep sleep. After an hour after you go into deep sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, you can't get into deep sleep and therefore not get everything of the HGH. <br /><br />I guess this sums it up...let me know what you think :).<br /><br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-82511618059931855942008-12-11T09:15:00.005+05:002009-08-15T22:54:26.409+06:00How to get the ripped washboard six pack abs<div>Are you looking to get those six or eight pack abs in your mid section? I’m <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4Yo47JZ9Ijrx1FScFKV2WE47YYG0IBjh_mc5mV2-Cqt1SmzJC4Y4d0auea5tzJY-_SVUwX-xxf_YrEPj-BMAAzKIrAYuyeAEafdL2qjXg9_prLzEZiHj4VQo9DREkOE6ydCNnKaUA98/s1600-h/untitled3.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278383503371199410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4Yo47JZ9Ijrx1FScFKV2WE47YYG0IBjh_mc5mV2-Cqt1SmzJC4Y4d0auea5tzJY-_SVUwX-xxf_YrEPj-BMAAzKIrAYuyeAEafdL2qjXg9_prLzEZiHj4VQo9DREkOE6ydCNnKaUA98/s200/untitled3.bmp" border="0" /></a>sure you are!! Abs are the one thing that both men and women desire and try every trick in the book to get them. People do endless crunches and leg raises or just keep doing the cardio and what not. The first thing to understand is that just doing ab exercises wouldn’t help you see them. You need to have the proper diet and fat burning workouts in place. Basically, everyone has ab muscles, but they are hidden under a layer of fat. If you don’t get rid of that fat…doesn’t matter how many crunches you do. WON’T work. I recommend that you do 2 sessions of ab workouts a week and concentrate on full body workouts and cardio including HIIT.<br /><br />Anyways, now that I have made my point about losing the fat, here is a routine that can help you really hit the abs from each and every angle. So once you get rid of the fat, you will see a much better definition.<br /><br />Crunches 15<br />Leg raises 15<br />Crunches 15<br />Leg raises 15<br />Criss crosses 30 (15 second rest)<br />Criss crosses 30 (15 second rest)<br />Criss crosses 30 (15 second rest)<br />Hanging leg raises 15 (15 second rest)<br />Hanging leg raises 15 (15 second rest)<br />Hanging oblique leg raises 15 (15 second rest)<br />Hanging oblique leg raises 15 (15 second rest)<br />Plank 15 – 30 seconds (15 second rest)<br />Plank 15 – 30 seconds (15 second rest)<br /><br />That’s it. It will take you about 10 minutes. Do an HIIT session right after this for about 15 minutes and you will have had an AMAZING workout in less than half an hour.<br /><br />Do try and and let me know what you think.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END --></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-70734707288198965882008-12-02T09:39:00.004+05:002009-08-15T22:53:57.639+06:00The best home chest workout<div>Most of the guys who go to the gym say that they want to get big biceps and a muscular chest. We won’t be talking about the biceps today, but as far as the chest goes - here is the single most important question that these guys ask.<br /><br />Can I build a big and well-defined chest at home?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQe5wRRE74yhpomPkJFT52MWVR1PBIpxGR5Liws4bAFfcmD3CVsA4perfGfqKnHidON86wfz6teLUbg3zH4zIcYEHycjbW9BFRj_MxHFCyTdwj9jYMifY_lV40mRbYtFrV7sVtw2PPzk/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275050464092690578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTQe5wRRE74yhpomPkJFT52MWVR1PBIpxGR5Liws4bAFfcmD3CVsA4perfGfqKnHidON86wfz6teLUbg3zH4zIcYEHycjbW9BFRj_MxHFCyTdwj9jYMifY_lV40mRbYtFrV7sVtw2PPzk/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a>The answer to this question is ‘Yes’, you can build a huge chest by working out at home. If you manage to exhaust a specific body part and then feed it, you will see an increase in size. If you hit your chest from a number of angles so that the entire chest muscle group gets REALLY tired and then feed it with proper amounts of protein and carbohydrates, you will see an increase in you chest size and muscle mass.<br /><br />Here is a workout routine that you can do on the days you want to work your chest or upper body. This workout can also be incorporated in a fat loss program – I will show you how.<br /><br /><strong>Pushups burpees 15 - 20 for warm-up</strong>: Do the burpee but do a pushup as well when you go down.<br /><br /><strong>10 pushups wide, 10 pushups shoulder width and 10 pushups narrow</strong> without any rest.<br /><br />The following pushup movements should be very slow. 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down.<br /><strong>5 – 8 x 3 pushups wide</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><strong>5 – 8 x 3 pushups shoulder width</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><strong>5 – 8 x 3 pushups narrow or diamond</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><br />1 minute rest<br /><br />In the following movements, do the first 3 – 5 reps very slow and without taking any rest continue the exercise as fast as you can for the remaining reps.<br /><br /><strong>15 – 20 x 1 pushups wide</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><strong>15 – 20 x 1 pushups shoulder width</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><strong>10 – 15 x 1 pushups narrow or diamond</strong> (rest 30 – 45 seconds)<br /><br />This is an intermediate workout. For advance level workouts, you can increase the 5 second up and down to 6, 7 or whatever you want. The slower the movement, the more stress you will feel. Also, you can increase the number of reps in you final set (i.e. the slow and fast combination)<br /><br />For fat loss, you do not have to change the workout. All you need to do is do a lower body compound movement e.g. squats and/or lunges after this workout (I will post a lower body routine as well). This should be followed up by a protein meal. Keep the carbs low and try to take the meal in about 30 minutes to 1 hour of the workout so that you get the most benefit from the important hormones.<br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END --></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-65877309924625438712008-11-14T11:28:00.007+05:002009-08-15T22:53:13.251+06:00Understand the burn fat and build muscle hormones - Part 1The norm in the fitness world is to look at calories and metabolism for fat loss and muscle building. A vast majority of the experts don’t give much importance to hormones and their effects, mainly due to lack of knowledge. In this three part article, I will try to give an overview of the muscle building and fat burning hormones along with the how to manipulate them based on your fitness goals. Part 1 will talk about the three MAIN anabolic (tissue building) hormones. So here you go:<br /><br /><strong>Testosterone</strong> is a male hormone mainly produced in the testicles. A small amount is also produced by the adrenal glands. In women, testosterone is produced in the ovaries and by the adrenal gland, although the amount is quite small as compared to the male production. The normal range in males is 350- 1200ng/dl and the range in females is less than 100ng/dl. Women often inject additional testosterone if they want to build muscles at the pro-level. Apart from being a MALE hormone, it is the number one anabolic hormone in the human body. In order to gain muscle mass, one should concentrate on boosting their testosterone levels which are usually the highest in the morning and if the right kind of workouts are done (anaerobic) then you can REALLY boost your testosterone levels post workout (they drop after a few hours). The higher the intensity, the greater the testosterone production. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone which suppresses testosterone<br /><br /><strong>Human Growth Hormone (HGH)</strong> is another anabolic hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland and stimulates the liver to produce <strong>IGF-1 (Insulin <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6TQMt5ra3NDqIB_l8GXK3gTZMosKTRSo7yQKuQSnxtuR3up5x2QolWctiujILd8Rfk-fvHjYt9Ghf2TkwUEeo-ehNo5aZyco2g8zZeTohk2yTA03Z-OjsB7qth1Dyv44QHnYwxxyi3U/s1600-h/hgh.