Best Post Workout Food Options

People often give importance to pre-workout meals to support the muscle growth and promote weight loss. But latest studies are giving more weightage to post work out diet as being the most important meal that can make or break your fitness.

Your body absorbs the maximum amount of food right after the workout. Your muscles absorb the food quickly in order to replenish the energy burnt and to repair the muscles tissues. Three most essential requirements of the body especially post the workout are protein for muscle repair and simple carbohydrates to replenish the glucose levels.  The carbohydrates eaten post workout will not be stored as body fat but infact will be instantly consumed by the body. Simple carbohydrates help spike the insulin levels that help the cells absorb the nutrient instantly.

An average person looking for general weight loss and fitness only requires 8-10 grams of protein post the workout. For serious muscle building an average person requires 20-22 grams. The actual percentage of protein is directly proportional to your weight. Please consult a professional dietician to get recommended protein for your body weight.

Non –Veg

Chicken Breasts: This body part of the chicken is the leanest (minimal fat content) and contains highest source of protein.  For every 100 grams of chicken breast you get 30 grams of protein. Best way to eat is grilling it with some fresh seasonal green vegetables. This will also comprise of a complete balanced meal and will contain essential vitamins & minerals.

Tuna: Every 100 grams of tuna tuna canned in water and drained provides an astonishing. 29.13 grams of high-quality protein. It can be best eaten as salad or with rice. It also contains essential minerals and vitamins that help boost the metabolism.

Salmon: It is high in protein, Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids that support muscle formation and promote weight loss. Salmon also contains minerals such as iron, phosphorus, vitamins A and B, calcium and selenium. Eating salmon is very good for the heart as it lowers cholesterol, prevent the hardening of the arteries and make the arteries flexible.

Eggs: Whole eggs provide great protein content at 6 to 8 grams per egg, and are also rich in vitamins, zinc, iron and calcium making them one of the most complete muscle building foods out there. Eggs provide maximum amount of nutrition for the least amount of calories.

Vegetarian

Cottage cheese/Paneer: Is one of the best muscle-building foods you’ll find. Just one cup of cottage cheese can pack 28 grams of protein. The main health benefit is that cottage cheese is low in fat and carbs and very high in protein.

Broccoli: One cup of chopped and cooked broccoli (146 g) provides 46 calories, 4.6 g  of protein,. Broccoli is rich in cholesterol-reducing fiber , is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and bloodsugar . It also has detox and antioxidant properties that help keep off infection and build immunity.

Pulses:30 gms of pulse or 1 cup of pulse contains 7 gms of protein in it. This almost meets the daily meal requirement of an average person looking for weight loss or general fitness. You can fresh sautéed vegetables and a chapatti to complete the vitamin, carbohydrate mineral and fibre dietary requirements to boost the metabolism.

Almonds: Almonds provide a good source of protein and fat, but it’s their vitamin E that is most beneficial to your muscles. The powerful antioxidant fights free radicals and helps you recover quicker from your workouts.

Water:Your body is 70 percent water and your muscle tissue is around 75 percent water. Keeping your muscles hydrated will help increase strength, increase energy levels and aid in proper digestion. A minimum of 7-9  glasses are recommended for best results.

 

Protein Sources for Vegetarians

Vegetarians often feel left out that there are not much protein options available in their diet as compared to their non-vegetarian counterparts. Chicken, eggs, lean meats, red meats, fishes are popularly known as the good sources of protein. The good news is that there are plenty of protein options available for vegetarians to meet the daily protein requirement. Contrary to the belief an average individual only requires approximately one gram of protein per kg of body weight to meet the daily protein requirement intake. Extra protein gets stored as fat in the body.

Protein helps in the building of muscle fiber and for various other functions of the body. Protein is required by the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of all cells. It is also essential for the synthesis of antiboidies which fight infection and is the main nutrient for our hair, nails etc.

Best Vegetarian Protein Sources

Yogurt: Yogurt and Greek yogurt both are healthy options for protein. One cup of yogurt can provide you with 14 gm of protein and more ever with other nutrition as well. Opt for a plain yogurt than the sweetened and flavored one as it is less in sugar and other additives. Yogurt boosts bone health, promotes colon health and boosts immunity. Greek yogurt contains more protein than the regular yogurt.

Soybean: Soyabean is one of the richest vegetarian protein source and is rich in carbohydrates, fats and other important vitamins and minerals. Men should eat less of soy products as they are high in female hormones and excess consumption could cause man boobs. Other soy products are equally healthy for protein. Like tofu, soymilk etc are all healthy sources of protein. Read more

How to Increase Muscle Mass

Simple fundamental of weight lifting and strength training can help you load on quick muscle mass and lose fat from the body. The basic logic behind using heavy weights is that it provides resistance to muscle which in return makes it bigger and stronger. But  simply pumping iron is not going to get you the muscle mass. Right nutrition is equally important for the muscle gain and development.

