There are a few things that you can do to gain muscle weight fast. The first thing to remember is that to gain muscle weight fast you need to take care of your diet, you need to train correctly and finally you need to rest very well so that you can make the most of those workouts.

In the last article I pointed out that most people do not use weightlifting as a form of exercise although it is critical to do this instead of just cardio to help drive up your metabolism. There are a few problems though. Most people as they try to gain muscle weight fast make the critical mistake of overtraining while also not eating and resting enough.

So lets look at the proper way for eating, resting and training to maximize gains and minimize overtraining in your quest to gain muscle weight fast. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, construction worker, eating to build muscle, exercise, Gain Muscle Weight Fast, set 10, weights

I used to do a lot of really heavy weightlifting, nothing like a pro bodybuilder, but have always been impressed by the Mr Olympia. Last weekend the Mr Olympia took place and Dexter Jackson won the Sandow (Mr Olympia trophy) and the title as Mr Olympia 2008.

Dexter has been a very high level bodybuilder for many years first placing 9th in the 1999 Mr Olympia so it has taken him until his 10th Olympia to win one.

There are many many bodybuilding contest but the Mr Olympia has overshadowed all of them except maybe the Arnold Classic, which is a contest sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Even the Mr Universe, which was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s, does not have nearly the hype surrounding it as the Mr Olympia has.

The local sports shows as you may have noticed do not seem to talk about bodybuilding or this contest although there are a lot of hardcore followers that knew exactly what was happening this weekend in Las Vegas. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: arnold classic, Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilders, bodybuilding contest, Dexter Jackson, Dorian Yates, Las Vegas, Lee Haney, local sports, mr olympia, Olympia, olympia 2008, Ronnie Coleman, Universe, weightlifting

I have been working out off and on since I was 15 years old and one of the problems with the whole bodybuilding industry is that it is based on vanity a lot more then it is based on fitness.

I still remember when I was 20 and smoking and going into a bar and a fellow weightlifter told me that bodybuilders don’t smoke they just drink. Well going out boozing is not a picture of fitness to me anymore but the bodybuilding industry is built on vanity just as it has been for many many years.

I found the following interesting article at Intersportswire.

Thirty-five years ago the term “body building “ was synonymous with fitness. But in 2008 these terms are mutually exclusive. If your personal trainer is a bodybuilder, you should move on. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilding, George Butler, mr olympia, mr universe, muscle group, Olympia, personal trainer, pumping iron, spartan life, Universe, weightlifter

California governor and ex bodybuilding pro Arnold Schwarzenegger as you can imagine understands the need for fitness and wellness programs for everyone in the state of California. This press release not only is a bit of a plug that 24 hour fitness shows that they support the program but also makes the governors announcement yesterday a bit more public around the country.

24 Hour Fitness today commended California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Stay Healthy California” five-point plan highlighting the importance of preventative health and wellness initiatives.

Since October 2005, 24 Hour Fitness has supported Governor Schwarzenegger’s dedication to health and wellness through the Governor’s Challenge, a program designed to track physical activity and reward young adults who are active for 30-60 minutes a day at least 3 days a week.

24 Hour Fitness exclusively offers program participants free access to its clubs to further success of the Governor’s program.

24 Hour Fitness realizes the significance of corporate client partnerships and the wellness of employees. Through its corporate wellness program, 24 Hour Fitness serves more than 4,000 corporations across the country with special packages and discounts for employees, a program proven to help improve workers’ overall health, morale as well as productivity.

“With more than three million members globally, we are excited to support Governor Schwarzenegger’s ‘Stay Healthy California’ plan of physical fitness and wellness,” said Mark Mastrov, chairman and founder.

“Together, this partnership delivers unparalleled fitness and wellness offerings to meet the evolving needs of those Californians looking to experience an active and fulfilling lifestyle.

About 24 Hour Fitness
Headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., 24 Hour Fitness, an innovative leader in the health and fitness industry, serves more than 3 million members in over 350 clubs across 16 different states and four countries in Asia. Founded in 1983 as a one-club operation by Chairman and Founder Mark S. Mastrov, 24 Hour Fitness pioneered the concept of making fitness accessible, affordable and a way of life for everyone. Supporting the communities it serves, 24 Hour Fitness sponsors many charitable events and organizations including the 2004 – 2008 U.S. Olympic Teams and the Magic Johnson, Andre Agassi and Lance Armstrong Foundations. Please call1-800-224-0240 or visit http://www.24HourFitness.com for more information and to find the location nearest you.

Tags: 800-224-0240, Andre Agassi, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Asia, California, chairman and founder, Governor, Hour Fitness, innovative leader, Johnson, Lance Armstrong Foundations, Mark Mastrov, Mark S. Mastrov, San Ramon, Schwarzenegger's 'Stay Healthy, United States

OK Arnold Schwarzenegger has nothing to do with this but I just wanted to get a pic of Arnold somewhere on the blog. One of my big plans this year was to start a 21 day Health and fitness email program. Finally I have finished this thing and would like to announce it here.

21 day Fitness Program

The idea of the 21 day health and fitness program is to condense all of the important factors in improving your life in little bite sized chunks that you can get in your email. This program of course you can do at your own pace but the idea is that you get an email, follow through on the skills for the day and then two days later you will get the next part to apply.

One thing that is important to know is that this program is free and the real motivator for me to create his was that I was not sure if this blog itself could have the direct effect on people that a focused program would have.

You may wonder why the program is 21 days and in fact there is no real reason behind it, oh I could use the old “It takes 21 days to build a habit” or something but realistically I was try to have 20 days of emails but though it better to condense the program to 10 sections and send it out every second day.

I will be covering eating, sleeping, cardio, weights, supplements, and motivation as well as some other topics. I am hoping that you find this a great way to get started or a way to jump start a healthy lifestyle so If you are interested please visit the sign up page.

And if you do end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger by the end of the 21 days, well then you have exceeded my expectations.

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger

I have mentioned many times before that I ride a bike to work and during the last few weeks have been up and down with it so I thought it may be a good time to try to communicate the issues that I have run into.

I have been riding my bike to work for years but here in Calgary the weather in the winter is really cold so I have always taken a few months off in the winter and done some exercise in the house instead, be it weights or elliptical trainer or stationary bike. This winter the weather was mild and I have access to a shower at my work so I was able to ride often right through the winter.

I was pretty excited to be on the bike and have the freedom of exercising to start the day in November but by the time January came I was not sleeping enough and my body was feeling pretty beat up, I continued riding but was resenting it. The coldness of the morning was making me cold and I felt like the exercise was not a good enough reason to be riding but felt like I would be a bit of a whimp to be taking the car instead when it was not really cold enough to use the winter excuse.

All of this silent rage kind of got to me in February. I felt like I had no energy anymore and my muscles were sore and the road seemed a little unsafe. I knew the spring was coming and that I was not going to get a break and would be riding every day again until at least fall. Finally, I got off the bike and drove for most of four weeks and started sleeping more as well as stretching again. You would think that I would follow my own advice from this blog but no, I often don’t and should really know better. When I finally got back on the bike I felt refreshed and energized. I had more energy in my legs and the attitude that was so destructive was gone.

Now I realize that anytime that there is a problem with my attitude, and really it is 99% attitude as Arnold Schwarzenegger says, then take that break and get back to the basics. We may all be striving to better ourselves everyday but sometimes you need a short time to regroup and get you head back into the game as they would say so that you can push yourself hard again.

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, calgary, energy