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271067534049747586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6TQMt5ra3NDqIB_l8GXK3gTZMosKTRSo7yQKuQSnxtuR3up5x2QolWctiujILd8Rfk-fvHjYt9Ghf2TkwUEeo-ehNo5aZyco2g8zZeTohk2yTA03Z-OjsB7qth1Dyv44QHnYwxxyi3U/s200/hgh.gif" border="0" /></a>like Growth Factor).</strong> HGH is also directly proportional to the exercise intensity similar to testosterone. It increases right after an intense workout and also during deep sleep. Insulin and cortisol both suppress the growth hormone. If you need benefits from the HGH and IGF-1 then you should try to keep insulin and cortisol quite low. The good thing about HGH is that you can burn fat and build muscle at the same time as one of the properties of this hormone is to breakdown fat (long story) and IGF help you grow.<br /><br /><strong>Insulin</strong> is a storage (anabolic) hormone which is released by the pancreas in response to the food that you eat – mainly carbohydrates. If you get too many carbs in your system, the insulin levels rise to lower them and store them as fat for future use. That is just one part of it. If your body needs the carbs (i.e. post-workout), the insulin pushes the carbs to the muscles and also breaks down protein to help repair the muscles. Insulin spikes with high GI carbs and remains stable with low GI carbs so to avoid fat storage, one should try to stick to low GI throughout the day. Depending on your goal, you can choose what kind of carbs you need post workout.<br /><br />Hope this was useful. Stay tuned, there is lots more to come.<br /><br /><br /><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-57851930623497494662008-11-05T09:34:00.005+05:002009-08-15T22:51:46.490+06:00Top 3 methods to really speed up your fat loss<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96A4ZZSaV2Y6eE-XJFCb35XJJIfXYdPyt_uzaDzHYRPeSFxH-QSXeTZfsf6zL_JwwL8AtfW5l2ZUm-CKo5tfpR5WdymxJsduhETbpYdWZZmty1LzZbvUPbnyJAal-eaKSSRxPr7DNn9w/s1600-h/Running.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96A4ZZSaV2Y6eE-XJFCb35XJJIfXYdPyt_uzaDzHYRPeSFxH-QSXeTZfsf6zL_JwwL8AtfW5l2ZUm-CKo5tfpR5WdymxJsduhETbpYdWZZmty1LzZbvUPbnyJAal-eaKSSRxPr7DNn9w/s200/Running.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265030304633860882" /></a><br /><br />If you are already taking 5 – 8 small meals, controlling carbohydrate intake at dinner, doing cardio, drinking enough water and getting a sufficient amount of sleep, but still think that the fat loss is very slow – here are 3 ways that can really accelerate your fat loss.<br /><br /><b>Introduce healthy fats in your diet:</b> There is a lot of ‘fat phobia’ around us. People try and avoid every possible kind of fat to avoid weight gain. Actually, all fats are not bad for you and may have heard this before – It’s true. If you take in unsaturated fats in moderate amounts, they help you lower cholesterol, burn fat, increase energy levels, increase the weight loss hormones and help you avoid going into starvation. Another benefit of these fats is that they slow down absorption which means that you get continuous and prolonged energy rather than one spike. Some examples of healthy fats are avocados, almonds, peanuts and peanut butter, fish oil etc. Make them a regular part of your diet and you will see how they help you shed those inches.<br /><br /><b>Do some high intensity workouts:</b> I am not saying you need to workout at very high intensities all the time, but you should have at least 2 workouts a week which are not just low intensity cardio. High intensity workouts can be strength training, circuit training, HIIT, body weight training, taebo etc. HIIT is the best one, but if you are not really into HIIT, then concentrate on full body workouts working all major muscle groups. Just push yourself more than you normally do. These high intensity workouts will help accelerate fat loss due to a higher EPOC effect and also tone up your muscles. Other benefits are to do with hormones that help you burn fat.<br /><br /><b>Introduce Zig-zags in both your diet and workouts:</b> Never and I am mean NEVER continue doing the same thing day in day out. Our brain and body are programmed to adapt to whatever we are doing. If exercise or diet becomes a norm for your body, you will stop seeing any major results or benefits. Introduce zig-zags i.e. doing one thing one day and another thing the next. You can have zig-zags in your diet with respect to calories and carbohydrates which have both proven to be very effective. Another kind of zig-zag used is in the exercises – alternating between high intensity and low intensity. It gives you the benefit of both methods and avoids you getting burnt out. You can also alternate between muscle building and fat loss on a week by week zig-zag to burn fat and build muscle.<br /><br />Each and everyone one of my clients have seen a increase in their fat loss after practicing the three points above. There is a lot of research available to support these methods. I have only giving you some very basic ideas about each of these methods, just to guide you as to what is possible. Please leave comments if you need more information about any of the above and also leave any feedback. Till next time guys – Lots more to come.<br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-69070260449880408032008-10-29T19:10:00.006+06:002009-08-15T22:50:44.952+06:00Body fat - What is the easiest way to measure it?People usually measure their weight loss progress through body weight - which in my personal view is not the best method of tracking your weight loss. If you gain muscle and lose fat at the very same time, you will either gain weight (overall) or you will not see a major change in your weight...whereas you will have made improvements to your body composition.<br /><br />You should always track your weight loss through body fat measurements, as they are a lot more accurate and give you a clearer picture. There are a number of methods to calculate your body fat percentage including the skinfold method, Bioelectric body fat analyzers and height and circumference method.<br /><br />There is a lot on the internet talking about what the best method is, what you should buy to get most accurate results and why all other methods are point less. I'm not going to do that. Firstly, I'll just tell you that all methods work. You don't need a 10 decimal place accuracy to track your progress, you need estimates. All the methods will give you an estimate, one way or the other, so if you have a bioelectric calculator, then stick to it. Don't throw it away just because someone said that the skinfold or pinch method is more accurate.<br /><br />I recommend all my clients to use any method, as long as you are actually tracking their body fat and not weight. If someone does not want to invest any money they, they just use my inch tape. The guys measure their waist once a week to see of there have been any change and the women track their hips and/or thighs. I agree that this is not going to be as accurate as the very well researched methods but it works pretty well. Guys always lose the maximum fat from the belly and girls always lose the maximum amount from the hips and thighs. You need to make it easy for yourself. You do not have to invest in any thing to get fit and even track your progress.<br /><br />Hope this helps guys. I'll start posting more frequently, so stay tuned :)<br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%22http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=%22%20+%20data:post.url%20+%20%22&title=%22%20+%20data:post.title" target="_blank" title="Bookmark and Share"><img src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px;" alt="Bookmark and Share" height="16" width="125" /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-88305310456289379862008-10-22T23:22:00.006+06:002009-08-15T22:49:39.835+06:00World's Largest burger - 8000 calories!!Guys, I just wanted to share this with you. I read about the Quadruple Bypass Burger, claiming to be the world's largest burger and has food worth 8000 calories in it. Mind you, a normal human being eats about 2000 - 2500 calories a DAY and we are talking about 8000 calories in one sitting..hmmm!!! You can see it at <a herf="http://www.heartattackgrill.com">http://www.heartattackgrill.com</a>.