What happens when you lift weights? The tiny muscle fibers tear accelerating the process called muscle protein synthesis. This basically means the body uses available amino acids to repair muscles and avoid further damage. This is an on going process but every exercise session takes about 48 hours to actually show. So instead of pumping weights 7 days a week you can actually minimize it to about 3-4 days a week to see good results without over-working out your body.

Let us further explain what happens how energy is consumed during a workout session. While exercising our body takes energy from the glycogen reserves during the workouts. So more you workout your body ,the body is burning calories and using the energy reserve. After the workout the body naturally craves nutrition to replenish the used resources. So when you over train yourself then the reserves sometimes runs out of glycogen reserves. The body breaks down the protein in the muscles to get the glucose levels to normal affecting the muscle growth. This means over-working out might give you no muscle in return.

Proper diet with your exercise otherwise you might not gain the desired muscle mass. Everyone focuses on  protein, we agree they are important  but the body also requires carbohydrates to keep the glycogen levels intact, followed by fats for hormone functions. Muscle repair is not just for a few hours but continues for a longer period. Eat protein , carbohydrates and fats in through out the day to not get deficit of any nutrition.

Rest is important for the body as muscles recover during rest and require adequate time to recover and make up for the muscle wear and tear. If there is continuous muscle exertion and no rest given to the muscle then the muscle eats up its own reserves and the reverse happens. Instead of gaining muscle mass the body loses the muscle mass which is known as  catabolic state. This state also happens when you are fasting or eating very less and go without food for long time. Read more

Cross Training for Weight Loss

Cross training is one of the most popular fitness trends world-over. What is cross training and what makes it so popular? To put is simply cross training is a creative way to make your workout more beneficial and enjoyable by combining different forms of exercises. Your body has a tendency to get use to the same physical activity done over a period of time. This is phenomenon is also commonly referred to as hitting the “plateau”.

Cross Training beautifully cuts this plateau out of the way by working out different muscles of the body  at the same time adding variety, challenge, excitement to a workout routine resulting in more effective weight loss, better toned muscles and uniform development of the body.

Let us explain the benefits further. Doing same exercise repetitively can cause wear and tear of joints and leave other muscles without  any exercise causing unbalance in workouts and disproportionate muscle growth. We require full body workout to keep our muscles conditioned and reduce injury as well. Cross training benefits the body in improving flexibility and increasing general fitness levels.

What combination would you call a good cross training routine. Essentially six different types of exercise techniques like reistance training to, plyometric, strength training, interval training, resistance training, isometric are included in a  good cross training routine. Each of these forms of exercise have unique benefits and when combined can deliver some measurable results. Here is how each of these techniques work, what part of the body they work out and what are the main benefits of adding them to your exercise routine. Read more

Best Exercises for Abdominal Fat or Love Handles

After belly, thighs and arms and butt the other common weight gain area is your waist. Over a period of time weight starts to collect on the side of your stomach which is also known as “love handles” or “tyres”. All these terms are nothing but common slang for abdominal obesity.

Eating unhealthy food and no exercise is the most common cause of love handles. These tyres were mostly seen on women in the past but now more and more men seem to develop it in their late twenties & early thirties. Indians are genetically inclined to accumulate fat around their waist which is also linked to Type 2 diabetes and heart health.

The simplest way to check for abdominal fat is to measure your waist. Run a tape measure around your waist at about the level of your navel. Breathe minimally, and make sure not to pull the tape measure so tight that it depresses the skin. The average BMI  (Body mass Index) of an Indian woman ranges from 18-24.9 , a waist circumference greater than 34-35 inches is considered high risk to lifestyle diseases.

Another way to measure abdominal fat is by calculating the waist to hip ratio. This is done through simple calculation of taking the ratio of the waist and hip. The healthy range in women is less than .7 and men is less than 1.

The best way to lose weight is to exercise and watch what you eat. Ensure that your body is getting adqeuate nutrition to improve the metabolism. Do not resort to fad diets as they might show you weight loss in the short term but in the long term you put the weight back on besides depriving your body of important nutrition resulting in multiple deficiencies in future. For healthy weight loss consult a good professional weight loss expert to help you lose weight and get fit. Read more

Exercises to Lose Fat on Arms

Eating extra calories gets stored in the body in the form of fat and at various places like arms, tummy, legs etc. Different women have different weight problem points. One of the most common weight problem point are the arms and thighs. We recently covered a story on the best exercises to lose weight on the thighs. Click here to read the complete story. In this article we will help you find out how to lose weight on the arms and tone them up.