<br /><br /><a herf="http://www.heartattackgrill.com">The Heart Attach Grill</a> offers this burger and also says that if you get a heart attack eating this burger - Doctors, nurses and wheel chairs are ready for you. They will even drop you to your car on a wheel chair. They also point out that "The Government Requires Us To Inform You That Our "Nurses" Do Not Actually Have Any Accredited Medical Training"...so don't expect them to save your life...infact, they may probably help in giving you a heart attack :D.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wZmy8u51CUqydQ0T9ZP0C6GMAqVCTQ67PUSI9ayO7oAzMMqwakMSLDXv1bzicSXzqOkX9yxqVt5hlDUE5VYdJPPBGWJCSrcdq9xeCRwcYnE1x2Dm31r4SgE3VLV9fDyC6kKo1Y_dfQ/s1600-h/burger.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260034100822435218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wZmy8u51CUqydQ0T9ZP0C6GMAqVCTQ67PUSI9ayO7oAzMMqwakMSLDXv1bzicSXzqOkX9yxqVt5hlDUE5VYdJPPBGWJCSrcdq9xeCRwcYnE1x2Dm31r4SgE3VLV9fDyC6kKo1Y_dfQ/s200/burger.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Burger place promoted all round unhealthy food and tries to prove that unhealthy is the way to go. They also sell filterless cigerettes as a dessert...lol (that one just made me laugh). I just found it very interesting and wanted to share it with you. Although this is a very unhealthy option, I feel very jumpy about going their atleast once. Has anyone of you been there?<br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-22782862517618789792008-10-19T00:18:00.006+06:002009-08-15T22:48:46.373+06:00Vegetarian/Vegan diet to burn fat and build muscle<div>This post is a continuation of the previous post. I wanted to give you an idea <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oyGL3jQ507GpcmdQcVY41tRQmpXLV1WrW_LitMj801kv8tAILdxjEGYpexBC5m_VGzqEPNZBKf3vUmg4V9QTBFHX63pQqIU-5rf6PaZEaTsVckUIwqYO-7AiTVy-tB_tSqBvonOTBU/s1600-h/vegetables.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258703804527137666" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU0oyGL3jQ507GpcmdQcVY41tRQmpXLV1WrW_LitMj801kv8tAILdxjEGYpexBC5m_VGzqEPNZBKf3vUmg4V9QTBFHX63pQqIU-5rf6PaZEaTsVckUIwqYO-7AiTVy-tB_tSqBvonOTBU/s200/vegetables.jpg" border="0" /></a>of what a muscle building vegetarian meal is. You have lots and lots of options but it really depends on where you live. You can’t get meat substitutes and soy based products everywhere so you need to plan your diet according to what is possible for you.<br /><br />Meal 1: Oatmeal or bran cereal with milk (soy or rice milk if you prefer)<br />Meal 2: Peanut butter sandwich (you can also use some jam or jelly)<br />Meal 3: Mashed potatoes with whole wheat pasta and Bolognese sauce<br />Meal 4: Tofu<br />Post workout meal: soy or whey protein shake with some sugar<br />Meal 6: Soy based product (burger, hot dog etc.) - mainly protein<br /><br />You can add another meal before or after meal 4 which can be salad or fruits.<br /><br />That following table was taken from <a href="http://ksteveh.tripod.com/protein.html">http://ksteveh.tripod.com/protein.html</a>. It outlines the High protein vegetarian foods that can be taken to build muscle.<br /><br />Qty Protein Carbs Protein Fat Calories<br /> <br />Egg White from 1 egg 100% 0 4 0 16<br />Yves Veggie Back Bacon 2 slices 89% 1.2 10 0 44.8<br />Yves Veggie Deli Slice 2 slices 86% 1.3 7 0 35<br />Yves Veggie Hot Dog 1 dog 83% 2.2 11 0 52.8<br />Yves Veggie Ground Round 1/3 C. 78% 3.4 12 0 61.6<br />Breakfast Links 2 links 76% 3.8 12 0 63.2<br />Yves Pepperoni Slices 2 slices 76% 2.3 8.5 0.2 44.8<br />Yves Burger Burgers 1 burger 73% 6.7 18 0 98.8<br />Yves Veggie Turkey Slice 2 slices 70% 3.4 8 0 45.6<br />Yves Veggie Ham Slice 2 slices 70% 3 7 0 40<br />Boca Burger 1 burger 62% 8 13 0 84<br />Cott Cheese 1/2 C 61% 6.7 15 1.3 98.5<br />Super Soy Burger-Soy City 1 burger 56% 13.2 25 2.9 178.9<br />Second Nature Burger 1 burger 51% 8 15 2.8 117.2<br />Lightburger 1 burger 50% 14 16 1 129<br />Soy Cheese 1 slice 39% 1 4 2.3 40.7<br />Tempeh 113 g (1/4 pkg) 38% 3.5 11 6.5 116.5<br />Tofu-La Soyarie 1/4 pkg 113.5 g 36% 3 12 8 132<br />Green Chef Burger 1 burger 35% 8.2 13.8 7.5 155.5<br />Veg Cutlet 1 cutlet 34% 9.1 14 8.3 167.1<br />Veg Cutlet w/Spinach Zoglo's 1 cutlet 28% 14 14 10 202<br />La Soyarie Nutburger 1 burger 26% 6.2 9.6 9.3 146.9<br />Cheddar Cheese 1 oz. 25% 0.6 7.1 9.1 112.7<br />Green Chef Cutlet 1 cutlet 19% 18.4 8.4 8.1 180.1<br />Veg Pate (Fontaine Sante) 55 g 17% 12.4 5.8 7.3 138.5<br /> <br />The above are examples and there are a lot more variations of high protein vegetarian foods. Look into more combination proteins, stick to whole wheat and avoid over eating. <br /> <br />Here is sample fat loss vegetarian diet.<br /> <br /> <br /><br /> Carbs Protein Fat Calories<br /><br />Breakfast<br />Bread 1 slice 18 4.2 1.5 102.3<br />Egg White from 4 egg 0 16 0 64<br />Whey Protein 1 scoop 2 24 0.5 108.5<br />Veggie Breakfast Links 2 links 3.8 12 0 63.2<br />Total 23.8 56.2 2 338<br /> <br />Lunch<br />Ratatouille 24.4 28.1 7.5 276.9<br /> <br />Mid Afternoon Snack <br />Celery 3 stalk 4.8 0 4.8 0.4<br />Bread 1 slice 18 4.2 1.5 102.3<br />Almond Butter 1 T. 4 3 8 100<br />Total 26.8 7.2 14.3 264.7<br /> <br />Supper<br />BIG SALAD 30.1 18.8 17.5 352.9<br />Boca Burger 1 burger 8 13 0 84<br />Total 38.1 31.8 17.5 436.9<br /> <br />Evening Snack<br />Strawberries 1C whole 12.5 1 0.7 60.3<br />Cott Cheese 1/2 C 6.7 15 1.3 98.5<br />Total 19.2 16 2 158.8<br /> <br />DAY TOTAL 132.3 139.3 43.3 1,475.30<br /> <br />If you want to lower your calories even more, then remove the breads and you will drop down to about 1200 calories.<br /> <br />Hope this was useful for you guys. Just to re-iterate - You can get an excellent physique through a vegan/vegetarian diet and you can get excellent results by sticking to a high protein vegetarian diet.<br /> <br />Hope this was useful for you. Stay tuned for some more information on vegetarian diets and some muscle building hints and tips.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END --></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-66726563645135912742008-10-13T13:03:00.004+06:002009-08-15T22:47:25.147+06:00Q&A - Vegetarian diet to build muscle quickly<strong>Question:<br /></strong><br />Is it possible to put on useful muscle mass on a diet mainly comprising of dal-roti, and sub-continent vegetarian food with a bit of lactose intolerance? One or two eggs per day (not sure of the conclusion of the debate about dietary and serum cholestrol relationship though), and occasional meat are okay.<br /><br />Also, there are other constraints as well like:<br />- A 13 hour job including commute, leaving very little time to do any meaningful exercise on weekdays.<br />- Very little possiblility of taking 5-6 balanced meals. The staple remains, lentils/legumes and Whole-wheat/Polished-rice.<br />- No possibility of going to a Gym, hence relying on body<br />-weight, and a bar with some not-so-heavy weights.Will be delighted if something could still be worked out despite above limitations.<br /><br /><strong>Answer:</strong><br />I recently got this question and thought that writing a full answer would be useful for a number of people out there. The question is concentrating mostly around a busy life and vegetarian food. I will address both the concerns one by one, so here goes.<br /><br />Yes! It is possible to gain muscle while on a sub-continental vegetarian diet. In order to build muscle you need sufficient amount of calories – protein in particular. If you cannot take lean protein such as chicken and fish etc. then the next best option is dairy which includes milk, yogurt, cheese, eggs etc. If you are lactose intolerant and are not allowed to take in a lot of diary then you take combination proteins. Combination proteins are when you combine more than one kind of food to make a complete first great protein. There are 4 major food groups for combination proteins:<br /><br />Group 1: Whole grain breads, cereals, rice, pastas etc.<br /><br />Group 2: Legumes – Lentils, beans, peas<br /><br />Group 3: Vegetables<br /><br />Group 4: Nuts and seeds<br /><br />Now, you can combine foods from group 2, group 3 or group 4 with group 1 to get a complete protein meal. However, you have the possibility of getting carbohydrates and proteins with it as well, so you cannot call it lean protein but complete protein. Some examples of combination proteins are whole wheat bread and beans, rice (preferably brown) and potatoes/other vegetables, nuts and cereal. The only thing is that in the sub-continent, oil is used very frequently and in large amounts. You need to reduce the amount of cooking oil used – instead, use olive oil, omega 3 and 6 oils etc. So the answer is – YES, you can build muscle on a vegetarian diet. You can get the required amount of calories and protein to help you gain muscle mass. It is also very important to do the right kind of exercises to build muscle.<br /><br />The second concern was about the lack of time. You don’t need to spend hours in the gym – unless you want to become a professional body builder. The important point is that you need to workout hard (10 – 20 minutes is enough) and keep giving your body nutrients to repair the muscle and at the same time increasing muscle mass. It doesn’t matter whether you workout at night or workout early in the morning, the key is to just DO IT. There are no excuses now. All you need is 15 minutes out of your day for a good workout and you are good to go.<br /><br />I personally would recommend doing pull push sessions where one day you do pull exercises and the next day you do push exercises. You want to engage many muscle groups at the same time and exhaust them. This will take less time and give you better results. Don’t do things like single body part etc. That is more for the pros and people who are already is excellent shape. If you want to grow – then you need to increase your testosterone, HGH and insulin levels. You can’t increase insulin and HGH at the same time, so it really depends on your body type. If you are chubby then concentrate on the HGH methods otherwise use insulin.<br /><br />You don’t need a nutritionist certified diet to build muscle, just eat all the healthy things around you when you can e.g. take a lunch box to the office, keep some almonds with you at all time, keep healthy snacks in the office fridge.<br /><br />I have a funny feeling that there is A LOT more that should be written here so I guess I will post a diet guide and some exercises in the next couple of posts so stay tuned.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-13534482088288564622008-10-07T20:58:00.004+06:002009-08-15T22:46:30.792+06:00The top 5 fat burning exercisesI have been writing about how to lose fat and how to design your own plans for some time now, so I thought I would write about some thing different - the best fat burning exercises that you concentrate on rather than searching the web or other places. As mentioned in earlier posts, you need to engage maximum and larger muscle groups to get the best results.<br /><br />According to TT (Turbulence Training), you should do a squatting movement, upper body pushing, upper body pulling, single leg movement and a full body abs movement. If you think about it, you hit each and every muscle group which a high intensity and get the most out of it. However, wouldn’t it be useful if you do 2 or 3 exercises instead of 5 but still engaging all the muscles? The good thing about this is that you increase the release of even more HGH if you engage more muscle groups at the very same time. I have discussed some basics about HGH in previous posts and will be writing details very soon.<br /><br />I intend to give you the 5 best exercises that take you one step ahead of the TT concept. These are some what intermediate movements, so if you find these to be very hard then either lower the weights or make the exercises slightly simpler.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Number 5: Pullup and hanging leg raise</strong><br />The usual pullup, but when you get to the top, you raise your legs like a hanging leg raise, lower your legs and come back down. You engage your back, abs, biceps and forearms. Try this only if you can already do 10 pullups in one go.<br /><br /><strong>Number 4: Squat and push</strong><br />In this exercise you hold a barbell across your shoulders. Do a barbell squat and when you come up; go right into a shoulder press without pausing. This exercise will engage your thighs, buttocks, core, shoulders, triceps and back for stabilizing. If you want an advanced version, then change the exercise to ‘Lunge and push’.<br /><strong><br />Number 3: Deadlift and pull</strong><br />You do a deadlift and continue to an upright row. Usually, the weights for a deadlift are reasonably heavy. This really depends on you – how much weight you want to use. My recommendation, it should be heavy enough for an upright row but not light enough that you don’t feel the deadlift. In this exercise, you engage your thighs, back, traps and deltoids (shoulders), biceps and forearms.<br /><br /><strong>Number 2: High jump burpees<br /></strong>Start with lying face down on the floor. In one smooth motion, do a pushup, bring your legs in (towards the chest), do a squat and jump high. Now in the exact opposite manner, come back to the start position. If done with good speed and control, this is one the GREATEST fat burning exercises. You work your chest, thighs, calves, abs and shoulders. Joint this with the ‘Pullup and hanging leg raise’ for an amazing full body workout in less than 10 minutes.<br /><br /><strong>And the winner is: Sprints</strong><br />HIIT is ruling the world right now and sprints are ruling HIIT. Go to a track, do a warm up and then sprint for a good few seconds (10 – 30 seconds) depending on your fitness levels. 6 – 8 of them and you will be drained. Trust me!! All hormones, EPOC, RMR – everything turn to help you burn more and more fat.<br /><br />Now all the exercises above will help you lose weight. The key is, to exhaust all major muscle groups. You are not trying to become a pro-body builder so you don’t need to concentrate on this head of the tricep or that part of the chest. Treat it as one muscle and just exhaust it. 15 reps for a 3 – 5 sets per exercise is good enough with a 30 second rest. The best way is to alternate between two or three exercises.<br /><br />Hope this was useful. Please do leave comments and questions. Please digg it as well if you get the time and like what you see. Stay tuned for lots lots more.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-67122092449798468362008-10-04T11:54:00.004+06:002009-08-15T22:44:52.606+06:00Just an updateHi all. Sorry I haven't been posting much. I was actually away for a few days (actually I still am) with no internet and no laptop. Just got a chance to come online so I thought I would drop a small message just telling you guys not to be disheartened. I have an AMAZING post ready to be published as soon as I get back. <br /><br />I am also really excited because I started my workouts 2 days ago. I stopped working during the month of RAMADAN due to fasting. So, now I am back on track. Been working out hard. My chest, shoulders and thighs are SO sore that I could not walk down the stairs this morning. It is fun though!! I feel energetic already. <br /><br />I am thinking of my current routine as well...But I will do that in a week's time, one I have completed the whole thing once :).<br /><br />Stay tuned guys, I have got lots amazing stuff still to come.<br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-23772279507010134332008-09-28T15:09:00.004+06:002009-08-15T22:39:49.260+06:00Post workout meals to burn fat and build muscle – FinaleWe have discussed 3 different types of post workout meals - One for muscle building and the others for increasing fat loss. These diets need to be incorporated with the right kind of exercises to get maximum results. I wanted to give you a few examples of all these types of the post workout meals so here goes:<br /><br /><strong>Muscle Building<br /></strong><br />Whey protein powder with water and sugar<br />Hour later – Whole wheat chicken breast sandwich<br />--<br />Double Banana smoothie (with yogurt)<br />Hour later – Chicken lasagna<br /><br /><strong>Fat loss method 1 </strong><br /><br />Whole wheat turkey salad sandwich<br />--<br />Chicken steak with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables<br /><br /><strong>Fat loss method 2<br /></strong><br />Egg whites<br />Hour to two hours later – Apple and orange smoothie with whey<br />--<br />Whey protein shake with minimum carbs<br />Hour to two hours later – Grilled fish and vegetables<br /><br />Now these are just examples to let you know what kind of things you should be looking for. You can find a great deal of information on the net about what foods are simple carbs, complex carbs, High and Low GI carbs etc.