Upper arm consists of triceps and biceps. Women have a higher tendency to accumulate fat on this area then men. Also losing weight and toning arms is also one of the most difficult thing to accomplish. Everyone wants a quick solution or spot reduction to fat arms. Unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reduction and exercising alone doesnt help you get results. Its always a combination of diet and exercises that get you faster and better
results. Often we have seen people using heavy weights in the gym to lose weight on the arms. The simplest trick to losing weight on arms is starting cardio that will help reduce fat and then adding resistance to your training in the form of weights to get the right results.

Here are some exercises for the arms to help you tone up

Running: Any kind of cardio exercise is recommended for fast fat loss in the body. You could do skipping, running, sprinting, jogging, cycling, swimming or play a sport. All the above options burn faster calories and help reduce maximum fat from the body.

Women Push ups: Pushup has multiple benefits including working out the arms. For more stress on the arms perform close grip push up. To perform get into a plank position with knee on the ground for women. Keeping the body straight, lower body to the ground by bending arms at the elbows. Raise body up off the ground by extending the arms. Repeat.Body weight should be lifted by the arms. Read more

How to train your muscles

There are numerous exercise that you can workout in a gym. Each exercise is either for a specific muscle called an isolation exercise or compound exercise where multiple muscles are worked together. Which muscle should you train first or what combination of muscles should you take for more training. Training different muscles depends upon what your objective is and your approach to muscle training.

There are certain number of things one should keep in mind while training his/her muscles. When lifting weights it is most important and foremost to maintain the right posture and perform the exercise in the right manner. Doing them in the wrong posture could unbalance the symmetrical growth of the muscles and could cause injuries and pain. If you are looking for muscle mass then lift more heavy weights with which you could do only 7-8 reps of the exercise. For defining and better cuts of the muscles don’t rush through your session. Change your exercise pattern at times as the body can adapt to the pattern. Rest is important as muscles require time to repair the wear and tear and increase in size and strength.

Work Bigger Muscles First: There are various combinations that you can take while building muscles. There are big muscles in the body like chest, back, thighs, abs and small muscles are biceps, forearms, shoulders, triceps etc. If you work on the small muscles first then working the bigger muscles will be straining as smaller muscles assist in training the bigger muscles. If the small muscles get tired then it will be less supportive for bigger muscles. So do the bigger muscles first and then move on to smaller one. This gives more muscle mass and density to the muscles with strength too.

Combine Opposing muscles: If you are looking to increase strength in your muscles to lift heavier weights then train opposing muscles to concentrate more on the muscles and provide them enough rest. Opposing muscles are least incorporated while doing the other muscle so its gives you time and strength to work the opposing muscles with heavier weight. This style allows you to work more muscles in a workout. Suppose you work your chest then the biceps don’t play much role in it. So it is possible to work the biceps as well with full power and weights.

Work the supporting muscles: Work out combining muscle group in one workout. The muscles that support each other. Like biceps and back. Chest and triceps etc. This helps build muscle endurance, gives better shape to the muscles.  Training supporting muscles works the bigger and small muscles as well. It gives a right combination to exhaust the muscles for better and ripped muscle mass.

Best Weight Lifting Exercises

Weight Lifting builds muscles and accelerates the metabolism of the body. More muscles inthe body will result in higher metabolic rate. You can do compound exercises, means multi-joint movement exercises that work multiple muscles at one time, either by using body weight or lifting weights that have been designed to work specific muscles in the body in order to build them.

Weight lifting is a technique that provides resistance to the muscle to increase their mass and strength. It is one of the more popular forms of strength training that helps building the size and strength of skeletal muscles. Skeletal muscles are the voluntary muscles in our body that are attached to the bones through bundles of fiber.There are many exercise that help develop and strengthen various skeletal muscles in the body. Below is  the list of  best weight lifting exercises for different muscle groups like biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, back, abs, quadriceps, hamstring, calves and forearms.

Best Weight Lifting Exercises

Best Weight Lifting Biceps Exercises

Barbell Curl: This is the most basic of bicep exercise where to increase its effective increase the weight with which you do not moe than 10 reps. You can do it alternately and do it with barbells for proportionate growth.

Preacher Curl: Preacher curl works the muscle in isolation and exerts stress on the muscle for increase in mas and strength. Helps work the fore arms also.

Close Grip Chin Ups: This is a great compound exercise where it requires lifting the body weight with biceps working the core as well. Build strength and stamina in the muscle.