<br /><br />Create your own meal plan based on what your aims are. Write down what you want to achieve and don’t compromise on it at any cost. Read the article – ‘Are all calories the same’ to get some understanding of the calories and then select accordingly.<br /><br />I hope this was useful for you. People often don’t give importance to the post workout meals thinking that we will gain whatever we have just lost during the workout. It doesn’t work that way. Post workout meals are extremely important – Some experts call it the second most important meal of the day. So make sure you take the right kind of meal for your aims and goals otherwise all your hard work may go to complete waste.<br /><br />Let me know what you thought about the post. If you need more information, please give me a shout :-).<br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-17205563119929316982008-09-26T12:14:00.007+06:002009-08-15T22:37:59.911+06:00Post workout meals to burn fat and build muscle - Part 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd2l8mZHavaABhEsUl147bIfmyPNH8iUfCKYuX-8aIJ9v7Ewaln1ktrpxqM6FrP7F6x9j6V77kSIRv_UDvPd8LFlxJLzmZDB7cQxw4lPMlS92wi-7PNhi-xKHcz6rCla-OIqL2l01bBU/s1600-h/subway-1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd2l8mZHavaABhEsUl147bIfmyPNH8iUfCKYuX-8aIJ9v7Ewaln1ktrpxqM6FrP7F6x9j6V77kSIRv_UDvPd8LFlxJLzmZDB7cQxw4lPMlS92wi-7PNhi-xKHcz6rCla-OIqL2l01bBU/s320/subway-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250214638533027826" /></a>In the previous post, I discussed the best post workout meal for building muscle. If you haven’t read it already, you can read it <a herf="http://burnfatnbuildmuscle.blogspot.com/2008/09/post-workout-meals-to-burn-fat-and.html">here</a>. I did a lot of research on the best post workout meals to burn fat. There are just too many theories out there, but I finally read an article by Tom Venuto which stated that the best post workout meal for fat loss is just a normal meal with complex and natural carbs. I personally would say that one should take low GI carbs with protein and unsaturated fats. Here’s why.<br /><br />After a fat loss workout – which should include full body workouts, you use up quite a bit of your muscle glycogen and you raise your metabolism due to <a herf="http://burnfatnbuildmuscle.blogspot.com/2008/09/epoc-effect.html">the EPOC effect</a>. Now your body needs the fuel. If you eat a normal meal as mentioned above, you will send the message to your body that you have some food coming, so don’t go to the muscle for fuel and don’t increase cortisol levels. Now, slowly and steadily the food that you have eaten will start getting absorbed and continue to get absorbed for quite some time. Because you are taking low GI carbs with proteins and unsaturated fats, you will slow down the absorption and during that time, a vast majority of the energy will come from the stored fats. This process will continue till such time that all the food has been absorbed. <br /><br />Personally speaking this is a very good method to lose fat. Do keep in mind that you need to control the portion size. Don’t overdo it. However, you don’t get all the benefits from this method.<br /><br />Once you do full body workouts or HIIT sessions, you get both the effects mentioned above i.e. using up of glycogen and raising the metabolism. But at the same time, it is known that if you work your entire body especially through HIIT, you increase your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) levels to amazing levels. The HGH is good for muscle building but at the same time, to is amazing for fat breakdown. The two peak timings of HGH are post workout and during deep sleep. If you eat carbs right after your workout, you stop the release of HGH. This is something you don’t want to do. The HGH forces your body to use fat as the primary source of energy instead of the carbs that have been taken and are in the blood stream. The best way to avoid lower your HGH is by:<br /><br />- Taking only protein after a workout <br />- Taking in carbohydrates an hour or two after the workout (Low GI)<br />- Not taking any fats an hour before the workout<br /><br />The above points will help you keep HGH raised after the workouts. Some people may say that you should take carbs after a workout an ANY COST. I disagree with that because our body is very smart. If you need fuel in your body and you don’t have carbs in your system or the carbs are very low, it will look for alternatives. We have processes like glycogenolysis, gloconeogenesis and lipolysis that increase the levels of carbohydrates or fuel in our system from fats and stored glycogen. If you do not have any stored glycogen, then most of it comes from fats. If you take in proteins, the body knows that you are not starving and will not increase cortisol (muscle breaking hormone). Basically, in very simple terms, you can breakdown fat and use it as energy and also provide some amounts of glycogen to the muscles. This will be particularly useful if you have quite a bit of fat.<br /><br />I hope you didn’t fall asleep reading all that. I would recommend (personally) going with the second method as it includes the effects of the first method plus lots more. Stay tuned for some more details and meal examples.<br /><br /><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-74278190203588288372008-09-24T10:20:00.004+06:002009-08-15T22:36:03.128+06:00Post workout meals to burn fat and build muscle - Part 1There are a number of views about post workout meals like it is the most important meal of the day (after the breakfast), it needs to have lots of carbs, it needs to have lots of proteins and bla bla bla. There is so much information on the internet, that you never know what is right for you. I remember when I was doing my own research I found people basing there arguments on things like you should not eat too much protein because it will turn into carbs and you will get fat. I almost fell off my chair laughing when I read this. What I intend to do is give you some basic scientific facts about your what goal goes with which post workout meal so that you can make your own decision. <br /><br />Ok…so our topic today is post workout meals to burn fat and builds muscle. The most common type of muscle building post workout meal is - high GI carbs followed by low GI carbs and high protein and no fats. The idea is - after a muscle building workout, you are completely drained of the muscle glycogen (carbs) which is the primary source of energy for your body and you need to repair the muscles as you have put stress on them during the workout and created microscopic muscle tears. If you take the high GI carbs right after a workout and then take the low GI carbs and protein, you get the following effects.<br /><br />- You raise you blood sugar levels<br />- You raise insulin levels<br />- You get low GI carbs and protein in your system for muscle repair<br /><br />The sugar will rush to the muscles, get used up and fill the glycogen pools, which means that you will store the carbs/glycogen in the muscles rather than as fats. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW-NITqrIayLNd7Sj4J8PAPRDObGJk9nwkSPLjIhl7Y0RaHFSjxfm0xdGlciR2SW-2y9h1PgQiimKBq1ECYIoEPjSMu2fxHiIUGM4hJUeIB0pP5qTRSqyZ-y54RJVUrdr6hrwDzEUGV0/s1600-h/postworkout.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW-NITqrIayLNd7Sj4J8PAPRDObGJk9nwkSPLjIhl7Y0RaHFSjxfm0xdGlciR2SW-2y9h1PgQiimKBq1ECYIoEPjSMu2fxHiIUGM4hJUeIB0pP5qTRSqyZ-y54RJVUrdr6hrwDzEUGV0/s320/postworkout.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249440795756762786" /></a>There is a lot behind this as well, but I don’t want to bore you unless you ask me to :-). Insulin is an anabolic (cell building) hormone and also promotes muscle synthesis (muscle building) - it will use the protein that you have taken and push it to repair the muscle (i.e. build the muscle). The remaining low GI carbs will provide continuous energy to your body in order to get the muscle repaired and not feel lethargic. This is the most widely used approach for muscle building. The mix of high GI and low GI carbohydrates is used to provide your body with quick regeneration properties and also getting constant energy so that you don’t feel tired. There are a lot more details to this but you get the gist of it :-).<br /><br />This method is excellent for muscle building, but is it good for fat loss? The insulin level tells your body, not to use any stored fat as the body has too many carbohydrates anyway, so the majority of the energy comes from carbohydrates. How will you lose fat using this method? The answer is that you can lose fat and weight using this method only if the meal is very small. Once the high GI carbs run to the muscles and there are no carbs in the blood stream, the body may get some energy from the fats. However, it is important to note that the insulin levels will be raised (to some extent) which will minimize the fat usage but nonetheless, some fat can be used. Once you take the low GI carbs and proteins, you will slow down the usage of fats even more. Basically, this method is not all that great for fat loss. There are other more effective methods for fat loss.<br /><br />Stay tuned for the next post there I will discuss a post workout meal that can help you burn fat. I want to know what you guys think so, please don’t forget to leave comments. Till next time :-).<br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-52578188473898695182008-09-20T20:38:00.001+06:002009-08-15T22:34:01.982+06:00The EPOC effectI have written a number of articles where I mentioned the EPOC effect, but I never wrote an article on what EPOC actually is. I won’t go into A LOT of detail at this point. It really depends on you. If you want to know more, leave a comment asking questions or just tell me that I should write more about EPOC.<br /><br />EPOC stands for Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption, which means that the usage or need of oxygen increases after an exercise session. The extra oxygen is used to get your body back to its resting state. A number of operations take place in our body such as hormone balancing, replenishment of fuel stores and anabolism. The main thing that we should be concerned with is that it increases our metabolism after a workout. Depending on how strenuous the exercise was the length of the EPOC effect varies. The strenuous the exercise, the longer the EPOC effect. This is where the concept of burning fat during rest and sleep came from. So if you workout really hard, you will burn fat till hours after the workout and even while you sleep.<br /><br />The common concept is that you just do cardio to lose fat as it increases your metabolism during the workout and an hour or so after. However, latest research shows us that you can increase your fat loss dramatically through strength training. Anaerobic training increases your EPOC effect for hours and hours after the workout, which means that your metabolism increases for a long long time and you burn more fat. The more and larger the muscle groups fatigued, the longer the EPOC effect.<br />According to research, the absolute best kind of workout for EPOC is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). I have already written quite a bit about HIIT so I won’t go into any details to bore you :-). <br /><br />My recommendation to get the most out of the EPOC effect, is to workout as many muscle groups as you can at one time and completely drain yourself (you don’t need to workout for hours to do this…this can be done short and high intensity workouts. You can find examples in my previous posts) and do HIIT the following day. You will be amazed with the results.<br /><br />Hope this was useful. Let me know what you think about this post. Let me know if you want to know more. Stay tuned for some very interesting posts, still to come.<br /><br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-58244947289025772582008-09-16T11:09:00.003+06:002009-08-15T22:31:11.334+06:00How to design your own strength circuit training program part 2I hope you guys found the last post useful. Here are a couple more samples of circuit training. <br /><br /><strong>Routine 1</strong><br />Squats 20 <br />Pushups 30 <br />Lunges 20 each side<br />Rows 20 <br />Donkey kicks 20 each side<br />Shoulder pushups 20 <br />Jump squats 10 <br />Pullups max <br />Squat n Row 20 <br />1 minute rest <br /> <br />Plank 15 - 30 seconds<br />Pushups 10 <br />Mountain Climbers 30 seconds<br />Repeat 1 - 3 times <br /><br />This routine is one of my absolute favorites. If I haven’t worked out in quite a while, I do the above to make sure I hit every muscle group. In the second bit of this routine, your body is always tensed – especially the core. You will really feel this, so be prepared to get really sore the next day ;).<br /><br /><strong>Routine 2</strong><br />Pushups 15 <br />Squats 15 <br />Pushups 15 <br />Squats 15 <br />Jump rope 1 Minute<br /> <br />DB rows 12 Each side<br />DB rows 12 Each side<br />Jump rope 1 Minute<br /> <br />Shoulder press 12 <br />Upright rows 12 <br />Shoulder press 12 <br />Upright rows 12 <br />Jump rope 1 Minute<br /><br />This is a fat loss circuit that is supposed burn a lot of fat, increase stamina and improve your overall body conditioning. Try these routines and tell me how you get on with them. I want to know what you think about these routines. Were they effective for you? Did you enjoy doing them?<br /><br />Stay tuned for the EPOC effect post. Till next time. <br /><br /><br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-57533067793380536982008-09-12T11:33:00.005+06:002009-08-15T22:27:20.521+06:00How to design your own strength circuit training program part 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2qyHBW2Jr54jP9Om89rs-DhkSaPg05ZLx7zYDeYAtN9iCWocpq2n3aPIA8IFZVbL0XYFuKz6SuROXowF0Bmyp5JPhRXFTv9GAkRTwzrl7WI_eossDqNvAGjNG9LdhICYc7zDVaz6Z7I/s1600-h/circuit-training.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2qyHBW2Jr54jP9Om89rs-DhkSaPg05ZLx7zYDeYAtN9iCWocpq2n3aPIA8IFZVbL0XYFuKz6SuROXowF0Bmyp5JPhRXFTv9GAkRTwzrl7WI_eossDqNvAGjNG9LdhICYc7zDVaz6Z7I/s320/circuit-training.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245009882566894706" /></a><br /><br />Circuit training is an excellent way to increases metabolism, elevates heart rate, burn fat, get an EPOC effect and get a full body workout. It is a type of interval training where you alternate between strength training and cardio vascular training. However, recently a number of other types of circuit trainings have come into play where you alternate between high intensity and low intensity exercises (both strength training), alternate between smaller and larger muscle groups and simply doing strength training for maximum reps, for one set and moving on to the next body part.<br /><br /><br />I would like to think that the best kind of circuit training is where you concentrate large muscle group, then the attached smaller muscle groups and finally a cardio movement. But this is not cast in stone. All circuit trainings are useful...heck...you can come up with your own circuit training method. The main concept is do one thing after the other. Here is a routine that I have often used.<br /><br />Set 1:<br />Pushups<br />Triceps dips<br />Speed ball punches (imagine you are hitting a speed ball that boxers use)<br /><br />Set 2:<br />Jump squats (with weights if too easy)Calf raises<br />Run in place with knees as high as possible<br /><br />Set 3:<br />Rows<br />Bicep curls<br />Speed punches (Stand in a TAE KWON DO punching position and imagine you are trying to hit the person in front of you in the stomach really hard and fast)<br /><br />Set 4:<br />Shoulder press<br />Lateral raises<br />Jumping backs<br /><br />Set 5:<br />Hanging side leg raises (for the obliques)<br />Plank<br />Burpees<br /><br />This is a routine that has given excellent results. Now it is up to you how you want to do it (or something similar). I usually do 20 reps per exercise, 1 minute for the cardio and 10 second rest per set and repeat the entire workout twice. You can do 30 reps, 30 seconds for the cardio and 30 seconds rest or any other method. The idea is to exhaust. Mix it up and make it interesting. I will be posting two more circuit training routine which are different to one above so stay tuned. Also, let me know what you think about this routine. Do you think it is unrealistic, too hard or is it exactly what you are looking for. Please leave a comment and do let me know. See you next time.