Best Weight Lifting Triceps Exercise

Dumbbell Tricep Extension: You can do tricep extension either on the bench lying or sitting or on a decline bench. Triceps extension helps the muscle work in isolation and build triceps big.

Dips: Keep your body upright to allow maximum tension on the triceps to build power , strength and mass. You can do dips with a bench, parallel bars or by the side of your bed.

Bench Press: On of the most effective tricep exercise where you can increase tension by add extra weight. You can do bench press with dumbbells or barbells. It works the triceps and the chest also.

Best Weight Lifting Shoulders Exercise

Upright Rows: This exercise builds muscle mass and stregth and brings power to the shoulders. You can do upright rows with barbells or dumbbells.

Overhead Press: You could do overhead press with dumbbells or barbells. Overhead press is a highly effective shoulder exercise. Maintaining the right positions will build immense strength and muscle.

Lateral Raises : Lateral raises can be done with dumbbells and you could do two types of the raises. Front lateral raise for front deltoids and side lateral raise for side deltoids.

Best Weight Lifting Chest Exercise

Bench Press: It is a effective exercise for building upper body especially the chest and triceps as they exert maximum tension on them. There are many variations you can do with bench press like with dumbbells or barbells on decline, incline or flat bench. Increase weight for muscle mass.

Butterfly Machine: Butterfly machine pumps up the chest and builds big chest muscles. Cable cross over and dumbbell fly are also highly effective exercise.

Incline dumbbell Fly: Mind the posture while doing this exercise. It is a isolation exercise for chest and works for a big bulging muscular chest.

Best Weight Lifting Back Exercise

Pull Ups: One of the best back building exercise. The exercise is difficult in the beginning but gradually build endurance and strength in the core which involves the back. You can do variations with chin ups or pull ups. Do palms facing inwards, outwards, inverted chin ups and parallel grips.

Rowing: Rowing helps build overall back muscles in mass and width. You can choose between barbells and dumbbells and increase weight to increase intensity. You can do bent over row, dumbbell row or machine row.

Dead lift: It is a complete back exercise which involves power. The deadlift works the thighs, glutes and calves along with the complete back. Builds power, mass and strength and size.

Best Weight Lifting Abs Exercise

Crunches: Highly effective exercise for the rectus abdominis (6 packs). It is a beneficial exercise for beginners and works in building muscle and strength.

Hanging Leg Raises: This exercise works the entire core and involves hanging in the air while performing the exercise. It works the lower abdomin region and can be done with bent knee raises and staight knee leg raise. It buildd strength and enduarnce in the ab region.

Twist: As you need to burn fat from the sides and build oblique muscle twist exercise is a highly effective exercise for strengthening core muscles and losing fat from the sides. Tones the back and abs.

Best Weight Lifting Quadriceps Exercise

Squats: It works the front thighs, glutes and lower back. For strong lower body and and big muscles squats is highly effective. It can be done with barbells for increase in intensity. Mind the posture while doing squats.

Lunges: Maintaining a right posture and keep back straight is important while doing lunges. Exert pressure with front thighs to push body weight up and not the back. Tones the thighs, glutes, back and hips. Use dumbbels for bigger and toned muscles.

Leg Extension: This exercise is an isolation exercise for front thighs. It pumps up the thighs and helps build muscle mass and strength. One of the best exercise to build quadriceps.

Best Weight Lifting Hamstring Exercise

Romanian Dead lifts: This deadlift works the hamstring, glutes and lower back. It build muscle mass and strength in the hamstring for muscular thighs overall.

Straight Leg Dead lifts: It takes a lot of effort to do this exercise where you are supposed to keep your legs staright and not bent. Though is a compound exercise which works the calves, glutes but very effective for hamstring.

Lying Leg Curl: It is a isolation exercise completely for hamstring. Again a great exercise to build strength and muscles in the hamstring. Do it easily and properly for maximum benefits.

Best Weight Lifting Calves Exercise

Standing Calf Raise: It invoves raising your body slowly on your toes and stretching the most while at the top. Don’t jump while doing the exercise and add weights on the shoulders to increase the intensity. You can use a barbell, smith machine, hip belt, dumbbells to do variations with calf raises.

Seated Calf Raise: Concentrate on the bottom and top part while performing the exercise. Use weight to build big muscular calves. Check the momentum of the exercise and don’t hurry through.

Best Weight Lifting Forearms Exercise

Wrist Curl: This exercise works the inner forearms while it increase the width of the wrist for building muscles. It involves curling the wrist and can be done with weight for more muscle mass and strength.

Reverse Curl: This exercise works the outer forams. Usually this muscle of the forearms get missed out reducing the size of the forearms. Use weights to increase intensity of the exercise.

 

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