<br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-31884904806622110562008-09-10T15:36:00.008+06:002009-08-15T22:25:52.766+06:00Brides Made Fit Reviews Nintendo's Wii FitBurn Fat 'n' Build Muscle is proud to be associated with <a herf="http://www.bridesmadefit.com">Brides Made Fit</a>. A website that provide you with all the information you need to get rid of those extra pounds before your big day. Please visit Brides Made Fit at <a herf="http://www.bridesmadefit.com">http://www.bridesmadefit.com </a><br /><br /><object id="viddler_dbd8e32c" height="288" width="437" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"><param name="_cx" value="11562"><param name="_cy" value="7620"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/dbd8e32c/"><param name="Src" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/dbd8e32c/"><param name="WMode" value="Window"><param name="Play" value="-1"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value=""><param name="Menu" value="-1"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="Scale" value="ShowAll"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value=""><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/dbd8e32c/" width="437" height="288" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" name="viddler_dbd8e32c"></embed></object><br /><br />In a country where 60% of its people are overweight, it's no surprise that Americans would turn to an interactive video game to remedy the situation: Nintendo Wii Fit.<br /><br />This $89 fringe from the Nintendo Wii uses an electronic balance board to measure players' health stats. This includes weight, body mass index (BMI), center of gravity, posture, strength, and agility. In order to improve results, players tackle objectives in yoga, strength, aerobics, and balance.<br /><br />The more you play, the more minutes you bank up to unlock more challenging tasks. It's a great concept, but does a profession personal trainer, like myself, find it effective for the average American? Check out my podcast to watch me play the game and hear my review.<br /><br />If anything, you'll get a few good laughs!<br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-89186464128451351822008-09-09T11:50:00.003+06:002009-08-15T22:23:43.283+06:00How to create your own fat loss exercise plan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePPe9JajpapPOaRNjPrVVAwt4kWA6kFf3oG2NC9tHv9w_MHk_WcEYdCvNsBUdhPub6jUCqvMDTn0XMc7ph7wSXBp3YB3DXSNBZnxvNcdsy8ah1P781zKSnyvIYqaKPokJm4MSlbcmopE/s1600-h/push_ups_group.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePPe9JajpapPOaRNjPrVVAwt4kWA6kFf3oG2NC9tHv9w_MHk_WcEYdCvNsBUdhPub6jUCqvMDTn0XMc7ph7wSXBp3YB3DXSNBZnxvNcdsy8ah1P781zKSnyvIYqaKPokJm4MSlbcmopE/s320/push_ups_group.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243904459266253778" /></a><br />A number of you guys really appreciated the last ‘How to’ post…here comes another one :-). The best way to lose fat and keep it off is to have a good diet and exercise regularly. The last post mentioned ‘how to create your own fat loss diet plan’ and today I will discuss ‘how to create your own fat loss exercise plan’.<br /><br />The first step is to establish when you can workout. Some say that the best time to workout is in the morning before breakfast when glycogen stores are very low. Others say that you should try to workout in the evening as you don’t have enough energy in the morning and you will burn what you have eaten throughout the day. Which one is better? Answer to this is – It doesn’t matter. Do what suits you best. Both have their benefits and working out is more important thing than the time.<br /><br /><strong>Match time with diet plan:</strong> We have discussed what your diet should be like, so you need to match the timings with your diet. At the same time, you need to see what is possible for YOU to do. What I mean to say is that if you workout in the morning, your breakfast need to be different to when you workout in the evening.<br /><br /><strong>Identify equipment:</strong> You may have some exercise equipment at home, you may be a gym goer (or thinking of joining a gym) or you may simple want to use your own body to do the workouts. Regardless of what you choose, you need to identify which one suits you best. You can work each and every body part with absolutely no equipment, so you don't have any equipment excuse.<br /><br /><strong>Identify strength trainings:</strong> As a beginner, all you need to concentrate on is 4 major muscle groups. These are the chest, shoulders, back and thighs (or the entire lower body). Don’t break up your workout, do full body every time you do strength training. Look for compound exercises for these muscle groups. If you have some kind of exercise equipment, try and see how you can use that to work these muscles. Make sure that all are compound movements and not isolation. Compound movements use more than 1 muscle group. It can be 1 major muscle and 2 or 3 minor muscles or can be 2 major muscle groups. The key point here is that – the more muscle movement, the more the calorie burn. Try and make a plan where you completely exhaust these muscle groups. Start off with one exercise per muscle group then introduce supper sets, then alternate between upper body lower body. Whatever you think will exhaust these muscles. Exhausting is very important for EPOC (I will discuss EPOC in a later post). Don't do strength training everyday. I suggest doing it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If you want to lose fat from your stomach, thighs or butt, don’t just do crunches or donkey kicks. Spot reduction is one of the biggest myths of the fitness industry. You need to do full body workouts.<br /><br /><strong>Identify cardio:</strong> Do any cardio you like. It can be jumping jacks, cycling, walking etc. - whatever you like. However, you need to do it in an HIIT and varying format. During the beginning stages, do the HIIT training on days when you are not doing strength training. Once you think you are fit enough, do HIIT right after your strength workouts. This will burn calories like you cannot even imagine. On the other days i.e. the non-strength/HIIT days, do any kind of cardio for about 20 – 30 minutes, but keep changing your speed every minute or so. Go very fast, then very slow, then medium. Basically, mix it up a bit.<br /><br /><strong>Resting days:</strong> I usually take Sundays off. It is very important to take ATLEAST one day off from working out. Too much of anything is bad for you. Take a day's rest and be sureto cheat as well :-). Good, isn’t it.<br /><br />Write down your plan and see how best you can follow it. Shoot me with any questions you have and I will try my level best to help you out.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a title="Bookmark and Share" href="http://www.blogger.com/" target="_blank" pub="burnnbuild&url="><strong><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" src="http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif" width="125" /></strong></a></div>Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-34012706727513559362008-09-06T11:14:00.005+06:002009-08-15T22:22:46.181+06:00The Power Of The Eccentric Motion<b>The following post is taken from <a herf="http://www.weightgain4you.blogspot.com/">http://www.weightgain4you.blogspot.com/</a></b><br /><br />In this article I will be talking to you about a simple tip that was used years ago for explosive muscle growth, but for some reason it's not used as much these days and it should be!<br /><br />This popular weight training technique was used by muscle building enthusiasts long before you where lifting and even walking for that matter. For it not to be used as much now is a real downer and people are missing out on the results it can bring them. So, follow me and read on below to start seeing more in your muscle building efforts.<br /><br />In weight training, in order for the muscle to grow and develop, there needs to be a high tension and stimulus placed on the muscles (well durrr!). When the muscles are overloaded with more tension than they were put through the last time round the musculatory system requires your muscles to undergo hypotrophy, or increase in mass. Therefore, resulting in an increase in both muscle size and strength.<br /><br />The larger the force of tension put on your muscles, the larger more they muscle tissue is stimulated. So in order for your muscles to get the best possible chance of growth, you need to implement a good stimulating technique into your <a herf="http://www.weightgain4you.com/weight-training-programs-to-build-muscle.php">weight training program</a>.<br /><br />Now, that’s enough of me babbling on, I guess you wanna here this old super powerful technique this whole article is about.<br /><br />Well....Have you ever heard of the negative lift? Or eccentric contraction training? It's a weight training technique that places a huge demand on the muscle, even more so than just lifting a conventional weight. This increased amount of stress on the muscle is what is responsible for delivering increased results in muscle growth.<br /><br />An eccentric contraction or negative contraction is the lowering position of a lift. When you lift a weight, the strain on the muscle is less than that of when you lower the weight. The increased tension on the muscle when lowering is because the muscle fibres are lengthened and the strain on each individual muscle fibre is increased. Thus, resulting in an increase in muscle growth potential.<br /><br />Another example of this is included in a bench press. When you lift the bar up to the point of full extension, and then you begin to lower it again, trying not to let it come down too fast and smack you in the throat, this is what is known as an eccentric contraction. The longer you take to lower the bar the more muscle fibres are stimulated, and the chance of muscle growth are increased.<br /><br /><b>Check out this example of the negative lift.</b> In this case the guy is doing chin ups on the rack:<br /><br /><b>Negative Lift Example</b><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OI8dMx9Fd6A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OI8dMx9Fd6A&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />The human muscles are a wonderful thing, they can lift up to 40% more weight during the negative motion (or eccentric contraction) than they can do during the positive muscle contraction. The positive contraction of the lift is when there is a shortening of the muscle fibres. In other words, the concentric contraction (which is the positive contraction) is when you undergo lifts such as curling, pressing, or pulling down resistance.<br /><br />That 40% of extra weight which can be lifted on a negative contraction increases your weight training intensity, and places a higher stimuli on the muscles. Therefore, resulting in optimum tension and stimulus for maximum muscle growth and development.<br /><br />Please be advised that the negative weight training technique is proven to increase muscle fibre damage, and in turn intensify muscle soreness. This extra muscle trauma is the result of higher intense and more targeted muscle training. Along with this increase of intensity comes shorter training times and increased speed of the muscle growth process.<br /><br />Building the muscle you want is easier than you thought, as long as you utilize the negative repetition. Introduce it to your weight training program now so you can increase the speed of which you <a herf="http://www.weightgain4you.com/">build muscle mass</a>.<br /><br /><br />Tired of the way you look? You want to build muscle & and get stronger? Click here to download this <a herf="http://www.weightgain4you.com/Free-E-Report.pdf">Insane Muscle Gain Free report</a>.<br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8924244597404744539.post-530522028044193552008-09-03T17:56:00.005+06:002009-08-15T22:21:33.138+06:00How to create your own fat loss diet planHere is the first of many ‘HOW TO’ posts that will help you create you own diet and exercise plans to achieve your fitness goals. It is very important for each and every one of us to know – how to go about creating our own diet plans. Following is a guide that shows you what steps to take.<br /><br /><strong>Calculate your BMR:</strong> BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the amount of calories used to keep you alive. There are a number of operations taking place within our bodies and we need energy/calories to keep them going. You can calculate you BMR using any online BMR/RMR calculator or use the following formulas.<br /><br /><em>English BMR Formula<br /></em>Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)<br />Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year)<br /><br /><em>Metric BMR Formula</em><br />Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)<br />Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)<br /><br /><strong>Add activity level:</strong> Apart from the involuntary operations happening in your body, you need energy for the voluntary actions as well. You need energy to walk, talk, run – basically do anything. You can take this into account by adding an activity level. Research has shown that the following factors can be used for accurate results. The final result is called TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)<br /><em></em><br /><em>Activity Multiplier</em><br />Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)<br />Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)<br />Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)<br />Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)<br />Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e. marathon, contest etc.)<br /><br /><strong>Calculate your average daily intake:</strong> Take a couple of days and note down what you are eating. Use the internet to get the calorie count.<br /><br /><strong>Make first diet plan:</strong> The first diet plan should help you get back to your BMR level. E.g. If your BMR is 1800, take 1800 calories (first diet plan) for 1 – 2 weeks. This means that your body will be at equilibrium. Not gaining, nor losing.<br /><br /><strong>Make second plan:</strong> This should create a calorie deficit. E.g. if your TDEE is 2000 cals, you should go down to 1500 or 1700 calories, but make sure you take above 2000 cals once a week; Preferably the weekend.<br /><br />Follow these steps and you should be good to go.<br /><br /><strong>Rules: </strong>There are some other rules that need to be considered. These are related to the timing of calories and the type of calories you are taking in. (take most of your carbs from fruits as they are rich in minerals and vitamins as well).<br /><br />Breakfast - Low GI carbohydrates Fiber Slow Protein Unsaturated fats<br />Snack - Protein Unsaturated fats Low or no carbohydrates<br />Lunch - Protein Unsaturated fats Low GI carbohydrates Fiber<br />Snack - Protein Unsaturated fats Low or no carbohydrates<br />Snack 2 (or post workout) - Protein<br />Supper - Slow Protein Unsaturated fats Low carbohydrates<br /><br /><strong>Things you need to avoid:</strong><br />Saturated fats<br />Trans-fats<br />Processed grain<br />Process sugar<br /><br />The above method will help you increase your metabolism, regulate your hormones and get healthy.<br /><br/><br /><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post BEGIN --><br /><div><a expr:href='"http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?pub=burnnbuild&url=" + data:post.url + "&title=" + data:post.title' target='_blank' title='Bookmark and Share'><img src='http://s9.addthis.com/button1-bm.gif' width='125' height='16' style='border: 0px; padding: 0px' alt='Bookmark and Share' /></a></div><br /><!-- AddThis Button for Post END -->Usman Pasha Siddiquihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18089370643883785444noreply@blogger.com7